Mike Tossell spent two decades playing rugby in South Wales, reaching what he modestly calls “a fairly decent standard” before the game transitioned from amateur to professional. He went on to a long career in technology. But somewhere along the way — on rugby pitches, in gyms, and eventually on a snowy New Hampshire mountainside — he was drawn toward something else entirely. Today he’s living in Waterville Valley and building a fitness business called Fit Life Strategy, one functional strength class at a time.
A Long Road to the Valley
Mike’s path to New Hampshire began at a dinner table at a technology conference, where he found himself sitting across from a man named Tom Brennan. Brennan was pitching the idea of a US office — and casually mentioned that you could go skiing every weekend. That was enough to plant the seed. After twelve months of visa paperwork and deal-making, Mike arrived in 2009, with offices above an Irish bar on Elm Street in Manchester, New Hampshire.
His first taste of American skiing came that April at Loon Mountain. He remembers warm temperatures and snow that felt like mashed potatoes. It wasn’t quite what he’d experienced in Europe, but the appeal of the mountains stuck. Over the years, Mike and his son explored different resorts across New England — Bretton Woods, Loon, Crotchet — eventually settling on Crotchet as their home mountain because of its youth ski program. When his son caught the freestyle bug and wanted more, the Waterville Valley Academy became the obvious next step. Mike followed.
The Sliding Doors Moment
Technology paid the bills for a long time, but Mike is candid that it was never where he felt he was meant to be. He’d always been drawn to sport and fitness — as a teenager, he’d actually listed sports science among his university course choices, only to be talked out of it by a teacher who thought it looked “out of place.” He took it off the list. The memory stuck.
The moment that finally moved him to act came through a former rugby teammate named Mike Evans. Evans was diagnosed with brain cancer and began vlogging from his home during chemotherapy — stepping out his back door, looking up at the sun, walking to his shed, offering quiet commentary on what it meant to still be here. Mike Tossell watched those videos and found himself asking what he was doing with the time he had. In 2019, at around 45 years old, he got his personal trainer certification. He credits Mike Evans as the inspiration.
Building Something in Waterville
Shortly after earning his certification, Mike walked into a gym in Hooksett on a whim and met the owner, who was just opening the space. Mike offered to help run morning classes. It didn’t feel like work, he says — it was exactly where he wanted to be. Then COVID hit, gyms closed, and online training took over for a while. Progress was slow.
It wasn’t until he moved to Waterville Valley in June of last year that things started to click. He introduced himself to the staff at the White Mountain Athletic Club, who were open to letting him run group classes. Now he leads functional strength sessions twice a week — Tuesday and Friday lunchtimes — using dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, and bodyweight movements. A core group of seven or eight regulars shows up consistently, with more drop-ins over the course of the year.
The philosophy behind the classes is straightforward: most people in the valley are already doing plenty of cardio — hiking, cross-country skiing, cycling. What they’re missing is strength training. Mike makes the case gently but directly. If you play golf or tennis five or six times a week, you’re eventually going to break down. Strength work isn’t a replacement for the activities people love; it’s what lets them keep doing those activities longer.
Beyond the group classes, Mike offers one-on-one personal training and has recently started semi-private sessions for groups of up to three — enough attention to focus on form and technique, but still social. He also offers nutritional guidance, with a simple framework: anchor every meal around protein, minimize processed food, and — as he adds with some self-awareness — try to go easy on the whiskey.
What’s Next
Mike has bigger ideas on the horizon. He wants to develop seasonal programs — a “ski fit” program to help people prepare their bodies before the snow flies, and sport-specific training for golfers and tennis players heading into their seasons. He also sees Waterville as an ideal setting for weekend fitness and wellness retreats, combining education, outdoor activities, and the kind of social evening the valley is known for.
He came on the podcast, as hosts Charlie and Ken cheerfully noted, to do a bit of “shameless promotion” — making him the first guest to actually seek out the show. Charlie and Ken didn’t seem to mind. By the end of the conversation, Charlie had offered to get Mike into the Thursday golf scramble and a free golf lesson. The valley has a way of working like that.
Fit Life Strategy can be found at fitlifestrategy.com. Mike is also usually findable at the White Mountain Athletic Club — or out on the trails.