Brian Gieckel

Brian arrived at Fitness Alive with over 15 years experience in Retail Management at various national brands. His exceptional customer service skills and infectiously positive personality come from years of working in hospitality and retail environments. Brian grew up swimming with his summer swim club in Northeastern Pennsylvania, his fiercest competitor in the pool being his twin brother who repeatedly took him to task with his punishing backstroke. Brian began lifeguarding at age 16 and had the time of his life working summers at a family resort on Lake Teedyuskung. As a student at West Chester University, Brian continued to lifeguard and taught swim lessons for special needs children, parent-and-child swim for new parents, and a gym and swim program for preschoolers at the local YMCA. When he's not poolside, you'll most likely find him at Reading Terminal Market squeezing all the produce in an effort to procure the perfect bulb of garlic or nearly ripe avocado for his next dinner party. When he is poolside, you'll probably notice him nicknaming children various food items in an attempt to elicit maximum giggles.

Dora Phan

Dora was a collegiate swimmer and coached swimming briefly after college. She went on to work as a Youth Director, training teens to run summer camps for kids with partners locally and globally for 15 years. She has a passion for organizing fun events and helping people of all ages find wholeness with access to fitness. Dora lives in South Philly with her husband, Mat who is a carpenter, and their two kids, Micah and Reya. In her down time, she loves to play basketball, be outside, and spend time with family and friends.

Dia Weeks

Dia Weeks is originally from Wilmington, DE. She started swimming competitively at 5 years old with Team Delaware. At 7, she joined PDR where she trained under nationally renowned Coach Jim Ellis. While a member of PDR, Dia qualified for the Zone All-Star Team and was nationally ranked for multiple events. Over the years, she saw success in the 100/200 butterfly, 200/400 IM, and mid-distance freestyle. She also swam for G. W. Carver High School of Engineering and Science in her junior and senior year serving as the team captain qualifying for districts and states both years.

Although Dia stopped competing after her senior year of high school, she did not leave the pool deck. She has been a lifeguard for over 6 years, swim instructor for 5 years, and a USA Swimming Certified Coach for 3 years. Dia previously was an assistant coach at both Norristown Area Aquatics Club and Wilmington Aquatic Club where she primarily worked with the developmental and age group swimmers. In addition to working here at Fitness Alive, she is the head coach of the developmental groups at PDR Swimming for Success. Although Dia has a lot of experience working with youth athletes, she thrives with teaching any age group and ability level. Her youngest client was just 8 months with her oldest being 74! She loves inspiring others to build confidence and other life skills through swimming.

Dia graduated from Temple University in Fall 2021 with her Bachelors of Science in Exercise and Sport Science.

Dia loves all things fitness so wherever a pool deck or gym can be found, she is likely to not be too far behind!

Nicole Cunane

Nicole has had a love for swimming and helping others for as long as she can remember. She can recall back to kindergarten when her grandmother told her she took to swimming like a duck to water. She said a duck lives on land so it needs to walk, but the duck can also swim with grace or soar to great heights.

At 16, Nicole became a lifeguard at a local waterpark while also teaching a two-and-three year old class at a daycare not far from the waterpark. After high school, she followed in her family's footsteps to become an EMT. She worked in that field for a decade before deciding to switch gears and join Fitness Alive.

As a mom of three boys, Nicole is constantly on the go with coffee in hand. She's fluent in sarcasm, puns and movie quotes. She's quick to lift you up. But above all, she's cool with being a weird duck.

Zachary Kaddai

Zachary is a student at Community College of Philadelphia studying computer science. He started swimming at the age of 8 on the swim team of his local swimming pool. When he got older, he was a lifeguard at that pool for a few years teaching many children how to become better swimmers and water safety. Many of the children Zachary taught have gone on to win silver and gold medals at their swim competitions. Now he is a swim instructor at Fitness Alive hoping to do the same.

Berlin

Berlin is a professional photographer with a passion for swimming. They started swimming competitively at 11 years old and never really left the pool. Along with competitive swimming, they worked as a Life Gaurd and Swim Instructor in North Carolina before moving to Philadelphia and joining Fitness Alive. The water has been Berlin’s safe space for years and they love showing others the joy swimming can provide.

Emily Angeline

Emily has been swimming since she was 10. She swam for the summer swim team, high school team, and as an undergraduate in college. When she was in college, she studied Digital Media with Communications and Gender Studies. Emily recently moved to Philadelphia and is excited to explore more of the city.

Abby Bailey

Abby is a graduate student at Thomas Jefferson University studying occupational therapy and just moved here from Massachusetts for school. She has been teaching swimming lessons from her backyard pool and at her local YMCA for over six years. She also has been swimming since age 12, participating in club teams, high school, and undergraduate school. She has a passion for swimming and loves to share that passion with kids and adults alike.

Andrea Berger

Andrea has always loved the sun and being outside. She began swimming on a pre-competitive team at seven years old and continued through high school. She began lifeguarding and teaching swimming lessons in college in the summertime and working part-time in a daycare. With a passion for working with children, she pursued her degree in Elementary Education. In 2010, she started working with kids again in the pool. She now works with kids of all ages and abilities, as well as adults. Andrea also trains and competes in triathlons ranging from Sprint to full Ironman distances. She has just completed her first Ironman triathlon and is looking forward to working towards training for another one.

