Athena Coaches

aka: “The Meg(h)ans”, M&M, Eck/Ramos, or “just yell ‘Megan’ and someone will answer”

Megan Eckenrode Hedrick

Owner, Founder, Lead Coach | She/Her

Movement has been my language since I was a kid. I grew up in Carlisle — this community is home in every sense of the word — and what I kept coming back to, in every sport and every season of life, was how profoundly the way we move shapes the way we feel. Not just physically. All of it.

I opened Athena in 2014 because I couldn’t find the kind of coaching I believed people actually needed. Not a class. Not a program sold off a shelf. Something real — where a coach actually knows you, notices when something is off, and has the skill and the patience to meet you exactly where you are. I wanted to build that place, so I did.

Over fifteen years of working with people, what I’ve learned is this: the physical work is the container, not the point. The point is what happens when someone finally stops fighting their body and starts working with it. When the woman who hasn’t exercised in years realizes she’s actually strong. When the athlete recovering from injury discovers that slowing down taught her something she couldn’t have learned any other way. That’s the work I’m here for.

My coaching draws from a wide range of disciplines — I’m a Neurokinetic Therapist, Comprehensive Pilates Instructor, and Medical Exercise Specialist — but the credential list isn’t the thing. What matters is that I’m always learning, always refining, always asking why before I ask how much. I believe the complexity of the human body deserves that kind of attention. And so do you.

What you’ll find in a session with me is straightforward: I’ll pay attention to you. Really pay attention — to how you move, how you show up that day, what you’re carrying. Some days we’ll push. Some days we’ll pull back. Some days we’ll just talk. That’s not a lack of structure. That’s the structure.

When I’m not at the studio, I’m coaching and playing field hockey, hitting the trails, and soaking up time with my son Myles, my husband Ian, and our dogs Onyx and Rayne. Carlisle is where I’m planted and I’m not going anywhere.

Meghan Ramos

Co-Captain, Head Coach | She/Her

I've always been drawn to the people who feel like the fitness world wasn't built for them. The ones who've been told to just push through, or who left physical therapy with a discharge paper and a list of exercises and no real bridge back to the life they wanted. That gap — between "you're cleared" and "you actually feel good again" — is exactly where I want to be.

My background is a little unusual for a gym setting. I'm a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant with advanced training in pelvic health through the Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehab Institute, and I've spent years thinking about how the body actually works, not just what it can lift. That knowledge shapes everything I do as a coach. It means I'm paying attention to how you breathe, how you load, what you're not saying as much as what you are. It means your program isn't a template someone pulled off a shelf. It's built for the body you actually have, the life you're actually living.

I work with a wide range of people, but there's a particular kind of client I think about a lot: the person who's been through something — a surgery, a diagnosis, a season of life that changed things — and is trying to figure out what strength means for them now. If that's you, you're in the right place. You don't have to minimize what's going on with your body to be here. In fact, I'd rather you didn't.

My approach is grounded in education as much as coaching. As a Precision Nutrition certified coach and certified pre and postnatal coach through Girls Gone Strong, I've built out the kind of breadth that lets me meet people where they actually are, not where a program assumes they should be. I'd rather you understand why we're doing something than just follow instructions. And I believe that getting strong, really and sustainably strong, is one of the most powerful things a person can do for their long-term health at every age and in every chapter.

When I'm not at the studio, you can find me hiking, gardening, adventuring with my husband Angel, and hanging out with our dog Lulu and our cat Pickle.

What People Are Saying

  • Bronwyn

    “I didn’t realize that weight training could be so accessible for people like me…Meghan [Ramos] has been so knowledgeable and helpful throughout the process of my endometriosis diagnosis, surgery, and recovery. I was intimidated by the process, but working so closely with someone who has connections and cares about her clients’ wellbeing has allowed me to have the best outcomes... I appreciate that Meghan knows so much about the pelvic floor and has worked closely with my physical therapist to make sure that my transition back into working out has been a safe, helpful, and seamless.”

  • Barb

    “I appreciate how Megan [Hedrick] watches my movements and listens to what I feel while I work with her, and how she modifies the day's workout to how I feel that day. She gives feedback to improve my execution of the exercises, whether verbally, by small touch or even physically guiding whichever body part is not cooperative. I knew what we were doing was working when I didn't have all the aches and pains I had before. My day to day life has improved. Everyday tasks are easier and don't create lasting pain. I can walk without foot pain. I have more energy and my sleep has improved because I'm not waking during the night with pain from even day to day tasks. THANK YOU!”

  • Jackie

    “ From the first day I went into Athena, it was just different. The focus has always been on what I can do (and it changes, sometimes day to day), not on what I can't do… I have been pushed and challenged, but never belittled or looked at like my body is disgusting because it is fat. When my boobs or belly are just in the way...or my joints are achy from arthritis, we just find modifications and different things to do. I knew this was going to work when there was a day when I had a tough day at work, and I WANTED to go to the gym. I knew I'd get a good workout in, but also that I'd see friends and be able to let the stress of the day go. I literally laughed out loud -- ME? Wanting to go to the gym? Also, they let me lift heavy things for fun.”

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