The Experience Fitness & Mobility Studio is the only openly LGBTQ, wife-owned gym in Hillcrest, with a talented team hosting a one-stop shop for you and your fitness goals. We incorporate a fully comprehensive training program that combines strength training, metabolic conditioning, nutrition, and mobility, guaranteed to incinerate fat, build lean muscle, improve range of motion, and eliminate pain.
Our coaches are here to motivate, inspire, and guide you through your workout, whether you are joining us at our studio for a one-on-one training session, participating in a COVID-19 conscious gym environment, or are sweating it out with our self-guided virtual fitness program. With The Experience App, it’s easier than ever to access everything pertaining to your training plan. We give you all the tools you need to succeed because we want you to succeed!
Experience movement. Experience Nutrition. Experience recovery. Experience real, lasting results. No matter your goals, The Experience will get you there.
At The Experience, we offer a wide range of fitness and therapy services, using a multitude of training styles and methodology. We are constantly striving to widen our scope so we can reach as many people as possible. We have experience training sport-specific, cross-training, obstacle course racing, Olympic weightlifting, weight loss, and strength & athletic performance, with ages ranging from adolescence to geriatrics. Our therapy services include IASTM (instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization), cupping, trigger point therapy, and kinesiology taping.
And that’s just the physical part! A fitness and wellness journey is not just working out. It’s nutrition. It’s balancing mental and emotional health. It’s connecting mind, body, and soul. It’s knowing that you deserve the best version of you, and we will be there to help every step of the way.
We promise to provide the safest space in San Diego to reach your health and fitness goals, regardless of age, race, identity, sexual preference, or athletic ability.
You will find security with not only our team, but also the community we’ve built. You are welcome with open arms!
Cindi Ryan-Lim, a.k.a. Coach Ry
she/her they/them
CEO and Head Coach
“Fitness is not just my career. It is my heart and soul! But it wasn’t always this way…”
She used to weigh over 300lbs! She was constantly in pain, depressed, unable to breathe, and had zero self-esteem. She finally had enough, so she cleaned up her diet, started exercising, and immediately fell in love with the environment of the gym and the empowerment of looking and feeling strong.
After finishing her first few years as a nurse, she quickly felt unfulfilled and frustrated working for a system that set patients up for failure. Many of her patients had been prescribed medications for curable diseases or manageable pain. Many had no idea how to eat properly, let alone know what to do if they stepped foot in a gym. Patient education was limited to how to take their pills, and not giving them the tools they needed to reverse their condition. Once she moved to San Diego in 2016, she took the plunge and decided to concentrate on her fitness career full-time.
Now Ry gets to do what she loves everyday: helping others fall in love with themselves one session at a time, while creating a safe environment for ALL to train.
Coach Ry, holds the following certifications:
- Certified Personal Trainer – National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
- CrossFit-Level 1
- Cupping & IASTM – Complementary Therapists Accredited Association
- TRX Suspension Training
- Kettlebell
- dotFit Nutrition and Supplementation
Angeli Ryan-Lim
she/her
Operations Manager and Group Fitness Instructor
Coach Angeli is a Certified Group Fitness Instructor. She has several years of team sport experience as a competitive rugby and roller derby player. To supplement her training, Angeli has recreationally participated in CrossFit since 2011. Her early athletic experience includes over 10 years of Taekwon-Do, which presented her national and international opportunities to compete.
Coach Angeli is a proud Penn State Alumni. WE ARE!
Coach Katie
Katie Kurtz
she/her
Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor
Katie is a passionate and knowledgeable fitness professional specializing in weight loss, functional movement, and sprint mechanics. She is committed to delivering a positive and high energy exercise experience, tailored to your specific needs, that will both challenge and transform. Her programs will give you the tools necessary to achieve your goals, while also teaching you the “why” and the “how” of health, to empower you to reach your fullest potential, both in and outside the gym.
She understands her clients struggles, because she’s been there too; Rock bottom happened when her once active lifestyle was traded for desk jobs, weight gain, and overwhelming stress. It was then she realized she needed a change. Too insecure to even enter a gym, she found a home workout program that helped her lose weight, develop better eating habits, and ignited a passion for health.
Her journey wasn’t just physical, but strongly mental and personal.
“I experienced a transformation that was so much more than just fitting into a pair of jeans – it was redefining how I felt towards myself and teaching me how to honestly love, believe in, and strive to achieve the best for myself.”
It’s this same mindset that propelled Katie to go from home fitness hobbyist to empowered fitness professional – helping busy moms, overwhelmed young professionals, and high-performance athletes alike tap into a level of health and fitness that they never thought possible.
“My mantra? Fitness isn’t just about swearing or calories; it’s about proving to yourself that YOU, and the burning goal inside your heart, are worth the hard. You can do this. We can do this.”
Eddie Avalos
he/him
Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor
Coach Eddie is a lifelong fitness enthusiast that strongly believes that the best medicine in life comes from establishing a well-grounded mind-body connection. Just the same way that you would invest in a retirement plan, he believes that you must also invest in your mental and physical well-being. He is a huge proponent of functional exercise and the belief that training one’s nervous system is key to injury prevention. Train the brain first and the rest will follow. Whether it’s your first day or you are looking to set a new personal best, Coach Eddie is ready to motivate you every step of the way. Coach Eddie is a NASM certified personal trainer and is a graduate of SDSU, attaining his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 2013.
Coach Cameron
Cameron Ward
he/him
Assistant Head Coach and Personal Trainer
New to the fitness world, Cameron is a NASM certified personal trainer that found his passion for health and exercise after working with Coach Ry to rehab a shoulder injury. 3 years ago, he damaged his shoulder, tearing multiple muscles causing severe pain daily. On top of this he experiences chronic pain through a collagen disorder known as EDS (Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome). Despite all this he decided to put focus on his health and started working on regaining his strength through mobility/weightlifting.
A year into his fitness journey, Cameron decided that this was more than a hobby; it was a passion. While working full-time as a designer he spent his nights studying sports medicine and the NASM OPT model, while keeping up with his own training. Now certified, he has found a love for calisthenics workouts and is always excited to see what the human body is capable of. After transforming his outlook on fitness and success, he’s looking to help his clients find themselves within the world of fitness and health.
Xena
General Manager and Hooman Resources
Xena Bobina Warrior Princess Morticia Addams Ruth Bader Ginsberg Ryan-Lim was born on February 5, 2020. Her breed is a German Shepherd Wolf Dog hybrid.
Her original owners, a young 19-year-old couple with a brand-new baby, purchased her from a breeder as a puppy. When they decided to relocate to Texas, they made the difficult decision to not take her along with them and surrender her to the animal shelter. Not wanting to take the chance of an uncertain shelter life, her foster mom Samantha Owens came to the rescue!
Samantha graciously spent time on the internet trying to find the puppy a new fur-ever home. Many of the inquiries she received were from potential breeders simply asking, “is she ready yet?” However bleak, Samantha persisted with patience in finding the puppy a safe, new home. Samantha eventually got in contact with Coach Ry and Coach Angeli as potential adopters. After one play date, they knew that this pup was going to be the new addition to their family! It was meant to be!
Now named Xena, after the strong warrior princess, this lovable pup can be seen at The Experience cheering on all the athletes that walk through the door. She absolutely adores meeting new people and isn’t ashamed to show you the affection you deserve!
The Experience is conveniently located at 1264 University Ave in Hillcrest. They be reached at 619-363-1276 or contact@theexperiencefitness.com.
