Introducing the Reimagym team

Meet the fitness experts ready to help you achieve your fitness goals.

Free Intro

About
Reimagym

Reimagym is a fun, quirky and LGBTQIA+ friendly fitness studio. It is a place where anyone who has ever felt uncomfortable or intimidated by mainstream fitness spaces is welcome.

The Team

Mike Denton and Theresa Racicot owners of Reimagym
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Mike Denton and Theresa Racicot

Founders

Reimagym is a fun, quirky and LGBTQIA+ friendly fitness studio. It is a place where anyone who has ever felt uncomfortable or intimidated by mainstream fitness spaces is welcome. We’re Mike and Theresa, the duo behind Reimagym. We’re a married couple, or if you’re Hector, we’re Thing 1 (Mike) and Thing 2 (Theresa). In a past life we were flying trapeze artists and coaches. But we both experienced a few injuries over the years and our focus and life goals changed. Back in 2010, we said in a somewhat shy voice, “someday we’ll open a gym.” As time passed that voice got louder and after a few years of training folks out of our living room, we made it official. We opened the gym in August of 2020 – yep, smack in the middle of a pandemic. Still, we feel pretty excited to see our dream come true. That’s us in the photo. And just like the gym space we’re creating, we’re fun, friendly and a little quirky. (hint: see video below). We are serious about fitness. Actually, we’re quite geeky about it. We’re excited you’re here. We’re excited you might join the community we’re building. Reimagym started with an idea: What if fitness could be fun? What if it could be welcoming? There aren’t a lot of places where everybody feels welcome. We understand; even though we’ve been in the fitness industry for 20+ years, we relate to feeling intimidated or uncomfortable in a gym, wondering, “Do I fit in here?” That’s why it’s so important to us that we build and nurture a radically inclusive fitness community made up of folks who are all working on their own unique versions of health and fitness and strength and badassery. Everyone deserves a place to be their authentic self and to feel healthy, strong and alive. We are here to assist you in making your fitness goals a reality! We’ll work with you to achieve your goals using the most effective, body-friendly, science-backed training methods. This is our promise. It’s time to reimagine what the gym and fitness means to you!

Theresa Racicot coach at Reimagym
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Theresa Racicot

Coach & Co-Owner

I fell in love with fitness over 20 years ago. It began with me sweating it out in my living room to my mother’s VHS tapes, which inspired me to find and then eventually become a trainer at a small fitness studio. That was over 20 years ago! At around the same time I also found circus arts: beginning with flying trapeze, then other aerial arts and partner acrobatics. Circus arts was a great outlet for many of my loves: theater, dance and moving my body in different ways. It challenged me in many ways: my strength, my trust in myself and others and overcoming limiting thoughts I had about myself. Two years into the fitness journey, I knew I wanted to become a personal trainer and fitness educator. After a chance meeting with a woman who owned her own fitness gym, I was invited to become part of the team. She mentored me to become a personal trainer and pursue certifications in Pilates and Yoga. I look back on those early days of 2002 with fond memories. I love being a coach. I love working with people and seeing where their fitness journey takes them. I love watching people find love for their body and all the amazing stuff it can do! I am excited to hear about your journey thus far and to see where you can go with a little guidance.

Mike Denton coach at Reimagym
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Mike Denton

Coach & Co-Owner

If I’m honest, I knew I wanted to be a coach and a teacher as early as the tenth grade. It was my phys. ed. teacher, Mr. Nuttall, who inspired me. He was raw and edgy and really all out of f**ks to give. And he made a skinny little teenager (me) feel welcome and capable. At around the same time, my mom gave me a bench and a set of weights for Christmas, so I began lifting weights in my basement. I had no idea how much the experience would impact me. I’ve never been the biggest or the strongest (or frankly, the most manly) person, but getting physically stronger changed me. Something about the combination of Mr. Nuttall actually giving a sh*t and my own experiences with lifting left me feeling determined to help others like me to feel more at home with exercise so that they could find the sense of strength and confidence I experienced. While I take my mission to help as many people to get fit and find their inner badass very seriously, I was raised with British grandparents who warped my mind by exposing me to British humor from a very young ageā€¦so suffice to say I have an appreciation for silliness.

