Cohort Instructors

Brendan Aylward is the owner of Unified Health and Performance and Executive Director of AdaptX, where his work centers on making fitness and sport more accessible for people with disabilities. He has become a trusted resource for universities and organizations, delivering dozens of presentations and developing educational products. He also races as a duo with Team Hoyt New England, pushing his friend, Jacob, in over 100 races.

Nicole Sampson is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist with a strong foundation in athletic performance and development. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Springfield College, where she was a two-year captain on the women’s soccer team, before completing her master’s degree in Exercise Science at Merrimack College. Nicole spent four years at the University of Denver and four years at Phillips Exeter Academy as a Sports Performance Coach. She is now a strength and conditioning coach at Unified Health and Performance where she works with clients of all ages and abilities. Nicole brings a blend of coaching experience and finds joy in building relationships with everyone she crosses paths with. Her goal is to allow training to positively shape the lives of those she works with.

Meg Carey, DPT, is passionate about neurological rehabilitation, adaptive sports, and creating greater access to fitness for people of all abilities. Meg’s passion for adaptive sports began at age 16, when she started volunteering with adaptive fitness programs. While earning her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at Bond University in Queensland, Australia, she had the opportunity to study and practice physical therapy across three continents. These experiences gave her a unique perspective on how communities around the world use adaptive sports and fitness to promote health, connection, independence, and empowerment. Now based in rural New England, Meg has seen firsthand the limited availability of adaptive sports and fitness opportunities in smaller communities. Through AdaptX, she wants to change that by equipping fitness and healthcare professionals with the knowledge, confidence, and practical skills to bring adaptive programming to their own communities.

Elizabeth (Liz) Stefancic is a fourth-year medical student at UMass Chan Medical School with a strong interest in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and adaptive sports. A lifelong athlete and former Division I tennis player, Elizabeth has experienced firsthand the joy that movement and exercise can bring and believes that everyone should have the opportunity to experience that feeling. She has worked with medical teams supporting adaptive and competitive athletes, including the CrossFit Adaptive Games and Wodapalooza, and has pursued clinical experiences in limb loss and neurorehabilitation. Through AdaptX, Elizabeth is excited to help learners explore how adaptive sports can make movement more accessible and meaningful for individuals with disabilities.

Nolan is an exercise physiologist at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Cambridge, MA. He works in Exercise for Persons with Disabilities (ExPD), an adapted fitness program primarily for individuals with spinal cord injuries. He has been working with AdaptX since 2020 as an adaptive fitness coach, reviewer of course content and then as volunteer for the annual Unified 5k series.

Nolan has a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from the University of Vermont and will be attending the MGH Institute of Health Professions in the spring.