Brett Burns

Brett is a first-year physical therapy student at Arcadia University. He has been working as a lifeguard and assistant manager at Creekside Swim Club for the past eight years. Additionally, he has been teaching swim lessons in various individual and group settings for the past five years in the Delaware County region. Brett is a huge supporter of all Philly sports teams, and is passionate about weightlifting, running, and playing guitar.

Mike Caveney

Mike is a student at Drexel University pursuing an MBA in finance. He started swimming at the age of 10 and decided he wanted to swim competitively at 14 after watching the 2008 Olympic Games. His favorite events are the 100 breaststroke and 200 IM. He has taught swimmers of all abilities and ages at the YMCA for over three years and coached over the summers at his home swim club in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Mike currently enjoys recreational open water swimming and surfing, and strives to teach everyone the tools they need to be confident, fearless swimmers.

Emily Chau

Emily is a senior at Temple University studying psychology and piano performance. She began swimming at a young age and participated in swim teams, where she discovered her love for the water. Since then, she has lifeguarded and taught swim lessons to children for over four years. Emily has a passion and love for children, and has worked with all ages through tutoring, teaching piano lessons, and volunteering at mental health clinics. She is aspiring to become a pediatric occupational therapist in the future!

Gena Cirafesi

Gena is in her last year of college at St. Joseph's University, University City campus, studying environmental science. She enjoys spending time with her family and pets, loves the beach, and loves swimming!

Sarah Conboy

Sarah is a full-time special education teacher in the School District of Philadelphia. When she's not in the classroom, she can be found swimming, biking, and running around the city. Sarah has experience as a lifeguard in lakes and pools and says teaching swim lessons is the most fun job she's ever had! During lessons, Sarah hopes to instill confidence in the water and kindle a love for swimming in students of all ages.

Sophia Cupper

Sophia is currently a full-time student at Temple University, studying English. She started swimming when she was just four years old and has loved it ever since. She has eight years of experience working with kids and has been working with swimmers for almost two years now, teaching water safety and independent swimming. Overall, Sophia loves working with swimmers and helping them achieve their goals!

Cara Fantini

Cara works full time at Drexel University and has her Master's in Education. Cara has a passion for swimming and water safety, and has six years of experience teaching swimmers of all ages at the YMCA. She is excited to introduce new swimmers to the joy of the water!

Grace Goldberg

Grace is a sophomore nursing student at Temple University. She swam for the Creekside Swim Club swim team for over eight years. She has five years experience lifeguarding and teaching private swim lessons. She also has also worked as a camp counselor and cast member at the Disney Store. Grace loves working with children and strongly believes water safety is a critical skill everyone should have.

Dmitry Hackel

Dmitry Hackel was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, where the ocean was integral to daily life. He started working in aquatics at age fifteen as a lifeguard. He was lifeguarded at pools, waterparks, and beaches. He became a swim instructor at a family gym a few years later and has taught swim lessons since; his four years as a swim instructor allowed him to teach various ages and skill levels. He currently attends Temple University with the hope of going to medical school and working in pediatric medicine. He now researches the rehabilitation of individuals that struggle with lower spinal cord injuries at Temple Medicine.

Bowie Leach

Bowie is a Computer Science and Film student at Temple University. With a background in gymnastics and coaching, Bowie is excited to translate these skills into the water to teach swimming!

Lance Lindeen

Lance has been teaching swim lessons to kids and adults in Philadelphia for years. He loves watching his clients of all ages become confident in the water!

Mike Matteo

Mike can't remember a time when he didn't know how to swim, but truth be told he was never really in love with it. In college, he ran track and was an all-conference decathlete. His passions changed when he took a lifeguard-training course; he quickly fell in love with swimming and was even drawn to compete in triathlons. In his summers off from teaching at a local elementary school, Mike has worked at South Philly's Murphy Recreation Center teaching swimming lessons to kids. He also enjoys working with adults, from absolute beginners to triathletes-in-training. Mike was born and raised in South Philadelphia, where he currently resides with his wife, Marissa, and daughter Violet.

Eloise Meek

Eloise began swimming as an infant in Australia, swam competitively until the 8th grade, and swam for their high school team as Team Captain. They lifeguarded for five years in New Jersey, has become a certified DSP, and has worked as a nanny here in Philadelphia. Eloise currently studies Psychology and Sociology at Drexel University, works as a Community Connector at HopePHL in West Philadelphia, and wants to further research and practices around the quality of life and trauma-informed care for children and adults in different care systems. Eloise is enthusiastic, interpersonal, and intuitive to the needs of everyone around them, and is excited to start building skills, relationships, and a whole lot of fun with Fitness Alive as a Swim Instructor.

