An MSc at the University of Auckland almost led him into academia but he came to his senses when he realized that most of what he'd been taught was either wrong or of no use in the real world. He now owns CrossFit NZ and changes people's lives while doing his best to swim in the ocean, learn something new and take a nap every day. Darren is a regular contributor to a variety of popular print and web based health and fitness magazines and is available as a public speaker, and consultant to sporting organisations, businesses, universities and television. Darren placed 4th in both the 2009 and 2010 Australasian CrossFit Games and was part of the affiliate team that competed in the 2010 World CrossFit Games. Read the profile >>
Ashram Yoga
Dee is a senior teacher at Ashram Yoga, passionate about Yoga and energy work. She teaches popular weekly classes, co-facilitates on training courses, runs workshops and leads kirtan as a source of constant inspiration and to share her love of Yoga. In 2006 she developed PLAY (Physically, Learning, Active, Yoga) classes to instill the FUNdamental skills of yoga at an early age, in an adventurous and creative way. Ashram Yoga now offers this as a teacher training module. Dee is a qualified Shiatsu & Thai Yoga Massage practitioner, Yoga therapist and Yoga Alliance 500-hour registered teacher who enjoys exploring the many avenues one can work with their energy to create positive life change. . Read the profile >>
James is one of New Zealand's top endurance athletes. He splits his focus between running and multisport and manages to achieve considerable success in both. In 2011, Kuegler ran for New Zealand at the Commonwealth Mountain & Ultra Distance Championship as well as finishing 8th in the 2011 Coast to Coast. He tends not to get caught up on the results, preferring instead to put the major focus on enjoyment, and allowing the results take care of themselves. James is in his final year of Chiropractic studies at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic. He believes that “Chiropractic is an indispensible part of getting to the top of your game and staying there” both in sport and life. 2012 will be his second year in the Chiropractic Centre caring for patients as a Chiropractic... Read the profile >>
Jess "Pocket Rocket" grew up as a ballet dancer and in her late 20's not long after giving up dancing, Jess' love for health and fitness grew and lead her to take her passion to be a career. Starting off at Les Mills Auckland NZ in Group Fitness, then Personal Trainer, and then moving to Australia, adding onto that in 2009 Power Yoga. Jess says "I love what I do, I love moving, I love having the freedom to use who I am as my work. I started off a confused very shy girl and having a great support group and a strong will I succeeded in making of myself someone I ever thought possible. Seeing others get this same enjoyment from Yoga and Fitness is so exciting and people always leave with a smile and bigger confidence." Read the profile >>
Jo's passion for fitness grew from a sporting background of representative netball, waterskiing and touch rugby, which taught her discipline, teamwork, motivation and goal setting - all of which are frontline values in her PT business today. Jo works with clients one on one, and also teaches group fitness (RPM) and small group training within Les Mills. She is a qualified chef who enjoys educating people on healthy food, cooking, and training nutrition. She support clients to break mental and physical barriers to become an improved version of themselves, and enhance their lifestyles outside of the gym. Jo prides her training on support and motivation to guarantee her clients results during their journey towards increased confidence, fitness and health. She didn't say it would be... Read the profile >>
Mat is a results-focused coach, working with individuals and groups to take them to improved levels of performance and endurance. Mat’s career as an HR professional for corporate businesses was about getting the best out of people. As a dedicated Endurance Coach, Mat enjoys helping people achieve their running goals while balancing successful working and sporting lives. Mat coaches and competes in distances from half marathon, ultra-distance events and triathlon. His specialty is ultra-distance trail running but he is also leading the Les Mills Auckland Road Runners Club. Some recent highlights for Mat include running the 2010 New York Marathon with his wife, gaining a silver buckle for a sub 14 hour finish in the 2011 NorthFace 100km trail run in the Blue Mountains, finishing... Read the profile >>
Abundance Studio
Sophie's appetite for Yoga came in 2004 mainly to help recover from injuries and general wear and tear from years of dancing but during a short space of time Yoga soon became more than a hobby and more of purposeful direction to overall wellness. Upon returning to New Zealand in 2009, Sophie continued to further her knowledge and connection to mindful movement while studying a therapy based Yoga course with Wellpark College of Natural Therapies, completing a Diploma in Yoga, Yoga instructors course in Ayurveda life style and massage and a Psychology of stress management dip. Sophie says's: "I believe the key components to a wonderful life are happy hips and a clear head space. I love expressing myself on the mat, shredding through external layers looking beyond imperfections and... Read the profile >>
