Co-founder and Head Coach at Atlas. Deborah left a law career to coach full-time — after a law degree she worked as a paralegal while coaching part-time, and a few years in, the part-time job was clearly the real one. Four years on, she holds a Level 3 PT, CrossFit Level 1, and is studying for an MNU Certified Nutritionist diploma in Advanced Nutrition Science (Nov 2026). Hundreds of group sessions across CrossFit and hybrid facilities, 1-1 clients in person and online, and beginner programmes that walk 25+ people per cohort from never trained to confident in a class. Emma started as her PT client four years ago — Atlas is what happened when a coach and a client realised they wanted the same gym.

Emma is a co-founder of Atlas Training Club. Through her teens she raced nationally in biathlon, triathlon, cross-country and athletics, and earned a place in the U21 North of England hockey development squad. Adult life pulled her elsewhere — but the competitive instinct stayed. Years later, PT sessions with Deborah pulled her back. The two trained together, and somewhere between a sled push and the next session Emma realised the gym she wanted to train in didn't exist this side of Manchester. So she decided to build one. Off the floor, Emma is a dentist and co-owner of Walmsley Dental in Droylsden with her husband Ed. At Atlas, alongside Debs, Emma is building the kind of Hyrox training environment Cheshire's been missing — expert coaching, structured programming, top-tier kit, no fluff. The kind of room where a first-timer can find their feet and a competitor can find their edge.

Ed is a third co-founder of Atlas Training Club, alongside his wife Emma and business partner Deborah. By day, Ed is a dentist and co-owner of Walmsley Dental in Droylsden, the family practice he runs with Emma. When Emma's PT sessions with Debs turned into building the gym Cheshire's been missing, Ed backed the build and helped shape the plan. His role at Atlas is on the business side — the strategy, the build, the operating model. Emma and Debs run the floor day-to-day. Ed stays off the coaching board by design.