About The FWDfuel Sports Nutrition Team

Michael is a residency and fellowship trained sports physical therapist with a lifelong interest in sports nutrition nearly changing his major in college to pursue nutrition before opting for physical therapy.

Michael’s background includes playing football at John Carroll University where he pursued a degree in Exercise Science and Walsh University where he received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Following PT school he was the second graduate ever to complete the Cleveland Clinic Sports Physical Therapy Residency. He continued his education then with a Manual Therapy Fellowship at Daemen College.

A few years back Michael unexpectedly ran into issues with fatigue and recovery which significantly hindered his training. After working closely with his wife, Kylene, a dietitian trained in Functional Sports Nutrition, he learned an entirely new approach to eating and living a more holistic lifestyle. This dramatic life change led to remarkable improvement in his overall energy and performance. In 2017, with the help of a Functional Sports Nutrition approach, he improved his half marathon PR by 5 minutes. These improvements inspired him to co-found FWDfuel Sports Nutrition to spread the word so that others could experience the same success.

Michael continues to train regularly and see improvements from a functional nutrition approach allowing him to qualify for the Boston Marathon in 2019.

Interstested in reading more about Michael’s journey from gut issues to Boston Qualifier? Read more about his journey here. 

Abby is a functionally trained Registered Dietitian. She received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Dayton and completed her Master of Science in Nutrition from Case Western Reserve University, where she currently teaches as an adjunct instructor. Abby became involved with FWDfuel early on, developing and writing research-based nutrition blogs and upon finishing her academic and clinical training began officially working for the business to help athletes from a variety of competitive levels optimize their health and performance through nutrition. 

Abby’s eagerness to pursue the emerging world of Functional Sports Nutrition did not come by chance. She was involved in athletics as early as she can recall, beginning with gymnastics early on and eventually started training as a competitive CrossFit athlete in her college years. It was in her early years as an athlete that Abby’s innate interest in sports nutrition emerged, as this appeared to be the ticket to enhancing her performance. Interestingly, her decisions around food and fueling in the beginning were far different than the core principles she counsels clients on and practices herself today. 

First began the gut issues several years into college and an ensuing hormonal storm despite her deepest denial. After several years of intermittent stomach flares, sleeplessness, and chronic stress, not to mention multiple useless doctors appointments, she knew she had to investigate an alternative route. It was around this time that Functional Sports Nutrition, a world she felt in her gut (literally!) existed, but never knew was introduced. With several months of intentional gut healing and natural balancing of hormones using mind-body practices and a whole foods diet, Abby began to experience dramatic shifts in energy, fitness, and other nagging symptoms that she never believed her diet and environment could be as the culprit! Fast forward to today, Abby feels more in control of her fitness and health than ever before and has developed a sincere passion to help individuals of all types optimize their athletic potential by blurring the lines between conventional sports nutrition and overall health

Julia Zumpano is a forward thinking registered dietitian with over 18 years experience who has transformed the lives of countless individuals through her unwavering passion for nutrition and her remarkable personal journey.