Olivia Patton

From a young age, Olivia has always had an affinity for the water. Olivia was enrolled in swim lessons before she could talk and began her swim career at the YMCA. Olivia swam all throughout high school in Illinois. She became a lifeguard and swim instructor for the Springfield Park District and Springfield YMCA and rose through the ranks to eventually become a Pool Supervisor and lead swimming instructor. In the past, Olivia has also worked as a Girl Scout camp counselor, lifeguard and boating instructor, so naturally she knows every song and game in the book and how to apply them to her swim lessons. In her 10-year teaching career, Olivia has instructed individuals from all backgrounds, ages and abilities. Olivia takes great pride in seeing her swimmers reach their goals and never backs away from a challenge. Whether it's getting a baby acclimated to putting their face in the water, assisting with backstroke technique, or helping an adult overcome their fear of water, Olivia will do everything she can to help you meet and exceed your goals!

Sofia Popowitch

Sofia has been in and around the water since they can remember, with 13 years of experience swimming competitively, six years of swim instruction and four of lifeguarding. They work as a sexuality educator and counselor at schools in Southwest Philadelphia and hold a Master of Education from Widener University. Out of the pool, Sofia enjoys spending time with her dog, Moose, roller derby, and reading a good book. Sofia is passionate about learning, education, working with swimmers of all ages and helping people hone skills in and out of the water they can use for a lifetime!

Emmett Powers

As a child growing up in Santa Monica, CA, Emmett would play in the Pacific Ocean until his lips turned blue. In high school, he continued pursuing his passion for aquatics, playing water polo and swimming breaststroke competitively. Emmett's coaching journey began in 2016, when he lifeguarded and instructed youth swimmers on a lake in a wilderness camp in Vermont. He went on to direct the camp's waterfront program for multiple summers, while spending the rest of the year attending Reed College in Portland, OR. After graduating in 2021, he made a new home for himself on the East Coast and continued his coaching career teaching kids' gymnastics in South Philly. Emmett is stoked to be back in the water, and working with all levels of swimmers at Fitness Alive!

Kiki Schiller

Kiki has been in the water since she was in diapers- growing up swimming competitively . She moved to California at the age of 18 , pursued an arts degree and became a woodworker. She continues to build custom furniture and works on unique projects to this day! After welcoming a baby in 2021, she felt called back to swim training and coaching. Aside from swimming in the pool she enjoys ocean swims and surfing . Kiki is heavily involved with post-partum wellness and recovery, including water therapy, strength training and is passionate about teaching her lifelong knowledge of swimming!

Savannah Seifferth

Savannah is a first year physical therapy student at Arcadia University. She always enjoys swimming and being in the water, and swam competitively until age 18. Savannah now is now focused on getting her doctorate of physical therapy and is enjoying living in Philadelphia for the first time! She really believes in the importance of water safety but also encourages swimming and water confidence!

Al Snyder

Al is a senior environmental engineering major at Temple who loves to swim! They've swam competitively for 14 years, 5 of which were spent teaching swim lessons. They have experience teaching children and adult lessons, and will be sure to put a smile on your face with their energetic personality!

Emma Steirer

Emma found her love of swimming at age three during her local pool’s summer swim lessons and hasn’t been able to stay out of the water since. She swam competitively for 16 years including four years at Widener University while earning her undergraduate degrees. Emma has been a lifeguard and swim instructor for both children and adults for nine years and loves being able to share her knowledge of swimming with others. Emma lives in Philly and works for Penn as a women’s health physical therapist. Her hobbies include baking, reading and spending time with her fiancé and two cats, Zeus and Zoe. Emma loves to share her passion for helping others through exercise and movement with the swimmers at Fitness Alive!

Alyssa Tsing

An out-of-state college student from Texas, Alyssa was a competitive high school and club swimmer. She has taken swim lessons, from what seems like the moment she was born, and started competitively swimming at a young age. With experience as a lifeguard, swim instructor, and swim coach, she is excited to bring her passion for swimming to Philadelphians. Whether it be helping a young child take their first steps into the pool to advising an adult on how to refine their strokes, Alyssa is ready to contribute to the Fitness Alive Team!

Dylan Wolfinger

Healthcare professional by day at Temple University Hospital and swim instructor by night at Fitness Alive, Dylan is constantly looking for ways to get involved with the community. He is a graduate of Drexel University and has spent time working for their alma matter, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and Temple University Hospital. Dylan assisted in coaching a Special Olympics swim team for three years through the Burlington-Riverfront YMCA after leading a life of competitive swim. The Olympic team was not tailored to specific disabilities, nor to specific participant ages, allowing Dylan to adapt to a range of needs and learn a variety of coaching skills. Dylan has been a lifeguard at the Red Balloon Daycare and Pheasant Run Swim Club in New Jersey. Through a life of service, largely learned through his ties to the Boy Scouts of America, Dylan has made it a personal goal to always be ready for the unexpected by being Life Saving certified for 14+ years. At the end of the day his main concern is to make sure you have a comfortable relationship with the water. Dylan is originally from Cinnaminson, NJ and currently lives in Bridesburg, PA.

Italia Wright

Italia started swimming competitively at the age of 9 years old up until senior year in high school. She began lifeguarding for the City of Philadelphia at 16, and is a lifeguard and swim instructor at the West Philadelphia YMCA. She studied Communications at Clark Atlanta University. Italia has a passion for swimming and is eager to teach others this important life skill.