About
Meet the Prevail Rehab & Fitness Team
Dr. Derek Leist, DC, A.R.T.
Owner
Dr. Leist earned his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Logan College of Chiropractic located in St. Louis in 2009.
Dr. Leist has spent the last several years studying conservative sports medicine and rehabilitation. He specializes in soft tissue and joint manipulation including Active Release Technique, Functional Release, Graston Technique, Functional Dry Needling, and chiropractic manipulations. Dr. Leist also incorporates corrective exercise and various taping techniques into his treatment protocols.
Since 2013, Dr. Leist has been in private practice serving the greater Nashville community. While he has worked with a wide range of athletes from the NFL®, MLB®, NBA®, NHL®, PGA®, USTA®, NCAA®, triathletes, and Crossfit® athletes, his primary focus is on helping teens and adults to live a life full of movement with ease. Currently, Dr. Leist serves as a special consultant to Vanderbilt University Track and Field, Vanderbilt University Cross Country, and Lipscomb University Baseball. While living in Houston, TX, Dr. Leist served as a consultant to the Houston Texans and the Houston Rockets.
When Dr. Leist is not working with patients in the office, he enjoys time with his wife, Katie, and daughters Everly and Lilah. His favorite hobbies include hunting, golf, and boating in the summer.
Sean Larkin, MS, CSCS
Head Trainer
Sean Larkin is one of our strength and conditioning coaches, and has worked alongside Dr. Leist since 2016. Hailing from Maryville, TN, Sean attended and graduated from Lee University where he met his wife, Adrienne Larkin. Sean then went on to Lipscomb University’s graduate program and completed his masters in exercise and nutrition science program. While at Lipscomb, he also served as a graduate assistant for the Student Activity Department.
Sean is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S.) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and has worked with various demographics, including numerous high school, collegiate, and professional athletes. In addition to coaching individual clients, Sean is responsible for the program design of our group performance classes. Sean brings a positive attitude every single day and his motivation spills into our community.
Coach Sean believes one must build a strong foundation centered around movement quality and increasing overall work capacity. Once a base has been built, it is then that you can begin to add layers to the programming and get more specific with training.
When Sean is not helping individuals become better, you can find him on the greenways in Nashville putting in the miles running. He also enjoys traveling the world with his wife and loves outdoor activities such as mountain biking, trail running, snowboarding and competitive obstacle course racing.
Katie Leist
Trainer/ Owner
Katie Leist is a fitness enthusiast turned certified trainer with a special interest in helping females build strong bodies and mindsets.
Katie graduated from Eastern Illinois University in with an Education degree and taught 4th grade for multiple years before entering the fitness industry. Katie is NASM personal training certified, holds a 100 hour yoga cert, as well as a mobility specialist title through Functional Range Conditioning.
Katie believes that fitness is key to a healthy mind and body and is passionate about helping clients find joy through training.
When Katie isn’t at Prevail, she is spending time with her husband, Derek, and her little girls. Whether she is wake surfing in the summer or skiing in the winter, Katie loves being outdoors and staying active.
Dr. Ryan Meyers, DPT
Lead Physical Therapist
Dr. Ryan Meyers is a UT alum with more than 20 years of physical therapy experience under his belt. After undergrad, he pursued a professional baseball career including being drafted in the 12th round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1996. Once retiring from baseball, he earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Belmont University in 2002. His impressive skillset is Prevail’s newest asset.
Dr. Ryan was a starting pitcher for UT and earned his spot on the college baseball world series team in 1995. His love for sports transpired into a love for physical therapy, which allows him to help patients pursue their athletic endeavors after injury.
Dr. Ryan’s clients range from post surgical rehab needs to maintaining optimal performance in high level athletes, and every injury in between. His precision to detail approach allows him to build treatment plans that work.
When Ryan isn’t working you can find him coaching youth baseball, cheering on UT, and spending time with his wife Allison and his three daughters.
Dr. Alyx Walters, D.C
Associate Chiropractor
Dr. Alyx earned her Doctorate of Chiropractic and Masters in Sports Science from Logan University. Through her time at Logan she worked in different sports clinics and at Paraquad, where she helped those with disabilities gain independence. Her goal as a provider is to make patients feel heard and help active people get out of pain so that they can continue to do the things they love!
She utilizes manual chiropractic adjustments, functional rehabilitation, and functional movement assessments as the foundation of her patient’s care. Dr. Alyx is also certified in dry needling, cupping, Graston, McKenzie Technique, and Active Release Technique. She also gives patients at home exercises and lifestyle modifications so that they can accomplish their goals.
