The Day My Daughter Was Born
My birth story started out the same as most. Terrified […]
What’s In My Hospital Bag
Prepping things for your hospital stay can be stressful. Do […]
{Pre} Baby To-Do List
Prepping like a BOSS for my delivery. Well as much […]
Padsicles
I have heard multiple times how sore my who-ha is […]
Mom Brain: Yes, This is a Thing.
During my pregnancy I have experienced multiple (too many to […]
Post Partum Depression… It’s a real thing…
“It will be the best experience of your life.” […]
Guest Author for Ohana Mama’s Corner – Amanda Glaros
Everyone, I would like you to meet Ohana’s first guest […]
First Comes Baby Shower, Then Comes Baby?
The baby shower is over and oh my goodness was […]
Mom Shaming, It’s A Real Thing.
Man, when did it become okay to mom shame someone […]
Preggo Leg Day
Leg day looks a LITTLE different now-a-days. I’m more sweaty […]
I’m Tired, and Yes, I’m Whining.
Okay, so sorry it’s been a little while but those […]
Eat Like You Love Yourself
I have always loved food. Like really, I love flavor, […]
Putting Away the “Skinny Clothes”
Jake: “Are you crying?” Me: As I sniffle, “yes, I […]
Whoever Made Up The Term Morning Sickness, Must Have Been A Man
During my first trimester I encountered some “morning sickness” I […]
My Go To Shoulder Workout
With these workouts, use whatever weight you are comfortable with. […]
Determined To Have A Healthy Pregnancy
Being in the industry that I am in, I am […]
Cramping While Pregnant is Normal, Bleeding While Pregnant Is Normal, Having Cramping and Bleeding at the Same Time is Not Okay
Weeks went by and my pregnancy was still a secret. […]
Finding Out You’re Pregnant and It Not Being The Happiest Moment of Your Life…
After getting married in December of 2016 I couldn’t wait […]
Hello, my name is Sam and I am the original founder and co-owner of Ohana Fitness and Wellness! As a young female entrepreneur, I am on a mission to help transform women’s lives through fitness within our studio. Ohana Fitness turns 3 years old on May 14th and it has been one INCREDIBLE year.
Hey, I’m Amanda! I graduated from Western Michigan University with a major in Communications and a double minor in Environmental Studies and Women’s Studies. It wasn’t until two years after I graduated from college that I even FOUND fitness and all of its perks. After college while working my countless unfulfilling retail jobs, I decided to order Insanity off the infomercial and give it a whirl. Little did I know it would jumpstart my love of fitness and pushing past those limits we set for ourselves. I ended up going back to school at National Personal Training Institute to become a certified personal trainer!
I’m Vanessa Lopatka! I currently instruct Ohana’s Pure Strength and Morning Jumpstart classes. I joined the Ohana team after participating in the Little Black Dress program. I am certified personal trainer through NASM.My passion for fitness has evolved through the past 7 years as I made my own transformation.
Welcome to the family! My name is Haley Vay and I’m so glad you’re here. I love everything that the Ohana fitness family stands for and I look forward to sharing it with you! My passion for combining healthy fitness and faith practices has become a life-giving part of my story that I can’t help but share. As an ordained Lutheran pastor (ELCA), it is important to me that women are empowered in healthy and uplifting communities, which motivate us to be and live as our best, most authentic selves. I believe that everyone has a story to share that helps motivate others to embody strength and wellness as a full-body experience, which includes treating not only our physical wellness as a priority, but also our emotional, intellectual, and vocational well-being with love and respect.
I’m a Registered nurse with a passion for women’s health. ISSA certified personal trainer with certifications in Mixxedfit and TurnUp. I enjoy long walks and spending time with my hubby and three kids.
Melissa is a blogger, life coach and yoga teacher with a passion for helping people.
