HI, I'M BECKY!
Owner and head coach at DBK Strength, a women's strength training studio in Hershey, PA.
My story
It may seem that I've always been a health and fitness nut. However, that just isn't true. My journey began like so many others, with fear, hesitation, and intimidation.
In my mid 20s, weighing around 200 lbs, I found myself in an orthopedic surgeon's office seeking relief for my knee pain. The doctor suggested losing 10 lbs, which led me to join Weight Watchers. Two months in, I learned about the importance of movement and exercise, but I had no idea how to start. I joined Curves, an all women's gym, and committed to their 30 minute circuit four or five days a week. With the combination of Weight Watchers, Curves, and walking, I lost 50 lbs. But that isn't where I stopped...
In my late 20s and moving to Southern Maryland, I discovered Zumba, falling in love with its energy, vibrant community, and music. I taught classes, traveled for master classes, and even attended Zumba's International Convention three times. However, a serious knee injury in 2014 changed my life's trajectory and derailed my Zumba journey. While recovering from surgery, I immersed myself in fitness education, earning my personal trainer certification.
Later that year later, I joined 301 Strong, a boutique strength gym in Southern Maryland, as a personal trainer. It was there I truly fell in love with helping others on their fitness journeys. I saw clients transform their lives, building strength, setting goals, and creating lasting friendships. The gym introduced me to kettlebells, bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting, and strongman, sparking my passion for continuous learning and embracing challenges.
In late 2022, my family took the leap and moved back to Pennsylvania to be closer to our family and close friends and have a different pace of life outside the Washington DC metro area.
I launched DBK Strength in May, 2023 with a focus on helping women learn how to strength train, gain confidence in themselves, and be able to more fully participate in their lives without fear or hesitation. What started as a women's only powerlifting class at the community center grew into private coaching. In June 2026, I opened the DBK Strength studio in Hershey, where women learn to lift in a space built for them.
I'm drawn to helping women after watching the last three generations of women in my family not take care of themselves, grow more frail with age, and have to miss out on memorable moments with their friends and family. Those women could have had so much more richness in their lives. Those women deserve to have more. I don't want the same fate for you.
Why We Do It This Way
Most gyms hand you a program. I start with a full movement assessment, because I want to see how your body moves today, not how a template assumes it should. I am a working mom of two active boys, so your plan will fit the life you actually have, not one with two free hours and perfect sleep. And I do not coach from theory. When a woman tells me she is nervous about her back or frustrated that her body is not responding the way it used to, I am not guessing at what that feels like.
You will learn the reasoning behind your training instead of just following it, so you leave able to make good decisions on your own. You will never train in isolation, even in our remote programs. I will tell you the truth, including when DBK Strength is not the right fit for you. And we chase capability instead of weight loss. Getting on the floor with your grandkids and back up again, and staying strong enough to participate through perimenopause, menopause, and everything after.
My Training and Education
I earned my first personal trainer certification through AFAA. Since then I have added powerlifting and weightlifting coaching certifications through Clinical Athlete and both the Russian Kettlebell and Hard Style Kettlebell certifications through Dragon Door, and I completed the Active Life Professional program in August 2025. I compete in powerlifting, which means I know what it takes to build real strength over years, not weeks.
My degrees are in psychology and forensic psychology, and they matter here more than they sound like they should. Most of what keeps a woman out of the weight room is not physical. I was trained to understand that before I ever learned to coach a deadlift.
Denise M., Middletown
I was going through one of the hardest years of my life when I met Becky. I was suffering from caregiver burnout, was grieving, and really felt lost. Working with Becky has taught me that I CAN do hard things. It taught me that my health (mental, emotional and physical) all matter and that taking care of myself is also taking care of others. I learned that when we learn to do hard things in the gym, it spills over into our lives in so many other ways. I thank Becky every time I can for all that I’ve learned and keep learning from her!
Kelly M.
Becky's "participate in your life" philosophy coupled with her natural ability to coach to my individual needs has been both amazing and beneficial. She listens to me, we work together to set goals, and she coaches me every step of the way towards those goals. My mobility, overall health, and of course strength have improved dramatically. I couldn't ask for more in a trainer.
Smita D., Hershey
Working with Becky I learnt how to lift safely, was able to increase weights gradually and gained confidence In my abilities. I like that she modified exercises based on how my shoulder was feeling and incorporated a total body workout including core. I started off with in person coaching and then transitioned to a remote package which offered me some flexibility. She has a holistic approach to her coaching and meets you where you are in your abilities/goals.