ALISSA TINKLENBERG
Favorite Movement: Romanian Deadlift
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Place to Travel: NYC
Hobbies: Coaching swimming, lake time, walking my dogs, going to concerts, beating Coach Elliot at anything
Favorite Quote: “ ‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’ -Wayne Gretzky” – Michael Scott
BACKGROUND
Fitness and athletics has been a part of my life since before I can remember. I was jumping off the diving board at age 2 and started competitive swimming at age 7. I tried nearly every sport out there (soccer, basketball, track & field, golf, hockey, softball), but stuck with swimming all the way through college, where I was a member of a 4-time MIAC Championship team and 12-time All-American at Gustavus. After my collegiate swimming career, I felt really lost in terms of what to do for fitness. I found SOTA (formerly Phillip Schrupp Personal Training – shoutout to the K-Tel Drive days) back in 2016 and absolutely loved it. The atmosphere and the community was something I was particularly drawn to, and I loved that every workout could work for every body. I am a very competitive person (just ask my husband, coach Elliot) and I love the challenge every workout at SOTA brings.
In August of 2019, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and needed to make several changes to my day-to-day life. My competitive drive and “push myself no matter the cost” mentality no longer worked for what my body could physically achieve. This was a hard pill for me to swallow, but something beautiful came from it. I feel like I have so much more empathy now for the fact that all of us are in different stages and places in our lives, each with our own unique struggles. I have so much respect for anyone who shows up for themselves and moves their body in the best way possible for them. I appreciate that SOTA is a place where we can all come together, no matter our level of fitness, and push ourselves to meet our goals.
VISION
I struggled immensely with my health and fitness journey and identity as an athlete after my collegiate swimming career. I was motivated, but was so used to having a coach and a set time to practice every day. When that disappeared, I lost a sense of self and identity. Finding group fitness and a boutique gym was the best thing that happened to my health (physical AND mental!). I was able to find a sense of direction and enjoy the camraderie of the community feel – it gave me a feeling of being on a team again! I want to help anyone feeling stuck or lost in their health and fitness journey to feel the joy I did in finding SOTA. Being physically active – whatever that looks like for you – is so important for your overall health and well-being. I want to create an atmosphere where people are excited when they sign up for class or a personal training session and they bring that excitement with them to the gym. I also want everyone to feel safe to be authentically themselves and be able to use SOTA as a place to let go of life’s worries for a while!
EXPERIENCE
I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Accounting with a Coaching minor. My corporate day job is at Cargill, Inc. in Wayzata, where I manage a team of highly intelligent Business Analysts in our IT group. In my free time, I have always coached various swim teams (club and high school teams alike) and am currently a coach with the Hopkins Hurricanes. I also am a certified spin instructor and have been teaching spin classes for over 7 years.