I’m Erin Glaros, co owner of Ohana Fitness and Wellness. I graduated from Central Michigan University with a BS in Public Health Promotion and Health Education and a minor in Professional Sales. I have always had a passion for health and fitness and helping other people. I just didn’t know how I wanted to use my passion as my purpose in life. I was teaching classes, coaching and instructing clients on how to live a healthy lifestyle and then I met Sam. I am blessed to have met a perfect piece to my puzzle in living out my dreams. To join her in opening Ohana at the new location, was just a great opportunity I knew that together Sam and I could work and follow our dreams together!
I am a certified Yoga instructor and work as a full time 6th grade school teacher. Yoga has been a part of my life since 2014, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Struggling with self-doubt and anger, yoga helped me to overcome those emotions and continuously live every day in the present. I love sharing this practice with my students, as we journey together to find our inner light.
Ashley Gammon, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified MuTu Pro™, and founder of BeYoutiful Within – Core and Pelvic Floor Health for Mothers, offers expertise and advice to women suffering from a number of common postpartum body symptoms to include diastasis recti, incontinence, leaking (when laughing, coughing, sneezing and exercising), lower back pain, constipation, pelvic organ prolapse and the “baby pooch”. Ashley studied with the American Council on Exercise to become certified as a personal trainer. She trained with Tracy Sher and Antony Lo at the female athlete, bulletproof your core and pelvic floor course. She was also among the first 33 professionals to be certified as a MuTu Pro by founder of MuTu System®, Wendy Powell. This is a globally recognized, medically endorsed program designed especially for postpartum mothers, no matter how long it’s been! The method that Ashley is certified to teach will help you get your body functioning correctly, be strong, and have you feeling body confident with a body that works right! Most importantly Ashley will teach you how to do this the correct way by easing your postpartum body back into fitness the right way. It will get you back to where you deserve to be, having a strong core and pelvic floor, functioning right, and have you reaching your goals safely! Take it from Ashley, who herself had a 3 finger wide diastasis recti (DR) that she discovered after her third child
Moorey-Margaret Myers is a 1997 Magna Cum Laude McNair Scholar graduate of Siena Heights College Adrian, Honors College. She holds a Bachelor degree in Philosophy with a concentration in Ethics, a minor in Biology, and her Honors courses included ballet. Ms. Myers has studied under Dmitri Roudnev of Ballet Intensive from Moscow on a McNair scholarship. Ms. Myer’s training also includes: The University of Toledo (studied Modern and Jazz as a scholarship recipient), Adrian City Ballet Company under the direction of Jefferson Baum (Vaganova and Balanchine Method), The Link School of the Arts (worship ballet), Fueled & Aflame Dance Company (Modern Dance Horton Technique) and Ballet Magnificat’s Summer Intensive Training programs. Ms. Myer’s teaching experience has included: Monroe Public Schools Community and Adult Education, Monroe City Ballet & Dance (Owner and Artistic Director) Fueled & Aflame Master Classes and Exodus Dance Company (Artistic Director). Ms. Myers has staged and choreographed ballets including: The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Coppelia, and The Four Seasons as well as original contemporary ballet, jazz, lyrical and contemporary pieces for recitals, dance festivals, televised worship services, conferences and non-profit organizations including The American Cancer Society and The Assembly of God Fine Arts Festival. Ms. Myers has been training and conditioning dancers for over 20 years and holds certifications in: personal training, PiYo, and the Ballet Magnificat Instructor Intensive Training Program (which includes kinesiology, strength and conditioning, Pilates for dancers, yoga for dancers, ballet, pointe, modern, jazz, worship dance, improvisation, pointe, pas de deux and ministry.) Ms Myers is also an accomplished water woman, therapy dog handler and cancer survivor who spent her summers growing up on the sandy shores of Lake Huron. On any given day she can be found SUPing her home breaks around Bruckner’s Island with her Beagle, dancing for charity events, motivational speaking on the benefits of a healthy plantstrong diet and lifestyle in disease management, or just soaking up the sun in her beloved hammock!
