Meet the Team
At Muscle Nerds, we pride ourselves for having not only amazing educators and coaches, but also the most motivated and passionate ones.
LUKE LEAMAN
I wrote you guys a really nice and detailed about me, but Zoe said it was too long-winded. Here’s the Reader’s Digest version, but apparently you can click through to read more (if for some odd reason you wanted to). I’m the big boss around here, the head honcho… or at least, Zoe tries her best to let me think that.
Disgruntled with the industry and the lack of empathy and science, Zoe and I started Muscle Nerds in 2015. In that time we’ve gone from not knowing anything about starting and running a business, to creating a highly successful online training and education platform.
The idea for Muscle Nerds started in 2013, when a colleague of mine started a spoof page on Facebook called “Muscle Nerd Leaman.” Muscle Nerd, absolute brilliance. I kept that idea in the back of my mind until Zoe made it a reality.
I’m the big-picture person in the company, the dreamer. I create concepts and ideas, and Zoe makes it happen. I’ve never been much for the details, so together, along with our staff, we make a complete and conquering machine, like Voltron.
My daily activities include pestering Zoe, auditing and managing our online training, research and development, creating course material, lecturing, networking, deal-making, and staring at the wall waiting for ideas to pop up. I also practice Jiu-Jitsu on Daisy periodically through the day.
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ZOE KNIGHT
About Me’s are the hardest things to write. You feel you have a pretty good grip on who you are and what you stand for until you have to put it into words. Written words, that is. Because no one gets talker’s block – we only get writer’s block (what’s up with that by the way?!).
In short, I’m a Co-Founder of Muscle Nerds. I’ve been with the company since day dot – although you could argue it was brewing in the background long before Luke and I gave it a legal structure. My sole role in the company is to try and keep some form of order – not only in our accounts, in our team, and in our admin processes, but in the methods to our madness as well.
I am inquisitive by nature and I love to learn (almost as much as I love Luke, Daisy, reading, and having a tidy house). If you don’t find me working at my laptop, studying at my laptop, cleaning my house or at the dog park, you’ll see me in some shape or form trying to get Luke to either stop trying to pick things off the floor with his toes or getting him to take his coffee mixed with water, instead of eating the granules dry off a table spoon.
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SHANE O’LEARY
“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions”
– Stephen Covey
We all have a story. A reason why we are where we are today. There is no reason why we cannot start rewriting where we want to go.
My passion for health, training and nutrition came about like an overnight obsession. I faced challenges growing up that one day flicked a switch which turned my world upside down. I could tell you about my education, my university degree, the countless seminars I attend to consistently stay atop my game and my relentless pursuit in studying and mentoring to ensure I always provide results. That is not how this started though. It started with the most torturously slow 50m jog while drenched in sweat and having every fibre in my body scream at me to stop and give up. Consistency, patience and a relentless desire to be the best is everything I am.
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MARGS O’FARRELL
I came into the fitness industry in 2009, driven by the urge to share what I’d learned as I rehabilitated from a motorcycle accident. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to learn as much as I can and share what I’ve learned with whoever cares to listen.
I’m a personal trainer, a group fitness instructor, mentor, fitness and motivational writer, and coach the Metamorph group training program for Muscle Nerds.
I describe my personal training style as ‘tough love wrapped in kindness’. I specialise in post-physio rehabilitation, and love nothing more than working with someone to bring their confidence in movement back.
Oh, and did I mention I’m Vegan?
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Ben Kerswill
Writing about myself is one of the hardest things for me to do. I always struggle to do it without rereading it and thinking I sound like a tool so here we go… hahaha.
I started in the fitness industry after being frustrated with the lack of preventative care in the “health industry.” After moving to Canada to get myself out of my training comfort zone I met my beautiful wife Courtney and ended up staying there for 12 years. Luckily during this time I focused on my programming education and landed a job at a great MMA gym in Vancouver. Over the subsequent years I had the privilege to train some great people, amazing fighters, physique competitors and even a pro skateboarding legend. During this time I got punched and kicked allot but loved (almost) every second of it.
After a good stint in the rain and cold we decided it was time to move back to Australia and start the new chapter of our adventure. About a year before moving back I had been lucky enough to train with Luke and Zoe right at the very start of muscle nerds and “prepped to prep” for a physique show. After 2 years working in a powerlifting and fitness training gym in Brisbane the stars finally aligned and I got the chance to join Muscle Nerds. So begins the story…
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When Luke and Zoe first started Muscle Nerds, I was one of their very first clients. They have been pioneers in looking at client health as the number one priority and I jumped at the opportunity to work for them when I left my previous coaching job..
My current study focus is mostly on biofeedback markers and how it relates to recovery.
What goals are you working on at the moment?
My biggest goals right now are to improve my functional nutrition knowledge so I can help improve my client’s health as much as possible. Making them feel better and function better rather than just look good.
What is one piece of advice you’d tell yourself when you first started?
Be excited to learn more and find the smartest people you can to learn from. Mentorships with great coaches are the best way to learn.
What’s been the biggest game-changer in your career?
The biggest game-changer was moving to Canada early in my career. It forced me outside my comfort zone and afforded me the opportunity to train with a ton of great people in many different fields.
What’s been your biggest achievement?
My biggest achievements to date would have to be training Curtis Harriott to a BFL pro-MMA title, Saeid Mirzei to an amateur IMMAF world title, Victor Wang to a Heavyweight Taiwanese Muay Thai title, Kiarash Moghaddam to a Canadian Cruiserweight Muay Thai title and Mike Crisp to a NAGA New Orleans Black Belt Division champion. This year I was lucky enough to do Kate Gordon’s nutritional coaching for the Crossfit Games and train Anna Zamora on her way to becoming a US Army Master Fitness Trainer.
What has been your biggest life lessons?
A lot of trainers get people fast amazing results but it can really mess them up long term if it’s not done the right way. Sacrificing long term health is not worth having shredded abs for a week.
What’s a typical day like for you?
A typical day starts with coffee and walking my dogs, client check-ins and emails, get in my own workout, programming and technique checks, answer client questions and emails, some study, and then spend some quality time with the wife and animals.
Finish this sentence. On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me:
Drinking coffee with my wife and the zoo (we have 2 adopted dogs and a cat)
Name three words that describe you:
Patient, determined, optimistic.
Name a few of your daily habits:
Every day I try to learn something new, get some type of study in and do some type of exercise.
What would your personal motto be?
Ask yourself if what you’re doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.

