Meredith Joy Labriola
Dancer turned trainer. She makes the gym feel un-scary.
Meredith trains first-timers and seniors at Stony Brook.
Meredith danced for more than twenty years, and fitness has been woven through her life ever since. Her turn toward strength training came out of a hard stretch: in college, stress dropped her weight without her meaning to. Adding heavier lifting to her dance and Zumba brought it back and made her feel incredible, mentally and physically — and that is what sparked the career she’s in today.
She’s all about the small-gym feel, where there’s a real community and everyone knows each other, and she believes fitness is medicine for every part of life — mental and physical alike.
Who Meredith works best with
First-timers intimidated by the gym, and seniors. She loves showing people that the gym doesn’t have to be a scary place, and giving them a clear path to a stronger, healthier future.
One of her clients came in living with osteoporosis. Through a routine built specifically for her, her strength and balance have improved dramatically — and, she says, the gym has brought real joy back into her life.
What most people get wrong
Training is individual. Meredith doesn’t believe in making everyone lift heavy right away, or pushing exercises a client clearly isn’t comfortable with. Helping people feel at ease, showing proper form, and simply getting the body moving is what matters most.
In Meredith’s words
“The gym doesn’t have to be scary. I want to meet you where you are, show you proper form, and give you a clear path forward.”
What it takes to coach at Redefine
Nobody trains clients at Redefine Fitness without passing a screening test, an in-person skill practical, and a written exam just to get hired, then testing out of a 30-day onboarding against our 100-page Training Master Guide. Every Thursday from 1-2 PM we close both gyms so the entire staff trains together, and every specialist sits annual exams on a tiered education ladder. We also created a New York State Department of Labor approved Fitness Specialist apprenticeship. Fitness is medicine, and this is what the standard behind it looks like.
Start with a complimentary consultation. Bring your history. We will build the plan.