MEET THE COACHES

Strive for Strong, founded by sisters Marisa and Vanessa Silva, is a women-owned fitness coaching company. Our mission is to empower women to balance nutrition, enjoy strength training, and discover their strongest selves. With over 8 years of industry experience in various training settings, we understand the unique challenges women face. With our combined experiences and education we deliver exceptional online coaching, empowering you to achieve lasting results.

Hey there! I'm Marisa and I'm thrilled to welcome you to my corner of the fitness world.

For the past 9 years, fitness has been more than just a passion—it's been my calling. With 7 years of coaching under my belt, I've explored every avenue, from in-person sessions to group fitness classes. But it wasn't until I found my niche in online coaching that I truly felt I could make the biggest impact, especially in empowering women across the globe.

My journey into fitness wasn't always smooth sailing. As a former track athlete in my childhood, I transitioned into college with little knowledge of how to care for my body outside of competitive sports. Falling into the trap of fad diets and misinformation, I found myself stuck in a cycle of restriction and excessive cardio. But I refused to let my health suffer any longer.

Determined to make a change, I dove headfirst into learning everything I could about proper nutrition, strength training, and overall well-being. Through trial and error, I discovered the power of strength training and the freedom of a balanced approach to food. Now, I'm on a mission to share my knowledge and experiences with others, striving to be the mentor and advocate I wish I had when I was younger.

At 27 years young and based in Connecticut, I'm living my dream of helping others transform their lives through fitness. Armed with a Bachelor's in Business Management from Central Connecticut State University and certified by the American College of Sports Medicine, I bring a unique blend of expertise and empathy to every coaching session.

When I'm not coaching or hitting the gym, you can find me soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the magic of a New England summer. Because let's be real—nothing beats those warm, sunny days!

So whether you're just starting your fitness journey or looking to level up your training, I'm here to support you every step of the way. Together, let's crush your goals and embrace a lifestyle of strength, balance, and vitality.

Stay Strong,

Coach Marisa

Hi there! I am so happy you’re here.

I’m Vanessa, a fitness coach with a passion and love for fitness that's been burning bright for the past 9 years. Throughout this journey, I've ventured into various realms of the fitness space—pursuing online coaching for the past 3 years, and previously in-person and group coaching for a solid 7 years that I absolutely loved at the time.

What truly ignites my passion and where I have found my calling is the realm of online coaching, where the magic happens beyond sets and reps on the gym floor. The passion and lasting love and appreciation I have hopefully remains clear for anybody who works with me.

Despite never finding love on the sports field, I discovered my ability to practice resilience in the weight room. Chasing the goal of being better than the day before, I craved the competition of beating my previous self. The challenge of you vs. you was always exciting to me and continues to be to this day. My fitness journey stemmed from a desire to gain muscle and chase the athletic physique and confidence I always desired.

Unfortunately, what began as an innocent desire of self improvement turned into a spiral of disordered habits being hyper-focused on becoming the smallest version of myself, I was never satisfied with the end result.

After a period of time, being fed up with being my own obstacle, I embarked on a journey of self improvement and growth. Leading with self-education on proper training and nutrition practices and learning the ins and outs of nutrition, I began to discover what it meant to be truly healthy. I finally found my way back to becoming the version of myself I fell in love with. The path was riddled with ups and downs, but through it all, I rediscovered my love for being strong and truly healthy.

At 24-years-old residing in Connecticut, I can appreciate all four seasons Connecticut has to offer. From falling down the ski slopes in the winter to the all too competitive games of pickle ball and beach volleyball in the summer, I'm not mad about it.

Holding a Bachelor's degree from the University of Connecticut and holding a personal training certification by the World Instructor Training Schools, I'm committed to sharing my story in hopes of helping others and allowing those who I’m lucky enough to lead to be further in their journey than I am into mine.

So whether you're in the very beginning of your journey or looking to maximize and optimize every aspect of your routine, I'm here to support you and guide you through every up and down this journey offers.

Together, I’m excited to help you unlock and discover the strongest and healthiest version of you.

Talk Soon,

Coach Vanessa

Testimonials

Working with Vanessa is a dream! Not only is she super knowledgeable but she’s genuinely supportive and caring as well. I trust that she is giving me feedback based on me and my body individually and I’m so grateful to have found her!

Working with Marisa has been transformative. She provided personalized guidance and practical strategies that significantly improved my relationship with food. Marisa is not only knowledgeable but also genuinely caring and supportive. I highly recommend her services to anyone seeking positive, lasting changes in their health and well-being.

Vanessa has been the most dedicated coach to me from the very beginning. She has always been there to answer my questions with the most knowledgeable answers. I look forward to our check-ins every week. She has made nutrition and fitness easy!

I’ve been working with Marisa for 2.5 years and she has completely changed my life! I began working with her after I needed to gain weight (25 pounds) for my fertility. Marisa not only helped me lose body fat and get me to my dream body, but she did it in a way where my fertility not only remained but got even BETTER! I also worked with Marisa through my entire pregnancy. I had full peace of mind that we were doing pregnancy safe workouts that also helped me prepare for birth. After needing an emergency c-section, Marisa created a full plan and workouts to recovery from surgery and get my pre baby body back! I cannot recommend working with Marisa enough in all phases of life. She is very kind, thoughtful and incredibly supportive!

I've had the privilege of working with Vanessa for nearly three years, through various phases of my fitness journey. Her passion for her work is palpable and contagious – her energy and enthusiasm are always a source of inspiration.

I can't express enough gratitude for my incredible coach, Marisa, who has truly transformed my relationship with food and my overall well-being. With her guidance, I've learned to see food as fuel for my body, rather than something harmful or to be feared. Her balanced approach has helped me stop restricting carbs so heavily, leading to a more sustainable life.

Vanessa's approach is grounded in balance, and she's been an incredible support system, consistently encouraging and empowering me to reach new heights. I've achieved goals I never even thought I could set before working with her, and I've truly become the strongest, most confident version of myself under her guidance.

Marisa's support during my transition off birth control has been invaluable. She was there every step of the way, offering not just professional advice but also heartfelt encouragement and understanding.

If you're looking for a coach who combines knowledge with compassion, I wholeheartedly recommend her.

I wholeheartedly recommend working with Vanessa to anyone who is tired of battling with bad body image or a negative relationship with food. If you want to get strong, feel good in your body, and have a coach who celebrates your wins every step of the way, Vanessa is the person to see.

In working with Marisa, I’ve really grown to enjoy lifting but I’m now able to rely on discipline on the days when I’m just not feeling it. My body image has also massively improved. Yes, I’m more fit than I was when I started and I still have a lot of work I want to do. However, I’m so much more confident in the body I have and see what it’s capable of. When you keep promises to yourself, your confidence will build up so much. Marisa is so kind, encouraging, and real with you. Big big thanks to Marisa for keeping me accountable and equipping me with the knowledge to change my life and continue to improve it.

I originally signed up for 6 months of working with Marisa and ended up working with her for a year. I had learned about the approach she used behind nutrition and movement and I had learned enough about health and fitness to really believe this would be a healthy and sustainable way of going about my goals. And man that was the key word- SUSTAINABLE! Long term changes are not a quick fix. I’m almost a year out from when I ended working with her and I’m still going strong on my own towards my goals. More than the physical changes (I love seeing my muscle definition, their firmness, and seeing more body composition) are the mental changes that I’m even more happy about. First, I REALLY enjoy food and my view on it has shifted in the best way. I view it more as fuel than I ever have before but I also don’t feel guilty when I do want to enjoy pizza, wings, a burger. And I still eat those things on a relatively regular basis, I’m just so much more mindful about when and how much.