BTE TEAM
Craig Weller - Co-founder
Craig Weller is a former USN SWCC (Special Warfare Combatant Crewman). He is also certified under the Department of State’s Worldwide Personal Protective Service-2, and spent nearly two years on the High-Threat Protection team for the U.S. Ambassador to Baghdad in Iraq.
In Special Operations and in subsequent private deployments, Craig held a variety of instructional and diplomatic security roles in locations including Kenya, the Philippines, Central America, South Sudan, and Iraq.
Jonathan Pope - Co-founder
Jonathan has over fifteen years of coaching experience and a BS in Exercise Science. Along with Craig, he co-founded Ethos Colorado Training Center in 2010, where he was the lead coach and oversaw operations for over a decade.
When not working, he can be found chasing ski mountaineering objectives all over the world.
DJ Gianakas - Coach
DJ has been a law enforcement officer since 2009 and spent 8 years as a SWAT operator before retiring in 2019.
He is a former professional baseball player and spent time competing in Olympic Weightlifting, placing 10th nationally in 2016. DJ spent over a decade coaching strength and conditioning before crossing paths with BTE in 2020.
Miguel Zeran - Coach
Miguel Zeran, "Z", is a retired USMC Reconnaissance Marine. In addition to numerous deployments, he spent three years as an instructor at the Reconnaissance Training Company and another three years in South America training Chilean Naval Special Warfare Buzos Tacticos and Comandos.
You can learn more about working with Miguel here.
Broc Frandsen - Coach
Broc is a coach based out of Phoenix, Arizona. He spent five years as a United States Marine working as a Linguist and Signals Intelligence professional.
He has been involved with BTE since the early years of his enlistment. While furthering his education in sports performance, he also competes as an amateur mixed martial artist.
Joseph Mosher - Coach
Joe has close to 20 years of experience working with collegiate, professional, and military athletes.
Joe is a dual certificate Athletic Trainer (NATABOC) and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (NSCA-CSCS). He holds a BS degree in athletic training and an MEd in sports administration.
Krista Scott-Dixon - Performance Psych
Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon is a trained counselor specializing in the psychology of behavior change, with certifications including motivational interviewing, solution-focused, DBT, CBT, and trauma counseling.
She’s the author of numerous books and accredited nutrition, sleep, stress, and recovery courses. She is our go-to performance psych and works 1-1 with many of our clients seeking to sharpen the mental and emotional skills needed to handle some of the toughest training courses in the world.
You can learn more about working with KSD here.
James Heathers - Scientific Editor
Dr. James Heathers earned his Ph.D. in psychophysiology from the University of Sydney while competing in strongman events and working nights as a bouncer.
He is the scientific editor of Building the Elite and splits his time between roles as a scientist and executive positions in health-related companies. James regularly contributes to publications ranging from The Atlantic to Evidence-Based Toxicology and may be best known for his work as a scientific BS detector.
Tim Richardt - Physical Therapist
Tim is a Colorado-based Doctor of Physical Therapy with a passion for rock climbing, trail running, and technical backcountry skiing. Professionally, he's been involved in the physical preparation of military, tactical, and law enforcement personnel since 2010.