our team

Krissy Mae Cagney: Founder, board member, coach, Mentor

Recovering addict/alcoholic, 6 years sober

My name is Krissy Mae Cagney and I have been sober from drugs and alcohol for over 6 years. I took my first drink at 11 and did my first line of cocaine at 14; then went on to abuse substances for over a decade. I developed my first chemical dependency to cocaine as a senior in high school, got my first DUI soon after, experienced my first drug overdose at 18, went to jail for my first prolonged period of time at 18, and spent a lot of college on house arrest and probation. My very short stints of sobriety were court ordered, only to use the day I got out of jail, got out of treatment/rehab, or temporarily got off of probation. I was routinely put in jail for violating my probation by failing drug tests. Once I got off probation for my 3rd DUI when I was 22, I was freed from the court system; that is when things got ugly, as I no longer had anyone watching me for first time since I was 17.

I started living a double life, using every drug in the book, every day of the week. It was from 22-23 that I attempted to take my own life twice via overdose; thankfully, I was unsuccessful. Once I lost every friend I had due to using, I started using alone. I thought leaving Reno would solve the problem, so I hightailed it to LA/OC, only to be alienated from my mom, that last person who cared about me. After a year of bad decisions and situations, I finally had a week of traumatizing experiences, and got sober on May 28, 2013. I firmly believe lifting saved me.

I started lifting when I was a senior in high school. Weightlifting class was at 7am and I would always go (because it made me feel good), only to ditch school for the rest of the day to do drugs. I became a personal trainer at 18 (following after my mom), only to get fired from every gym I worked at for showing up high or drunk… but I always showed up, as I loved it. I started my own personal training business at 21 so that no one could fire me for showing up intoxicated… again, I always showed up. My relocation opened up many doors of opportunity for my coaching career, and I was lucky to have my career semi established down there when I got sober.

I was half-in (and very disordered) with my own fitness for my entire adult life, and it was the day that I got sober that all that changed. I dedicated myself to lifting and it changed me. I had no one when I got sober. AA proved to not align with my beliefs, despite my efforts. I had to do it all by myself, and I believe that is why I had such a hard time during my first year of sobriety. Had I had a community to engulf myself in, I think I would have made my mental transformation far sooner than I did. And that is why I started Reps4Recovery. To give back what I gave myself at the age of 25, but in a nurturing community of incredible people who care for one another.

Brandon Collins: Board member, coach, mentor

Recovering addict/alcoholic, 5 years sober

My name is Brandon Collins. I’m a tattoo artist and I was addicted to what I call the “Big Three”: Alcohol, Cocaine and Cigarettes for about a decade. My addiction problems started in the Marines, carried on into college, then tending bar at numerous establishments in Reno, NV eventually exacerbated my problem.

After waking up in a jail cell for the umpteen-millionth time, followed by my third (yes 3rd) DUI, I realized that I had wasted 10 years of my life and I decided it was time. It was time to make a change or I was going to be spending more time in a box or worse, dead. I quit EVERYTHING cold-turkey; drinking, drugs and cigarettes for almost two years. Court ordered AA/NA wasn’t helping either. I’m not wired that way. I needed to do this on my own. I decided to focus on some of my oldest passions; fitness, travel and the outdoors. That was about 5 years ago and I couldn’t be in a happier place.

I’m not 100% sober, I’m not perfect. I am however, an example of how you can change your life. You can beat addiction. It doesn’t control you, you can control it. That’s what I want to share with the world and why Reps4Recovery is so important to me. I want people take back the power and help them be better versions of themselves.

James HabERTHUR: meMber coordinator & counselor

Recovering addict/alcoholic, 9 years sober

My name is James Haberthur, and I got sober for the first time in my life at age 24 after four years of alcoholic level drinking. I was able to get sober by isolating myself and cutting ties with all of my partying friends and replaced them with school and video games in hopes of minimizing my self harm. Unfortunately, my impulsive nature, desire to soothe the pain of being alone, and supercharged ability to consume anything to addictive levels led to a vicious online video game addiction. After 4 years of substituting genuine human contact for online interactions I came to a moment of clarity where I realized my own truth at the core of my addiction: I was addicted to people.

      Working from that point of greater understanding, I began my recovery from all addictive behaviors in 2010. I replaced internet points & online achievements for personal friendships and college degrees. In 2017, My path of healing and developing my mind led to a desire to also heal and develop my body past the accumulated damage from years of binge drinking, abusing drugs, and leading an extremely sedentary lifestyle.   

      Being a part of Reps4Recovery gives my workout the structure it needs and allows me positive, productive interact with other individuals committed to growth and recovery from addiction.  I aspire to see those around me grow in their own ways, and am here to put in work alongside you.

Claire Clark: Coach, mentoR

Recovering addict/alcoholic, 2 years sober

My name is Claire and I have been in and out of recovery since I was 17. After treatment at 17, I was active in 12-step programs which worked for me until my addictions showed up in other areas in my life: food, cigarettes, any many other unhealthy areas. I would put together a couple years and then relapse, until I was basically known as a chronic relapser.

After a bad breakup I decided I was done with this life of extreme highs and lows and unstable sobriety. Following a suggestion from a friend, I found myself at the front office of Black Iron talking to a coach about on boarding for my first CrossFit class. Now I am following a specific training program that I get to do with some of my closest friends. The biggest difference is that not only am I sober, but I really care about my health. I have my nutrition dialed in, I pay attention to my recovery, I mobilize. These might seem small and unrelated to my sobriety, however it is what my sobriety depends on.

The members at this gym have been a huge part of my sobriety as they showed they truly cared about me until I could start caring about myself. I am not going to slip through the cracks at this gym. Yes, I have a huge passion for CrossFit and fitness in general, but it’s more than that for me. It’s about learning to love myself enough to not slowly kill myself.

SOPHIE MOELLER: PROGRAM COORDINATOR