A Tessa Van Wade Fitness Studio
Tessa Sandberg
Owner and Operator
I am an NSCA Certified Personal Trainer and started The Fit Xchange in Kailua Kona, Hawaii in 2013. Married to my high school sweetheart, Ben, and mother of two little girls, I am living the dream doing what I love in the most beautiful place on earth. I specialize in Circuit Training, HIIT (high intensity interval training), body building, yoga fusion, mat ab workouts, body weight barre and mat workouts, and macro counting services. I am a fitness blogger, novelist, nutrition guru, and lover of people, dogs, and sunshine. I am committed to pursuing an active, healthy, and content lifestyle, and educating others to do the same. Give me a call or text if you need a personal trainer, would like to join a group class, have any questions about fitness and nutrition, or just need a motivational kick in the ass.
Tammy Tolaas
I grew up in Southern Virginia then moved to Hawai’i in 2005. From a young age my passion for movement was sparked through dance - from hiphop to ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary. Dance has taken me around the world and the USA. Throughout many moves and a high demanding physical career — like so many of us — my over all health took a back burner to my career and life. I forgot about taking care of my body & health. Through various wake up calls, sustaining and stewarding my body became increasingly important. I tried acupuncture, regular massage, saw different types of physicians, but nothing has restored my body like Pilates! I completed my Comprehensive Pilates Certification through BASI Pilates in California. (I have since had a baby and can still testify that Pilates is an amazing way to restore the body!) I love offering that same restoration to my clients. When they finish a session with me and tell me, “I feel better, I feel taller”, I know I have given them a true Pilates session.
Don’t let your body become a forgotten body.
757-714-3083 // www.forgottenbody.com // pilateswithtammy@gmail.com,
Alissa Malinowski
I am originally from Vancouver Canada but the beautiful Big Island and Kona has been my home for the past 11 years now. My husband and I have worked in the non-profit sector both locally and internationally, leading to many years of travel and rich various experiences. As a mother of three young kids, I have personally been so impacted by fitness in experiencing the benefits to not only to my body, but mind, emotions and soul. I am passionate about seeing people encounter how fitness can tie in with transformation across their whole life! When I’m not trying to get in a workout with a friend, I am drinking coffee, running around with kids, and am following up with the latest in the fashion industry. I am a certified personal trainer though Action International and am currently working through a specialization in Women’s Coaching. I love strength training, HIIT, functional fitness, and circuit style workouts. Contact me if you’re interested in pursuing personal training or setting up group training.
Jessica Norris
I am originally from the Northeast of the US but have been living in Kona since 2018 with my husband, who grew up here, and our two children. My passion for sports and fitness started with competitive sports which continued through college where I played soccer. Since then I found myself more and more wanting to find ways to help others with their health and fitness. I LOVE working one on one or in small groups and my desire is to help you to truly enjoy exercise, get strong and feel your best. I think finding enjoyment in fitness is what helps us prioritize and sustain it for the long haul, to not only reach a certain goal but to make it a lifestyle. I am ISSA certified in Personal Training and Nutrition and specialize in functional fitness, HIIT, and body weight exercises.
Sarah Seykora
Certified Health Coach (CHC), Certified Life Coach (CLC) Nutrition Coach, Functional Fitness Coach, Personal Trainer, TOTALFIT Coach and Essential Oils Coach.
Sarah is a mother of four children and is the Co-Founder and Director of Operations at Nephesh Academy. She enjoys an active lifestyle outdoors, working out, playing soccer, art and design, and is passionate about plants and their health benefits. Sarah started her paradigm shift in health nine years ago when she found herself unwell and unable to thrive. Desperate for a breakthrough, she received healing with the right system and the right support which helped empower her actions of lifestyle changes and wholistic healing. Sarah yearns to see people adapt the right system for the health of their unique self and offers the right support. She is particularly passionate about seeing people set free from lifestyle related sicknesses. When you change your habits, you change your life! She specializes in health coaching people through weight loss, diabetes, stress, sustainable habit change, and fitness coaching in strength and conditioning and functional fitness.
Joshua Seykora
Certified Functional Fitness Coach, Certified TOTALFIT Coach and Instructor & International Speaker
Joshua is a husband, father, teacher, coach, and mentor. He loves learning, reading, the outdoors, sport, functional fitness, and journeying with others as they pursue their dreams and goals. As an athlete through high school and university, and as a university-level coach, Joshua has always enjoyed fitness and exercise. A combination of boredom with 24/7 fitness facilities, the same routine, lack of creativity, and going it alone sparked his need for change. Journeying with his wife, Sarah, through her health, has helped lead him to a passionate motivation for functional fitness and an emphasis on holistic well-being for anyone and everyone. It matches his love for coaching, and his desire is to coach people with the knowledge, principles, skill, and character to thrive in life and embrace their calling and dreams. Joshua specializes in strength and conditioning, weightlifting, functional fitness, and the TotalFit methodology. He has dedicated his life to helping people confront what they believe, why they think it, and implementing new paradigms into their daily life. He does this through teaching, coaching, and by applying these paradigms in functional fitness and sport.
808-333-2341 // joshua.nephesh.academy@gmail.com // www.nepheshacademy.com
Deborah Hardy
Certified Health Coach (CHC), Certified Life Coach (CLC), Nutrition Coach
Deborah is a mom to three children and keeps an active lifestyle by traveling the world, reading, hiking, and enjoying all things outdoors. She has great passion for parenting and families! Her health awareness journey began when she was leading teams on outreaches to countries all around the world and faced personal challenges with food allergies and travel bugs. These experiences sparked her desire to bring healing to her body in a healthy way. In her pursuit she has self-educated by reading numerous books on health and nutrition, attending many health and personal development seminars, and actively implementing healthy change in her life. Recently, Deborah has been pursuing natural solutions for the health of the whole body and living environment using natural remedies such as essential oils and supplements. Her family has benefited from numerous household health improvements and shares with her community by hosting classes and hands-on workshops enabling others to do the same. Deborah walks with her clients with deep empathy delivering and precision coaching for your exact needs.
Deborah is currently pursuing her Masters in Health and Life Coaching.
(206) 683-9833 // deborah.nephesh.academy@gmail.com // schedule a free 90 minute discovery session at www.nepheshacademy.com