MEET THE TRAINERS
The Two People Behind Merak — Built, Not Born
Most gyms will tell you they have “great coaches.”
So cute and so predictable.
Kelly and Zach aren’t great because they took a cert and bought a row of barbells. They’re great because they rebuilt their lives first — and then built a place where others could do the same.
They’re not selling fitness.
They’re offering a way back to yourself.
They’re not running a gym.
They’re leading a community that refuses to shrink, settle, or stay silent.
They’re partners in life, partners in lifting, and partners in the kind of work that reshapes people from the inside out — the kind of work that requires honesty, humility, and a hell of a lot of heart.
If you’re looking for polished fake perfection, look elsewhere.
If you’re looking for real humans who’ve walked through the fire and now hold the door for others — you’ve found your people.
CrossFit Merak didn’t start as a business.
It started as two stories — two transformations — and the belief that strength is something you build brick by brick.
Co-Owner • Coach • Forever “In the Process of Becoming the Best Version of Herself”
KELLY JONES
Kelly was born and raised in South Texas, wandered the world for perspective, and eventually made her way back home — not because life got easier, but because she finally chose to show up for herself. She’s married to Zach for many reasons, but mostly because he can make her laugh until she can’t breathe… and because, yes, he objectively has the best calves she’s ever seen. Their dog Rezz Marie (affectionately known as Rezzie-Poo thanks to Kelly’s sister) rounds out the trio at the gym.
Kelly started CrossFit in 2015, dipping in and out while navigating the messy, nonlinear work of self-growth. A pivotal moment came in 2018 when she caught herself thinking, “I know you can’t tell, but I’m actually…” — a good person, a good friend, brave, compassionate, happy. It was the kind of sentence that revealed a deeper truth: she didn’t feel aligned with the life she was living. So she changed her environment — books, mentors, meditation, journaling, new circles — and her mindset began to shift in powerful ways.
In 2019, while traveling in New Zealand, she caught herself saying it again to a stranger in the hot pools: “I know you can’t tell, but I actually… CrossFit too.” In that moment, something clicked. Kelly realized the only thing she could truly control was her choices. From then on, she refused to live a life she had to explain. She fell in love with the phrase “in the process of building the best version of myself,” honoring every phase, every setback, and every breakthrough. Growth stopped being a finish line — and became a rhythm.
Today, she helps others find that rhythm too.
Co-Owner • Coach • “Identifies as CrossFit”
ZACH JONES
Zach graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 2012 and still works full-time in the shipping industry, but CrossFit captured him long before Merak existed. He grew up training the traditional way, but once he tried CrossFit in 2014, he fell fast and hard. It was the second quickest he’d ever fallen for anything — Kelly still holds the top spot. From that moment, he knew he would open an affiliate someday. He didn’t know the location or the timeline, but he knew the why: the community, the methodology, the transformation it pulls out of people.
Step one in that dream was marrying Kelly — partly for love, partly because he hoped she’d handle all the admin (his words… not hers). Over the years, they talked endlessly about the space they wanted to build, the foundation it would rest on, and the type of community they wanted to serve. They read the books. Took the courses. Had the hard conversations. Did the uncomfortable inner work. Before they built a gym, they built themselves.
Now, CrossFit Merak exists as the physical expression of that vision — a space where people take risks, take up space, and become the version of themselves they’ve always known they could be. Zach’s commitment to this community is the same commitment he made the day he first picked up a barbell: full heart, full effort, no shortcuts.
BEHIND THE BARBELL
Kelly
✶ Will make you cry & hype you up in the same 5 minutes
✶ Has a dog whose nickname grew a personality of its own
✶ Laughs like it counts as conditioning (it does)
✶ Can spot your self-doubt before you say a word
Zach
✶ Fully and unapologetically identifies as “CrossFit”
✶ Famously great calves — confirmed by Kelly & the community
✶ Celebrates the CrossFit Games like the Super Bowl
✶ Thinks “just one more rep” is a love language
WHY MERAK EXISTS
We built this place for the people who are done saying, “I know you can’t tell, but…”
For the ones ready to stop shrinking, stop apologizing, and stop trying to prove their worth.
Merak is for the rebuilders.
The risk-takers.
The ones stepping into the unknown version of themselves with courage in their chest and a barbell in their hands. This is more than fitness — it’s the freedom to become who you were always meant to be, with a community strong enough to hold you through the process.
“I absolutely love CrossFit Merak! The coaches are incredible, they focus on proper technique, keep you safe, and make every workout challenging yet fun. No matter your skill level, there’s always a way to crush it! The community here is next-level, welcoming, supportive, and full of amazing energy. It truly feels like home!”
–Carlos Lopez
“CrossFit Merak has completely changed my mindset. I’ve learned to push past my limits and stay consistent, even on tough days. The coaching and community here keep me motivated every day, and I’ve grown so much both mentally and physically!”
—Stephanie
READY TO MEET US IN PERSON?
You don’t have to have everything figured out — you just have to take the first step.
A conversation is the first rep.
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