Ross Darragh

Although my name is Ross and I am one of the owner/managers, I get called Jack (not really, only by me in my head). But I am, (and need to be - like all other small business owners), a Jack of all trades and in my case a master of none - I’m sure the staff would agree with me on this one.
I am lucky enough to have an incredible immediate and extended caring family. Christine, my wife, and our 2 kids – Ashleigh and Josh who have recently left home to forge their own ways in life.

So, what do I do – well I oversee the staff, the roles they all play in our business and how we want you our members to be treated, alongside keeping on top of all the admin and day to day processes.
I like to be prepared, organised and on time always, although there are occasional slip ups, not all my fault, as happens in partnerships, if you know what I mean.
I train in the gym 7 days of the week most weeks at 6am. I have tried all sorts of other training times throughout the last 30 years for various reasons e.g. work and family commitments, but find I can train uninterrupted, go home to get ready for work and then not need to worry about unexpected things popping up and me having to miss out.
I am lucky that I am a reasonable sportsman no matter what the sport, a quick learner (except for math’s at school), and that I possess the amazing ability to forget and can at times, just not think! The other abilities I have are that I can very quickly sum up a situation and will correctly react/respond and have not made many, if any, mistakes twice. And yes, I know what you are thinking about me right now!
I am also lucky that Christine allows and supports me to indulge in my other hobbies. One of these is renovating houses (its ok, I was a builder in my past life) and yes, I do eventually finish them, and the other is riding our motorcycle.
I am fortunate, that I love what I do and to call Feilding our home, just as the previous 3 generations of Darragh’s have done before me.
 

Chris Darragh

Five words my friends may use to describe me: fun, straight-up, no nonsense, down to earth, funny.
I enjoy most music but have no absolute favourites. Little River Band, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Pink are some artists/bands that I like.
I like clothes shopping (like most females), but I love Op Shopping the most. Weird and wacky but definitely interesting. You never know what treasure you’re going to find and there’s nothing more satisfying than finding that special something for a bargain price.
For relaxation I enjoy reading fiction from authors Stephen King, Robin Cook, Lee Childs, James Patterson and Sandra Brown to name a few. I also like watching action and comedy movies with a big block of chocolate.
My biggest weakness is chocolate. I especially like Cadbury Dream or Dairy Milk but honestly, any other flavour will do as long as it’s chocolate!!!
My favourite type of holiday is camping in tents. The catch being that I prefer Top 10 camp grounds as they have showers and toilets, running water and most of all – power – this comes in handy for the fridge/freezer, jug, radio, laptops, blow dryers and hair straighteners . So camping but not really… There’s nothing quite like it!! Everything is so relaxed – no housework, no cleaning, minimal cooking and meeting lots of interesting people.
Even though currently I do not play sports I have previously played touch rugby, indoor netball, indoor cricket and winter netball. My passion now lies with resistance gym workouts.
Family is really important to me. I believe, “without family you have nothing”. Another is life balance. I believe balance is key to everything in life.

Chris Vinsen

Hey, I’m Chris I grew up in Shannon and come from a family of 7. After starting work in Feilding I moved to Palmerston North where I live with my wife & 3 year old daughter .

In my spare time I like to go fishing & hunting , but if it’s too cold, you will find me tinkering in my man-cave.

Growing up I've always had a passion for sport and exercise. From a young age I played league and rugby through till the end of High School. Once I completed my degree in Bachelor of Human Performance, I went on to become a full-time track cyclist in New Zealand and Australia. My cycling journey continued for 7 years, through which I was working part-time for different supplement stores and gyms.
My career in Health and Fitness began in 1999. I have worked at Evolve Fitness for 15 years, specialising in Personal Training and Sales Management.
I have gained 18 years’ experience in my field and over the years have helped many people succeed in reaching their fitness goals. I have learnt that the key to success is hard work, determination and never giving up.
 
Email now to make an appointment.

