Our Ambassadors

Originally from the USA, Valerie has been living in the Tri-Border area where Germany meets the Netherlands and Belgium since 2013. She is passionate about connecting the worldwide CrossFit community together, starting in her own area. As the Military Affiliate Manager for CrossFit GK in Germany, she loves introducing CrossFit to members from 17 different nationalities. She also coaches at three local CrossFit affiliates in the Netherlands (CrossFit the Forge, CrossFit Zitterd, and CrossFit Heerlen), where she enjoys developing both members and coaches.

Coaches Congress embodies on a global scale what Valerie has been developing in her local community. Bringing affiliate owners and coaches together to improve the services we offer and the message we bring to the world is only possible if we have sustainable business practices. While we are all at different points in that journey, we can help each other along the way. That’s why Coaches Congress is such an amazing opportunity!

I’m a former IT professional who made the leap into full-time coaching six years ago, and I haven’t looked back since. Based in India, I now work with individuals and teams to unlock potential through mindset training, functional fitness, and business strategy.

What drives me is impact. Whether it’s through powerful coaching conversations, helping gym owners build systems, or pushing someone to their next breakthrough, I aim to lead with purpose and inspire others to do the same.

I firmly believe that great coaches build great communities. And that’s why Coaches Congress is such a valuable space. It’s not just about education. It’s about transformation. It challenges your thinking, sharpens your skills, and connects you with a global network of coaches and business owners who are just as passionate about growth as you are.

If you’re serious about taking your coaching or fitness business to the next level, and want to:

• Level up your coaching game
• Improve sales and member retention
• Build and lead a rock-solid team

Coaches Congress is where you need to be. It’s where the future of our industry is shaped, by people who care deeply about coaching and public health.

I am a former combat athlete, turned easy-going family man. I run two CrossFit gyms in Lappeenranta, Finland. CrossFit Lappeenranta is ~13 years old and CrossFit Lappeenranta Varikko is in its 10th year. I am also the “president” of Finland’s longest running functional fitness competition – Karjalan Kovin.

I started as a box owner because of my love for training and coaching. It grew and I realized that being an owner is more than just coaching. If I wanted to keep going I needed to learn more about business, leadership, marketing and entrepreneurship.

I spent a lot of time reading books/ blogs, listening to podcasts, etc. Lots of information to choose from, some good and some bad!

What I love about Coaches Congress is that they do the heavy lifting to find speakers with the best information, working practices, and years of experience at failing and succeeding in gym business.

With nearly 15 years in the CrossFit world, Fran has trained over 800 coaches and gym owners across Latin America, Canada, Japan, and Spain — helping them build sustainable, profitable, and purpose-driven businesses.

As co-creator of Courage and CrossFit Coraje, he has developed a unique philosophy that blends business strategy, conscious leadership, and community culture — leading his affiliates to achieve multiple Top 6 worldwide rankings and even a Top 1 global result in CrossFit Open participation.

His mission is to inspire fitness professionals to live lives grounded in growth, health, and wellbeing — and from that foundation, to build businesses that reflect abundance, purpose, and long-term impact.

For nearly 15 years, Karl Gullö has been a co-owner of CrossFit Södermalm in Stockholm. Despite being involved in several other projects within the fitness industry, spending time at the box remains the highlight of his week — meeting members, learning from other coaches, and being part of a community where everyone helps each other improve a little every day.

Coaches Congress has played a major role in Karl’s journey. The first year he attended alone and felt nervous not knowing anyone, but the event’s welcoming atmosphere and inspiring lectures made a lasting impression. Returning every year since, Karl has continued to grow as a coach, owner, leader, and person. Now, as a CC Ambassador, he’s passionate about helping others feel at home, connect with great people, and leave inspired with ideas they can apply right away.

Over the years, Karl has also helped grow IntensivePT from a small garage project into Sweden’s largest PT education provider, hosted more than 250 episodes of the Swedish podcast PT-Podden, and become a partner at Mana, developing tools that simplify life for boutique studios.

Alex’s aim within the fitness industry for the past 15 years has been to bridge the gap between mental and physical health. Having coached in many different socio-economic areas, abilities and countries. His aim was to bring this link to as many lives as possible. In addition to the work within the coaching scene, Alex is a published Author and a Podcast Host for ‘The Nomadic Podcast.’ Hosting open conversations about all topics, sharing stories and exploring other avenues that mental and physical health are connected. One of Alex’s values is to ‘be curious’ to explore all avenues and to try and learn as much as possible to give as much back as he can. Coaches Congress has encapsulated this since the start and it is Alex’s great honour to represent them in the Australia region.