Our Team
Meet the dedicated and passionate team members of Omnia Paratus Health Training.
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Eric was born and raised in Germany but always dreamed of making the “American Dream” come true. In 2011, after finishing his master’s degree in Exercise Science and Physical Education, he landed a job at a private training facility in New York. Arriving with $1,000 in his pocket and his back against the wall, oatmeal became his only choice of food for 90 days and he knew things could only get better from here. Relying on his “German” work ethic and his strong willpower he quickly started to train clients 7days per week for about 50-60 hours. This was his opportunity to become successful and make his dream come true.
During his 15 year career, Eric realized that his passion for training was drawn to those with serious physical issues requiring a highly skilled coach to guide them to a pain free everyday life. He created a way of incorporating injury prevention and rehabilitation techniques into his clients individual strength and fitness programming. His approach prepared multiple women for pre- and postpartum health, helped clients recover from chronic back pain, frozen shoulder, IT Band syndrome and was even able to avoid a guaranteed hip surgery with one of his clients after completely restructuring his workout and movement preparation routine. One of his most rewarding experiences in his career was coaching a 67-year-old client to recover from double knee replacement surgery to a pain free full range of motion squat.
Eric is married to his wife Erika and they have two young children. He has a long-standing athletic background including; soccer, football, bobsled, Olympic Weightlifting and Crossfit. Fun Fact: He is a certified ski instructor in Europe.
Eric holds multiple certifications including; NSCA-Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), ACSM- Certified Exercise Physiologist, NASM- Corrective Exercise Specialist, USA Weightlifting Level II Coach and Functional Movement Systems Level I and Level II.
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Erika is our Mental Performance Coach, she is from Long Island, NY and brings the New York grit to the team. She has had this amazing concept of bringing fitness and mental performance together for a long time. After years of living together and supporting each other in their respectable fields, Erika and Eric decided it was time to bring their two passions of fitness and mental performance together to create Omnia Paratus Health Training.
During Erika’s 17 years as a mental health professional, she always felt that the individuals she worked with would be more successful with fitness related outlets. These additional activities would also provide positive mental health benefits. She has worked with clients who have been struggling with a wide range of issues and has supported them through substance abuse issues, in/out psychiatric hospitalizations, through challenging legal proceedings and issues within their family structure. Erika’s primary focus is to create a safe, supported and structured environment that guides our clients to the borders of their comfort zones and beyond.
Erika has a long athletic history in swimming, soccer and as a national ranked rower. She has participated in multiple half marathons and competed in CrossFit competitions. Being a fitness coach for the last six years has allowed Erika’s love for fitness and expertise in mental health to thrive in her everyday work with clients.
Erika is a Liensed Master Social Worker, USA Weightlifting Level 1 Sport and Performance Coach and a pre and postnatal fitness coach.
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Rick Plona is a strength and conditioning coach native to Baltimore, Maryland. He recently moved to North Carolina in April of 2022 with his wife Jessica and their black lab Maximus! His personal background was that of a 3 sport athlete (football, wrestling, baseball) and he also had a 100 pound weight loss journey himself at the age of 25 that inspired him to pursue a career in the field. His hobbies include spending time with his wife and dog out on the trails, running road races, and Spartan obstacle course races! When he’s not doing something physical, his favorite thing to do is cook or go out to a nice local restaurant and spend quality time with his closest family and friends. Oh, and a little fun fact about Rick is that he actually can not swim. Yep...negative buoyant!
Rick began his career in the field in 2015 and has had an opportunity to work with everyone from beginners who have never stepped foot in a gym to seasoned division 1 athletes. His expertise lies in building individualized programming for a variety of individuals. More importantly, Rick has found that helping clients determine their why is the taproot to achieving their goals and developing a program specific to the individual. If you know why, it makes it much easier to figure out how. Rick truly believes that the most important thing he can do for his clients is provide them with an experience that is educational, fun, and most importantly keeps them safe while moving along the journey toward their goals.
Rick is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, NASM Mental Toughness and Weight Loss Specialist, KBCU Level 1 Certified , Precision Nutrition Level 1 Coach, Kettlebell Coach University Level 1&2 certified.
He is currently studying for his NCSF CPT and Strength Coach Certifications.
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Megan is a strength and conditioning coach born and raised in Berlin, New Jersey. Her coaching career developed as a product of her softball experience, where she was a pitcher for Ramapo College. While at Ramapo, she was introduced to the mental game and experienced firsthand just how much our thoughts, emotions, and how we treat ourselves affect our physical performance and overall health and well-being. This, along with her existing interest in fitness, led to her decision to major in Psychology and consider a career in coaching.
After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and obtaining her NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certification, Megan began her personal training career working with people of various ages, fitness experiences, and health histories. Megan also upon graduation began a job as a sports performance coach and a softball instructor at a local baseball and softball facility, where she implemented many of the mental techniques she learned at Ramapo to help her athletes improve every time they came in to train. One of her proudest moments was helping one of her athletes break out of a hitting slump in just a one-hour long session, where she worked on her confidence and mental approach as she stepped up to the plate.
While balancing three jobs, to further advance her career in the fitness industry, Megan obtained her certification as an NSCA-Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (CSCS), and shortly after, had the opportunity to move to North Carolina. She always wanted to find a facility that combined mental and physical performance, which was what stood out to her so much about Omnia Paratus Health Training. She is extremely excited to continue growing at Omnia and working with the amazing community that she has met so far. She is also in the application process for online masters programs in Sport and Exercise Psychology, so she can develop a deeper knowledge of mental strategies and techniques, such as positive self-talk and self-regulation, and apply it to her coaching approach at Omnia.
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A’Dren grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina before attending UNC Pembroke where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology (2016).
Post-graduation, he trained to become a firefighter for the city of Raleigh, continuing his life-long prioritization of functional fitness and strength training. After a five year career as a firefighter, his passions led him to pursue a permanent home at Omnia Paratus Health Training. He currently serves as a Captain in the United States Army Reserves, and remains active in the powerlifting community.
A’Dren began his fitness journey in high school as a wrestler, which sparked his interest in strength and power movements. Throughout his college and early military career, A’Dren dipped his toe in the world of competitive powerlifting, earning state records in his first meet. His interest in strength sports continued as he was mentored by a professional StrongMan and powerlifter, “Chief Iron Bear,” Harold Collins. He then interned with a CrossFit box for four years, learning and honing his coaching skills. Over his ten-year career as a coach, A’Dren has worked with beginners who have never lifted a barbell, all the way to world-record-holding powerlifters.
When not training himself, A’Dren’s hobbies include experimenting in the kitchen, home improvement projects, spending time in the great outdoors, and fostering dogs from local animal rescues and shelters with his wife.
A’Dren is a ASFA Certified Personal Trainer, Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) instructor, USA Powerlifting club coach and is currently studying for Precision Nutrition Level 1 and USA Powerlifting Referee certifications.
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Kelly was born and raised in Greensboro, NC. She grew up playing sports with her passion being swimming and tennis. She graduated with a BS from Peace College where she played on the tennis team. Kelly is married to Justin and is a busy mom to three amazing kiddos, Max and Claire (12) and Kate (8). She has passed her love of fitness to her kids who all train at OP! Kelly loves working at OP and has learned so much by being a part of our team. She even took the KBCU level 1 class with Rick and formed a love for kettlebells! You can also find her co-coaching the Thales after school camp! In her free time, she loves spending time outdoors, reading and baking!
Own Your Health
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You Are In Charge Of Your Future
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Own Your Health - You Are In Charge Of Your Future -
Join The Team
Interested in joining the OPHT? Contact us to learn about available opportunities.