meet the hygge wellness team

We believe keeping yourself well should be easier. The ability to access things like a good gym, a physical therapist, a massage therapist and more is so critical to being the best person you can be. These things don’t only help you feel better physically – they also improve mental and emotional wellness as well.

But the bar is too high for a lot of people. Having access to quality group fitness under $100/month is a rarity in Charlotte. We want to be different. We want to make it so simple to keep yourself well that there’s no excuse not to. And that’s where hygge wellness comes in.

We’re partnering with some incredible trainers and wellness experts to bring a full gym and fitness to Charlotte. You can get more details about getting a membership (you do not have to cowork with us as well) or becoming a trainer in our space by clicking here. For now, let’s meet the incredible group of people we’re working with to make this come to life by April 1.

Jamie Eastley

Jamie is a local trainer who specializes in group fitness as well as pregnancy and postpartum athleticism. She owns her own business, STRONG(her)360, which will now be headquartered at hygge cares! She’s an incredible human being to work with, and we’re so glad to not only have her on the hygge wellness team, but to be the one who is running the whole show at hygge wellness. Here’s her story:

“I found fitness through always being in athletics growing up. I loved practice and putting challenges on my body to see how strong I could become through athletics and then it just transferred over to the gym as well. I have a passion for helping people become healthier and happier and more confident and stronger. It all just led me to becoming a trainer. 

I was originally a teacher out of college so I’ve always had that passion towards making people achieve greater things and guiding them on a path to success in whatever they want to do. With fitness, especially with my pregnancy and postpartum athleticism training, there was a need for guidance for moms where they don’t have to feel broken or different, that they can still gain strength through pregnancy and then afterward they can have the proper training to help them heal and feel whole and strong again.

My biggest goal is to provide a safe space for everybody to be given the opportunity for all around wellness. You can come here and be trained physically, mentally and emotionally with all the different assets we have coming through hygge wellness. It’s a place where people can get what they need in a one stop shop.”

Giavonni Mack

Giavonni is one badass personal trainer and deep stretch specialist who we are so pumped to welcome into hygge. Basically, he’s a strength and mobility expert, which means he’s great for working with folks on their range of motion, preventing injuries, healing injuries, training for an upcoming event or just getting stronger in general.

“I played basketball collegiately and then professionally for a bit, but I had a gruesome injury that ended that very shortly, so I became passionate during the months I was rehabbing about the things I was doing in rehab. Somewhere in the midst of all of that I really got some joy from it. I got to know what exactly I’m to do with my body to help me not experience what I experienced before with the injury. All of that made me more passionate about others and helping them achieve fitness goals. Not just fitness, but if they’re injured or have an injury they’re treating, I love being able to be more hands on in treating them and helping them overcome the injury. 

I feel like there’s so many different things you can do here at hygge wellness, so I’m anxious and excited to have my own little spin on it and my own little piece to add to the rest of everyone else. 

I’m a sponge. I’m always looking to pick people’s brains, so I’m excited to be with a group of people who have been in wellness longer than I have. I’ve been an athlete all my life, but I’ve been a student of wellness and personal training for over half a year now. I was always told to just surround yourself with people you want to learn from. If you’re the smartest person in the room, you need to be around different people.”

Lauren Vollentine

Boy oh boy, are we lucky to have Lauren with us, particularly as we gear up for spring and summertime running. Lauren is a local running coach, but also focuses on strength training – aka, the best of both worlds.

“I found fitness back in high school. I started into running after a difficult life situation and it really pulled me out of a difficult time. I’ve stuck with it ever since. I was just into running, and then I found out how much strength training improved my running. I really admire both areas of fitness and have been at it since high school. 

I love how it brings people together. When I’m running a race or even coaching with clients for running, it makes you feel connected to someone you may not even know. Just kind of leading people towards their own specific goals and being a part of that. I think I love the fact that I see it change people’s lives in their own special way, but it’s definitely impacted mine and I like seeing it impact others as well. 

I want to be more submerged into the Charlotte community and all it has to offer. I really want to dive a bit deeper into relationships that will make people feel comfortable and confident and taking the leap into their own fitness journey. I’m super, super excited for this new venture and I just can’t wait to be a part of it and meet new people.”

Jaimis Huff

Jaimis is an incredible local yoga teacher who’s joining the hygge wellness team. We’ve found that yoga has been one of our favorite restorative workouts to do, and we can’t wait for classes with her!

“I played sports as a kid and have always loved to move my body, but fitness became a lifestyle when I became a Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue Lifeguard in college. They taught me how to train hard and tap into physical and mental strength I didn’t know I had. I fell in love with running and got really into trail running when I lived in Austin, TX. Unfortunately, I hurt my knee after I ran my first marathon and couldn’t run distance anymore. Someone suggested I try power yoga, and I found a new love. I began to study yoga and myself in depth. Yoga helped me recognize how unkind I was to myself, so I cultivated a practice of self-love. I felt a deep-rooted pull to become a yoga teacher, so I quit my job and moved back to my hometown in Virginia for several years before landing in Charlotte.

