Our Coaches
Vanessa Goebel – Owner
Vanessa is the Owner and Head Coach of CrossFit Memorial Houston. Vanessa has dedicated a lifetime to sports—from gymnastics and swimming to softball and track early in life—to running and gym training in adulthood. After completing the Portland Marathon in 2004, Vanessa searched for a fitness vehicle that would keep her competitive spirit alive and provide her fitness results she was seeking. A few years into her search, Vanessa discovered CrossFit, and it completely changed her life.
From night to day she realized it was the most amazing avenue to fuel both her competitive spirit and the broad fitness spectrum she had been seeking! This led Vanessa to compete in her first local CrossFit competition placing 4th in the scaled division in 2009. Vanessa went directly on to compete in the 2010 CrossFit Games South Central Texas Sectional advancing to the 2010 South Central Regional Qualifier and placing 27th overall. It is this same desire for continuous improvement that Vanessa hopes to draw out of her members!
Vanessa’s philosophy in training is that “you can’t out-train poor nutrition.” One of the very important aspects of CrossFit is Nutrition. Vanessa’s genuine passion for this subject has driven her to gain extensive nutritional knowledge that she looks forward to sharing with her members to help them achieve optimal fitness results!
Vanessa was born and raised in Houston, TX and graduated with a degree in Human Resource Management from Louisiana State University in 1999 (Geaux Tigers!). Vanessa is married and has a daughter and a son who keep her very busy when she is not at CrossFit!
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
CrossFit Olympic Lifting
CrossFit Endurance
CrossFit Gymnastics
CrossFit Kids
Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification (HKC)
The Art of Coaching Weightlifting Certification
Tricia Jackson-Owner
Tricia is a CrossFit Level I Instructor, Nutrition Coach and Marathoner. She has been an athlete from a young age and has an intense passion for nutrition and fitness. She had always been interested in extreme sports and activities, such as sky diving, any sort of racing or other activities that present a challenge.
From the age of 5 Tricia has been highly involved in athletics, traveling nationally at 14, and lettering in 2 sports as a Freshman in High-school. She was offered several Scholarships as a softball pitcher and tennis player, she accepted the Stephen F. Austin Athletic Scholarship as well as an United States Tennis Association Scholarship. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in Economics and a minor in Business. Whoop!
After graduation she felt the need for some sort of athletic goal and began competing in local running competitions, running anywhere from 30-60 miles per week. After several minor injuries a close friend luckily introduced her to CrossFit, Tricia drank the “Kool-aid” and never looked back. Through her education and athletic experience, she is able to motivate individuals to achieve a higher fitness level.
Tricia’s first Crossfit competition experience was the 2010 Bayou City Team Competition, where she and 3 other team members finished 1st overall. A year later she was a member of the 2011 8th Place CFWH Affiliate Team at CF South Central Regionals, only adding fuel to her love of CrossFit.
In addition to her CrossFit training, Tricia enjoys cooking, hunting, hiking, adventure travel, and trying anything that looks new and interesting. She is extremely passionate about sharing her love for athletics, crossfit and nutrition with others. Tricia is married and has two dogs, all three share her love for hunting.
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Certification
The Art of Coaching Weightlifting Certification
Whole 9 Life Trainer Nutrition Certification
Outlaw Training Program
BIRTHFIT Coach
Alex Bruscianelli
Alex was born and raised in Caracas,Venezuela. A baseball loving country that goes crazy for soccer, Alex grew up playing both sports soon after learning how to walk. By the age of eleven, right before moving to theUS, Alex was playing soccer with the 15 year old team at an academy. After moving to the States, sports took a back seat to school till high school, when he played basketball and soccer as a freshman.
It was during that time that Alex got recruited to join the Katy High School wrestling team, where he became a two time captain and winning multiple tournaments throughout his career. After receiving several scholarships offers to wrestle at big universities, Alex ended up staying in Houston and graduating from Houston Baptist University in 2009 with a degree in Kinesiology and a degree in Psychology.
