LEANNE SHEAR, M.A.

Co-Founder, President, and Head Trainer
ACE certified personal trainer, CPR/AED certified

Always an athlete, Leanne played competitive basketball through high school and ran Division I Varsity Cross Country and Track in college. Once she moved to NYC, along with weight training, biking, circuits, yoga and swimming, she became a part of New York Road Runners and started racing and eventually running marathons, with a PR of 3:30:51 in the 2011 Boston Marathon. She also PR'd at the Hamptons half-marathon later that year and in 2012 has her sights set on the NYC half and the Boston Marathon.

When she’s not pushing herself, she loves sharing this passion for fitness with her personal training clients and through Uplift NYC studio's many classes and programs.

Leanne graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania and has a Master’s degree in Women’s Studies and Cultural Politics from New York University. Leanne is also the author of The Perfect Manhattan, published in 2005 and Cocktail Therapy: The Perfect Prescription for Life’s Many Crises, published in 2007. Her writing has also been featured in The Nation, The New York Times, New York Magazine, Glamour, Life & Style, Maxim, and Men’s Health.

VERA TRIFUNOVICH, M.A.

NASM certified personal trainer
AFFA certified group exercise instructor
Licensed Zumba instructor
Pre-and Post-Natal certified
CPR/AED certified

Vera Trifunovich was born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan where Riverside Park and Central Park were her own personal playgrounds. So it is only natural that as a fitness professional she loves to take clients into the park or to the Hudson River for their workouts. As a former drama therapist at Bellevue Hospital where she used drama, expressive movement, and exercise as healing modalities, she truly understands the mind/body connection. A person has to enjoy the process (even if her muscles are burning and she’s drenched in sweat!)—and that’s the reason why she loves working for Uplift: because we believe in connecting women to their strength, passion, and joy through fitness and fun! Vera loves to try all new fitness-related things. Her latest passion is Zumba, the marriage of international dance rhythms and fitness. Also, as she’s training two women to compete in triathlons, she can’t help but wonder if she should join them. When she’s not pondering her next fitness move, though, Vera loves loud dance parties with her girlfriends, reading great books on the beach, and watching her amazing son surf in the ocean.

MICHELLE MASON

ACE certified personal trainer
Licensed Zumba Instructor
CPR/AED certified

Exercise has always been an important part of Michelle’s life. As a child, when she wasn’t busy playing sports or attending dance classes, she could usually be found in her basement, roller skating to the Cocktail soundtrack on full blast. In high school Michelle was on a competitive dance team, but during college she struggled with her weight. Once she moved to NYC, Michelle dedicated herself to taking off the weight in a healthy way, without sacrificing her lifestyle or giving up her favorite treats. She has maintained a 40-pound weight loss for over four years and has grown passionate about many forms of fitness in the process, including kettlebells and circuit training. Michelle got certified as a personal trainer and started teaching Zumba classes so that she could help others see how exercise can be fun and could change your life. She believes in making exercise accessible and not intimidating, and in empowering her clients to realize what they are truly capable of in the process. Michelle is thrilled to be a part of the Uplift team because she wholeheartedly believes that their approach will create healthier and happier lives for women. Michelle graduated from Miami University of Ohio with a degree in Journalism and also earned her Master’s degree in Media Studies from The New School University.

AMANDA ROSE WALSH

NASM certified personal trainer
Certified Yoga Instructor
2008 NY Golden Glove Champion
Pre-and Post-Natal certified
CPR/AED certified
Masters in Exercise Physiology, Columbia University

Amanda's love of fitness began at the young age of fourteen when she purchased her first membership to the local YMCA. Soon after, Amanda began studying for numerous certifications to become a fitness instructor, and spent the next ten years working for New York Sports Club and CRUNCH. Her workouts are creative, interactive, fun and inspiring as she teaches not only physical fitness but mental and spiritual health as well. Trying many forms of exercise over the years, ranging from power lifting to Pilates, Amanda discovered a passion for boxing. She trained diligently for six years, competing in twelve amateur fights and winning the 2008 Golden Gloves Championship. Then, a trip to India changed Amanda’s perspective and ignited a curiosity in yoga. She found herself a year later on a remote beach in Thailand immersed in a teacher training program. The transition from boxing to yoga has allowed Amanda to apply the same principles of discipline, commitment and focus from the boxing ring to the yoga mat. When Amanda isn’t running in Central Park, biking through the streets of Manhattan, or shopping in local farmer’s markets, she acts as a positive force in the world, empowering women and sharing her passion for health and wellness with others. She is an avid world traveler, passionate vegetarian and modern city chick with hippie roots!