Jaden Meehan

Hey I’m Jaden, I am 27 years old. I completed my Bachelor of Sports and Exercise in 2013, since then I have always been apart of the Evolve Fitness team. I specialise in sport specific training, weight loss and strength and conditioning. I have a wide range knowledge and excellent skills to help anyone on their health and fitness journey. Boxing has always been a part of my fitness and have competed competitively, from there I found a passion in inspiring others to incorporate boxing into their training and became a boxing coach. I enjoy being a leader and running the functional classes here at Evolve Fitness. I live here in Feilding with my partner Claudia and we have two kids ... Siberian huskies named Zeus and Thor, they are very energetic and need lots of exercise so they are the perfect dogs for me. One of my favourite hobbies is gaming on my PlayStation or Xbox, it is my meditation and keeps me sane  I love food ... a lot, going out to eat and love a good burger. I enjoy all types of music but especially old school tunes like; Michael Jackson, Queen and AC/DC. I love my job and working for Evolve Fitness, it means a lot being able to help people reach their fitness goals and help them maintain a healthy lifestyle through the gym. Evolve Fitness has given me an awesome environment to grow my personal training business allowing me to conduct my sessions and bootcamps.  
Email now to make an appointment.

Ruby Finau

Talofa lava Evolve Family. Ruby here, female fitness trainer at Evolve. I am a NZL born Samoan who has recently completed a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise at Massey University. My role as a trainer includes providing members with appropriate advice on exercises, putting together personalized programs for our members, as well as providing good banter. Some of the things I enjoy doing is running around a green pitch with an oval ball, figuring out how to tune a guitar as well as spending time with family and friends. I come from a family of 6 (mum, dad, 2 sisters, 1 brother) and a massive extended family. My goals as a trainer is to help educate and influence people about health and fitness so that they can achieve their goals.
“There is no exercise better than reaching down and lifting people up” – John Holmes

Neil Bryant

Jason Bary

Hey! My names Jason. I’m pretty laid back. I love keeping busy, as I do get bored very easily. Love sport, especially basketball as you may be able to tell from the amount of basketball boots I own. Love the gym. I also have an amazing daughter.

Anthea Turner

Hi I’m Anthea I teach Bodypump and a few of the varied classes at Evolve, I have been teaching a few years now and I still love it, on my down time I hangout with mates or family, love movies , especially horror’s, lover of all animals. If ya ever around the gym come try a class they look scary but seriously the are not !! And it’s always great to push yourself to try new things xx

Christine Darragh

Resistance training is my favourite way to train. That is why I love Body Pump. Body Pump is all about high repetitive work using different resistance weights and exercises. Did you know that doing one Body Pump class can burn 600 calories? So get lean, build strength and tone muscle with me at Body Pump.

Kim Scott

Hi I'm Kim and I've been teaching RPM at Evolve for over 10 years now.
I have always been involved in fitness and outdoor activities dating back to 1983 (yes 1983!) when I was selected in the NZ Track Cycling Development team. I have run a few marathons in recent times and enjoy mountain running events where I compete with my wife for 'first home' honours!
Family life revolves around my wife of 19 years (Dee) and our two children, James (33yr) and Ashlee (19yr). Most summer weekends we are often away camping lakeside and wakeboarding enjoying what NZ has to offer!

In my day job I own and run a product design & development firm called Idea Developments which fills my week days (and nights) with interest and passion for design and detailing, along with our manufacturing operation (Idea-China) in Shenzhen, China.

I have a passion for teaching RPM, from both a fitness and technical aspect, and connecting with members to see their improvements overtime. I welcome any new (or old) members keen to try a RPM class, and as I always say... "do the class at your level and take time to feel the difference as you get stronger"

Jemma Lawton

Kia Ora, I am Jemma. Sport, fitness and well-being, family, education, teaching and travel are the heart of my journey in life. It is hard to believe that I have been involved in the Fitness Industry for over 30 years. Over that time I have met many friends, colleagues and people who have shared a similar passion.

I have been privileged to cycle throughout NZ and Hawaii sharing and promoting well being through USO bike ride. Our purpose has been to promote a healthier lifestyle and also a need to have regular health checks amongst Maori and Pacific men for prostate cancer.
I now know what grandparents meant when they said having grandchildren is a whole new and amazing experience. I am blessed to have a beautiful 4 year old grandchild who with my biased view is simply amazing.
Nga Mihi...Jemma Lawton
 

Christina Heemi

Hey I'm Christina and I've have been training with sensei Jemma Lawton to take the Body Attack class on a Thursday night. I have 3 children along with working & studying this year. More importantly my favourite 3 Netflix series would be Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and Money Heist, what's yours? Any netflix recommendations would be much appreciated. I love the group fitness classes as I HATE running, and I imagine everyone in the class is my close friend and we are at a dance party so if that's you too, I would definitely recommend coming along!

Garry Twomey

Hi, I teach 1 of the Les Mills group fitness classes – RPM. With RPM I have participants who have had success in toning up, losing weight and looking forward to the next class of the challenging indoor cycling workout without the hassles of traffic and the weather. See you there.

