Hi, I'm Naomi, also known as Repoundzel
I created Athena Strength Lab to help people better understand their body’s capacity to adapt, build strength, and develop new capabilities. I hold a BS in Chemical and Biological Engineering and am a strength coach, personal trainer, and movement athlete with a black belt in mixed martial arts. My background shapes my curiosity about how the body responds to challenge and how we can put that understanding into practice.
My own ACL injury gave this mission a more personal focus: helping others navigate the uncertainty of recovery. Drawing on my background in science and strength coaching, along with my own rehabilitation experience, I create educational resources to help people understand their options after an ACL injury, advocate for themselves, and bring informed questions to their healthcare providers. These resources also explore what rehabilitation can involve, helping people better understand the journey ahead.
Recovery can also be isolating. Through the Athena ACL Lab community, I’m creating a space for people to share experiences, encourage one another, and stay accountable to their recovery goals.
How Repoundzel Got Her Name
One day while I was training pull-ups, my friend Shaughn jokingly attached a weight to my braid and filmed the result. Someone started calling me "Repoundzel" - a combination of reps, pounds, and Rapunzel. The name stuck.
At the time it was just a funny moment between friends.
Years later, the name came to represent something much bigger. Strength training taught me that the body is constantly adapting. Then an ACL injury forced me to experience that process firsthand.
What started as a joke eventually became a reminder of the ideas that fascinate me most: adaptation, resilience, curiosity, and discovering what the human body is capable of when challenged.
The video below is the moment Repoundzel was born.