Hey Charlotte athletes! We at Catalyze Performance wanted to reach out and introduce ourselves. Catalyze Performance focuses on personal training, injury prevention, and performance training (in person and online) to help people stay healthy and perform at their best.  Some of you may have seen us already out at local fitness studios or with exercise groups running injury prevention workshops. For those of you who we have not met, it is so nice to meet you! We are thrilled to be a part of the SweatNet community and look forward to helping you stay healthy and training at your best!

Meet the Team

Ryan Cullen, PT, DPT, OCS, CPT

Ryan Cullen is one of our co-founders and lives in Uptown Charlotte! Ryan is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Personal Trainer, Performance Coach, and is a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. He specializes in helping local athletes to reach their maximal potential while staying healthy and reducing injury risk. Ryan is originally from Burnt Hills, NY, and graduated from SUNY Oneonta (Oneonta, NY) for his undergraduate and SUNY Upstate Medical University (Syracuse, NY) for his Doctorate. He went on to complete advanced training in Orthopedics through Upstream Rehab Institute’s Residency program, and specializes in the injury management of fitness athletes.

When he is not running workshops with local fitness groups and coaching athletes, Ryan loves to spend time enjoying the local CLT breweries and food scene. Ryan enjoys working out at his local CrossFit gym, checking out local hiking spots, and traveling to new places!

Joe Villecco, PT, DPT, OCS, CPT

Joe Villecco is a fellow co-founder of Catalyze Performance and is based out of Raleigh, NC. He grew up in upstate New York (Binghamton, NY), earned his Bachelors in Biology from SUNY Oneonta (Oneonta, NY), and received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Upstate Medical University (Syracuse, NY). He has since gone on to complete an Orthopedic Residency to become a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. Joe has been working in outpatient physical therapy for over 3.5 years now and focuses on improving his patient’s beyond their previous baseline level and educating them on the importance of lifelong fitness. 

Joe has been personal training for nearly 8 years now and integrates his knowledge of physical therapy into his personal training to emphasize injury prevention and optimal performance.

Joe focuses primarily on a blended approach of powerlifting and hypertrophy training when he is in the gym. When, and if, he stops thinking about fitness and wellness, you can probably find him at a local brewery, at the beach with his wife, or sitting down to enjoy some Xbox with his friends!