SportsLife Leader Spotlight: Melissa Montalvo

When Mike McDonald took the reins as Executive Director of Faith RXD (a ministry of SportsLife Leadership) in January, one of his first goals was to identify high-capacity leaders across the ministry. Last March, he found one at the Wodapalooza CrossFit® event where he connected with long-time volunteer Melissa Montalvo.

“The most important thing about Melissa is that she’s sold out for God.” – Mike McDonald

“But she’s also a people person and one of the kindest individuals I’ve ever been around. She has a heart for people and that’s what attracts folks to her,” McDonald said.

Montalvo leads the Faith RXD West Palm Beach chapter out of CrossFit® Sea Dog in Jupiter, Florida, but her road there began years before the ministry existed.

Raised in church in New Jersey, Montalvo drew closer to Christ through sports ministry in high school and while playing soccer at Lehigh University, where Becky Conzelman was a spiritual mentor to the female athletes. The two reconnected in 2014 after they both became active in CrossFit®, and Conzelman—who had founded Faith RXD—invited Montalvo to an Iron Sharpens Iron Conference in North Carolina.

“I saw chapel happen, I saw small groups happen, they had the best speakers, and there was worship,” she recalled. “And then they asked if we wanted to bring this back to where we lived.”

Back home, Montalvo co-directed a new chapter in North Jersey with her brother and helped start chapters in Jersey Shore and New York City. When Conzelman passed away tragically and unexpectedly in 2019, Montalvo and many others knew the best way to honor her legacy was to carry on.

“We kept things going for the love of the Gospel,” she said. “The heart of Faith RXD is about activating Christians in the workout space and reaching the lost.”

Montalvo moved to Florida in April of 2021, connected with the West Palm Beach chapter, and eventually stepped into leadership. Her group meets monthly following a 9 a.m. class.

“Sports ministry was a big part of my discipleship process. I understand how much power there is in meeting people where they are.” – Melissa Montalvo

McDonald saw that firsthand in May at the Sea Dog Showdown, a two-day CrossFit® competition in Jupiter, where he jumped into the co-ed division after Montalvo’s partner suffered a knee injury.

“It was incredible to see the amount of people that she knew in the community,” he said. “People just kept coming up to her, talking to her, and hugging her. You could tell those relationships were real.”

Montalvo works in wealth management as a Certified Financial Planner™. In her off hours, she is expanding her influence into ministry adjacent to the CrossFit® space—encouraging a dance instructor who wants to use her platform for Christ and partnering with a firefighter holding Christian wellness events.

“My goal is to build relationships with people that wouldn’t step foot in a local church,” she said.

She recently visited a gym hosting a Tuesday night Bible study and learned her RXD chapter had inspired its leader.

“You never know who’s watching and what can get launched because of something you’re doing.” – Melissa Montalvo

“A lot of people look at fitness as their god,” Montalvo added. “But unlike the true God, fitness will fail you. It’s great for your physical health, but without Jesus, you’re still going to feel empty. The Gospel is what transforms us inside out.”