About Us

Our core beliefs

Investing in yourself is the best investment you can make.
Health is a journey you choose.
Personalized programs are more effective at achieving results.
Everyone is an athlete they come in all sizes, ages, and abilities.
Results take a full commitment in and out of the gym.

Meet our team members

Stephanie McCarthy

Coming Soon!

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Chris Thorndike

Growing up with a passion for all things sports, Chris has been surrounded by training, competition, and teamwork since the age of 4. From the start of his athletic career, the excitement of pushing himself to new levels of performance was most rewarding. His experience with competitive travel soccer, youth football, baseball, basketball, high school wrestling, and golf fueled a similar drive in life. Chris attended the University of Florida where he studied Business Management. Upon graduation, Chris co-founded CrossFit Gainesville with his brother Chip in 2008, where he paired his passion for business with helping people achieve life-changing results. In 2014, Chris and his Fiance’ Stephanie McCarthy formed LIV Athletic to build active and socially connect lives through a family of training facilities.

Certification and Education:

Chris is the co-owner of Factory Forged, an online fitness business school and consulting company that helps gym owners grow their businesses’s.
B.S. Business Management- University of Florida
CrossFit Level 2
USAW Level 2 Advanced Sport Performance Certification (Danny Camargo)
CrossFit Movement & Mobility (Kelly Starrett)
OPT CCP Level 1 Coach (Program Design and Assessment)
CrossFit Nutrition Certificate (Robb Wolf)
Gymnastics Free Style (Carl Paoli)

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Tori Taylor

Victoria Taylor, better known by most at the gym as Tori, has had a love for sports for most of her life. Growing up she played basketball, volleyball, soccer, and softball throughout middle and high school. She excelled as an athlete in her athletic programs, having a crucial leadership role in most sports her junior and senior year. In early 2017, she fell in love with crossfit when it reignited her passion for fitness, and gave her the strong community and friendly competition she had been searching for.

Tori worked as a Certified Surgical Technologist for almost 5 years, specializing in Plastic Surgery. As Assistant Manager at a busy outpatient surgery center, she developed vital skills needed to succeed in her growing career. After graduating with her BAS in Health Service Administration, she was eager to use her experiences and background to make a difference and serve others. She is excited to have this opportunity to grow and work with LIV Athletic as Director of Communications.

Certification and Education:

A.A. in Nursing – 2013
Certification in Surgical Technology – 2014
B.A.S. in Health Service Administration – 2017

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Rachel Gonzalez

Rachel is originally from Cape Coral, Fl but came to Gainesville in order to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Florida. She has a background in obesity and neurocognitive research and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Clinical Health Psychology with a research focus on pediatric obesity.

Rachel has been involved in athletics throughout her life, focusing mainly on volleyball and dance. She was first introduced to Crossfit during her undergraduate career at UF, and quickly fell in with the sport. She has been a member at Liv since 2016 and fondly refers to Liv as “her happy place”.

Rachel’s is eager to help others feel empowered and take control of their own health and fitness.

Certification and Education:

Professional coach development course – 2019

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Jared Ehlrich

Coming Soon!

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Maria Carbon

Maricarmen, Mari or Maria, how we like to call her, grew up in Panama City, Panama where she started doing ballet at age 3. Growing up she played a variety of sports from frisbee to soccer to flag football. The thrill of being on the field, on stage or on the floor is incomparable. It was not until 2011 when she first walked inside a crossfit gym. She has not left ever since, literally.

When she moved to Gainesville in 2018 to attend the University of Florida for a degree in Biological Engineering with a minor in Biomechanics, she decided to join Liv. Since then, she has been spending most of her free time at the gym. She explains that there is something amazing about the atmosphere and the community, it is incredible how your life can be influenced so much by people that work on their fitness while having a good time.

Certification and education:

Crossfit Level 1
Professional coach development course – 2019

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