The Ones Who Make It All Happen
Our annual team dinner took place on Saturday evening at the Brazilian Steakhouse in Walnut Creek. Our coaches & support team and their spouses/partners shared experiences, stories, lots of laughs and plenty of gratitude.
“The way your employees feel is the way your customers will feel.”
Sybil Stershic
ITS ABOUT THE PEOPLE. Diablo has 23 employees, including 18 coaches and 5 support staff. ALL of our employees were members first. They are passionate about CrossFit, they love Diablo and they prioritize fitness & nutrition in their lives – they practice what they preach. Moreover, they have a keen interest in helping others and coaching CrossFit is their way of giving back.
When I’m together with everyone, I’m struck by the diverse backgrounds and experiences juxtaposed against their friendships and mutual respect for each other – all due to CrossFit. In the picture above, there is an animal research scientist, a former ballet dancer, a professional flutist, a World Champion Weightlifter, a Nurse (in-training), a TikTok Influencer, a former Marine, a National Champion Cheer Coach, a Big Ten Champion Swimmer, an 8x CrossFit Games Athlete, a Swim Team Coach, a TV News Reporter, a Michelin Star Restaurant Chef… and more.
13 of our coaches have full-time careers outside of Diablo. They don’t “need” to coach – they do it because they want to share the life-changing methodology with others. Coaching is a part-time passion project. On the other hand, our five full-time coaches took a major leap-of-faith to leave their previous full-time jobs and coach full time at Diablo. They are our passionate entrepreneurs – working in a merit-based-pay environment sharing the CrossFit methodology and transforming lives with fitness.
Despite their diverse backgrounds, all of the people in the picture above share one trait that makes our member experience so damn good: they care. Yes, they’re passionate about fitness, health and especially CrossFit, but before all that, every single one of them truly cares about people – and that makes Diablo an amazing gym.
We are truly lucky to have them on our team.
#itsup2us
BRING A FRIEND DAY IS BACK!
- When: Sat., Jan 17th, 11AM
- Register NOW on the app! (this class always fills up)
- Workout Details: Partner Workout!
PROGRAMMING ** THIS WEEK **
- Mon: CROSSFIT TOTAL! 1RM Back Squat, Strict Press & DL .. in 20mins. 3 attempts each.
- Tue: Squat – Burpee – Lunge – KBs: 4x3min (2m rest) – amrap 6 Goblet Squats, 9 KB Facing Burpee, 12 Goblet Rack Reverse Lunge, 15kb Swings.
- Wed: Bar Muscle Ups. Metcon: V-Ups & DUs – Amrap 7m: 12V-Ups & 36 DUs
- Thu: C&J Cycling. Metcon: Run-Squat-KB SDLHP – 3RFT: 200m Run, 15 Squats, 10 KB SDL High Pull
- Fri: Pull Ups, Push Ups, Box Jumps – Amrap 18m – 9 Strict Pull Ups, 12 Push Ups, 15 Box Jumps
- Sat: Row-Thruster-Sit Up – 5RFT: 500m Row, 12 Thrusters, 30ABMat Situps
- Sun: DL-Run-Ring Dips: Amrap 16m – 15 DLs, 400m Run, 5/8 Ring Dips
THE OPEN IS COMING!
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
About a month ago, I started reflecting on our goals at Diablo CrossFit for the 2026 CrossFit Games Open. The last two Opens were incredibly successful for us — Friday Night Lights, intramural competitions, full classes, and a community that was excited to participate together. That energy didn’t fade. It carried into the rest of the year and directly contributed to our best years ever for participation, retention, and overall business performance. When I look back over the years, the pattern is undeniable: when the Open thrives inside our walls, so do our members — and so does our business. So, my goal for 2026 is: the biggest Open participation ever (300+).
The Open is much more than a pathway to the CrossFit Games. It is the single largest, most visible expression of what we do every day in our affiliates: regular people tackling hard workouts, testing their limits, and discovering what they’re capable of — together. It’s also the one moment each year when the world sees the full scale, unity, and power of the CrossFit community operating as one.
The truth is, everyone wins when Open participation is massive — affiliates, athletes, coaches, media, sponsors, competition events and CrossFit HQ. But the key to making that happen is simple: we must take ownership. Diablo’s record participation last year wasn’t the result of paid ads or corporate marketing. It happened because our coaches talked about it, our members shared it, our community celebrated it, and our gym made it matter.
So here’s my ask:
- REGISTER FOR THE OPEN – as soon as registration opens on January 14th!
- Choose Diablo as your affiliate.. (or your affiliate wherever you are)
- And then, encourage your friends and family to do the same!
NEW APPAREL DESIGN – ONLINE STORE ONLY
Coach Herald created a cool new design for our online store: Diablo Printify. You can purchase this design in a sweatshirt, t-shirt or women’s t.
CRAIG’S LIST: Website Stuff
- Picture / Graphics Software: Pixlr. Found this years ago and absolutely love it. It’s basically a simple version of Photoshop. I use the Pixlr editor for most of my creations.
- Apparel Design & Store: Printify. This is a new partner with CrossFit and it’s really easy to create, publish and sell your apparel designs. Connect your bank account and the profits deposit directly every week. Check out some of Diablo’s new designs.
Craig
