Hi there, my name is Petey Dandini, Owner and Head Coach at RISE. My passion for fitness came at a young age, being a year-round athlete playing sports like Basketball, Football, Baseball and Lacrosse.

Although I played sports year round, I had always struggled with my weight. My weight loss journey truly began in high school where I lost more than 100 pounds, but it hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows. I’ve actually lost more than 100 pounds 3 times, and have experienced many highs and lows along the way. It was after college when I started to take training and coaching more seriously, becoming a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach and began coaching at Orangetheory Fitness and Strength Training at other local gyms. Having grown up overweight my whole life, there were many times where I felt like I wasn’t “good enough” and being in the gym, surrounded by coaches who made me feel supported and pushed me to become a better version of myself is what truly gave me that sense of belonging. Having helped numerous people feel the way my coaches made me feel and inspired those around me through my weight loss journey, it become my mission to inspire and help as many people as I can to live a more healthy lifestyle supported by a community where people lift each other up. That’s why I started RISE!