About Grow Strength & Training in Byron Center, MI
We Built our Gym
Around You
Grow Strength & Training is our dream, built with you in mind. Our coaches are highly skilled professionals with top-tier communication skills and elite programming. Each coach brings a unique energy and skillset, but they all create a warm, welcoming atmosphere for beginners and experienced athletes alike.
This is Our Team
We are a group of committed full-time professional coaches, here to help you take your fitness and health to the next level. Through intelligent programming, encouraging instruction, and real-talk accountability, our coaches guide you from where you are to where you want to go.
Certifications
Founder’s Story
My name is Kelsey Goncalves, owner of Grow Strength & Training in Byron Center. My interest in exercise and athletics began at a young age and eventually developed into a career focused on helping adults build strength that supports their everyday lives. I took over ownership of the gym in 2021 with a vision to build a welcoming community centered on long-term strength, consistency, and purposeful training. Whether it’s lifting your kids, staying active with family, or maintaining strength as you age, my goal is to help people grow stronger for life.
Our Coaches
Garry Goncalves
Garry was first introduced to the gym as a member and quickly became part of the community that makes this place special. Today he continues to support the gym alongside his wife, Kelsey, who owns Grow Strength & Training. What Garry enjoys most about the gym is the people and the environment. It is a place where individuals show up ready to work hard, support each other, and continue improving over time. For Garry, staying active means being healthy and having the energy to keep up with his young kids and enjoy life outside the gym. His advice to anyone getting started is simple: start slow, move at your own pace, and focus on building consistency. Outside the gym, Garry enjoys spending time with family and watching sports.
Darcey’s fitness journey started unexpectedly. Years ago, she took a boxing class with a former professional boxer and absolutely hated it. But after some convincing from a friend, she gave it another try. That second class sparked a passion not only for boxing, but for fitness as a whole. With over 25 years of experience in the boxing and fitness world, Darcey is a certified personal trainer and CPR certified. Boxing quickly became more than just a workout for her. It became a way to build strength, confidence, and resilience. She loves coaching boxing classes and especially enjoys watching someone walk in feeling unsure and leave feeling empowered. Boxing is not only an incredible full-body workout, but also a powerful stress reliever, and Darcey enjoys helping people discover that for themselves. What brings her the most joy is seeing people grow and succeed in their fitness journey. Fun fact: Darcey gave birth to a 12-pound baby, naturally. Her motto: “If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.”
Darcey
Staci Ainsworth
Certifications
Born and raised in Hopkins, Staci brings her heart, humor, and grit to every session she coaches. After years of struggling with negative body image and chasing the smallest version of herself, she discovered the power of lifting and endurance training-not just for physical strength, but for healing and self-worth. Her journey through faith, therapy, and fitness fuels her passion to help others find that same freedom. Staci believes deeply in meeting people where they are, listening first, and building trust so they can pursue sustainable progress both in and out of the gym. She’s a fan of tough challenges-especially Bulgarian split squats-and finds peace on long bike rides. When she’s not coaching, you’ll find her exploring new places with her son or capturing meaningful moments through photography. Her coaching approach is rooted in encouragement, connection, and the belief that we should always leave things better than we found them.
Certifications
Savanna’s passion for fitness started through playing softball throughout her life. When she stopped playing in 2020, she turned to training as a way to stay active and quickly discovered a deeper passion for helping others feel strong and confident through movement. Her coaching style is supportive, educational, and human. She focuses on how movements feel, not just how they look, creating an environment where members feel encouraged, capable, and supported at every level. Savanna’s training philosophy is simple: movement is a tool for improving quality of life, never punishment. Her goal is for every member to leave class thinking, “Wow, I just did that. I can do this.”
Savanna
Alexandra
Alexandra joined the GROW coaching team in 2026 after returning to West Michigan from Chicago, where she spent over two years coaching clients full-time.
After graduating from Hope College with a degree in Accounting and Business, Alexandra worked in accounting before realizing her passion was helping people through fitness. She became a certified personal trainer and eventually made a full career transition into coaching.
Alexandra believes strength training is about more than physical results. For her, exercise provides confidence, stress relief, and a sense of accomplishment that carries into everyday life. She loves helping people discover what they’re capable of and celebrating those moments when a movement clicks or a member accomplishes something they once thought was out of reach.
Outside of the gym, Alexandra enjoys cooking, baking, gardening, traveling, exploring local businesses, and spending time with her husband and son, Teddy.
Favorite exercises: Hip Thrusts, Deadlifts, and Rows.
Sam joined the GROW coaching team in 2026, bringing a unique blend of rehabilitation, movement education, and athletic experience.
Originally from the Indianapolis area, Sam moved to West Michigan in 2023 with her fiancé, Alexis. Outside of GROW, she works as a Physical Therapist Assistant specializing in pelvic floor therapy, with a passion for helping women during pregnancy and postpartum recovery. She also enjoys working with orthopedic and sports rehabilitation clients.
A former college basketball player, Sam has spent most of her life involved in sports and fitness. After years of traditional strength training, a hip injury shifted her focus toward movement quality, core strength, body awareness, and intentional exercise.
Sam believes fitness is one of the most powerful tools available for both physical and mental health. She loves helping people better understand their bodies, move with confidence, and achieve goals that are meaningful to them.
Outside of the gym, Sam enjoys spending time on the water, working on projects around her home, and making memories with her fiancé and their boxer, Maverick.
Favorite exercises: Deadbugs, Ab Rollouts, Glute Bridges, Fire Hydrants, Tricep Push-Ups, and Rows.
Sam
Clean and Well-Maintained
Equipment is the Standard
Our training uses a variety of functional equipment including barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, sleds, and medicine balls. Members also use cardio equipment like rowers and assault bikes, allowing us to build strength, conditioning, and real-life fitness through purposeful training.
Strength Training – Members build real strength using barbells, plates, dumbbells, kettlebells, and squat racks designed to support safe, progressive strength training.
Functional Training – Tools like sleds, wall balls, resistance bands, and mini bands help develop strength, stability, and movement that carries into everyday life.
Conditioning – Rowers, assault bikes, jump ropes, and sled pushes help improve endurance and cardiovascular fitness alongside strength training.
A Facility Designed for
Performance & Community.
Our open-layout facility features dedicated training areas with strength equipment, rig stations, and turf for sled work and conditioning. Members enjoy a welcoming lobby with shoe cubbies, a kids play area, and space designed for purposeful, coached training.
That’s Us.
Let’s Learn About You!
We’ve had a blast telling you a bit about ourselves. But this isn’t about us, it’s about you. Your journey, your goals, your results. So let’s get to know each other, set some life-changing but attainable goals, and welcome you to our supportive community.
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