AREAS OF SPECIALTY.
“You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength.”
Facilitate Connection between Mind + Body
Build awareness by practicing mindfulness and body intelligence
Strength + Conditioning and Injury Prevention
Identify global limitations and imbalances through regular assessments and implement corrective exercises to address specific needs.
Lean Tissue Building
Endurance training specialization
Nutritional guidance
Roland’s BIO.
He/Him/His
Through what I like to call mindful training, I aim to create a space that encourages clients to find and harness power from within. Not only does this perspective frame how I work with clients, but also it’s how I live my life. Working together, I’ll ask you to reflect internally, stay present, and feel what is going on in your body throughout the training. This encourages you to harness control and prioritize connection with your body, thereby, reversing the traditional view of the movement of weight as the primary goal. Taking responsibility in this way places the goal clearly into focus and gives direction to your personal training.
Growing up in an athletic family, sports and competition has always been a constant in my life. My family was a big influence and every member was active. My mother built her career in collegiate athletics at a Division I university, and she was an impressive athlete as well; my father played soccer at a high level in Europe; and brother was a competitive gymnast for 10 years. While I played soccer most of my life and competed as a Division I Athlete, I learned much of my fitness education by doing, and my undergraduate education in biology and chemistry supplemented my hands-on experience.
After college, I stayed active with sports teams for leisure, but my focus primarily centered on weight training. It took some time for me to figure out how to adjust to a new life without constant athletic training. And, I ended up exploring new ventures. I became a commercial pilot and flight instructor, which enabled me to live in Zurich for 7 years. After my time in Switzerland, I moved to SF because I felt a connection with like-minded people in the area.
I definitely took a road less traveled, but it became an unexpected blessing because I find myself calling on that knowledge to this day. I became motivated after my move back to the states to involve myself in fitness, leading me to Equinox and eventually to DIAKADI.
While my personal fitness goals have shifted from athletic performance and competition driven results to a more grounded, balanced, and sustainable practice, I find my experience helps me work with and understand clients from diverse backgrounds. I am certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and specialize in strength and conditioning, which I believe brings a holistic and unique approach to every client. I draw from an educational background and personal experience, both as an athlete and instructor, to create individualized programs with clients that affect lasting change and get results. Sometimes science is more art than science, and I find joy in transferring what I’ve learned from athletic training, science, and teaching into fitness.
I believe that positive change achieved through hard work and connecting with one’s body, does not and should not, be limited to the gym but can be a conscious choice for how to live.
Education.
NASM | Certified Personal Trainer
Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification
CPR/First Aid Certified
Bachelor’s of Science Degree | Biology | Lipscomb College
Minor in Chemistry
TESTIMONIALS.
I’ve been training with Roland for over a year now. It’s hard to describe how much better I feel in my body and more confident I am, in life in general. I got stronger, fitter, lost body fat down to 10% from 15%, and gained over 5 lbs of muscle. My mind became stronger too, I feel more resilient and calmer. And people have noticed it around me.
On top of that, what I love about Roland’s approach to fitness is that it’s holistic, mindful, and also physiological. He connects the dots between multiple practices - bodybuilding, physical therapy, plyometrics, meditation, yoga, mobility work. Roland has created a unique practice through years of research and his personal journey - and he shares his learnings with generosity with the people he works with, in a way that is very personal and adapted to the person’s needs and goals. I couldn’t recommend Roland more if you’re looking to take your life to the next level.
— Julien G,
Goals: Stress reduction, form focus & increase body awareness
Roland was highly recommended to me by a close friend of mine. I am an athletic 28 year old and have competed at a high level in a variety of sports, most recently running at a competitive level. My goal was to put an end to small injuries that were plaguing me and get stronger. I had worked with trainers before - head trainer at Equinox, multiple boxing coaches, sprinting coaches - with up and down results so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Roland exceeded all my expectations and redefined what I expect from personal trainers. I am more flexible, stronger and agile now, which has helped me be a better runner, mountaineer, skier and golfer. I was able to run my fastest half marathon time within 3 months of working with Roland and the leg strengthening we did played a key part. Roland’s approach to working out goes beyond weight lifting, he incorporates methods from yoga, plyometrics and cardio. He has taught me to connect my mind and body while working out, which has been a game-changer for me. Over the course of us training together Roland has become a good friend of mine and I can’t imagine not having our weekly training sessions be a part of my routine. Not only is Roland an expert on all things to do with training, but he also goes the extra mile for his clients and prepared workouts for me when I traveled home to South Africa.
Roland is the best and I recommend him to anyone looking to improve their life!
— James M,
Goals: Increase strength & injury reduction
Before I embarked on this personal training journey with Roland, anxiety had always hindered me from doing many things, one of which was exercising. Fast forward three months, and now I embrace that same anxiety during my commute to the gym.
My sessions with Roland have not only made me physically stronger but have also helped me better understand my mind and its connection to my body. His focus on practicing mindfulness in the gym has made every session feel like an exploration of your body and mind, where you come out learning something new about yourself. In applying this practice of “being present” outside of the gym, I have become better at managing and living a more harmonious life.
I cannot be happier to have met Roland, and though I still have a long way to go, I am certain that his training will only move me forward.
— Lakshman M,
Goals: Lose weight, increase strength, cultivate a mindful approach to training
When I turned 30, I started to experience more injuries in my day to day activities (I am an avid skier/climber/runner/cyclist/blah blah) and was getting PT referrals every 3 months or so for some new issue I needed to baby so that I could get back to full fitness. I took a look at DIAKADI because I figured preventively training with a professional every week to strengthen my body *before* a new injury hit would keep me out of PT and ultimately allow me to breakout of the injury cycle. Going into the process, I planned to just do a month or two of the workouts and then break off on my own so that I could save the money and workout on my own time - I also had pretty negative experiences with "bro-y" trainers who didn't seem really to care in the past.
Nine months of training with Roland later (1 hour/wk), I couldn't imagine *not* going to DIAKADI every week. Roland is a masterclass. He is cerebral yet fit as hell. He is extremely attentive and always ready to go with a custom regiment tailored to your needs that he efficiently deploys throughout the session. He is also just very enjoyable to be around which makes it feel like you are working out with a good friend (which I guess is now the case ;)
The best part is the results though! For the first time in many years, I feel stronger, more limber and have increased my endurance across a range of activities - it feels amazing to be getting older but improving as an amateur athlete and this translates directly into greater work productivity and happiness for me.
The bottom line: training with Roland is one of the best decisions I have ever made.
— Chris P,
Goals: To have accountability on form, preventative corrective
work and an increase in overall strength