ABOUT ESME
BEHIND EVOLVE
MEET COACH Esme
Esme Hovekamp is a strength and conditioning coach, Masters National Weightlifter, and founder of EVOLVE — a coaching platform built to help everyday athletes unlock their strongest, most capable selves through intentional movement and skill-driven strength training.
Trained in classical ballet in NYC with the School of American Ballet (SAB), American Ballet Theatre (ABT), Manhattan Youth Ballet, and Suzanne Farrell, Esme brings a uniquely refined movement background to her coaching. She expanded her training through her experience with yoga, kettlebells, weightlifting, CrossFit, metcons, and plyometrics, shaping an adaptable coaching style.
Certified in RKC II, SFL, DSPCC II, KBCU II, and USAW, Esme combines elite movement knowledge with a grounded, empowering coaching style shaped by lived experience. Before ever touching a barbell, she explored yoga, boxing, cycling, and other modalities — moving through seasons of growth while searching for a way of training that felt purposeful and sustainable.
Kettlebells changed everything.
They made strength feel accessible, skill-based, and empowering. That shift led Esme to her first coach and mentor, Eric Salvador, who guided her through multiple kettlebell certifications, introduced her to CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting, and coached her through her first weightlifting competition. More importantly, his mentorship showed her how deeply a coach can influence someone’s confidence, identity, and belief in what they’re capable of.
That experience reshaped Esme’s relationship with training and clarified her purpose. She wanted to coach everyday athletes. Adults navigating life beyond their twenties. Former youth and collegiate athletes returning to structured training. Fitness and rehab professionals deepening their own strength practice. And people with no formal training background who are ready to begin their athletic journey for the first time. People who still see themselves as athletes — or are ready to reclaim or discover that identity — and want coaching that respects their experience while meeting them exactly where they are
Esme began Olympic weightlifting at 32 and has since become a Masters National-level athlete, now training for the world stage. Her journey reinforces what she teaches every day: strength has no timeline, and your strongest self is always within reach.
Esme has coached across NYC at Rep Collective, Strength Society, Clutch Athletes, EVOLVE Kettlebells hosted at Momentum Fitness, and JDI Strong Girls Club, has led workshops across the tristate area, including charity-based events, and assists in DSPCC and RKC certifications under Darius Gilbert. She also brings a business background as a former VP of Marketing and co-founder of Lift N Launch, helping fitness professionals build strong brands and sustainable businesses.
Through EVOLVE, Esme coaches athletes worldwide — across the U.S., Canada, Norway, and India — helping them train with intention, move with confidence, and live without limits.
MY MISSION
EVOLVE helps everyday athletes build real strength — the kind that changes how you move, how you think, and how you live. Through intentional training and coaching that expands your limits, I help you step into a version of yourself you didn’t even know was possible.
EVOLVE yourself to live without limits.
VALUES
EVOLVE
Skills, confidence, passions, fitness, and lifestyle.
Strength isn’t just about lifting — it’s understanding your body, building skills that last, and training with awareness. EVOLVE means giving everyday athletes the tools and knowledge to move well in the gym and in their daily life.
EMPOWER
Every athlete deserves to feel strong.
Strength belongs to anyone willing to train for it. Empowerment means building trust, confidence, resilience, and belief in your ability to take up space.
LIMITLESS
Breaking fears and boundaries.
Age, injury, fear, or inexperience do not set your limits. Training with intention creates possibility where doubt used to live.
INTENTION
Clarity, purpose, smart progression.
Strength isn’t random. Every movement has a purpose. Every progression builds capability. Training with intention creates outcomes that last.
COMMUNITY
Strength grows through connection and shared effort.
Strength is personal — but it’s also collective. Community brings accountability, confidence, and momentum. We grow stronger together.
WHO DO I WORK WITH?
I work with everyday athletes across all stages of life — adults navigating strength beyond their twenties, former youth and collegiate athletes returning to structured training, fitness and rehab professionals refining their own practice, and individuals with no formal training background who are ready to begin their athletic journey for the first time. My clients come from a wide range of backgrounds but share a common goal: they want to feel strong, capable, and confident in their fitness. They’re ready for coaching that meets them where they are and helps them evolve beyond what they thought was possible.
