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
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 & 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 & 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 age…so suffice to say I have an appreciation for silliness.
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 / 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.
Liz Breda
Coach / Trainer / Magic-Maker
I have loved fitness and movement for as long as I can remember. Growing up I was involved in musical theater, dance, and various sports. Despite a lot of evidence to the contrary, I was often told I wasn’t “athletic”, and I believed that for a long time. As an adult, I fell back in love with dance when I worked as a choreographer and musical theater teacher for middle school programs. For many reasons I had to move away from that path, but I always hoped I would find my way back to teaching movement.
Over the past few years, I have done a lot of work on my relationship with my body. I worked on unpacking my internalized toxic diet and fitness culture, and through that process my attitude changed from “I could never be a fitness professional” to “why not me? And why not now?”. I started following trainers on social media who have bodies like mine and they inspired me. I became a certified personal trainer so I could help people like me, as well as anyone who has been told fitness is not for them.
Aisha Cruse
Front Desk/MEMBER CHEERLEADER
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
Anne Lodick
Front Desk/MEMBER CHEERLEADER
I am so grateful to be part of the Reimagym team and community! As a child I danced and participated in multiple sports through college. However, as an adult I have struggled to find consistent movement practices, especially while working in high stress jobs. At Reimagym, I have finally found a fitness home and people to inspire me (which I’ve been missing since I left team sports.)
Over the last few years, I have been transforming my life into one that feels more authentic and aligned to my values, and allows me to care for my body, mind, and spirit. I left my corporate job to start my own business, Mosaic Life Stories (https://www.mosaiclifestories.com ). I am so grateful to be working at Reimagym while taking on this exciting and scary project. Beyond providing both structural and social support, I am learning so much from Mike and Theresa about running a small, mission-driven business. When I am not at Reimagym or working my business, I sing with and am on the Leadership Team of Voices Rising, a queer treble choir, and cohost monthly dinner salons where people get to discuss the topics you aren’t supposed to bring up in public.
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We can’t wait to meet you
Chat with one of our fabulous team members to learn more about what programs will fit your fitness hopes and dreams.