OUR MISSION

To provide the highest quality in programming & education to our community, giving them the necessary tools they need to reach their goals.

Meet Our Coaches

  • Jason Leydon

    Founder & Head Trainer

    Jason Leydon is the founder of CrossFit Milford in Milford CT, which has been to the games 5 times and has had athletes at the games 11 years in a row. Team CrossFit Milford finished 2nd in the world in 2015 and Jason has produced 10 podium finishers.

    After opening his gym and establishing himself as a head coach during the inception of the sport in 2008, he has since shifted his focus to teaching his own seminars for both Athletes (Athlete development) and Coaches (proper coaching theories and techniques). His athletes include International record holders in powerlifting, National Team members for USA weightlifting, All American wrestlers, the elite in the CrossFit universe (30+ games athletes and over 7 podium finishers), State champions and All American high school basketball players.

    His professional focus is on personalized strength, conditioning and movement quality which ensures the foundation is properly built on an individual level so each athlete can reach genetic and athletic potential. He is an established, knowledgeable and respected teacher, coach and resource in the global fitness community.

  • Ryan Bucciantini

    Ryan has practiced and coached the Sport of Fitness since 2008, from the time when he opened a CrossFit gym in San Diego, to transitioning to Individual Design coaching both in person and remotely. As an athlete, he has competed in both CrossFit and the Endurance world, completing multiple Olympic Distance Triathlons, Ultra Marathons, and local-level CrossFit competitions. He has more recently taken up BJJ as well as hunting (which is much more easily accessible where he lives now in Idaho), which are his new passions, in addition to functional training.

    In late 2017, Ryan decided to leave his service in the Coast Guard to pursue coaching and growing UPRISE Fitness full-time. Since then, Ryan has had the honor of working with numerous tactical athletes, CrossFit Sanctional and Semifinal athletes, and everyday people who just want to be better so they can keep crushing life. To this day, Ryan’s number one goal is to help people live a life where their fitness never holds them back, and they can continue to do badass things.

    As a coach, Ryan’s focuses are his athletes and to always continue learning, especially in the realms of strength & conditioning, mindset, and nutrition, he’s always working on one or more certification programs. Using his knowledge and learnings from some of the best mentors in the business, he helps his athletes develop both mentally and physically so they can reach their highest potential.

  • Chris Rudnick

    Chris is a graduate of Northeastern University’s Doctoral Physical Therapy Program. While there he began his fitness career working for 4-years as a personal trainer at the campus recreation center. As Chris gained experience with clients and program design, he began overseeing the training staff. In his last year, Chris managed the education and development of all new trainers.

    After graduating from Northeastern, Chris began working at Mobility Prescription, a Boston-based concierge health & fitness service that delivers high caliber training and rehabilitative services to their clients. There, Chris worked with an accomplished team of coaches and therapists who were instrumental in his growth as a fitness professional.

    During this time Chris became a Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach through the NSCA and began focusing his attention on the strength & functional fitness communities.

    After a couple years, Chris took a step back from his role with Mobility Prescription and moved to New York City to pursue an opportunity in Manhattan. After his arrival in NYC, Chris became a Certified Weightlifting Coach through USAW and began working on his OPEX Certification.

    In his free time Chris, like many trainers & coaches, loves to lift, be outdoors, and participate in recreational team sports. When he’s not doing any of those things you can typically find him at the beach, reading a book, or hanging out with his friends. To him, life is all about having a good time with good people and so he makes sure to always have a “perfect” work-life balance.

  • Tommy Pomatico

    Fitness has been a part of Tommy’s life since he was 13 years old. He was lucky enough to have older cousins who wanted to help an overweight teenager fit into normal clothes. Unfortunately, around the age of 15, he lost one of those cousins; the gym became about much more to him than just about looks. At that time - and to this day - the gym is a place for him to escape, to forget about the world, and enjoy the present moment. Throughout the years, Tommy realized that many people could benefit from fitness - not just for their looks, but their mental health as well. This is one of the many reasons that Tommy lives to coach; making people happy is one of the greatest gifts in the world.

    He found Crossfit at the age of 19. After training the sport for a year, he was offered a part time coaching position that quickly turned into a career. Over the past 6 years, Tommy has been a head coach and general manager of multiple Crossfit gyms. During this time, he has coached thousands of hours in both group and individualized settings, from top level athletes, to single moms, to teenagers stepping into the gym for the first time.

    From the day he started Crossfit, Tommy quickly became obsessed with the methodology and how to program more effectively. Over the years, he has picked up quite a few certifications that include: CrossFit Level 1, CF Level 2, Active Life, CF Gymnastics, Precision Nutrition, and a one-on-one mentorship with Jason Leydon. On top of that, he is also on the Crossfit Affiliate Programming Team, creating programming and class plans for close to 1,000 affiliates across the world.

    His mission in life is to leave a mark in the fitness industry. He wants to be known for making people better, not only their physical health, but their mental health as well.

  • Jerod Gordon

    Jerod Gordon

    Jerod has always been active in sports, starting at the age of 5 playing soccer to competing collegiately in track & field. Shortly after graduating, he was introduced to CrossFit in 2009, and has been hooked ever since. At that time, he helped open an affiliate in central Pennsylvania before moving to Virginia.

    Since then, he’s coached for the past 14 years, shifting to a full time position in 2017. Along the way, he earned his CrossFit Level 3 (CCFT) and became a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA – among other certifications.

    In that time, he’s worked with hundreds of athletes, both in the group setting and remotely. Whether it’s programming for the affiliate or the individual, he takes the same systematic approach to improving their fitness and helping them reach their potential.

    In addition to CrossFit, Jerod also trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and currently holds the rank of purple belt.

  • Brad Giglio

    Brad Giglio

    Brad describes himself as a simple guy. He loves fitness, his family, dogs, and a really good burger.

    He also owns an affiliate in Traverse City, Michigan named CrossFit Due North where he also coach and train athletes.

    With nearly 20 years of experience in the field of fitness and nutrition, he has found the simpler the application the better.

    Brad has a degree in Exercise Science and simply loves helping people!

    Through his years of sport, the military, and being a lifelong competitor in body building, powerlifting, and CrossFit, he has found a desire and passion for helping people in the realm of performance, health, and fitness. He has been fortunate enough to work with some of the most elite athletes and highest achievers in the world.

    Brad has devoted the last 2 decades to truly learning and understanding HOW and WHAT we can do - big or small - to impact and enhance recovery, fitness, and performance.

  • Christina Sloyer Bucciantini

    Christina Sloyer Bucciantini

    Christina is Conquer's Athlete Manager and all things behind the scenes at Conquer.

    She’s been in the fitness industry for over 15 years, from coaching gymnastics and pole vault before finding her way to CrossFit. She and her husband (Coach) Ryan owned an affiliate in Southern California before transitioning to exclusively online coaching and helping other fitness companies run their online fitness businesses - which is how she found her way to Conquer.

    As for her personal accolades, she was an All-American Collegiate Pole Vaulter before she found CrossFit, where she competed as a top 10 Regionals athlete in both the North West and SoCal, and also competed at the CrossFit Games with her Team CrossFit Intensify in 2012.

    She continues to be passionate about fitness, health, nutrition, and wellness, and champions Individual Design as the ideal training options for athletes.

CONQUER

con·quer

/ˈkäNGkər/

verb

To successfully overcome (a problem or weakness).

​​Synonyms: defeat, beat, vanquish, trounce, triumph over, be victorious over, get the better of

Conquer Chris Harris