Helen Jayne

Hi I’m Helen and I take Body Balance classes at Evolve Fitness where I have worked part time for nearly 15yrs as a Group Fitness Instructor although I’ve been in the industry since Wellington 1988. At home/work is my hubby and we’ve got 3 grown daughters that’s resulted in 6 grandchildren ranging from 0-13yrs old. We also love animals. Fortunately family are mainly local so between them, my 2 p/t jobs, the smooth running of home and garden and caravan getaways, time is generally well occupied.

Helen Luoni

Hi I’m Helen and I’ve been at Evolve in Feilding since February 2017 though I’ve been involved with the fitness industry as an instructor for over 24 years! OMG! As a kid I was into competitive gymnastics and then in my early twenties reignited my love of dance and became a performer and a dance instructor. I have lived in 4 different countries, however the longest I’ve lived anywhere was Taihape.

I’ve been married to Simon for almost 28 years and have 16 year old twins Luca and Sophie. I currently teach Body Pump at Evolve and also wear the hat of Group Fitness Manager.

I enjoy the season of summer, reading, attempting cryptic crosswords, tennis, walking our dog Louis, stand up paddle boarding and spending time with my family. I have my own business providing on-site chair massage to busy professionals in both Feilding and Palmerston North. I love both my jobs as they keep me fit and I meet a lot of people.

Rhiana Bragg-Meyers

Hey, my name is Rhiana and I currently teach Body Balance at Evolve, I’ve been teaching here just a little over a year now. I’m also studying full time at hairdressing college. I used to do dance (jazz and contemporary) and gymnastics. Some other things I enjoy doing are travelling and learning circus skills.

Lisa Mordaunt

Lisa O’Leary

Hi my name is Lisa O'Leary and I have been in the gym industry since I was 23. I have a 5 year old son, Mason. My hobbies include Rongoa, (Maori Medicine) walking my dog Batman and all types of exercise. When covid19 lockdown began, I did the 25 Press up Challenge for PTSD and my son and I are enjoying nature walks everyday.

Liz Ansley

Char Lucas - Admin

Hi, I am Char, I am a good all-rounder, I wear many hats such as a mother, wife and ex-business owner, but most of all I am pretty savvy with our social media accounts, yep I am the one behind the gram and our awesome monthly newsletter that goes out. I am pretty awesome at giving things a good go, except spelling but I'm pretty creative in all other areas. I love being on the team at Evolve, and they love having me, mainly because sometimes I will bake us awesome healthy treats. I have been with Evolve now for two and a half years, and I'll be the one that will be chasing you if your fees have not been paid, but I am also the friendly voice on the phone in the morning, I am very passionate about fitness but balance that out with coffee and chocolate. I am a goal setter, cookbook lover, time manager, and I love to be continually learning. My faith is strong, and I take my inspiration from the positive people I surround myself with. My fav quote is 'sometimes the best things in life are on the other side of fear'. I believe that being out of your comfort zone is important because you can't grow while being in your comfort zone. I also think it is vital to feed your brain like you would fuel your body with nutrition, always question and challenge your mind.

Megan Hennessy - Admin

I'm Megan and I've been with Evolve Fitness for just over 2 years with a short gap in there. Myself and my family have been through alot lately and coming to the gym is so good for my mental health. You'll often see me joining in on the step and pump classes. I have zero coordination but I give it a go and feel so great afterwards.
I love that everyone here is working towards being the healthiest, fittest, strongest version of themselves and for their family. Everyone is here because they want to be.
I also enjoy traveling with my family, not only overseas but in this beautiful country that we live in.
I've been back at Evolve for a while now and I'm really enjoying seeing all the new faces and catching up with the regulars.

Trent Sims - Customer Service

Dylan Soeberg - Gym Keeper

Hey, my name is Dylan and I am the gym keeper at Evolve Fitness. I'm currently studying at Ucol because I want to become a personal trainer as I have a real passion for fitness. I've personally been going to the gym for around 5 years, training 5 times a week and love pushing and challenging myself. In my spare time I like to watch sports and play Xbox. The sports I enjoy are rugby, rugby league, basketball and cricket with my favourite teams being All Blacks, Blackcaps, Lakers, Crusaders and Roosters. My favourite games to play are nba2k, Forza and Gears of War. I like most genres of music but my favourite artists/bands are Linkin Park, Metallica, Eminem and Post Malone.