About
Hammock Coast CrossFit
Our team of fitness and nutrition professionals are invested in your health. We make every decision with our members’ well-being in mind. Achieve your goals with us!
The Team
Karen Stephenson
Owner
“Our oldest son started doing CrossFit with some college buddies in 2010, and we thought it would be a great way for our family to stay in shape. We started assembling our garage gym: building jump boxes, buying squat racks and barbells, and installing pull up bars and rings. After a couple of years of doing CrossFit in our garage, in the spring of 2017, we opened 1201 CrossFit. 1201 remains a thriving and vital part of the Elkins, WV community, and in January of 2020 we sold it to two of our coaches so that we could move to a more temperate climate and start the whole process again! We’ve fallen in love with Pawleys Island and we’re excited to introduce new friends to CrossFit and build a new community.
PICTURE IS SCOTT AND KAREN WITH OLDEST SON (TAYLOR).
Karen Stephenson
Coach
“As a full time mother of four, Karen was determined to stay active, but struggled to find a way to workout that didn’t feel like a chore. When the family started CrossFit in 2011, the pieces started to come together, but it wasn’t until her first group class while on vacation in 2014 that she was really hooked. Deadlifting was her jam, scaling was a revelation, and working out with a group of people all at their own relative intensity was just about the most fun thing she’d done. After that, Karen was determined to get a box to work out at, even if she and Scott had to open it themselves. And so they did. After selling that box to move south, they’re ready to start again in a new place with new friends! After a 25 year career as a stay at home mom, Karen took a personality test that accurately described her as an “Assertive Nurturer.” She loves to conquer new things and bring others with her for the journey. She loves change and challenge and, most of all, loves meeting new people and connecting them with each other. Karen is the box’s intake guru, and heads up most of our Ramp Up classes. As a Level-2 CrossFit Coach, Karen’s super knowledgeable about technique and scaling, and loves helping people discover that “Yes, you can CrossFit!”
Scott Stephenson
Coach
“Scott grew up in an active family: water skiing, hiking, and a lot of camping. As his own kids grew up, he was always looking for ways to be active with them, especially in an area with few team sports. When the family started Crossfitting, he was excited to be able to work out right alongside his growing kids, training the same movements, learning the same methods, and doing the same workouts. His 35 year career as an engineer left him with a love of data and willingness to question “how it’s always done” and CrossFit’s methodology–a combination of data oriented definitions and research into new ways of doing things–was deeply appealing to him. Scott likes to stay on the cutting edge of CrossFit’s health research: he and Karen have been to the CrossFit Health Conference twice, and most of the books in the Hammock Coast library are his. Ask him about anything from low carb diets and chronic disease to proper technique on a Concept II Rower, he’ll have an answer for you, and is probably more than willing to talk your ear off about it! Scott is a Level-2 Coach and has been to the Bergner Weightlifting seminar, the Gymnastics Seminar, and the Aerobic Capacity seminar.”
Meagen Johnson
Head Coach
Meagen Johnson is a 40 something native of Georgetown and lifelong athlete who is excited to share her passion for health and fitness with her hometown. Meagen played softball and volleyball in high school, collegiate softball at Furman University and Coastal Carolina and in 2012 was inducted into the Coastal Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame!
After college, Meagen dabbled in cardio and bodybuilding but wasn’t totally fulfilled. She found CrossFit in 2016 and hasn’t looked back. “This (CF) is what I’d been looking for. Finally, a ‘team’ to workout with and a fitness family to bond with.”
Meagen began her CrossFit coaching career in 2021 as a way to help others enjoy the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of completing difficult workouts surrounded by a positive and supportive community. She has her L1, CrossFit Kids certificate, CrossFit Gymnastics specialty course certificate, and the Concept 2 Indoor Rowing Instructor Certification.
Meagen spent 16 years teaching middle and high school students and joined the staff of Hammock Coast, in a full time capacity, in April of 2023.
Her favorite CrossFit workouts include thrusters and rowing!
Josh Stephenson
Coach
“Despite being the youngest of the Stephenson coaches, Josh is unbeatable when it comes to technique and competition experience. He’s our resident lifting guru and master of all things barbell related. He’s competed in a half dozen competitions and recently qualified for the Fittest of the Coast here in SC. Josh started CrossFitting with the rest of the family as a teenager, and has developed a passion for the sport that is hard to match. Most days find him training hard in the gym between classes, and he’s always willing to lend an eye to help improve anyone’s performance. Josh’s other great love is food, so if you ever have questions about cooking delicious, high quality food (especially steak!) he’s your guy! Josh is a Level-2 coach, and has his USAW, CrossFit Weightlifting, and CrossFit Gymnastics.”
Haley Brandon
Coach
Haley grew up nearby in Murrells Inlet, SC. She played soccer and basketball in high school and attended Clemson University where she majored in Financial Management. She works full time as a financial analyst and accountant for a local marketing agency, but her passion for health and fitness drew her to pursuing a job as a coach.
Haley found CrossFit after college. She was missing that “team” aspect of sports and fell in love with the community she found inside a CrossFit gym. She became passionate about nutrition when she noticed how a change in her own diet started to positively affect her results in the gym. She wants to share that knowledge with others to help them reach their max potential both inside and outside of the gym.
She has her CrossFit L1 and is a Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certified Coach.
Haley loves to cook, read, and go for long walks on the beach with her two dogs. Her favorite CrossFit workouts include running and lunges!
Jessica Feldpusch
Coach
Jessica is originally from Boulder, Colorado and joined the CrossFit community in 2010 and began Coaching in 2011. She has been a certified Level 2 Coach since 2013 and qualified for Regionals as a Masters Athlete in 2017 and 2018. She Crossfitted through two pregnancies and credits the sport for helping her “bounce back” postpartum. Prior to CrossFit, Jessica chased the 90’s Era unachievable “supermodel body” with hours of cardio and counting calories. It wasn’t until she experienced CrossFit that Jessica discovered what her body could do, not just what it could look like! Jessica loves helping others make this same connection working with many of our brand new members as they embark on their own fitness journey’s.
In addition to Coaching CrossFit, she has a fitness background with Functional Body Building, personal training, and training seniors.
She and her husband live in Murrells Inlet with their two young children, Marin and Atlas, and their Great Dane Navy. Her favorite movements are Pull-Ups and Power Cleans.
Take the first step.
We can’t wait to meet you
Chat with a coach at our gym to learn more about what program will fit your goals.