Alex training philosophy of “train with a purpose” lead him stumbled into Crossfit after searching for a “goal” or and “excuse” to train in a high intensity, competitive environment like that of collegiate athletics. At the request of a friend, Alex decided to visit CFMH and has not looked back since.
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
USAW Level 1 Olympic Lifting Coach
CrossFit Weightlifting
Christian Smith
At age 37, Christian was an overweight and out of shape General Manager until he became sick and tired of being sick and tired. It took him 3 months to work up the courage, but he finally joined a CrossFit gym in August of 2008. Never having been very athletic this was a big step for him.
The first three months he had exertion headaches and wheezy lungs since his body wasn’t used to exercising. Then he discovered the Paleo diet and his headaches went away. He lost 35 pounds and saw dramatic increases in his performance. He started to enjoy life more!
He began training friends and neighbors in his garage in 2009 and then became a full time trainer in June of 2012. He enjoys watching people in his classes become healthier and feel better about themselves.
He trains all age groups from his son Liam, age 11, (he is working on kipping pull ups) to his mother, age 71 (she can do a full range of motion squat)!
Nutrition is an ongoing struggle, but he’s making a daily commitment to improve his eating habits to help him achieve his CrossFit training goals.
Christian and his wife, Jane, have been married for twenty-four plus years. His passions are his family, CrossFit, sarcasm and good beer.
Feel free to contact him at 281-960-8616 for personal training 😉
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
CrossFit Strongman
CrossFit Kettlebell
CrossFit Mobility
CrossFit Weightlifting
The Art of Coaching Weightlifting Certification
The Chad Vaughn Weightlifting Seminar
Katie Lipnick
Katie was born and raised in Houston, TX, down the street from the box actually… as she would say, “yes, I came back to the bubble so to speak.” Katie graduated from TCU (GO FROGS!) and is now a Marketing professional in the area.
Growing up she played every sport imaginable… soccer (just wasn’t really her thing), basketball (was told she was too short), pole vaulting (there was something about flying through the air that was unsettling)… finally she settled on swimming. She was, relatively speaking, at least better than most of the other people swimming in summer league. She moved on from just swimming in summer league to swimming in private clubs, and eventually in high school moved on to coaching summer league, founding and coaching a kids (ages 3-6) swim clinic, and swimming on the high school team (turned to bench warming after an injury sidelined her.)
During college she turned into the typical gym junkie… ya know… “1+ hours of cardio then bi’s & tri’s on Tuesday, and Thursday, lats & back on Monday and Wednesday…”. It really just was not working for her, which was evident from her immense weight gain from kegs and late night Taco Bell… and it just wasn’t any fun. After college and working events post graduation with no sleep and less than stellar eating habits she decided it was time to get back to the grind.
That’s when she googled that thing she had read about in Shape or Self or one of those fitness magazines… CrossFit. As she says, “if I had given up after my first class I wouldn’t be where I am today… and trust me when I say I almost gave up after the second WOD I ever had to do was 75 burpees for time 😉 and there was no way out of it… I was the only sucker who showed up for class!” And boy is she glad she was that sucker!
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
CrossFit Mobility
Joel Warneke
Joel has been involved in high level athletics all his life. As a kid he did typical sports for someone from Montana such as rodeo, wrestling, football, skiing and soccer. As he progressed through school soccer became his primary sport of choice and he eventually ended up playing it through college.
In 2008 Joel and his wife moved to Houston from Montana. He began looking for ways to stay fit to be able to continue doing the things he loves ( rock climbing, whitewater kayaking and anything else outdoors). Since Houston is not the greatest outdoor mountain town, Joel discovered CrossFit by following and reading about it on the “Gym Jones” website. CrossFit has now become a vital part of staying physically prepared for the many adventures that Joel and his wife enjoy.
Currently Joel has a fascination in perfecting and coaching correct movements. This has led him to an in-depth study of the Olympic lifts and how to make CrossFitters more efficient in the various movements. The end goal being the more efficient one is the more work that can then be performed.
