Our Staff
Dion Denny
DirectorDion is a member of the Confederated Tribes of The Umatilla Indian Reservation. He has been living in the Portland area for 5 years; he moved here for treatment. His recovery date is 10/09/2019, he first found CrossFit on 02/10/2020 he was 4 months in recovery at the time. Dion's daughter Rory was only 2 months old. She was the main reason he stepped foot into the gym and continues to drive his purpose each day.
Dion knows how impactful CrossFit can be to someone's life and he is super passionate when it comes to helping others find strength for their recovery inside of the gym. Eventually he plans on opening a gym on the reservation where he grew up to help indigenous people take their health back while using CrossFit as the vehicle.
He currently has his L2, Peer Wellness Specialist, CF Kids, CF Gymnastics, Conjugate power lifting, USAW-L1, Burgener level one. And very recently Dion was featured in Men’s health magazine highlighting indigenous trainers making positive impacts in the community.
Dion has big goals of earning an L3 along with all the CEU's that come with that while continuing to level up TRG. Outside of the gym Dion really enjoys spending time with his daughter Rory. He loves hunting, fishing, cooking, and wood cutting. He loves to work hard and eat good.
Jerilyn Tso
TrainerJerilyn is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. She was born on the reservation in Chinle, Arizona. She is Kin łichíí’nii born for Tó tsohnii. Her family is from Tsaile, Arizona. She has three older siblings, two sisters and a brother. They spent the early years of their life between Flagstaff, Arizona and the reservation. Always having a strong connection to their homelands, culture and traditions passed down from their elders.
When a young girl reaches adulthood, the Diné have what is called a kinaaldá. Four days and five nights of ceremony; praying, singing, grinding dried corn with stones for a cake that is baked in the ground and running before the sun comes up each day. On the last day, she runs in all four directions. The ceremony is important because it sets the tone for the rest of the girl's life.
To this day, Jerilyn still loves early morning runs, to greet the rising sun with prayers and gratitude. Running has always been something that she can rely on and come back to for strength and discipline.
Experiencing great loss of immediate family members from substance related problems and her own personal struggles with alcohol and substances, she made the choice to get sober at the end of 2022. Over two years later, she continues her journey of sobriety and healing. In 2023 she was given the opportunity to intern at The Recovery Gym. Later earning her L1 and her spot on the coaching team here at TRG.
Working at the gym over a year, she hopes to continue learning, helping and growing within the community that she has immense respect for.
She honors her late mother, sister and ancestors by walking The Red Road.
Fiona Hannan
Community Outreach Coordinator, CoachFiona is a trauma-informed personal trainer, somatic mental health coach, and CrossFit level 1 trainer. Born and raised in Portland, she spent six years in the Bay area before moving back to her hometown and joining The Recovery Gym in 2023.
Fiona is a long-time student of various trauma-healing modalities, and seeks to integrate that training into her work in the fitness space. Her passion for ment health and the mind-body connection began with her own experience recovering from disordered eating and body dysmorphia in her teens and early twenties.
Since then, she has dedicated herself to supporting others in reclaiming their sense of confidence, power, and agency within their bodies and lives throu trauma-informed fitness and somatic healing technique
Ultimately, Fiona sees connection with the body as a vehicle for personal healing, community healing, and social change, and feels grateful to be a part of TRG’s thriving recovery community.
Michelle Xenakis
Data Guru, CoachMichelle moved to the PNW 10 years ago from Chicago.
As a lifeguard, swimmer and water polo player in high school, she began developing her coaching and teaching skills. While she took a break from sports, she pursued a career as a Medical Assistant and earned her Bachelors Degree in Psychology. After focusing heavily on academics and a career in healthcare, Michelle walked into her first CrossFit Gym in the hopes of getting healthy enough to keep up with her godsons. It changed the entire trajectory of her life.
After a year of training and being emersed in such a supportive community, she was given the opportunity to coach again. Being that water was her skillset, coaching on land was a challenge she was excited to take on.
Michelle became a trainer (USAW L1, Burgener L1 and CrossFit L2) and has been coaching around Portland for almost 9 years. She knows how impactful movement can be to someone’s life. In her personal life, she was working through addiction and getting sober, body dysmorphia, disordered eating and the loss of a loved one to their own addiction and mental health struggles. She is incredibly passionate when it comes to utilizing movement as medicine, without it, her life would be VERY different.
