Blake Bressmer
Coach
Blake has played competitive sports his whole life and found that he was just as interested in the training aspect of sport as he was in actually playing it. This interest led him to getting his bachelors degree in exercise science as well as finding CrossFit at the end of his baseball career in college. CrossFit filled both the competitive void as well as training lifestyle he had grown to love in sports. CrossFit became an instant obsession for Blake. Right out of college, he had the privilege of coaching at 2 CrossFit gyms in the St. Louis area. Blake loved being a part of such a wonderful community filled with like-minded individuals stepping into the gym everyday to crush their goals and be the best version of themselves. Blake looks forward to meeting all of the Carpe Diem members and continuing to help everyone dominate their fitness journey.
Josh Gabriel
Coach + Personal Trainer
Josh has been working out and playing sports his whole life. Football, basketball, baseball, soccer, track… Josh did it all! It was in the 6th grade during athletic P.E. where he first learned the back squat, deadlift, and bench press. Throughout the next several years, these foundation movements progressed to more complex lifts including the snatch and clean and jerk. During freshman year of football and track, his weightlifting sessions started to incorporate a lot of CrossFit style workouts. This is when he true passion for CrossFit began to blossom. Through college, Josh continued to incorporate CrossFit workouts into his routine, in addition to playing in various recreational sport leagues. With Josh’s true dedication and love for fitness and sports, it was a natural fit that he become a personal trainer. Josh loves to use his experience to help motivate and coach others to reach their goals.
Joel Backs
Coach
Joel found CrossFit shortly after his college football career in 2016 to fill a competitive void typically found in sports. This quickly led to a passion for training and performance. More importantly he found a strong desire to help and coach others to perform their best. In 2021 Joel turned his new passion into reality when he earned his CFL-1 certification. Shortly after, Joel understood the need of proper nutrition and recovery to help athletes perform at their highest level. To aid with this, Joel earned his Level 1 Nutrition Coaching certification from Precision Nutrition. Through all of this, the one thing that keeps Joel invested in the gym is the fact that he is surrounded by a tight nit community that isn’t offered anywhere else but with CrossFit and its affiliates.
MADALINE CUNNINGHAM-Reidy
Coach
Maddy has 12+ years of military service and 10 years of law enforcement service. Not being active is not an option. She found CrossFit in 2012 and fell in love. She truly believes fitness is a necessity …..not just for your overall health but your mental health as well. As a working mom, the benefit of Carpe Diem CrossFit is coming to class and using functional fitness to alleviate the every day stressors. Her husband, Joe, and kids are often seen working out or running around the gym. Joe is also known as the gym Mayor, as he never misses an opportunity to engage in a little chit chatting and good conversation! Maddy received her level-1 in November of 2021 and is already make plans to continue her CrossFit education.
Missy Gee
Coach
Missy has been an athlete her entire life, mainly focusing on volleyball and soccer during her childhood and continuing on to play soccer at the Division 1 level. Post college, she tried fulfilling her competitive drive with running and triathlons, but she is no cardio queen. She was introduced to CrossFit in 2012 and fell in love with the community and idea of always pushing yourself to be better. It’s been her main fitness program ever since, including through two pregnancies, and she is looking forward to sharing her passion and knowledge to help members be the best versions of themselves.
Alison Rhodes
Coach
Alison grew up playing softball and volleyball, along with sampling just about every youth sport and activity offered to get out of riding the bus home. Growing up in the country, it was often well over an hour and half long bus ride one way so dance, piano, cheerleading, etc. it was. Her love for sports and science led to earning a degree in Kinesiology with a AT/PT emphasis from the University of Illinois Urbana – Champaign. While working on her MPH and MPA at UIS, Alison was a personal trainer and discovered CrossFit around 2011. Shockingly, the Open 12.1 workout did not turn her away, only slightly scarred her, as she still hates burpees to this day. She loves helping and watching people achieve their goals and is excited to be coaching again!
Ben Wilton
Coach
Ben grew up playing every sport he could possibly squeeze into his schedule. In college his interest in performance led him to pursue a bachelor’s degree in exercise science. After graduation he worked as a personal trainer where he was introduced to CrossFit. He immediately drank the Kool-Aid and bought into the methodology, achieving his CrossFit Level-1 in 2014. He loves talking all things CrossFit and really enjoys introducing people to the community and training method.
Maureen Faller
Yoga Instructor
Maureen “Mo” Faller has been practicing yoga for over a decade. She grew up in Boulder, Colorado before moving back to Springfield, Illinois in high school. She graduated from Indiana University with a BA in Political Science in 2009 and Southern Illinois University School of Law in 2012. She received her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training from Yoga Alliance at Ahh Yoga in December of 2016. Maureen received her 36 hours in Yin Yoga from Yoga Alliance in March of 2021.
Maureen has been Crossfitting for almost ten years. She understands what it is like to train and be sore. She incorporates her knowledge as an athlete into her weekly yoga classes. When you come to class expect to flush out the soreness while working on core, balancing and stretching. Maureen welcomes all beginners, intermediates and advanced practitioners onto their mats for her classes!
Maggie Smith
Yoga Instructor
Maggie Smith, a Springfield native, became interested in yoga during her college years in Phoenix, AZ as it was something she incorporated in between hiking, soccer, and group fitness classes for balance. She felt as though she wanted to get a better understanding of yoga in conjunction with mobility and its benefits outside of just movement so in 2011 she completed 200-hour yoga teacher training at Urban Yoga in downtown Phoenix with Dave and Cheryl Oliver. She practice Ashtanga with them, learned Sanskrit, and developed and formed her own teaching. Shortly thereafter Maggie started “Detox to Retox, Yoga in the Brewery” at Huss Brewing Co. in Tempe, AZ which was the first of its kind in the state of Arizona. Since then almost all breweries have adopted this class. Maggie moved back to Springfield Spring of 2018 and wanted to share her practice with the community. She taught a few years at Ahh Yoga and now teaches at our very own Carpe Diem CF!