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
National Level “C” Soccer Coach since 1997
Ashley Wolfgang
Ashley was born and raised in Ft. Worth, Texas. At the age of 12, she began riding horses and developed a competitive passion that would take her all the way through college years. She competed at the collegiate and professional level in barrel racing and break away roping through her freshman year in college. Along with competing, she discovered her true passion was teaching others how do something she loved. During her rodeo years, she trained over 30 individual clients, introducing them into the sport.
While rodeo was “life”, she realized it wouldn’t always pay the bills, so she moved on from rodeo to pursue her BBA in Accounting and MBA in Management at The University of Texas at Arlington. After graduating, she pursued a career in public accounting which began the path to a very sedentary lifestyle. After getting married and moving to Houston in 2010, she switched careers into the Oil and Gas industry and began very heavy international travel for work. This was also challenging in getting on track with a consistent healthy diet and exercise program.
After 5 years of running or going to yoga whenever she had a chance, she stumbled upon CFMH and never looked back. She immediately realized that 1 hour a day would change her life! In just a few short weeks she noticed her body composition changing, and a drastic increase in energy levels. The instructors at CFMH were also critical in making CrossFit a positive experience as they were patient and committed to teaching her proper form and execution before speed and load.
Ashley is very passionate about properly fueling your body with REAL FOOD, and believes food is our best medicine. Although she has a few more cheat days than she would like to admit, she has learned that small adjustments over time pay off in the long run, both in the box and her meal plan.
Ashley’s goal is to motivate people to get active, no matter what their current fitness level is! The best time to start is now!
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
Quentin Batchellor
Eat.Sleep.Wod.Repeat.
Quentin has always been active and involved in sports. Growing up in Rosenberg, Texas where the big sports are football and basketball, he chose golf. However a Sunday afternoon game of full contact football or pickup game of basketball was always right around the corner.
Moving ahead to adult life, Quentin found himself divorced, a single father and overweight topping the scale at 200#. He decided it was time for a change and joined a gym. He signed up with a personal trainer and set out to get sexy.
It was a difficult 30 days with the trainer but he learned that 3 sets of 10 on “Arms & Shoulders” day was the norm. He followed this philosophy and eventually became a bonafide gym rat. Along the way he started running races including 5k’s, 10k’s, duathlons, triathlons (sprints), obstacle courses, mud races, relay runs and even silly ones where they throw paint on you.
So when both a friend and relative mentioned to him that since he likes to do crazy things then obviously he should try Crossfit. That free Saturday class would change things. The wod: 10 full man makers (45#), 20 toes to bar, 30 box jumps, 40 wall balls, 50 double unders then work back down the ladder. He finished dead last – and dead is a pretty accurate statement! We’ve all been there.
Our very first WOD is always brutal. But when the smoke clears and we regain consciousness (ha!) we keep coming back for more. Quentin signed up as soon as a box opened up near where he lived.
He was at Crossfit Strom for approx 4 years with 3 of them as a coach. Obviously he enjoys working out, but he also enjoys the people or the community. Never at a gym did he feel the warmth or comradery as is displayed everyday in these 1 hour classes.
And that my friends is why he’ll get up at 4 or 5 in the morning every day. He also plays competitive (somewhat) beach volleyball multiple times during the week. The End.
Vital Stats:
Height: 5′-9″
Weight: 175#
Occupation: Production Manager at a structural engineering firm
Registered Organ Donor? Yes
Long walks on the beach? Yes
Beer or Wine? Yes
Dance? Yes
Travel? Yes
Being grouchy? No
Certifications/Seminars
Crossfit Level 1
Crossfit Mobility
Crossfit Kettlebell
Kaley Garin
Kaley Garin grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. She was athletic growing up and dabbled in many activities – dance, gymnastics, tennis, softball, cheerleading – to name a few. However, being an average athlete, she never competed at a high level. After high school, she went off to Athens, Georgia and attended University of Georgia. GOOOOOO DAWGS SIC ‘EM!!!! While there, she had no problem putting on the “Freshman 15”. Upon graduation, Kaley moved to Houston for a sales position in insurance. This job required lots of travel and client entertaining, which didn’t help her expanding waistline!! After many failed attempts at the gym, kickboxing, 5am boot camp classes, etc, she was sick of making excuses and knew she needed to make a change!!!