Michaela Watts coach at Reimagym
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Michaela Watts

Office Manager

All my life my biggest goal has been to help people become the best version of themselves. Growing up, I struggled a lot with depression, anxiety, and self-hate. This prompted me to go on a personal self-loving journey to find myself and my purpose. I gravitated towards different books, classes/programs, remedies, conventions, etc. Whatever it was, you name it, I tried it! To be honest, a lot of it worked and most of it didn’t. It took a while to find a system that worked for me. Now I can confidently say “Hey self, I love you!” without it feeling like a big fat lie. Part of the success I’ve felt came from healing not just my mind, soul, and emotions, but my physical body as well which is just as important! I practiced Pilates in my room for years, watching video after video..until one day I realized working out just wasn’t as much fun alone than with others. As humans we work better together! So I booked a plane ticket and got POP Pilates certified because I thought, hey why not teach some classes too? This was along with my spiritual readings/healings. That’s what brought me to Reimagym: to assist others with what I have learned on my journey through this beautiful thing we call life.

Draven Neil coach at Reimagym
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Draven Neil

Coach / Trainer / Magic-Maker

My journey with fitness began as a tricky one, as I never felt at home in a gym. As a trans man, I felt I had no place in the world of fitness despite wanting to care for my body and mind through my transition. Within the past few years I rekindled my love for fitness and began my journey anew, and eventually became inspired to become a trainer in order to support other queer folk out there as well. Finding Reimagym on this journey has given me the tools I needed to be a great trainer and given me the community I so deeply wanted a hand in building. I look forward to working with all of you and I hope we can grow together!

Vanessa Mulvey coach at Reimagym
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Vanessa Mulvey

Coach / Trainer / Magic-Maker

I am so excited to be a part of the Reimagym team. My journey to understand movement and the human body did not begin in the gym, but rather the practice room. As a classically trained flutist, understanding movement as the foundation of my playing allowed me to harness the power of the body’s amazing design to play the flute. Subtle movement adjustments enhanced my playing in the same way they enhance my split squat. My goal is to use my experience to help people move better, move stronger. This journey has taken me into the sky to fly in the air on the trapeze (maybe not with the greatest of ease), pilates classes, weight rooms, and most recently completing certifications in Parkour coaching and personal training. These adventures have not only deepened my understanding of movement but enabled me to find fluidity, coordination, and strength in my own movement for the stage and the urban playground. What I love most about Personal Training is it allows me to work with people from all walks of life and grow in a community centered around movement. I love helping others uncover the coordination and strength that enriches life and helps each person feel more connected within.

Aisha Cruse coach at Reimagym
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Aisha Cruse

Front Desk

I’ve been working out with Theresa and at Reimagym since 2017 (holy cow! That’s like 6 years ago!) I am a former paralegal, dancer and theater artist. My educational background is in Theater, Dance and French. After moving to Boston, I was fortunate enough to work with several local dance and theater companies, including Monkeyhouse, Paradise Moves, Opera Del West, and the Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club. I have a knack for organizational thinking, which led me to taking on administrative jobs at several law firms. I most recently worked as a paralegal in immigration law, where I was able to live out my values as a passionate advocate of immigrant rights and decarceration. When I’m not at Reimagym, I’m running the Malden Pride Coalition, and I’m also Co-Presient of the Board of the First Parish Malden UU church, where I sing with the choir (almost) every Sunday. I’m happiest when I’m helping other people, living out my values of transformative justice and liberation, and moving and dancing as much as I can. Reimagym is the perfect place for me to do all three

Matt Gavin coach at Reimagym
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Matt Gavin

Coach / Trainer / Magic-Maker

I grew up playing sports, but it wasn’t until college that I found my passion for fitness. I spent much of my free time in the campus gym, and strength training became a habit. Beyond getting stronger physically, I liked the confidence I gained from following a routine and making healthier choices. My interests later expanded beyond the weight room. I fell in love with running in 2013 while training for my first race and have participated in many since then-from the mile to the marathon. I’ve also met a lot of amazing humans through local road and trail running groups. Whether running or swinging a kettlebell, I enjoy exploring all the incredible things the human body can do. I became a personal trainer and strength coach to share that enthusiasm with others so they can discover what they’re capable of, move better, and achieve their goals.

Tracy Cordner coach at Reimagym
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Tracy Cordner

Front Desk

I started at Reimagym because I knew Theresa and Mike would understand what was needed for me to continue doing my favorite hobby, aerial trapeze. I wanted to prevent injury and strengthen the right way (since there are so many wrong ways!). Little did I know, Reimagym would become much more than that for me – it would become a queer community where I felt not just accepted, but celebrated, and it was a safe place to love 90’s pop music! Reimagym has been a crucial support for various injuries and changes that my body has undergone, and I’ve learned so much from the whole team. While I spend my days following my dream of doing Healing Work, a couple of my evenings every week are spent at Reimagym helping with communications and making wisecracks with the other members and coaches. If you see me at the desk, come say hi! I will be nice to you.

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Free Intro