Meet our Team
Katie Monson, owner
Katie was born and raised in Orange County, California and spent her West Coast days enjoying the beach and playing lots of soccer. In 2008, she moved to Sonoma County to pursue her bachelor's degree in Biology and found a passion for the health and wellness industry. By 2011, Katie became both an ACE certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor and was managing both the Group Ex and Training Department at Sonoma State University. After moving to Charlottesville, Virginia in 2016, she decided to make her dream of creating her own studio a reality! Currently, she enjoys connecting with people at group training sessions, going for walks in town or hikes in nature, watching live music and spending time with her family.
Katie's training philosophy is centered around the idea of seeking progress, not perfection. "Little actions every day can create large change" is her strategy in helping people with behavior and physique change. She also believes in looking holistically at someone's life in order to seek improvements. She aims to help clients create balance within their lives, instead of unrelenting sacrifice to meet goals.
The goals of Katie's training sessions are to help you feel stronger and more confident in your physique, and to connect you with others who help you on your fit journey. She will encourage you to do your best while giving you the space to work at your own pace. You can expect to leave her sessions feeling uplifted, successful and like you did more than what you could do on your own.
She looks forward to meeting you and helping you take one step closer to that fit version of yourself!
Matt Monson, owner
Matt was born in Charlottesville and grew up in South Carolina. He moved back to Cville in 2010 and began his entrepreneurial career. He owned a whole-grain bread bakery from 2011-2016, then helped open a brewery in Cville, managed a sandwich shop, and wrote recipes for an online meal planning service. He started teaching Group Exercise in 2018, and then wanting to go further in the fitness industry, became a Trainer in 2019.
Matt brings high energy and excited passion to his workouts! Living a “hard work, hard play” mentality, he wants to see you working at the peak of your own intensity level and then cool down with nonstop jokes. His favorite muscle groups to target are the postural/stability muscles that plague every person who spends too much time sitting. His job is complete when someone says, “I feel like my body just moves correctly now!” He also enjoys intense, explosive power workouts that makes you feel accomplished and complete afterwards.
Matt is into nerd stuff like writing a great spreadsheet formula, or talking about fantasy and sci-fi, or just meticulously obsessing over the details of any hobby. He plays guitar, brews beer, watercolor paints, and is struggling to learn how to golf as an adult. He feels compelled to stay active all the time so bonus points if you ever actually see him sitting still.
Come find out why people say, “You’re the most energetic person I’ve ever met!”
Ellie Toth, trainer
Ellie grew up in Beverly Hills, Michigan. She loves University of Michigan football, the Detroit Lions, and Northern Michigan summers. Prior to moving to Charlottesville, she worked and lived in Washington, DC and then Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Ellie is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer. In addition to teaching at Progress, she works in the career center at the Darden School of Business at UVA.
Ellie fell in love with lifting weights at a studio in DC that mixed treadmill running with strength training. Since then, she’s enjoyed improving her form and working new muscles. She loves to run, but finds strength training to be a necessary complement to her cardio.
Ellie’s workouts focus on full body exercises, with an emphasis on core. Ellie’s philosophy is that a strong core leads to a strong body. She loves Progress because of its commitment to community building and its wonderful members.
Kala Curtis, trainer
Kala Curtis, MSW, ACE-CPT
Trauma-Informed Personal Trainer • Clinical Social Worker (MSW)• Wellness Coach
Hi, I’m Kala—a ACE certified personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and clinical social worker (MSW) dedicated to helping people reconnect with their bodies and push themselves in safe, empowering ways. Exercise is preventive care, my holistic approach blends trauma-informed environment and training techniques, strength training, and emotional wellness to support lasting transformation—inside and out.
With certifications in anti-obesity medication support, special Olympics programming, inclusive fitness for all abilities, and mental wellness-focused coaching, I create programs that honor your physical goals and your inner experience. Whether you're rebuilding trust with your body, learning to lift heavy (emotionally or literally), or just starting your journey—I’m here for it.
When I’m not coaching, you’ll find me training in Jiu-Jitsu or Muay Thai, hiking in some woods, reading a fantasy novel, or traveling somewhere to learn something new about a culture! I believe movement is for everyone, it should feel safe, joyful, and liberating. That being said, I love to pose you with a challenging workout that pushes you! We are stronger than we think we are.
Let’s build a life you feel strong, safe, and playful in.