Kaley’s husband, Ryan, started CrossFit after their son, Parker, was born in 2010. He loved the intensity and varied workouts and encouraged Kaley to give it a try. It took another 2 ½ years before Kaley worked up the courage to go. At that point, Parker was 2 ½ and their newest addition, Sophie, was 3 months old. Kaley packed up the kids, diaper bag, pack n’ play, etc and committed to working out several times a week. She was hooked!! Fast forward, 2+ years later – Kaley has competed in a couple of local CrossFit competitions, is coaching On-Ramp classes to new athletes 3x per week and she is hitting PR’s on a regular basis. Consistent workouts and proper diet and nutrition have fueled her passion. She still loves a good glass of red (or rosé) and a juicy cheeseburger, but she understands that she cannot out-train poor nutrition.
You will still find her 2 wild and crazy and incredibly adorable kids running around the box. She also enjoys working out with her husband in their garage gym dubbed: Crossfit Convenience.
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
Amanda Bridges
Amanda is from Navasota, TX and has been involved in athletic activities through out her life. She started gymnastics at an early age and transitioned into competitive dance and cheer during her middle school and high school years. After graduating from Navasota High School, Amanda attended Sam Houston State University. (Eat’em Up Kats!) While at SHSU, Amanda focused on her studies and did the usual gym and treadmill routine, which lasted about a semester.
Two years and 40 pounds later, Amanda found herself in serious need of a lifestyle change, not just a fad diet. She started by cutting out all sugar and making healthy food choices, all the while incorporating different exercises like yoga and running. A year and a half later, Amanda dropped the 40 pounds, was running 4 miles a day and doing 5Ks and 10Ks regularly. After accomplishing this, Amanda felt that she needed something more challenging from her exercise regimen.
In late 2012 Amanda heard from her best friend about an exercise program called Crossfit. It was touted as the next level of fitness unrivaled by any other sport or routine. It sounded intriguing and exciting!! Amanda’s motto had always been, “Go big or go home” so it was time to “go big” and give Crossfit a try. Unfortunately there were no Crossfit affiliates in the area Amanda lived in. So in October 2012, Amanda joined a local gym that had a fitness style very similar to CrossFit and it became the next best thing. This went on for a little over a year until January 2014 when Amanda moved to Houston, TX.
Shortly after moving, Amanda joined Crossfit Memorial Houston and has loved every minute of it! In the summer of 2014, Amanda competed in her first competition, on a two person team, during the CFMH Intrabox Competition. The team came in 9th place overall but she thrilled to have even completed it! It was exciting, new and invigorating!
Since then, Crossfit has done wonders for Amanda both in body and mind. In January 2015 Amanda successfully completed her first half marathon and truly believes that because of the athletic ability and mental stamina practiced in Crossfit, she was able to push through to the finish line.
Amanda has a thriving passion for helping people accomplish their fitness goals, pulling from the experience she went through herself. Understanding the struggles and hurdles individuals face when seeking fitness has been a building block for Amanda to encourage others to keep their eyes on the prize and press forward.
Amanda married her husband Ryan in March of 2014. She works as a Human Resources professional in downtown Houston.
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
Ralph Tapia
Born and raised in South Texas, Ralph has always been involved in sports and outdoor activities.
Ralph played team sports throughout elementary and middle school but quickly realized his passion for running in high school. Ralph continued his passion in college by running for the University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA) Cross Country Team as a Roadrunner where he earned two BBA’s in Accounting and Finance.
