OUR GUIDES
STELIOS KARAKONSTANTIS
OWNER/TRAINER
I started as a martial artist assuming that the 15 years of training I had been doing would be enough. The lessons, skills and values I learned would prove to carry me far throughout the rest of my life until eventually I began teaching the very thing that was still teaching me. But like most things time will either promote you or expose you and I began to see that I had learned more of what not to do instead of what should be done. This left me with a decision to leave the previous organization I was involved with and pivot realizing that the capability I had acquired through my previous training had given me opportunity as well as purpose. I wanted to share my experiences with others who were willing to reciprocate so I packed up what I had in my car and began training people house by house.
I then risked it all and left what most would call a "financially stable situation" for something else more worthwhile. With no support or guarantees I went down a path of self-discovery eventually finding a space that needed to be ready in less than 30 days. The space where we currently reside is thus a physical manifestation of what was given then and what is required now.
Since then, I've trained a variety of individuals over the years most of which have been first responders and military. l began to learn quickly that training is negotiating and a tool to unlock the mind in order to prepare for things that are much more important than merely aesthetics . I've dedicated my life to provide those who are willing the opportunity to sharpen the tools they already possess and add more to their arsenal. I continue to practice that which allows me to be prepared and others that wish to join me in that practice will only enhance the experience.
MICHAEL JACKOVELLI
I’ve always somewhat considered myself an artist and if drawing portraits of people for 4 years at a University had taught me anything its the relationship between perception and anatomy. Eventually those skills would lead me down a more niche path amplifying beauty exclusively to faces with make-up. However, currently I find myself influencing others using a medium that’s further away from pastels and lipstick and closer to barbells and treadmills. It’s because of this I have become more of an avid practitioner rather than just a mere preacher. Completing a marathon on both a rower and ski-erg, riding a 100 miles on a bike from Bellmore to Montauk and eventually completing 1000 burpees were a means to pursue my own creativity through physical expression. It is then only natural that nutrition would be another discipline that I would pursue as the creative principals for a recipe run parallel with creating a piece of art; combining different elements in order to create something valuable and useful. The creation of these recipes is a means to stimulate thought, awareness and creativity towards nutrition while improving the relationship towards it. This is a craft and the training and guidance I facilitate is thus a congregation of both art and action using creativity as a means to bring out that which most initially are hesitant to embrace.
KATHLEEN PRONESTI
Health and physical fitness has always been a frontrunner in my life. For me, it began as a kid picking up a ball for a catch with my father, which in time led to more organized sports like swimming, softball, & volleyball as I grew up. The sports I played & the competitive nature of them gave me a solid appreciation for fitness, and it is one that I continue to cultivate today. As time went on & when the sports I participated in were in my rear view, I recognized the value of keeping oneself active and healthy as we age. My training had shifted more towards becoming capable, the focus was function my purpose was perpetuated. However the newly acquired capability did not come without an over looming thought that had presided over me; Difficulty is a filter and and most will fail to pass through it.
With that said, my training philosophy is as direct as it is transparent. I don't see the utility in excuses past an honest and "heartfelt conversation" after that it's time to work, and withdraw from the distractions. I come from a place of experience and while it is mine and mine alone I am willing to share the lessons that I have learned so I can provide an opportunity for you to change.
Fitness for me has always been a matter of need rather than want. My teammates on a semi-professional football team made me obligated to perform, but my career as an EMS in Harlem as well as a firefighter in the FDNY made that obligation even more potent. Personally, aesthetics were never a priority nor a pre-requisite for being able to save someones life while on the job. If anything, it was being capable that allowed me to be efficient while also negating the possibility of becoming a liability to myself and those around me. The training that I share with my clients is a bi-product of my work experience as I have seen what happens when someone comes up short due to a lack of conditioning or strength. Training from my perspective is in essence preparation so that we have the tools readily available to relentlessly pursue the task at hand.