Introducing the Lakeland Health + Fitness team
Meet the fitness experts that are here to help you achieve your goals
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Our founders
J.D. And Emily Frizzell
J.D. and Emily have been a part of Lakeland Health + Fitness since 2013. During that time, they fell in love with LHF, functional fitness, and this amazing community of athletes. By day, both of them teach music. They have a five year old son, Henry, who you will often see in the gym showing his perfect squat form, and a 1 year old, Elliott, who has been held by every member of the gym. J.D. and Emily are passionate about providing everyone at Lakeland Health + Fitness with a welcoming, friendly environment where they can work hard, have fun, and change their life for the better.
From J.D.:
“In 2013, I had insomnia. Every night, I would be awake from 2-4 AM. I was stressed. I was tired. I had compounding health issues from those things. I tried cutting out caffeine. I tried all kinds of diets. Nothing worked.
Even though I was out of shape and overweight, I went to the gym regularly. Mind you, I didn’t LIKE going to the gym– there wasn’t any direction of what I should do, and most days I just wandered around and did whatever machines were open. At the end, I’d run on a treadmill or elliptical machine for a while to get a sweat. And at the end of each day, I found myself thinking ‘why can’t this be more fun?’
Enter Lakeland Health and Fitness. The coaches showed me exactly what to do, how to do it, and then cheered me on as I started getting in the best shape of my life. The other gym members? They became great friends– a community of support.
That soul-crushing insomnia? Gone. My stress levels? Plummeted. My energy? Higher than ever. And the best part is that I looked forward to going to the gym every day. I knew I wanted to help other people change their lives the same way mine had been impacted.
Our coaches
Matt Kelly
Our Head Coach and GM of Group Fitness, Matt is a graduate of University of Memphis with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health and Human Performance with a concentration in Exercise and Sport Science. . His coaching career began with the Collierville High School football team and shifted to coaching functional fitness full time in the Memphis area. Matt also heads up our Youth Athletic Development Program.
Ashley Russ
Ashley heads up our nutrition coaching program. She also coaches Group Fitness and Personal Training. She has been competitive her whole life, from playing collegiate soccer at the University of Memphis, to Skating for the Armed Forces Japan All-Star Roller Derby team, to now competing in the Sport of Fitness. She has an immense passion for helping others excel past their own pre-conceived capabilities to reach their full potential. You will constantly find her in the gym, seeking to better herself and those around her.
Steven Earwood
One of the founding members of Lakeland Health + Fitness, Coach Steven is our Head Personal Trainer. He has a passion for helping his clients live a stronger and pain-free life through fitness. Coach Steven is NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) certified personal trainer and is also a NASM certified Corrective Exercise Specialist. With over 8 years in the fitness industry coaching Group Fitness, Athletic Training, Semi-Private Training, and 1-on-1 Personal Training, he has the skillset to help you achieve your goals!
Eddie Davis
A member of Lakeland Health + Fitness since the very beginning, Eddie remains dedicated to each and every client’s success here at the gym. As our Customer Success Manager, Eddie works with athletes to ensure that they are reaching their goals. In addition to serving at Mechanix as CSM, he is a pastor at River City Church.
Bryce Melton
Bryce graduated from The University of Memphis with a degree in Sports and Exercise Science. He played baseball at Arlington High School. Bryce has been a coach at LHF since March 2019. He has a passion for helping others in the gym to achieve their goals.
Braedon Melton
Braedon recently graduated with a Molecular Biology degree from Lipscomb University. He is currently pursuing a career as a Nurse Anesthetist. Braedon has been coaching functional fitness for 4 years and enjoys helping people improve their fitness. He has been working out at LHF since 2017 and loves the community of dedicated individuals LHF possesses.