Coach Massi
ACE Certified Personal Trainer, ,Macro Nutrition Coach, Zumba Instructor
My name is Masiel but my community calls me Massi. I'm the proud daughter of immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic. Growing up as an Afro-Latina, I didn't see myself represented in the media as what health + success could look like and after going through a weight loss journey myself, I wanted to become the role model I wish I had.
In 2012, I was surviving a breakup and was deep into eating my feelings. A few months into my "new single life", I realized I didn't fit into any of my clothes anymore. After feeling embarrassed about what I'd done to my body, I signed up for the gym (like I had 735 times before). But this time was different because I discovered Zumba and fell in love.
I loved Zumba so much that I decided to become an instructor. My passion grew beyond the gym class walls and morphed when I became a personal trainer. Every week, women would approach me in class and ask me how I did it and how they could do it too.
Since then, I have taught Zumba classes, created outdoor bootcamps, and trained women at the gym and in their homes. But after years of training, I realized I needed to incorporate an education about the #1 thing that was missing: nutrition!
I'm a foodie so I decided to create my own cookbook with culturally friendly recipes. I taught clients how to eat: Mofongo (garlic flavored mashed plantains), Moro De Quinoa (rice and beans with coconut milk), and Abuela's Albondigas (my Grandmother's Meatballs), as well as the American staples like french toast, protein pancakes and Banana Bran muffins -- all with a healthy twist!
To tie it all together, in 2020, I completed a Macro Nutrition Coahing Certfication and as a coach I have focused on the nutrition aspect of health and wellness.
My approach to wellness is holistic and revolves around three pillars:
- Mental health (which impacts your mindset)
- Nutrition (creating a sustainable calorie deficit via nutrition that is culturally informed)
-Fitness (learning to lose weight and keep it off)
Becoming a coach has helped me understand that we CAN have it all without giving up the core of who we are and I am so excited to be a part of the DLD team and can't wait to continue helping women change their lives!