The Team

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Find out why these coaches are the most dynamic and innovative team to help you get to your next milestone.

Kim Idio

Kim is one fit woman.

She is also a loving wife, mother and a highly motivational coach that encourages you to perform at your highest level, then encourages you some more. All while wearing some fresh Nike’s and a smile.

But Kim hasn’t always been so fit. She’ll candidly talk to you about her days as a junk food addict who always put off working out ‘til the next day.

She justified her sedentary lifestyle by claiming to be “too busy,” until one day she woke up and finally decided it was time to change her attitude.

She began searching the web for personal trainers and sure enough, she found Jaiya Figueras.

She recalls her first workout being intense, magnetic and powerful. Four years later after training to become a fitness coach herself, Kim and Jaiya co-founded EPIC Inc.

Kim has a background in teaching and a passion for self-improvement. One of her favorite mantras is “I value myself because I am important, beautiful and needed.”

With hard work and dedication, Kim transformed from an overweight, fatigued, depressed individual, to a strong, inspirational and confident woman.

Kim now gives her all to help others complete a lifestyle transformation as she did, through movement, motivation and inspiration.

 

 

Jaiya Figueras

There are three things Jaiya Figueras knows very well, fitness, coaching and mental strength.

Jaiya’s football career began as a child, fully developed at Glendale High School and flourished at the University of Oregon. Landing a five-year, full scholarship to the Ducks after high school, Jaiya became an all-star safety and special teams player.

Among many other accomplishments, Jaiya was the Oregon Ducks team captain sophomore to senior yea, leading his team to two consecutive Pac 10 Championships, in 1994 & ’95.

After completing his BA, Jaiya joined a professional football league in Canada.

However, he soon realized his passion is coaching and returned to Glendale High School as a teacher and football coach.

He had previous experience with the team not only as a player, but also coaching during his free time on college breaks.

Since that return, Jaiya has not stopped coaching, training and immersing himself in the world of fitness.

Always a leader and innovator, in 2002 Jaiya began personal training and developed a five-point performance model he calls The ARFMC.

It involves Attitude, Recovery, Fuel, Movement and Coaching. Jaiya believes that a workout program must include all five elements, in this order, to really produce a change in the body. And the first thing he will say once you start training is first he’s going to first change your mind frame, then your body frame will follow.

Jaiya has co-authored a book titled “Warrior Meet Earth: The Birth of Movement Training”, and authored “Your Next Victory.” He holds an International Sports Sciences Association and National Academy of Sports Medicine Trainer certificates, and had transformed the lifestyles of tons of Southern Californian’s.

Jaiya has a million and one stories to tell, from childhood to fatherhood, and is always willing to share his adversities and successes. And with such a positive mentality and encouraging character, Jaiya Figueras is someone worth listening to.

“I just feel like I’m a messenger passing along the wisdom that has been taught to me.”

–Jaiya Figueras

Keenan Howry

 As a former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver, Keenan brings elite coaching techniques, an all-star attitude and is, what Jaiya calls, “one of the most complete and technical strength and conditioning coach in Southern California.”

Born and raised in Long Beach, Keenan recalls early memories of playing football with his dad and his friends when he was just big enough to catch the ball.

He went on to succeed in high school football, basketball and track at Los Alamitos High and joined Jaiya’s alma mater, Oregon State University, to become recognized as one of the greatest football players in the Duck’s history.  

At EPIC, Keenan is not only a Strength and Conditioning coach, he also leads the EPIC Football Training programs for high schools students. Keenan shares his college and NFL coaching and strength techniques and experience to improve the game of young men, in order to prepare them for varsity football success, then college scholarships.

Keenan thrives off helping clients obtain their goals and coaching them along the road to accomplishments, whether it be in sports, fitness or life. As a true leader and proof that athletic dreams do come true with hard work and dedication, Keenan Howry is a perfect role model for anyone looking to increase their athleticism and kick start a winning attitude.

Edith Gutierrez

Edith met Jaiya Figueras in June 2011, through a series of events that at the time seemed coincidental, but now have proven to be, as Jaiya says, “As it should be.”

In as little as six months time, with the help of Jaiya and the EPIC Inc. team, Edith’s life literally changed in every imaginable way.

The beginning of her journey began with a workout, but Edith remembers not having a concrete grasp on exactly what type of change she was searching for. Though, after stumbling into that first workout, she soon discovered that she was at least on the right track and for once, “In exactly the right place at exactly the right time.”

Over the next several months, with Jaiya’s help, some hard work and soul searching of her own, it registered that she want to help people like herself, who desire something special out of life but need a little guidance and support to get going.

Edith believes in the EPIC program and all the good that comes out of it. She is confident in her ability to help people bring positive change for a few reasons, chief among those, is the fact that she is proof positive that this program works! Her passion to excel is a strong motivating factor and Edith believes that people can perceive that.

After intense physical and mental training, Edith joined the EPIC team as a trainer in 2012 and has now taken on schooling to also become a physical therapist. She is excited about this new chapter in her life, which she is calling “Giving Back,” and the constant smile on her face demonstrates her gratitude to this program that has altered her course of life.

“It gives me an immense sense of pride to be attached to this team and I look forward to continuing to learn and expand my skills for the purpose of helping people reach their goals, fitness and health, being just two of those.” –Edith Guiterrez 

Claudia Freitas

The EPIC team plans to promote the philosophy overseas and coach Claudia Freitas is the perfect proponent to do so.

She is a professional athlete, an amazingly positive person and coach, and is from a beautiful place in a beautiful country, Florianopolis, Brazil. Growing up on an island in Southern Brazil gave Claudia plenty of exposure to sports at a young age. She grew up playing volleyball, basketball, track and field, and handball.

Little did she know that the sport she’d become a professional at would be rugby. Claudia remembers the day she fell in love with rugby, the first time she played. Since that introduction to the sport in 2004, Claudia has played professionally in England, Belmont Shore, Amsterdam and for the Brazilian National team.

Claudia completed her Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, with a focus in Sport Science, at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catrina in Florianopolis, in 2010. As part of her degree, she first came to the United States for a scholarship internship program in 2009 and played rugby for the Belmont Shore team.

In 2011, she returned to Long Beach for another exchange program at CSULB and is now opening up EPIC in her hometown in Brazil.

She enjoys being able to apply her education as an EPIC coach and loves how this program and its philosophy support her passion for helping others.

“The only moment that can really be lived is the present. The future is uncertain and the past is already gone, so do your best now and enjoy life today. Only then, will you truly find happiness within yourself.”

–Claudia Freitas