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Michael Stack, BS, ACSM-EP, ACSM-EIM, ACSM-PAPHS, CSCS

Founder/CEO & Education Director

Professor/Intensly Optimistic/Star Wars Expert

Michael Stack is the founder of Applied Fitness Solutions and a nationally recognized advocate for integrating exercise into healthcare. With over 30 years of experience in fitness, health, and wellness, he brings a unique blend of science, leadership, and human connection to everything he does.

He’s a Clinical Exercise Physiologist by training and a passionate educator—serving as a lecturer at the University of Michigan’s School of Kinesiology and hosting the Wellness Paradox Podcast, which explores the intersection of fitness and medicine. Michael also leads key initiatives as President of the Physical Activity Alliance and Chair of the Michigan Moves Coalition, working to make physical activity a core part of public health.

His resume includes credentials like:

ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-EP)
Exercise is Medicine Practitioner (ACSM-EIM)
Physical Activity in Public Health Specialist (ACSM-PAPHS)
Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
CDC Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Coach

He also sits on several boards, including the Michigan Fitness Association and the University of Michigan Kinesiology Alumni Board, and serves as a curriculum reviewer for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He regularly presents at national conferences for organizations like ACSM, IHRSA, and the Medical Fitness Association.

But if you ask Michael, the titles matter less than the mission: helping people—especially those who feel stuck or overlooked—use movement as a powerful tool to take back control of their health and quality of life.