Kahuna Claire
Crossfit Level 1 Trainer

Claire Brevidoro grew up in the San Fernando Valley just north of Los Angeles, CA. Watching ice skating super stars like Nancy Kerrigan, Claire fell in love with ice skating and competed until she was a senior in high school. Shortly after graduation, Claire began working as a personal trainer at an LA Fitness and quickly became the General Manager of the Fitness department. 

After hearing about CrossFit in 2006, Claire was extremely intrigued. She joined the 27th CrossFit gym, Valley CrossFit in Van Nuys, CA, and became immersed in the culture. The training, the atmosphere, and the philosophy all deepened her love of CrossFit. Her love of fitness and training blossomed at this gym and her passion grew as she trained daily with CrossFit Games athletes, such as Kris Clever, Katie Hogan and Rebecca Voight.

In 2009, she left her life behind to follow her dream of moving to Hawaiian paradise on the island of O'ahu, Hawai'i. Claire got her CrossFit Level 1 Certification locally at CrossFit Oahu, which was the first CrossFit gym in the islands. She has coached at several different CrossFit gyms over the years and enjoys helping people progress with their fitness goals and live a better, happier, and healthier lifestyle.

Kahuna Mike
MS, CSCS, USAW

Mike Vaccaro, MS, CSCS, USAW has been working with NCAA Division 1 athletes and personal training clientele since his undergrad at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York. While at Hofstra, Mike played five years on the varsity lacrosse team competing at the highest level and furthering his passion for health and fitness. 

To immerse himself in the inner workings of the body, Mike decided to amplify his passion and earned his Masters of Science in Exercise Physiology from the University of Idaho. Throughout the time Mike was working on his masters, he interned at Washington State University allowing him to continue to train and condition athletes at a high level. His specialty is strength training, (olympic) weightlifting, and nutrition.

Mike is a national level weightlifter (-69kg) who is climbing the rankings at a steady pace and is looking to continue to compete nationally and eventually internationally. His passion for fitness drives him to inspire others and himself to reach his highest potential.

What is TNG?

Mike and Claire first crossed paths in 2013 at a local CrossFit gym where Mike was the Olympic weightlifting coach. Claire attended Mike's weightlifting classes and was quickly bit by the weightlifting bug. They soon realized they had very similar training philosophies and that they shared the same passion and drive in their own training and in training others. Shortly thereafter, they branched off and started the FIRST and ONLY Olympic-style Weightlifting gym on the island of O'ahu, Taken Not Given.

The name and brand Taken Not Given means exactly as it says. Nothing in life is ever given to you, it is achieved by hard work and dedication. The gym TNG is exactly that, we work hard and we take control of the goals we set for ourselves. We are constantly trying to educate ourselves and those around us, push boundaries, pursue our passions and most importantly, enjoy life. You must take what you want in life because no one is going to give it to you!

The TNG gym outgrew their first location within the first few months, moved to a bigger and better location, and is still rapidly growing. Out of this partnership, Claire and Mike combined their love for Hawaii, with their passion for lifting and fitness and created LifTNG Aloha. Check it out at www.TakenNotGiven.com.