Dr. Alyx is from the Chicagoland area, but moved to Wisconsin for college. There, she was a collegiate cheerleader and worked with a chiropractor before attending chiropractic school. Dr. Alyx has a cheerleading and gymnastics background and enjoys treating these athletes because she has also been in their shoes. She works with athletes at Premier Athletics, as well as athletes from local middle schools, high schools, and colleges in the area. She focuses on injury prevention and optimization so that athletes can practice without pain and feel confident in their ability to perform.
In her free time, Dr. Alyx enjoys watching sports (mainly cheering on the Packers), traveling, and trying all the local Nashville restaurants!
Ryan Hammers
Trainer/Rehab Tech
Ryan (HammerTime) Hammers is one of our newest coaches and our rehab tech. Ryan is a true local to Brentwood, having lived here his entire life. He went to Mississippi State for undergraduate, studying Kinesiology with a focus in Performance Fitness, and worked as an assistant for the Olympic lifting department training athletes. Ryan then went on to Lipscomb University’s graduate program and completed his Masters in Exercise and Nutrition Science in 2023. While at Lipscomb, he also served as a graduate assistant for Strength and Conditioning with the cross country, tennis, and track teams.
Ryan assists Dr. Leist in the rehab portion of his work. He focuses on the strengthening of movement by restoring the ability to perform everyday activities through therapeutic exercises that are aimed at improving strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination.
Ryan is also the coach of our Athletic Development class in the afternoons. His primary focus with the class is helping youth become more confident and efficient at functional and athletic movements by enhancing the understanding of Foundation, Participation, Performance, and Excellence.
When he isn’t at Prevail, Ryan enjoys spending time with his wife, Abby, watching sports, enjoying the outdoors, working out, golfing, or playing with their two dogs.
Dr. Bennett Crane
Physical Therapist
Dr. Bennett Crane is an Indiana University alum. After undergrad, he earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN.
Dr. Crane has a background in tennis, pickleball, fitness, and many other sports. He played collegiate tennis for Indiana University, earning 2x First Team All BIG 10 honors whilst competing, as well as 2x US national champion winner in junior tennis. Dr. Crane also coached the TSU men’s and women’s tennis teams while in physical therapy school in Nashville and teaches tennis at Belle Meade Country Club.
Dr. Crane has a special interest in hands-on rehabilitation and performance for athletes, active adults, post surgical patients, and everything in between. He is certified in dry needling and cupping, and emphasizes functional movement assessments, exercise prescription, and hands on manual therapy techniques to help patients prevail through their injuries and reach their goals.
When Bennett is not working in the office, you can find him coaching tennis, playing pickleball or golf, working out, on the lake, or spending time with his wife Alayna and his two dogs.
Gavin Ford
Trainer
Gavin Ford has been a personal trainer in the Nashville area since 2021. He played both baseball and football at the collegiate level before venturing out to find his love for training. Gavin has had the opportunity to help train at all levels including high school, collegiate, and professional athletes. Gavin enjoys all aspects of training and meeting each client exactly where they are in their fitness journey and building upon there.
Gavins goal is to empower a lifestyle grounded on maximizing clients goals and needs. Building relationships is a big aspect of this industry and that is what Gavin loves most about training. Gavins objective is to share his knowledge and tools in order to help better someone’s own life, as well as develop good healthy habits.
Gavin is honored to be a part of Prevail Fitness and Rehab. Prevail is an incredible business that motivates people to reach their health and wellness goals through a well structured approach to fitness/ rehab. He wants to provide more than a workout, but a strong encounter between trainer and client and strive to help individuals perform at their best by creating personalized programs in a safe and motivating environment.
Gavin’s Certifications include his personal trainer (CPT), Functional movement systems (FMS) Level 1 Certified, and Precision Nutrition Level 1 (PNI).
When Gavin is not at the gym he is coaching baseball, helping with interior design, drumming, looking up tattoo ideas, and enjoying time with his wife Tara and his family.
Our Approach
Our approach is based on the premise of primal movement patterns and the belief that pain and dysfunction occur as a result of impairment to those patterns. Primal movement patterns are based on the fundamental methodology of “crawling before you walk” or learning to move your body effectively and efficiently through a series of increasingly complex patterns.
Under this belief, attention is given to the body as a whole based on the foundation that there are no local injuries. Treatment emphasizes identifying the root cause of the dysfunction rather than just the symptoms.
This approach is not limited to reducing pain. This approach can actually enhance your ability to do the things you most enjoy. Pain reduction is just a byproduct of utilizing the services we offer. At Prevail Rehab & Fitness, our techniques will not only help you recover from pain quickly, but can also help with injury prevention.
