our story

Despite being a frequent gym-goer throughout her teenage years and early 20's, Katherine's training journey truly began when she joined a local Rowing Club in her mid-20's. Being Coached by passionate professionals and training as part of a team inspired her to enter competitions and aspire to join the more elite teams. Unfortunately, a wrist injury whilst training for WeHorr brought that journey to an abrupt halt, and she looked for another Coach. This time, to learn how to get strong, and be resilient. Inspired by what she learned and disappointed by the lack of gyms that had a high standard of Coaching and inspiring values, she did her own Level 3 Qualification, did her time at a largely unspiring commercial gym, and later honed her Coaching skills at a more niche private S&C gym in Hackney Downs.

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Here the passion for using training to improve overall lifestyle and build resilience took hold and she and Matt decided to build their own community of people who wanted be Coached, to learn, progress, and push themselves in the safety of the gym environment to build the resilience to tackle life and ambitions outside of the gym. After ignoring the naysayers and opening the OG GW gym in the middle of Summer, on the top floor of the now demolished Swan Wharf on Dace Road back in Summer of 2018, the community grew, and 4 gym locations (thank you Hackney Wick developers), a second dog and a baby later, she is working with with Matt and the incredible GW team to continue to build the GW community to support and inspire members to be the knowledgeable, strong, and resilient.

Jamie has been a Coach at GroundWork since 2021, following a career change the previous year to switch from a job in marketing to join the fitness industry. Since then, he has built up experience coaching large groups and semi-private sessions, as well as his own Personal Training clients. He now heads up our Semi-Private programme, and is responsible for the full-circle training journey and results of our Semi-Private members.

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Jamie is the in-house Nutritionist here at GroundWork. In 2024, he became an MNU Certified Nutritionist, completing his Level 5 Diploma in Advanced Nutrition Science with Distinction. One look at his Instagram will tell you he's a big fan of food. And he's made it his mission to help people cut through the nutrition noise and eat the foods they love while achieving their body composition or performance goals.

After a career as a Ballet Dancer, Carolyn moved into the world of fitness, and found CrossFit in 2011 and became a CrossFit coach in 2013.
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Carolyn is a Level 3 CrossFit Coach and has a BWL Level 1. She returned to university in 2015 to study Sports Therapy and Dance, and after graduating she opened her Sports Therapy clinic alongside her coaching work in East London, specialising in return to sport, CrossFit and general body mechanics, alongside working pitch side with Rugby teams and an American Football teams.
She has been working with GroundWork Training since May 2024 coaching both the semi private and group training classes and stepped up to take on the role as the Group Training Lead in January 2025.

Ophelie started early, competing in gymnastics and travelling with the circus alongside coaches from Cirque Du Soleil. She had to overcome many corrective surgeries and years of recovery due to several disabilities. She now teaches her community to develop an appreciation for their bodies, learn about them, how they work, how they move and how they can unlock their potential, whether it being able to live pain-free or reach levels of performance they didn't expect to achieve.

Her mission is to get people curious and interested in functional anatomy of movement, neuroscience and the mind/body connection. Ophelie is now a registered FRC Practitioner and Mobility Specialist.

She had an opportunity to specialise in pre and post natal training when working as PT and jumped at the chance. She loved working with women already it made absolute sense - it’s a privilege to assist on the journey from prenatal to postnatal. The chance to make a positive difference to a clients strength during and after pregnancy is something she sees again and again having big and impactful benefits on overall well being.

As a mum of 2 under 4, Sophie knows too well the juggle and struggle that mums can feel especially when trying and wanting to return to exercise. As a PT and Mum, she aims to help any mum wanting to reconnect to their  body after giving birth and provide a setting that allows them to grow in strength and confidence no matter their starting point.

And so onto joining Groundwork - growing up in Cambridge Sophie had the privilege of being a member of a Rowing club as a Junior and young adult. She learned early on the importance of how a club and strong team setting impacted her commitment to her own health and brought enjoyment through participation both individually and as a team. "I came across GW and it was their clear approach to structured training and no nonsense environment that felt nothing but inclusive and familiar, two things I think makes a gym space successful, inviting and importantly kept me coming back!"

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With over 10 years of coaching rowing, James has worked across a range of ages achieving national titles and athletes competing for Great Britain Teams. His experience spans schools, clubs and working for BritishRowing Talent ID programs.

He is a Level 2 Strength and Conditioning Coach (for rowing)and Hyrox Foundations Coach

With his sport specific training methods, you’ll now see him competing in a variety of Mixed Modal and Fitness competitions. He once beat Matt in a workout - which proves anything is possible at GW Training!

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Gianluigi grew up playing football throughout his teenage years — it was his first introduction to competition, structure, and performance.

Upon moving to London, he initially looked for a new team to continue playing, but gradually realised that chapter was closing. In search of new challenge and a different stimulus to stay competitive and active, he discovered CrossFit — and it completely shifted his training direction, not just to stay fit, but to compete.

Olympic lifting and movement quality are a big part of his coaching philosophy, and his priority is always to make sure the people he coaches move well first — performance is built on solid foundations.

Alongside teaching group classes, helping CrossFit athletes improve, and developing athletes in the Olympic lifts, Gianluigi’s 1–1 Coaching experience have given him the opportunity to broaden his skills to be able to support clients of all levels to get stronger, move better, and perform with confidence.

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Dan’s introduction to strength training came as a teenager, learning the Olympic lifts to improve his rugby. It was also where his interest in the body really started. After a back injury he became fascinated by the rehab process, which led him to study Sport Rehabilitation at degree level and then complete an MSc in Strength and Conditioning.

Since then he’s built up seven years of coaching experience across gyms, schools, and high-performance environments, working with everyone from youth pathway athletes to motorsport competitors across F1, F2, and F3, academy players from Premier League clubs, and a European Muay Thai champion. Alongside that he oversees athletic development across a network of schools in South West London and Surrey, building performance pathways for young athletes who wouldn’t otherwise have access to one.

He believes in training everything if you can. Strength, sprinting, plyometrics, Olympic lifting, endurance. The goal is to build the kind of base where you could say yes to almost anything, a HYROX, a triathlon, an athletics meet, and show up ready.

At GroundWork he coaches group sessions and semi-private training, and leads the Pavilion Run Club, a monthly education-led run club based at Victoria Park focused on helping people run stronger and train smarter.

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