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Tali Israeli

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Tali believes in a holistic approach to fitness, blending the time-tested principles of traditional strength training and weight lifting with the grace and precision of barre and pilates-inspired exercises. Her goal is to sculpt not just a strong body but your strongest body.

Whether strengthening those often-overlooked weak muscles or lengthening those tight, overused ones, Tali uses her specialty in corrective exercise and program design to identify & address imbalances in your body. Her aim is not just to improve your posture and form but to avoid compensation by activating the right muscle groups during each exercise, reducing the risk of injury and enhancing your overall function, mobility, and flexibility.

Tali is passionate about long-tempo training, which is instrumental in building not only strength and stability but also nurturing those core muscles that form your body’s foundation. She will help you unlock your strength & stability, one well-paced rep at a time.

She firmly believes that fitness should be a celebration of what your body can do rather than a pursuit of an unrealistic “perfect” body image. She encourages her clients to view exercise as a source of joy and to improve their overall health.

Mary Dorsch

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Mary has been training at MINT since 2014, and she trains virtual only. She is certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and focuses on creating individualized programs for clients based on their unique needs and fitness goals. She enjoys helping people push past their self-imposed limits and inspiring them to be the best version of themselves. She motivates clients to challenge themselves, concurrently remaining attentive to any limitations or muscular imbalances that need to be considered. As a personal trainer with a passion for motivating people to stay active, Mary strives to change people’s perspective on fitness. When she’s not working, she enjoys cooking, weightlifting, or furthering her education.

James Parker-Ashley

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My love for fitness began at a young age. More likely than not I was one of the only kids in the state of North Carolina that asked for a weight lifting set for his 10th birthday. Throughout my life I’ve always been an active person and having a strong interest in playing several different sports such as soccer, football and basketball. Over the years I’ve even began to pick up tennis both competitively and leisurely. I will always be an athlete at heart.I’ve been in the fitness industry for the past 3 years and have loved every minute of it. I enjoy using the the kinesiology degree I earned from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro to improve every life that I come across. I have had experience working with clients from ages 7-93. My goal is to live a life where I am able to show people what they are truly capable of and to encourage them to be the person they didn’t even know they could become.
Certifications: Bachelor Degree in Kinesiology, ACSM-CPT
Specializations: Strength and conditioning, weight loss, core strength development, balance and coordination, flexibility, athletic training

Rasean Madden

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Rasean has been training in the DC area for twelve years. Before starting a career as a personal trainer, he spent over 10 years training in the martial arts. Prior to coming to Mint, Rasean worked for other fitness companies training clients, and teaching boxing, and kick-boxing classes, as well as one-on-one self-defense instruction. Rasean is a NASM certified personal trainer, and Cancer Exercise Specialist , who believes that form and technique is far more important than how much weight you’re pressing. He also believes that your workout should be functional and help you in your everyday routine, and in the power of healthy living for a good life.

The Cancer Exercise Specialist is a professional qualified to assess, design, and implement individual, and group exercise programs for individuals diagnosed with cancer. The CES evaluates health behaviors, and risk factors, and modify negative health habits, in order for the client to reach more robust health with positive lifestyle management. The CES has a complete understanding of the entire cancer process from diagnosis to treatment, recovery, and prevention of lymphedema, and contraindications.

Chris Barnes

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Chris is a native Washingtonian who began an athletic journey at a very young age, participating in a variety of sports i.e.; baseball, basketball, football, and track. He joined the United States Marine Corps right after High School. While serving he was introduced to powerlifting where he began competing as a powerlifter under the USPLF. Chris retired from the District Government after serving (29) years, approximately fifteen of those twenty-nine years he moonlighted as a Personal Trainer in various facilities in the DMV. He’s always had a strong ambition with human anatomy and its function. He was able to embrace that passion and apply it to help others achieve their fitness goals.

Chris’s philosophy is functional training. He believes that the muscular system is an independent system that works best when trained together.
Wellness is a lifestyle that shouldn’t seem like a chore but, fun, exhilarating & enjoyable!

Training & Certifications
National Personal Training Institute (NPTI) Basic Nutrition
National Academy of Sports Medicine & GPTS (NASM)
Rotational Motion Training (RMT Club)
CPR First Aid AED

Meg DiRuggiero

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In 2019, Meg was doing a lot of heavy lifting, high-intensity training, and spinning as well as sitting a lot for her job. This led to her struggling with lower back problems and patella femoral syndrome in her left knee. She decided to try out personal training on the reformer and it changed everything! She was encouraged to become an instructor herself and got certified in Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, and Barrels.

Her teaching style is very calm and measured. She wants to make everyone feel comfortable and not intimidated. She is particularly good at describing how the exercises flow together. Her main goal is to teach people the importance of postural support and core engagement because it is so necessary for every activity we do. She also just loves showing people how the reformer works because it’s so fun!

She likes to combine classic STOTT Pilates moves with exercises that mimic what you can find on the fitness floor. She also enjoys showing people that the reformer can be used for more than just Pilates. The reformer is not as intimidating as it looks – it is essentially a piece of equipment and once you learn how it works it gets so fun to use. Pilates can be essential to anyone – it strengthens all the muscles that will help support you throughout your entire life and is a great companion to strength training.

Meg grew up in DC and is so excited to be back! She loves to walk along the C&O canal to be around nature and explore the area’s many museums. She loves kpop and is always looking for new vegan spots to try. You can follow her on Instagram @meg.diruggiero or her kpop/Pilates youtube channel hanandonly.