Today we’d like to introduce you to Alen Kunica.
Hi Alen, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my journey with service and leadership. I did a short stint in the U.S. Army before injuries ultimately cut that chapter shorter than planned, but the experience still shaped a lot of who I am today teaching me discipline, accountability, and resilience. From there, I transitioned into business, building a career in sales, marketing, and business development, eventually stepping into executive leadership roles.
At the same time, fitness had always been a major passion of mine. That passion eventually led me to The Den in Medford, where I became the owner and focused on building more than just a gym I wanted to create a true community.
Today, The Den is a 3-time award-winning gym in Southern Oregon, known for CrossFit, HYROX-style training, youth athlete development, and giving people of all backgrounds a place to grow. More than the awards, what drives me is seeing people change their lives, build confidence, and realize what they’re capable of.
My journey hasn’t been a straight line, but every challenge from the military to business to entrepreneurship helped shape the leader I am today.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not at all. The road definitely hasn’t been smooth, and honestly, that’s a big part of what shaped me into who I am today.
Early on, one of my biggest setbacks came when my time in the military was cut short because of injuries. That was tough, because I had a vision for where I wanted that path to go, and having to pivot earlier than expected forced me to adapt quickly.
From there, building my career in sales, marketing, and business development came with plenty of challenges dealing with rejection, learning how to lead people, making mistakes, and figuring out how to grow in competitive industries. Every new role brought more responsibility, pressure, and lessons.
Then stepping into ownership at The Den in Medford brought a whole new set of challenges building a strong culture, earning trust in the community, leading a team, and making sure we continued to grow while delivering real value to our members every single day.
There were definitely moments of doubt and a lot of long days, but I’ve always believed adversity builds character. Looking back, those struggles are what helped shape my leadership style and made building The Den into a 3-time award-winning gym even more meaningful.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What I do goes far beyond just running a gym. I see myself as a leader, innovator, and community builder. As the owner of The Den in Medford, I specialize in fitness, performance training, youth athlete development, and creating an environment where people can truly transform—not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.
I’m known for always looking ahead and being willing to do things differently. I’ve always believed in staying on the forefront of the fitness industry, which is a big reason I brought HYROX-style training to Southern Oregon and continue pushing our community toward new challenges, new experiences, and new opportunities for growth.
What excites me most is innovation—finding ways to grow, evolve, and create something bigger than what people expect. I’m always asking, “What’s next? How do we make this better? How do we create more impact?”
But what I’m most proud of isn’t the awards or recognition—it’s the people. It’s seeing someone walk in with low confidence, self-doubt, stress, anxiety, or feeling stuck… and then watching them do hard things, stay consistent, see real results, and completely change how they see themselves.
To me, fitness has always been bigger than the physical side. Movement, training, and pushing yourself can change your mental health, your confidence, your discipline, and how you show up in your home, your business, your relationships, and everyday life. That’s what drives me.
What sets me apart is that I don’t just coach workouts—I help build stronger people. Physically, mentally, and in life. That’s the impact I’m chasing every day.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
one builds something meaningful alone, and a huge part of our success at The Den in Medford comes down to the people I’ve surrounded myself with.
I’ve always believed I never want to be the smartest person in the room, and I definitely never want to be the best coach in the room. My goal has always been to surround myself with people who are better than me in different areas—better coaches, better leaders, better communicators, and better specialists—because that pushes me to keep growing, and more importantly, it gives our community the absolute best experience possible.
A massive amount of credit goes to our coaching team—Coach Shannon, Coach Jessie, Coach Mariah, Coach Kevin, Coach Max, Coach Heather, Coach Olivia, Coach Allie, Coach Sophia, Coach Muren, Coach Mailee, and Coach Valentine. Every one of them brings something unique to The Den. They’ve helped build the culture, the energy, and the standard that our members experience every single day.
I also want to give a special shoutout to Amanda for her constant support, belief, and for being there through both the highs and the challenges that come with building something meaningful. Having people in your corner like that makes all the difference.
I’ve also always looked up to innovators like Nikola Tesla and Steve Jobs because they taught me the importance of thinking differently, staying creative, and never being afraid to challenge what’s possible.
At the end of the day, while I may help lead the vision, our success has always been about the team. When you surround yourself with great people and empower them to lead, incredible things happen—and that’s what I’m most proud of.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Den.fit
- Instagram: Theden_medford
