About John

I was born in South Korea and raised in Rochester, MN. After graduating from Notre Dame, I moved back to Minnesota and met my wife at the U of M. I have a background in physical therapy, working in outpatient orthopedics but have now transitioned to the corporate environment, currently working as a marketing product manager in the medical device industry. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my family and occasionally going out for a round of golf if time allows. 

Athletic Background

While at Notre Dame, I rowed for a few years and then tried to walk on to the Notre Dame football team and was lucky enough to somehow make it through a few rounds of cuts….a very humbling athletic experience that I still to this day chuckle about (think movie “Rudy” — how undersized, underqualified athletically he looked during tryouts….that was basically me.) 

Finding CrossFit

I was struggling with the usual “dad bod” that creeps up as you get older, have kids, get busy with work, etc. On top of that, I was bored with the same old workout I had been doing for years and was looking for a spark. A colleague of mine who owns a CrossFit box in Alabama encouraged me to try it, and I was instantly hooked—especially by the idea of “racing your own race” and giving max effort to pursue steady growth each day.

Why I Coach

I really enjoy learning about biomechanics and human movement – being able to share this with others to help individuals improve their movement patterns and optimize function is really rewarding.  

Training/Education

Doctorate in Physical Therapy

MBA

Secret Ninja Movement/Skill

Rowing

Nemesis Movement/Skill

Anything overhead – especially handstands

Favorite Cheat Meal

I literally eat everything….as long as it’s not spicy.

But my favorite is probably pepperoni pizza.