The Team

The Birth Of The "MOVE"...

Co-Founders Damon Iaea and Kim Lehano founded Team Move in 2005. Their mission was simple, to form a fitness organization that would motivate others to exercise, which was the original acronym for the word “move” in the beginning stages of the company. Move stood for “Motivating Others Via Exercise.” Both founders used their skills to build the foundation of the company in its early stages. Kim, with a background in marketing, public relations, and television for many years, also practiced yoga and knew the benefits of exercise. Damon used his background in fitness, endurance sports and personal training, working together with Kim to lay the groundwork to form Team Move. The goal from the beginning was to stand out and be innovative in every program that they developed. They were approached by many that asked if they offered popular classes like “jazzercise” and a “step” class. Both founders agreed that they wanted classes that was exclusive to Team Move, and weren’t traditional styles that had been around for decades that you could find anywhere in the world. Soon they developed their first two “signature” fitness classes, “Swim X” and “Stretch & Stride.” Others would soon be developed thereafter with “HardCORE,” and the company’s most recent creation “Rush Hour.” Many clients later, Team Move has not only developed its fitness classes, but also offers private personal training and swim lessons for all ages and levels. Corporate training on job sites through their “WorkFIT” program was also developed to help people get in exercise on their lunch break. To date, Team Move has been featured in local publications, and has inspired and educated many to live a healthy lifestyle the natural way through healthy eating and exercise; and not through gimmicks and dangerous diets. Unlike other fitness companies, Team Move still holds true to their word that the only thing they will ever “sell” . . . is exercise and your health; which they believe sells itself.

 

Damon Iaea

Co-Founder / Certified Personal Trainer

Damon is the Co-Founder, Personal Trainer, and Swim Instructor of Team Move. Before founding Team Move, he swam competitively in high school, and then later worked as a certified Swim Instructor and Lifeguard Instructor. In late 1999, at the age of 19, he was diagnosed with having a malignant tumor, which was found in his calf muscle. After recovering from surgery and months of therapy, his drive to become competitive at a sport again, soon surfaced. In 2001, Damon became involved in the triathlon scene, and started competing in triathlons, ocean races, marathons, and other road races. In 2005 after years of lifeguarding, he decided that he had accomplished everything that he wanted to in the field; and it was time for a change. Damon thought that it made sense that with his love of fitness and helping others, he would eventually do something that would combine the two. He soon became certified as a Personal Trainer, and started what would become known today as Team Move.
 

Kim Lehano

Co-Founder / Programs Coordinator

Kim Lehano is DEFINITELY not a “gym rat.” She truly believes in fitness and has seen her share of what it can do to better her life, but her expertise lies in another arena and what she brings to Team Move is completely different. With a BA in Communication/Psychology, and a MA in Organizational management, this single mother, who holds many hats (Director of Marketing & Public Relations, College Professor, magazine editor, freelance creative services consultant) brings to the Team Move table, her creativity and passion for helping to better people’s lives.

Her background in media, marketing, public relations and communications, brings to Team Move the opinions of a “REGULAR JOE or in her case, JANE.” Instead of having a fitness organization made up mostly of elite and competitive athletes, Kim brings to Team Move, knowledge and foresight based on her years of experience in Hawaii’s media. With jobs, responsibilities, and a son to raise on her own, she knows the realities of life outside of work, and is able to relate to clients who are struggling to keep that work-life balance afloat, and stay healthy and fit at the same time. TEAM MOVE was the perfect fit for her ideals about fitness, and in teaming up with Damon, they established that “something missing” on this side of Oahu, from which all those working, and juggling family and school and personal lives, like Kim herself, can be accommodated by.

As you’ve heard in the movie “Waterboy” starring Adam Sandler, Kim’s saying is this, “You can DOOOOOOO it!”
 

Tony Richardson

Certified Personal Trainer / Group Exercise Instructor

Tony is a former Pro-Triathlete and a very well-known name in the triathlon circuit in Hawaii, and around the United States for the past few decades! A certified personal trainer, amongst other things, Tony is still a competitive racer, but his passion will always be in helping and training people to achieve their goals.  Some of my clients who I've trained for their first marathon or traithlon, I've actually raced alongside with," says Tony.  Team Move is lucky to have such a talented and gifted athlete with the care and passion we feel for the people of Hawaii!

Matt Meko

Yoga Instructor

Matt Meko has had a vast array of experience in addition to his yoga practices, including beginning his career as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for Disney World, Cookie Monster for Sesame Street Live, and Purple Panda on television's Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He was encouraged by mentors Andre' DeShields, Fred Rogers, and Hawk Jones  to pursue teaching yoga. Yogis Ana Forrest, Andrew Lappa, and Shiva Rea showed Matt how to develop his own style of mind/body fitness. Since 2003 under his company Mekosun, Matt has helped thousands of people ages 3-85 rediscover joy and gratitude in their body and life; from prisoners to CEO"s, the physically challenged to elite athletes, through private home lessons to group classes for companies like Amazon.com, Starbucks, and Microsoft. Before moving to Honolulu, Matt lived in Seattle where he produced the internationally recognized GURU 2008 Calendar which promoted men doing mind/body fitness. He also volunteered with the Seattle Police Department assisting individuals and families at domestic violence crime scenes.