Physical Culture Music & Art

Tasha Norman - is the founder/CEO of Fitengine.com (a Fitness information resource) and NYC Dance Week.org (a NYC annual Dance festival) and proud to be a co-owner of LifeSpan Pilates. With over 10 years teaching experience and multiple certifications in Pilates, Bio-Mechanics and Anatomy and in the Zena Romett Floor-Barre® Technique Tasha teaches Pilates, Stretch/Flexibility/Mobility. Tasha was also taught by Joseph Pilates’ protege Romana Kryzanowska. Jeff Fine - offers more than traditional psychotherapy that just focused on the mind. He received a BA in Psychology from Syracuse University, along with a Masters in Clinical Social Work from New York University. He loved his practice, but more and more, he realized the limitations of only focusing on the mind when clients struggled with maintaining a healthy weight, being consistent with their exercise program, and generally staying on track making healthy changes. They wanted to change but were frustrated with being unable to make the progress they knew they needed to. Then it dawned on him, what if he could work with their minds and bodies simultaneously?! TotalSelf Counseling was born.

Jen Williams - has spent a lifetime in various dance classes and recently fell in love with rhythm tap dancing. She was a dance major at Brenau University in Gainesville, GA and moved to NYC to continue my dance education. She studied massage and personal training at the Swedish Institute of Allied Health Sciences and became a licensed massage therapist in 1998 building a busy private practice in Manhattan and now building a new practice in NW Philadelphia. She's also has the Level 1 Kettlebell  certification, an Indian clubs certification, and is a Next Generation Yoga for Kids instructor. Larry Betz - After competing in two state championships as a high school gymnast,  Larry continued pursuing his passion for fitness by studying numerous styles of martial arts. Naturally, he became increasingly intrigued by the idea of improving health and performance through diet and exercise. In 2010, he sold the shares of his first club and set out to open a training center that offered his clients the best training tools and coaches available. He is the Director of the Brooklyn Athletic Club where  offering quality personal training is at the heart and soul of our club.  By making serious training accessible, safe, and enjoyable, they deliver dramatic results in a casual environment with a fun and open approach.

Gaston Robert Olsen - A NY State Licensed Massage Therapist, NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) Certified Personal Trainer and Yoga Alliance Certified Instructor, photographer and musician. He applies his knowledge of human anatomy, various body work techniques and exercise to help individuals achieve their full body balance. Whether recovering from an injury, looking to better ones game or just feel good; The goal is to educate and integrate because no one should know your body better than you. Pete Moore - is the Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Dream Architect at Integrity Square (“ISQ”), an early-stage growth equity investor and the leading boutique financial advisory firm serving the Health, Active Lifestyle & Outdoors (“HALO”) sector. Since opening ISQ in 2010, the firm has assisted in over 40 merger & acquisition, private placement and advisory assignments In North America, Europe and Asia including transactions with (or for) LA Fitness, Spectrum Clubs, Gold’s Gym International, Space Cycle, Urban Active, Massage Envy, Crunch, ClubReady and numerous private equity firms.

Gabby Abularach - Rock, Blues and exquisite Flamenco, this touring and studio guitarist, played and recorded with Cro Mags, Phillip Boa’s Voodoocult, and recorded with Everlast, Carlos Santana, John Spencer’s Blues Explosion and Korn.  Guitarist with over 20 years of professional experience in live performance and studio, Gabby Abularach’s work includes arranging, composing and recording his own original material as well as contributing in these capacities to other musical projects. Jay Shafran - is in a multi-disciplinary role that encompasses facility design, project management, budgeting, programming and business development for fitness, health and amenities spaces. He is currently the Lead Program Designer at Urban Playground, an amenity management and consultancy firm located in the heart of New York City.

STEPHEN FLAM - LMT, ACSM, NSCA, USAW Stephen Flam is a graduate of The Swedish Institute, a Licensed Massage Therapist in New York and South Carolina specializing in deep tissue, sports, medical, Shiatsu, Swedish, trigger point therapy, rapid release technology (RRT), and manual lymphatic drainage and lymphedema management therapy. Stephen is nationally certified with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), Pilates Sports Center (PSC), a KBC Level II Kettlebell instructor USAW Olympic lifting coach, TRX, Spinning, and Schwinn Cycling Instructor. He attended Woodward where he trained and competed. Stephen served as the U.S. team massage therapist in Athens, Greece and at the 2004 Mixed Martial Arts World Cup. He’s also a musician and guitar player most recently touring with his band Winter. DAVID GANULIN  - is theCEO & Founder of Kettlebell Concepts, a certified Pilates instructor and holds multiple certifications as a personal trainer, including the USAW Club Coach. He has many media and writing credits and was the first kettlebell instructor at Equinox and has a Master’s in Teaching, Curriculum and Development from the University of Rochester and speaks Japanese.