Helping others believe in themselves; the same way so many people have believed in her, is her driving passion for coaching. A big goal for Michelle is to get her USAW L2 and coach Olympic lifting specifically. Outside of the gym she really enjoys spending time crafting, going on adventures with her boyfriend, relaxing at home with her dog and cat, and cultivating meaningful relationships.
She hopes to see you in the gym soon!
Jesse Dammann
CoachAnna Patterson
CoachAnna Patterson first came across CrossFit when she was a junior in high school. Having grown up in many different sports, and raised to be very competitive, it was an instant draw. After high school, she went to Multnomah University to get her Bachelor’s in exercise science and play basketball. Through her university, she got connected to The Underground PDX where she works as the lead youth girls’ mentor and youth CrossFit coach. This is her first passion, working with kids and helping guide them down healthy paths.
In spring 2023 she got her CrossFit L1, and in fall 2023 after she graduated college, she got connected to the Recovery gym! She loves applying the knowledge she has about training and the human body and sharing that knowledge with others to help them along their recovery and fitness journey.
Anna is not in SUD recovery herself, but has many friends who are, and whose lives have been heavily affected by addiction. She sees herself as an ally and is devoted to helping in any small way she can. If she's not at The Recovery Gym, she's probably at The Underground PDX, or her church, and if she's not there, hopefully she's at the beach, or visiting her baby twin nieces!
Maizri Chandler
CoachMaizri started her CrossFit journey in 2021 as a pathway to recovery from an eating disorder. After earning her CF-L1 she began coaching at The Recovery Gym in 2023. Outside of the gym she is a full-time college student athlete, earning her bachelor's degree in public health and playing lacrosse.
In addition to her CF-L1, she is also an EDIT certified eating disorder recovery coach. She is passionate about providing a safe and inclusive space for people in all types of recovery, showing people what they are capable of, and celebrating every little win in people's lives and recovery inside and outside of the gym.
She is especially passionate about lifting up women and building their strength and confidence through recovery and fitness. She is very excited to be working with other female coaches at TRG on a women's only Olympic lifting class.
Outside of the gym and the classroom, you can find her baking sweet treats, curled up with a good book, or spending time outdoors.
Justin Kremm
Programming, CoachJustin is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and moved to Oregon after serving in the United States Marine Corps from 2005-2016. Justin is a lifelong athlete with a competitive background in power lifting and 10 years of experience leading and training the world’s finest United States Marines. Justin has been participating and competing in CrossFit since 2013 and coaching CrossFit for 8 years. Justin is passionate about helping new and experienced athletes become the best version of themselves and he finds nothing more rewarding than helping others achieve their goals. Justin believes the truest spirit of fitness is the physical demonstration of leading a full life.
Justin is married to Jessica and has two children Katherine (9) and Tommy (2).
- Certified CrossFit Trainer L3
- CrossFit Weightlifting Certificate
- Attitude Nation Weightlifting Certificate
- CrossFit Gymnastics Certificate
- USAW L1 Certificate
Maicee Bradley
CoachMaicee has lived in Portland her whole life. She comes from a family full of “Crossfitters”. Her parents are both coaches, her Mom is an L3, and her Dad an L2. Maicee followed their footsteps and fell in love with the methodology of CrossFit. She believes it’s an outlet to find community, purpose, and recovery.
Maicee’s Dad is a high-level competitor. They travel the world for his competitions. She inherited his competitive drive and has started to get into the competitive side of CrossFit as well.
Along with coaching at TRG, Maicee’s family runs a Non-Profit CrossFit gym for at-risk youth. If you don’t see her at TRG she is probably there. It brings her joy teaching kids how to snatch, burpee, and walk on their hands. But more importantly than that, teaching them they are capable of writing a new narrative for their lives. To find strength within themselves and become a positive influence in the world. She believes this is true for athletes at TRG as well.
Outside of the gym Maicee loves spending time with God, family and friends. Her faith is a big part of her life. She is active in her church community. She also is a new Mommy to her English Bulldog, Eleanor.
Jennifer Esparza
Coach“I feel such gratitude for life. Finding a physical discipline in my recovery has allowed for the mental, spiritual, emotional parts of me to come alive as never before!”