My name is Kelli Hodas and I am an instructor here at Ohana! I graduated with an Associate Degree in Exercise Science from Oakland community college and a bachelors degree from Eastern Michigan University in Sports Medicine. I am certified in Tabata Bootcamp, Barre, Group fitness and licensed in Zumba. I work part-time at Troy Beaumont as an Exercise Physiologist working with heart patients after they have had a heart intervention.
My name is Tara DiDonato and I am so excited to be Ohana’s newest personal trainer! Although I obtained my NASM personal training certification in 2012, my journey to health and fitness began long before that. Growing up, sports were a big part of my life, but when I went to college and became less active, I started to struggle with my weight. I learned quickly that I could not continue to eat whatever I wanted and live a sedentary lifestyle. I tried every diet under the sun and my weight fluctuated massively. This led me to not feeling healthy, strong, or confident, so I decided to educate myself in weight training and nutrition. With time and patience, I started to see changes in my body, and most importantly I felt strong and healthy again! 
I’m Jenna Vitale! I have been an Ohana member since Sept 2016 and fell in with fitness and recently took the leap to become an instructor! My favorite workout is tabata and I am a self proclaimed Burpee Queen! I love pushing my clients to try something new and try to push them out of their comfort zones so they can become the best version of themselves! You can find me teaching strength based or cardio based classes, come join me! I promise it will be a blast!!
Hi all! My name is Melissa Stratton, your resident POUND Pro at Ohana! I was thrilled when Erin and Sam asked me to be part of this amazing tribe! The energy, camaraderie, and overall positivity within everyone is inspiring and contagious!
Hey Ladies! My name is Vina, better known as “MOM!” (I have 4 amazing little boys and a fantastic husband!)
Hi, I’m Nicole! I enjoy teaching yoga with my own personal combination of core stabilization and strengthening techniques put together with creative yoga flows. I believe my education as a physical therapist helps me to cue my students to move stronger, move better, and create a healthy connection between body and mind. My favorite parts about teaching are watching my students get stronger and more confident mentally and physically, as well as sharing with them yoga’s unique ability to clear the mind, relieve stress, and create a sense of inner peace. My own life would not be the same without these benefits of yoga! I’m so happy to have found Ohana and I love being around the wonderful community of women here, whether it’s teaching or attending classes myself!
I’m a busy work from home wife and boy mom of 2. Since experiencing what I later learned was postpartum depression in early 2011 and living with anxiety ever since I’ve been using fitness and community as a part of my mental health care. Ohana is the perfect place for me to not only create and maintain the best version of me but to also be in a position to help women on the same path.
Hi! I’m Amanda and I am a certified 200hr yoga instructor. 
D’Ann has been leading group fitness classes for 20 years including cardio kickboxing, barbell strength, SHRED, Spartan Strong, spinning, STRIKE, cycle sculpt, TRX, kettlebell, circuit training, stretching/mobility and outdoor park bootcamp classes. In addition to studio time, her Sunday outdoor workout crew donates all their weekly proceeds to local charities throughout southeast Michigan. She also offered free workouts during gym shutdowns due to COVID.
Hi friends! Sarah here! I am blessed to have the opportunity to work for Ohana all the way from Buena Vista, Colorado. After finishing Ohana’s first-ever virtual Little Black Dress program, Sam and Erin invited me on board as a virtual instructor. I have been teaching group fitness for over 10 years. In high school, I was an athlete and was able to maintain my physical and mental fitness. Once graduating in 2008, I embarked on my journey as a student at Central Michigan University. I gained more than the “freshman 15” and knew I had to find something that brought me back to fitness. I signed up for a credit TurboKick class and was HOOKED! Before the semester was over I was a certified instructor and had been hired as a group fitness instructor for the Student Activity Center. This is when I met Sam! She and I were new hires together!
Hey friends, I am Lizzy.
Hi, my name is Meghan and I’ve been a Zumba instructor for almost 8 years. I have a passion for fitness, boxing, and I love being active and hanging with my three kids. They are 10, 5, and 7 months! I graduate with my Psychology Degree in the winter. Being able to help people in any way I can is something I live for.