Abdallah Hawili is a world musician currently based in New York City, and previously Beirut-Lebanon. He plays the medieval Persian instrument Oud for a solo career, as well as, collaborates with various musicians worldwide. Hawili received his training at the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory concentrating in Arab Levantine Music, specializing in vocals and the Oud instrument. He has played in several bands in Lebanon before he moved to New York. He is currently collaborating with XIX Collective in LIC. He’s also performed at local schools in Long Island and private parties. TEDD KEATING - is an Associate Professor of Kinesiology teaching at Manhattan College. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in the physiology and biomechanics of human movement. Professional interests include all areas of human performance, with particular emphasis on strength and conditioning and clinical exercise science. He received his PHD, University of Pittsburgh and works closely with the Northeast Regional Chapter of The American College of Sports Medicine.

Annie Rodriguez PMA-CPT, MA - Is a certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist, Pre/Post-Natal Fitness Specialist and Group Fitness Instructor through the American Council on Exercise. She takes a unique, individualized approach to diet, fitness, and beauty standards believing that dance is for every body, that big is beautiful, and that intensity is like hot sauce (a healthy dash goes a long way, but too much just burns). She believes that strong is better than skinny and that mindful movement is transformative and that a daily movement practice can bring peace, balance and freedom to our lives. She teaches at East River Pilates and created the BarreBod program for Chalk Gyms in Williamsburg. John Fredericks - Is a personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. He is a dancer and a veteran and currently works at the Brooklyn Athletic Club. He’s motivated by Buddhism, self-fulfillment, and pushing through barriers. A 2006 graduate of the Swedish Institute he uses both Western and Eastern modalities of body work including Swedish Massage, Shiatsu, Hot Stone Therapy, Myofascial Release and Sports Massage.

Ambika Elizabeth - Ambika has been a singer and musician for most of her life, playing in various bands in NYC until she discovered chanting with Krishna Das in 1995. Kirtan had a profound effect on her. As Ambika deepened her connection to the practice of chanting, it became her home and refuge. Recently she has been exploring chants from other faith traditions, working with a program at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. See more at www.ambikachant.com Henry Rubey - Since 2010 Henry has been working in the fitness industry, mostly as a trainer.After an injury and a stint as operations manager/director, Henry returned to training in 2017 and also works as a climbing coach. He's currently enrolled in Manhattan College's Pre-Physical Therapy Program as is in their PEK Honors Society for Kinesiology. Find Henry on www.TrueVisionaryFitness.com

Karl Sterling is an NASM Master Trainer based in Syracuse, New York, and is the CEO and creator of the Parkinson’s Regeneration Training ® education program. While his extensive experience as a trainer includes working with a variety of populations, he primarily specializes in working with clients who have movement disorders. Gavin Van Vlack is an established name in the fitness/wellness and combat sports community in New York City and is the Director of Physical Culture Collective. Gavin holds an Associates Degree from the Swedish Institute for massage, is a nationally certified Master Trainer. He is highly recognized in the martial arts community as a Kru (high level instructor) and works with clients from competitive athletes to absolute fitness beginners as well as helping clients with rehabilitative and corrective strategies.

Pooja Uberoi- is the founder and owner of the Artistic Dance Company - IKIGAI USA which operates in USA and INDIA. She is the Producer for NYC Dance week and founder of Funkar - a NYC10initiative. She has more than 13 Years of experience as a dancer and teacher including teaching Bollywood Dance Classes at NY School of Dance. Molly Morgan Weiss- is an interdisciplinary artist, curator and art educator based in New York City. She exhibits her artwork nationally and curates exhibitions of local and international artists as well as directed special projects and galleries throughout NY/ New England area. She’s also known for her writing, winning poetry awards across Long Island. Collaborating with several galleries the artist has completed performances of weeklong match-ups combining a variety of sound, movement, video, a palette of color on a stage. www.mollymorganweiss.com Instagram : @myhealingstudio Facebook: /myhealingstudionyc

This Week's Guests - JOana Meneses - BodyRoots Founder and BodyRootsAzores / LiquidRoots Retreats Leader,and self proclaimed Karaoke Queen is an 18 year full-time Fitness Pro. She combines movement in ways that make you forget you're working. Jo, will be sharing her journey from the Azores to Canada and to NY through comedy and how she arrived at a career in Fitness and running her own business. Roger Harvey - CEO of Switch Playground USA Roger is the former COO of Crunch Fitness. He was there for 13 years and helped build the brand along with founder Doug Levine and a dedicated, loyal team of talented people. Roger will share some insights on the fitness industry and discuss his current work at Switch (@switchplaygroundnyc)

On our first show of the season we will be interviewing musician and fitness enthusiast Marcus Milius and Registered Dietician and Owner of Physical Equilibrium Sarah Currie. Marcus Milius Fronts the band Milkman & Sons, a Brooklyn based band that plays Traditional Blues and Prohibition Jazz. They are known for their ability to take audiences in a musical time machine by playing the music of such varied notables as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Django Reinhardt, and others. Marcus will play some music for us and talk about how exercise has influenced his art. Sarah Currie MS RD CDN is a Registered Dietitian, personal trainer, and triathlon coach. Specializing in post-rehab training, she incorporates her extensive knowledge of anatomy and nutrition into her work with clients who want to improve performance, lose weight, live a healthier lifestyle or who are managing clinical illnesses. Will ask Sarah to weigh in on Nutrition and give us some sound advice as well as what to look out for that may not be sound.