Courtney
You are all probably thinking who is this kid… as Luke would say I’m the coaches PA (he wishes).
I’m just the other half to Shane. I have recently graduated with a sports and exercise science degree. It has been a long four years but I’m ready to use everything I have learned and continue to learn along the way. You may see my name pop up here and there or you may see me at seminars, but I am just really the backbone to Shane to ensure he eats, sleeps, poops and gets his work done.
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- Finishing my degree
- Helping muscle nerds grow in any way I can
What would your personal motto be?
If you cant sing and dance your way through life, whats the point?

DAISY
I’m Daisy!
When Mum and Dad rescued me, my name was Meg. But Dad didn’t like that, he thought it reminded him of Family Guy, so he changed it to Daisy. Mum and Dad tell me every day that I’m the most important member of the Muscle Nerds family.
I’m not very athletic (I have bad hips and bad knees, you see) but I am VERY smart. I’ve figured out how to open the front door so I let myself out whenever I want. Because I’m so independent, Mum and Dad make me Employee of the Month every month. I pretty much run the show though, all I need to do is cry and I’ll get whatever I want. Humans are so easy to manipulate.
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PABLO
Anything other than that you’re going to have to ask my family. Which is actually quite big. But I’m tiny so everything seems big to me….
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When was the first time you decided the health and fitness industry was for you?
A dolphin never decides to be an exceptional swimmer, it’s born with greatness coursing through its flippers. I, like Usain Bolt, didn’t choose greatness, fame, superhuman speed, it chose me.
Was that the question? Did I mention I’m friends with Bolty and the dolphins?

Frank
Ha! Pablo thinks HE has a strong intuitive sense. He has NOTHING on me! I have this very very very strong urge (that I cannot ignore) to chase anything that moves. Pablo has more self-control. That tells me I’m waaaay more intuitive than him.
I do love Daisy and Pablo though. Even though they only love each other and don’t love me back as much. But I just attach myself to my humans and that’s all I need. That and a ball to chase. Or a bird. Or a light…
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When was the first time you decided the health and fitness industry was for you?
Huh?
Can you pick me up please, there’s a shiny thing on the roof again and I need to get it.
Oh wait…it’s gone again…what was the question.
Have you seen my basketball in the back yard? Come, let me show you.
Some, born for humping.
Shiny things. Shiny things.
Don’t touch my basketball.

Let’s get Started
When you work with Muscle Nerds you will have a designated coach to guide and overlook your progress. Your coach will ensure you have success with your goals and are kept accountable throughout the entire process. Not only will you have your designated coach leading and supporting you along the way, but you will also have the whole Muscle Nerd’s team behind you. Our entire teams’ guidance, expertise, and experience are written into each and every program – guaranteeing you the best solutions for your goals and unprecedented care and support.