After his first year running as a Roadrunner, Ralph furthered his passion for running by competing in Sprint Triathlons around the San Antonio, Houston, and Corpus Christi regions.
In 2009, Ralph watched a few CrossFit videos on a friend’s iPhone while BBQ’ing on a Saturday and decided to sign up for a class at a local affiliate the following Monday. The Benchmark WOD was all it took; a 500m row, 40 squats, 30 sit-ups, 20 push-ups and 10 pull-ups and Ralph was hooked!
In 2015, after six years of using CrossFit as a means for everyday fitness and to help improve his golf swing, Ralph decided to get his L-1Coaching Certificate.
Ralph brings his great attitude and positive outlook on life to each class regardless if it is 5am or 6pm and he will definitely yell (a.k.a. motivate) at you during a WOD
In his spare time, Ralph enjoys competing in local golf tournaments, fishing, the beach, camping, and hanging out with family and friends.
Height: 5′-9″
Weight: 180#
Golf Handicap: 11.4
Occupation: Semi-retired / Co-Owner of Bar Vs Beast Apparel
Marital Status: Single
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
Kara Johnston
Kara was born in Rome, a small town in upstate New York. Being part of a military family, she didn’t stay for long and moved several times before her family settled in Melbourne off the east coast of Florida. She attended the University of Florida and after graduating in 2015 she moved to Houston to pursue a career as an engineer in the oil and gas industry.
Throughout most of her childhood and teenage years Kara was the opposite of what most people would consider athletic- overweight, sedentary, and had very unhealthy eating habits. She dabbled in swimming and soccer before high school but never took it seriously (like… she was known to try to kick the ball in the other opponent’s goal to get benched during soccer games). It wasn’t until her junior year she realized that she had to change her habits and signed up at a local gym. Fast-forward 2 years later and 60+ lbs lighter, she ran her first half marathon. Throughout college Kara stayed active and enjoyed running, yoga, weight training and cycling.
Kara stumbled across CrossFit at CFMH in August of 2013 while in Houston on an internship. She heard about it through friends and was a bit intimidated by the intensity at first- but as a newbie to the area she figured it would be a good opportunity to meet people and get in a good workout. After the first WOD she was hooked and still looks forward to going to the box every day. Kara believes that “it isn’t just about what you do- but how you do it” and applies this mantra to working out and coaching by trying to keep it fun even on hard training days.
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
Tobi Olorunsola
Tobi was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He played several sports in High School; Tennis, Soccer, Basketball and Volleyball just to name a few. He received his Bachelors in Computer Information Systems and his MBA from Western Michigan University. Tobi started CrossFit on August 11th 2014 and has been passionate about it ever since. He now works as a Business Analyst for an Oil & Gas service company and coaches at the box in his free time. He loves sports (Dallas Cowboys and Manchester United are his favorite teams), interacting with and cheering people on to meet their fitness goals.
He lives by one motto “Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind”
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
Liz Maberry
Liz grew up in Austin, Texas and spent the majority of her life focused on dance and cheer as her primary sport. Eventually, she continued into competitive cheer at a national level….BRING IT ON!….but did not continue past high school.
She went to the University of Texas at Austin (Hook ’em!) and spent her time mostly in class and waiting tables/bartending to put herself through school, but also developed a love for running. After college, she moved to Houston for her career and continued on with long distance running for several years, competing in marathons and other long distance races. While she enjoyed these, the physical results were not commensurate with the amount of work. So she began delving into a variety of different types of fitness programs looking for the right fit, including boot camps, pilates, yoga, group classes, spinning, you name it!
Fast forward 10 years, 2 kids, and a successful entrepreneurial career later, and Liz finally found her perfect match at Crossfit Memorial Houston in 2012. She was immediately in love with the variety of the programming, the welcoming nature of the people, and of course, the results!! After selling her business and welcoming another child to her family, Liz decided to leave the corporate world and focus on her favorite thing- Crossfit, becoming a coach in 2016.