KIM CONNELLY

National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certified
CPR/AED certified
Holds several certifications by the Society of American Fight Directors

Kim studied modern dance, jazz and ballet for over six years, has been weight training and running for the last ten years, and has studied and used the Alexander Technique training for four years. Her training is a blend of years of weight training learned from specialists blended with dance conditioning exercises and the Alexander Technique to teach the body properly in order to release unnecessary tension and a stress. “I love working for Uplift,” Kim says, “because it implements fitness in women's lives as a positive and fun part of their lives and not looking at it as a grueling task. I love the empowering women with fitness and loving their bodies instead of just trying to fit into the impossible and unrealistic standards of what society tells us what we should look like.” Outside of fitness, Kim is an actor and improv comedian who also writes sketch comedy.

CAROLINA WALICKI

ACE certified personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor

Carolina Walicki is an ACE certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor with over 6 years of experience in the industry. Walicki has comprehensive exercise vocabulary and experience with wide range of population. Carolina’s group fitness experience refined her skills in personalizing and tending to the individual needs of every participant. Her desire to learn and stay abreast of the most current fitness research has led her to attend many fitness workshops. Understanding that every body has unique needs, Carolina’s training philosophy is based on communication, following a specific yet flexible plan and progress assessment. Carolina uses her expertise to design time efficient workouts aimed at long-term goals of her clients.

CARRIE JACOBSEN

AFAA certified personal training instructor
AFAA certified group exercise instructor
NASM certified personal training instructor
NASM certified group exercise instructor

Carrie Jacobsen has been teaching and training within the fitness industry for almost 15 years, specializing in Pilates, core strengthening, body conditioning and cardiovascular endurance.
She also enjoys training to compete in triathlons and credits her background in Pilates for keeping her strong and injury-free during the racing off-season. She truly loves her work, and enjoys being able to inspire and motivate people to better themselves mentally and physically. She currently teaches Zumba, Pilates, and Total Body Conditioning classes.

PATRICIA WHITCAS

ACE Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor
ACE Certified Lifestyle & Weight Management Coach
Certified Anti-Aging Fitness Specialist
Certified Pilates Mat

Patricia has been a successful independent Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor for over 12 years. Prior to that, she was an advertising executive with a passion for health and fitness. She was fortunate enough to be ‘down-sized’, which enabled her to follow that passion and start her own business as a Personal Trainer and Lifestyle Consultant. While Patricia has a wide array of clients (one of her favorites is the Today show’s Al Roker!), she has always especially enjoyed helping women change their bodies and empowering them with positive and healthy lifestyle changes. So joining the team at UpLift is a very exciting step for her. In addition to training one-on-one, she has taught women’s boxing/kickboxing, Pilates, Spinning, jump rope, boot camp classes, etc.

Patricia has also published a series of European city-specific travel guides for the health and fitness-conscious traveler, TravelFit Paris and TravelFit London, with TravelFit Rome in development.

While not motivating others to lead a fitter and healthier lifestyle, Patricia loves spending time with her dog and cats, as well as helping homeless pets. And, a true Francophile, she and her husband travel to Paris as frequently as possible.

SHANNON MACDOWELL

Shannon MacDowell was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. Her love of fitness and outdoor sports was intrinsic, and ranged from downhill and cross-country skiing to sea kayaking in central and southeast Alaska. A bunhead from age 3, Shannon came East to pursue a modern dance career, first receiving her BFA from Rutgers University, then moving into NYC and joining the Amy Marshall Dance Company. Currently, Shannon also dances for Gabrielle Lamb, Tze Chun Dance Company, David Grenke Projects, and Glitterati Dance Company. When she is not dancing or teaching, you can find her out on the Hudson River, where she teaches and guides Stand Up Paddleboarding and kayaking for Manhattan Kayak Company. Shannon deeply believes in the universal power and “feel-goodness” of conscious movement, and in cultivating an active lifestyle that caters to every individual’s unique needs. Shannon is thrilled to be a part of the Uplift Team!

CHELSEA DORNAN

NASM certified personal trainer
Pre-and Post-Natal certified
Thai yoga massage therapist
CPR/AED Certified

Chelsea grew up in Brisbane, Australia. Her love for health and fitness started at a young age – spending her weekends on her parents' boat exploring Morton Bay, she was always in the water: diving off the side of a moving boat playing “Baywatch” rescues, body surfing, surf skiing or running around on the beach and exploring the islands. Chelsea was a member of her school's swim and cross-country teams; she also played softball, netball and touch football competitively and is a certified scuba diver—needless to say, Chelsea continues to enjoy the ocean whenever she can.

When Chelsea moved to New York in 2006, she began practicing yoga and running the parks and streets of the city. Her love for yoga led her to learn about Thai massage – a synergy of yoga stretching and massage where the client gets the full benefit of both without the hard work.

Chelsea’s philosophy to training is a total mind/body approach. She believes in finding a balance in life—when she isn’t sweating it out at the gym she is enjoying her other passions – good food, good wine and good times with friends.

Chelsea also has a BA in international business and public relations from Queensland University of Technology.

Uplift Studios