Meet Athlete Training + Health Forever ATHlete Manager Lana Maciel

Where did you go to school?
I first went to the University of St. Thomas where I played tennis and got my BA in Communications then I went to Syracuse University and got a master’s degree in Journalism. I did that career for about 10 years then decided I wanted to be a coach and trainer, so I went back to school and got my second master’s degree at Texas A&M Corpus Christi in Kinesiology.

What was your motivation in becoming a coach at ATH? 
The quality of coaching and what they offer here. I was working at a different performance company that was a base level for me. I built a really good foundation there and then I saw ATH as the next step to further my career as a performance coach. I was drawn to ATH by seeing a lot of high-level athletes that were training here along with the education foundation. I started at the North Houston/ Spring, Texas location as an intern, then became a part-time coach which eventually turned into full-time Forever ATHlete Manager.

What was the biggest game-changer you had in your career?
Being at ATH and having the experience here. The people that I work with made the difference and made me love getting up every day and going to work.

Can you recall a time you made an impact on an athlete?

When I hear the adults say I lost 14lbs in the last month; I went to the doctor and my cholesterol is down; or I don’t have to take this medication anymore.Watching somebody I worked with for a year finally get to 200lbs deadlift that she has been working hard for this whole time, or when a client from our North location texted me and said I finally did a pull-up. That brought tears to my eyes because she’s been working for that so hard. Knowing that I play and played a part in helping people reach their goals is the best feeling.

What is it like working with adults that have never trained before?
They see the importance of it and that it’s all about the movement.They say I can play with my grandkids and I wasn’t tired or I went on a hiking trip and it didn’t faze me it was easier. It’s fun to see the transformation from someone who has never done a sprint or jump before and now they are getting their body use to it and making all these changes of getting stronger and better and they are surprising themselves. 

Thank you to the talented Lana! Would you like to work with Lana? Click HERE to apply for our open positions.