Meet the Coaches

Mike Ellis is a dedicated and passionate fitness professional with over a decade of experience in the wellness industry. As a Certified Personal Trainer and the Director of Wellness at YGBW, Mike is committed to helping individuals of all fitness levels achieve their health goals through personalized training, education, and guidance.

With a deep understanding of exercise science and a strong focus on creating tailored fitness programs, Mike empowers clients to live healthier, more active lives. His leadership at YGBW has fostered a supportive, community-focused environment where members feel motivated to push their limits and prioritize their well-being.

Mike’s approach combines functional training, strength conditioning, and mindfulness to provide a holistic approach to fitness. His dedication to lifelong learning ensures that his clients benefit from the latest trends, techniques and fitness knowledge. Outside of his work as a trainer, Mike is also passionate about educating others on the importance of mental and emotional well-being, and he advocates for a balanced lifestyle that incorporates both physical and mental health.                                              

Certifications Include: 

• Certified Personal Trainer
• Sports Nutrition
• Health Coach
• Intermittent Fasting 
• CPR/AED

Amanda Craig trains clients individually and in small groups in body weight, dumbbell, kettlebell and barbell exercises and is a trainer at East Chestnut Fitness. She uses a client-centered approach that focuses on the mental, physical and emotional aspects to create and promote healthy habits and routines while preventing disability. She has experience working with individuals across the lifespan, emphasizing functional mobility and strength as well as injury prevention and education. 

Certifications include: 

• AFPA and NASM Certified Personal Trainer
• Masters of Occupational Therapy, Temple University 2019
• Registered and Licensed Occupational  Therapist (State of Pennsylvania), OTR/L
• Precision Certified Nutrition Coach
• CPR/AED NASM CPT

Justen is a physical education teacher during the day and a personal trainer in the evening. He joined the Oscar Lasko YMCA & Childcare Center team in  2019 after moving to the West Chester area. Justen specializes in 1-1 and small group training, Strength & Conditioning, CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting. HIIT, Tabata and Metcon. 

Certifications include:

• ISSA Certified Personal Training
• ISSA Group Training Specialists
• CrossFit Level 1
• First Aid CPR
• ISSA Certified Nutrition Coach

Brendan became a West Chester YMCA member as a child after moving from Philadelphia and has been a member ever since. He attended Henderson Senior High School, where he played varsity basketball for the Warriors during their run of four straight Ches-Mont titles. After high school, he went on to graduate from West Chester University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. He continues to play basketball competitively all over the tri-state area, as well as running obstacle course races at the competitive level up and down the east coast, qualifying in his age group during the 2019 season for the Spartan Race North American Championships in West Virginia. Brendan fell in love with fitness during his college years but truly began to embrace its importance after a devastating leg injury that he sustained during a basketball game. The injury brought him to within hours of losing his right leg. After three surgeries, and months of physical therapy, his therapists and doctors credited his quick recovery to his high level of physical fitness and his positive attitude towards working hard. 

Certifications include: 

• NASM Certified Nutrition Coach
• NASM Certified Personal Trainer (CPT)

Evan Snyder PT, DPT is a physical therapist specializing in sports and orthopedic rehabilitation. Evan earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2015 from the University of Delaware and has been helping people live active lives ever since. This led him to East Chestnut Fitness where he now helps to coach their small group training classes, along with group mobility classes and 1-on-1 personal training. Evan’s philosophy is to look at the whole individual, whether in rehab or training, to promote full body mobility and strength with an emphasis on corrective exercise when needed to prevent injury and improve performance.

Certifications include:

• Doctor in Physical Therapy
• Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) Level 1
• Clinical Management of Fitness Athletes (CFMA) – Essential Foundations
• 3DMAPS and CAFS from the Gray Institute
• CPR/AED