Her main goal is that everyone who comes to her classes leaves better than when they came in and that she can help motivate everyone to achieve their goals in the sport, whether they are to compete, continue to have PRs, or just to look good in a swimsuit!
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
Tyler Estes
I was born in Garland, Texas but lived most of my life in the small town of Lavon, Texas. Growing up I played 
football through ninth grade, when I stopped to concentrate on marching band and other extracurricular activities. I graduated from Texas A&M University in 2014 and moved to Houston to pursue an engineering career in the oil and gas industry.
Stopping football in combination with bad eating habits in high school, caused me to become overweight to the point my doctor said I would be “diabetic by the time I was in my mid-twenties if I didn’t slow down”. That was the turning point for me. I slowly began going to the gym, lifting weights, and cleaning up my food selections through the end of high school and college.
I did not stumble across CrossFit until six months after I moved to Houston. I was looking for something a little more challenging then lifting weights and a community I could meet people. I love the intensity and variation that CrossFit provides, but even more so the community here at CrossFit Memorial Houston. Surround yourself with like-minded people and you can accomplish anything you set your mind too.
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
Katherine Norman
I found CrossFit in June of 2013 at a gym called Fortitude Fitness (Austin, Texas). I stumbled into a noon 
class as a walk-in, very curious and a little nervous.
I grew up playing sports and being a very active child. I missed that aspect of my life immensely. You could hardly count what I did in the gym during university as competitive or effective physical activity.
That one class was enough for me. The WOD for that day was so simple, and so challenging (not surprising if you’ve ever done a classic CrossFit workout). I decided I would get a membership and figure out how to squat snatch and climb a damn rope.
I decided to get my CF-L1 because I believe that everyone should be doing this program- no matter your goal, demographic factors or limitation. “We scale by degree, not by kind.”
My favorite movements include any type of “odd obstacle” work and anything with a barbell. Good, old fashioned hard work, nose to the grindstone type stuff.
When I’m not at the box, you can find me working as a server at Underbelly in the Montrose area of town. I frequent coffee shops and like to talk about books. But don’t worry, I’m not a hipster. I promise 😉
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
Christina Mullin
Christina has always had a competitive drive and a love for being active. She grew up playing volleyball and running track. After college, Christina continued to be an avid runner and started practicing yoga regularly. But with a career requiring several hours at a desk each day, Christina struggled to stay in shape.
In 2015, Christina hesitantly dropped into a class at CrossFit Memorial Houston and never looked back. It wasn’t until she participated in the 2016
CrossFit Games Open, that she realized how much she truly loved CrossFit and the community it creates. Seeing the positive impact CrossFit had on her own health, happiness and body composition made her want to help others achieve the same results.
Christina received her CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certificate in January 2018 and has been coaching since. She is more fit and healthy at age 30 than she was at age 20 and attributes this to her CrossFit training and nutrition prescription.
Favorite CrossFit movement: burpees!
Certifications/Seminars
CrossFit Level 1
Hunter Jon Holtshopple
I was born in raised in Sunny Southern California! At 17 I decided to uproot and move to Wisconsin to pursue mechanical Engineering as a UW Badger (wow was that first winter COLD).
and even lived in India for a year! However the field lifestyle was not a healthy one!CrossFit Level 1
Our Box
CrossFit Memorial Houston is a fitness facility located in the Memorial neighborhood of Houston, TX.
CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program focused on functional movement. Get leaner, faster, stronger… stop by for a free class and see for yourself!
We are located in a 15,700 sq ft facility equipped with 2 Pull-up Rigs, Jerk Boxes, Kettlebells, Olympic bars, Slam balls, Concept 2 Rowers, Plyo boxes, 2 large “Big Ass” shop fans and lots of other fun equipment.
CFMH Coaches strive to keep our members safe in a fun, healthy, positive environment.
We are located 1.2 miles from City Centre in the Memorial Area Neighborhood.
(See the Contact page for a map and contact information.)