I offer different programs to support students who are beginning their yoga practice and teaching journey as well as supporting current teachers with continuing education. I’m E-RYT 500 and a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider with over 10 years teaching experience. I believe in living yoga, speaking truth, building community, and supporting students and teachers as they grow to become the best versions of themselves. 
I’m excited to collaborate with and work alongside so many other fitness and wellness professionals who are passionate about what they do.

Everyone deserves to feel good. Unfortunately, wellness programs and yoga and fitness studios are often exclusive, expensive, and intimidating. Not everyone has access to fitness classes that work for them, to education about nutrition, or an understanding of how your mind and body is connected, and how stress affects your everyday life. Knowledge is power, and I’m here to empower people.”

Rebby Kern

We could not be more pumped to have Rebby Kern teaching yoga at hygge wellness in addition to Jaimis. Rebby focuses on power vinyasa and power flow yoga, but we’ll be offering all types of yoga classes once we open on April 1.

“I grew up playing soccer and I remember dancing as a young kid. Moving my body was always a really big part of who I am. I was able to play tennis in college and then I discovered yoga while I was in college. It was a really key component to my personal evolution. I’ve been practicing for 8 years, so it’s essentially the foundation of how I move my body today and how I understand my own wellness. 

A lot of folks that know me know that I’m the social justice advocate, so I can’t understand yoga without sort of holding that lens up to how I experience yoga and the practice. In my work I’ve been able to blend that and offer trainings. The passion piece is helping people find safety and connection within yoga, which can often be a marginalizing experience for folks. I show up and try to create bridges and create yoga that’s accessible to every person every day. 

Yoga can be a scary word for a lot of people, whether they’ve never done yoga, or if they think if they’re not flexible that they can’t do yoga. Yoga is just a way to move the body, and meditation is beyond the sitting with your eyes closed. It’s moving through the world and releasing what you’re holding on to. I think here at hygge I have a really strong opportunity to help people who are already living the hygge lifestyle and incorporating another level of mindfulness and awareness into their lifestyle. It’s just another tool in their back pocket.”

Erin Ducharme Waters

Erin’s story of finding fitness is potentially one of the most touching stories we’ve ever heard. She’s does bodywork and compression-based trigger point rehabilitation here in Charlotte through her business Ice Bodyworks. Have no idea what that means? Here ya go:

“My brother became a quadriplegic and his insurance paid for massage, and I took a year off to go through therapy with him. They said he would never walk again, but when he was done he walked to his car and drove himself home. When we got home, I decided to go back to school for massage. 

My biggest goal right now is to be in an environment where can focus just on the work instead of the noise and chaos around. That’s my biggest goal right now. I didn’t expect to be where I am right now. Up until I did this job, I always felt unsure, I always felt like I was just getting by. Now I’m completely sure, and I didn’t expect that to be the way it went. The day I had my first NBA player come in, he asked if I would go on the road with the team. That’s when I knew I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. When someone’s 6’6” or 6’7” and you see me walk up, every single time they roll their eyes. They roll their eyes like they’re about to waste their time. 

I make sure ice body works accepts every client no matter what. If you don’t know what to wear or when to show up or how early to be there or what to do during the session, just email me. I’ll explain it all to you. There’s no reason to be nervous for any reason when you come in. 

It’s exciting to be in a place where everybody is there to do the work instead of feed the egos. I know this isn’t a popular sentence, but I’ve been in Charlotte a long time, and the balance of egos and work has definitely changed. So finding a place where it feels like the work is getting done, I’m excited for it.”

Annie Linville

Annie pretty much does it all. She focuses on HIIT training, circuit training, functional fitness, a lot of strength based movements with spurts of cardio and core stability exercises. What a workout! And did we mention she’s a physical therapist as well? Here’s her story:

“I’m a physical therapist and I’m a strength and conditioning specialist, so I use a lot of fitness and strength training as a part of my job as a PT, and the best thing is when you get to combine the two of them. 

My passion is helping people move to the best of their abilities without pain. It is special to me to see somebody be able to move strongly confidently and efficiently with their bodies. I build my workouts based on promoting that. 

I’m excited to have my PT clinic (Grow PT) right next door to really well structured fitness classes. I’m excited to have those two working hand in hand. STRONG(her)360 is also going to have a home here at hygge wellness, and I’m a women’s health PT on top of being a sports physical therapist, so offering programs for pre- and postpartum women is going to be huge. I’m excited to bring that to the table as well.”