Meet Coach Nic
Founder, Head Coach, former Navy SEAL & BUD/S Instructor
Nic grew up in south Florida heavily involved in Taekwondo from second grade through his adult years. He was chosen to represent the United States at the Junior Olympics for Taekwondo in 1988, 1992, ‘93, ‘94, ‘95 (US OPEN), ‘96, and ‘98 (US OPEN). He also played football throughout high school & competitive rugby internationally through his early twenties. But his most paramount fitness journey began in early 2004, when he decided to embark on an epic, radically life-changing adventure to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL. Preparing for what is arguably the most physically grueling and mentally demanding military training pipeline in the WORLD requires unrelenting mental fortitude, unparalleled focus and unshakable grit. (Six pack abs, big muscles, and a sub-5 minute mile don’t hurt, either😉.) At the time he made this monumental decision however, Nic had none of those. In fact he was well over 250 pounds, working a cubicle job, and living a relatively sedentary & unhealthy life.
As you can imagine, there were many moments when this extraordinary goal felt next to impossible for him to achieve; to say he was the underdog with lots of odds stacked against him would have been a massive understatement. But with laser focus, unwavering dedication to the mission and a rigorous workout schedule with his mentor Kory, he’d spend the next 2 years training 6 days a week to achieve what he set his mind to. He lost close to 60 pounds, polished his runs and swims, and successfully completed the Navy SEAL’s selection process (BUD/S), graduating from SQT and officially joining the United Stated Navy SEAL teams in March of 2008.
Nic would spend the next decade and a half training and deploying alongside the most elite special operators in the world, many times having to get creative with fitness routines (i.e. in the mountains of Afghanistan) to stay in peak physical condition for the job. He will tell you without hesitation however, that despite some cool guy stuff and memorable deployments, the most rewarding part of being a SEAL was his stint in San Diego as a BUD/S instructor. Students dubbed him “hard, but fair” in his role as Chief Sanchez, and he derived great satisfaction watching these young men evolve into the next generation of elite warriors. Over the years Nic has coached & mentored countless young candidates and helped them push past their comfort zones to be greater & stronger than they were the day before. (Out of which FrogFit’s “Be greater than yesterday’s you” mantra was born.)
Between his own time training to become a SEAL, the rigorous fitness routine he followed while he was active duty in the Teams, and of course the training he put SEAL candidates through as an instructor at BUD/S, Nic has been able to pull various elements from each of these arenas to cultivate a fitness program that is dynamic and challenging but achievable with the right mindset. FrogFit is based upon the idea that to get the results you want, you’ve gotta train like the best. And this is exactly what Coach Nic at FrogFit promises to deliver, while reminding you every step of the way that the only person you’re competing against with your fitness goals is “yesterday’s you.” It’s been a life-long dream of Nic’s to be able to bring the mindset & training dynamics of the SEAL teams to “everyday warriors,” and he is ecstatic that this dream is finally coming to fruition!
When he’s not crushing workouts, skinning logs, or modeling FrogFit merch, Nic enjoys playing MarioKart with his bonus kiddos Ava & Gav, rolling around on the floor with his dog Charlie, quoting the hell out of 80’s movies, smashing nachos while watching Sunday football (GO BUCS!), salsa dancing in the kitchen with Trace, and living that golf cart life on the dirt roads of Frye Island. His favorite movie is Spies Like Us, his favorite color is purple, his favorite ice cream flavor is Bedford Farms cherry bomb, and his favorite music to crush to will FOREVER remain Wu Tang Clan. 👊🏽🎵😎
Meet Trace
Founder, Nic’s (far) better half, and the behind-the-scenes operations/marketing/logistics guru & superwoman of all the things behind Team FrogFit. (And NO, she won’t be receiving preferential treatment in class just because she knows the guy running it 😉.)
Trace grew up in the suburbs of Boston dabbling in various sports as a kid: soccer, basketball, softball, cheerleading, dance, and field hockey, with a *VERY* brief (thank God) stint on the cross country team. (Zero stars, do NOT recommend cross country for anyone who hates to run… tough lesson to learn in the fall of 1995🤦🏻♀️😆) But it wasn’t until her mid-twenties, after her second child was born, that she rediscovered her passion for fitness through a new vehicle: Zumba fitness! She absolutely loved the sense of community that her Zumba classes offered and found it an insanely fun way to merge exercise, Latin music, dance, and socialization. For many years, Zumba was not just an outlet for physical fitness, it truly evolved into her home away from home, and her tribe. Over the years, her love of dance has remained a constant but she’s also fallen equally in love with yoga, stretching, and mindful meditation as integral parts of a holistic & well rounded fitness routine. While the past few years (and a global pandemic) have served Trace a cornucopia of health issues and a handful of surgeries, she is excited to find her bounce-back game and return to the most strong, fierce, fit, focused, motivated version of herself through Team FrogFit.
Trace has a degree in Social Work but her passion has always been writing. She’s done lots of web content work, online blogging and write-ups for small businesses and nonprofits over the past several years. She’s even working on a book that’s been a work in progress since losing her Dad in 2014. However her greatest joy in life has been her role as Mama to Ava (19), Gav (15), and her four legged son, Charlie🐾 (7). Motherhood has strengthened her, challenged her, pushed her & rewarded her in ways she never could have imagined, and she couldn’t be more proud of her kiddos & the remarkable young adults they have both become!
The other loves of Trace’s life include sunflowers, spending time at the cabin on Frye Island, Broadway musicals, firepit nights, cooking Cuban food, Alanis music, catching a spectacular sunset, fall in New England, asking Nic to pronounce “Worcestershire🤣,” watching her super talented kiddos perform at gigs, watching 80’s movies, enjoying coffee ice cream with jimmies (NOT “sprinkles”!), impromptu date nights with Chief Sanchez, finding the good in life💓, and OF COURSE overplaying Mark Morrison’s absolute BANGER from 1996, ‘Return of the Mack.’ 😎
Meet charlie
MEET CHARLIE! HDIC (head dog in charge) at Team FrogFit. Charlie is our in-house destroyer of anything with a squeaker, 24/7 squirrel patrol, chaser of backyard bunnies, daily antagonizer of the neighborhood mailman, and shameless devourer of unattended countertop rotisserie chickens. Charlie is stoked to embark (heavy on the BARK) on this exciting new adventure with his Mom & Dad! While he initially lobbied hard for the business to be called DOGFIT, he eventually accepted FROGFIT and is happy in his newly appointed role of K9 ambassador. He may join us for a workout or two, and if he does, know that your offering of belly rubs, ear scratches or pieces of cheddar cheese will earn you a new best friend for life. 🐾