Meet Our Founders
Leadership Rooted in Wellness, Education and Community Impact
Royally Fit began with a passion for personal wellness and has grown into a community-centered organization working at the intersection of nutrition, maternal wellness, herbalism, food access and health education.
Founded by military veteran and fitness professional Domenique Watkins-Wise, Sr., Royally Fit has evolved alongside the needs of the communities it serves. When Aquene Watkins-Wise joined the business as a co-owner, she brought complementary expertise in education, nutrition, herbalism and public policy that helped expand the organization's vision and programming.
Today, our leadership combines practical wellness experience, community-based program development, educational expertise and a shared commitment to creating meaningful, sustainable impact.
Meet the founders behind our work.
Domenique Watkins-Wise, Sr.
Founder | Co-Owner | U.S. Air Force Veteran | Certified Personal Trainer | Professional Bodybuilder and Powerlifter
Domenique Watkins-Wise, Sr. founded Royally Fit from a belief in the transformative role that physical wellness can play in everyday life.
During his military service, Dom relied on fitness as a way to support his mental well-being while deployed. Over time, his commitment to fitness and bodybuilding made him a trusted resource among fellow service members, friends and family who sought his guidance on exercise, physique development and nutrition.
Recognizing an opportunity to turn that knowledge into a profession, Dom became a certified personal trainer and began developing personalized fitness and meal-planning approaches for clients while stationed in Ohio. Following his military retirement, he continued pursuing personal training, bodybuilding and powerlifting.
After returning to Pennsylvania, Dom and Aquene rebranded this business as Royally Fit, laying the foundation for the organization it is today.
Dom served six deployments during his U.S. Air Force career as a Security Forces specialist before retiring from military service. His military background represents an important part of his leadership story, bringing experience in service, discipline and responsibility to his work beyond the military.
Since becoming a personal trainer in 2015, Dom has continued to build on his experience in physical wellness and individualized fitness. As Royally Fit has grown, his role has expanded beyond its original fitness focus to include the infrastructure, operations and financial stewardship that support the organization's work.
Today, Dom helps oversee Royally Fit's organizational infrastructure and financial management in collaboration with the organization's accountant. He also leads practical development of the organization's farm and physical spaces, including building raised garden beds, installing drip irrigation and supporting the development of the infrastructure needed for future property acquisitions.
Although his work is less public-facing than it once was, his leadership remains central to Royally Fit's continued development.
Areas of leadership and expertise
Personal training and physical fitness
Professional bodybuilding and powerlifting
Military service and veteran-informed perspectives on wellness
Organizational infrastructure and operational development
Farm infrastructure and practical agricultural development
Financial oversight in collaboration with the organization's accountant
Aquene's public policy perspective brings an important question to the organization's work: How does this best serve people?
That question guides how she approaches program development, community partnerships, resource allocation and the evolution of Royally Fit's initiatives.
When Aquene became more involved in the business, she brought her educational background and passion for herbalism into an organization originally centered on personal fitness. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the founders began expanding their work to include food access and health screenings. As community needs became clearer, Royally Fit continued developing programs that connected wellness education with practical resources and community-based support.
Today, Aquene leads much of Royally Fit's public-facing advocacy, program development, strategic partnerships and educational work. She helps translate the organization's vision into programs, collaborations and funding opportunities that support its long-term sustainability.
Her leadership is also reflected in her service on the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council's Board of Directors, where she occupies the health and wellness seat and in her leadership role with a board at Magee-Women’s Research Institute.
Through her work, Aquene is committed to building stronger connections between community wellness initiatives, maternal health, food systems, education and the institutions that can help sustain and expand their impact.
Areas of leadership and expertise
Nutrition education and community food access
Maternal wellness and lactation education
Herbalism and plant-based wellness education
Community health advocacy and program development
Curriculum development and adult education
Public policy and cross-sector collaboration
Organizational strategy, partnerships and resource development
Aquene Watkins-Wise
Co-Owner | Chief Advocating Officer | Nutritionist | Herbalist | Wellness Practitioner | Educator | Community Health Advocate
Aquene Watkins-Wise brings an interdisciplinary perspective to community wellness, combining education, nutrition, herbalism and public policy to help shape programs that respond to real-world needs.
Before expanding her role at Royally Fit, Aquene spent seven years working in special education and high school education. That experience continues to inform her approach to curriculum development, community education, program facilitation and making complex information accessible and practical.
Her academic background includes a Master of Science in Law and Public Policy and undergraduate degrees in Criminal Justice and English. She has also completed training in lactation counseling through the Healthy Children Project, herbalism through the Well of Indigenous Wisdom Academy and Healthy Start Community Health Advocate training.
Why We Built Royally Fit
Royally Fit began with a simple idea: wellness is something people can actively cultivate and the right support can make that journey more accessible.
For Dom, that understanding grew through military service and his experience using fitness to support his own well-being. What began as a personal commitment developed into a professional calling as others sought his guidance on fitness, physique development and nutrition.
For Aquene, wellness is inseparable from education, access and the systems that shape people's opportunities to thrive. Her experience as an educator and her background in public policy brought a broader lens to the business, beyond helping individuals pursue their personal wellness goals, how could Royally Fit help address the needs affecting entire communities?
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated that evolution. As the founders expanded their work into food access and health screenings, Royally Fit began growing beyond its original fitness model.
Over time, the organization developed programming in nutrition education, community-supported agriculture, cooking demonstrations, maternal wellness, herbalism and community learning.
Each evolution has been informed by a consistent principle: listen to the community, identify opportunities to respond and build programs that connect knowledge with practical resources.
Today, Royally Fit reflects both founders' journeys. It combines Dom's foundation in physical wellness with Aquene's focus on education, advocacy and community health.
We are building an organization where wellness extends beyond the individual to include families, food systems, community resources and the environments in which people live and grow.
Why We Are Qualified to Do This Work
Our approach to community wellness is grounded in relevant professional training, years of program delivery, established community relationships and complementary leadership experience.
We believe effective wellness programming requires more than a compelling mission. It requires knowledgeable leadership, thoughtful program design, the ability to engage participants and the operational capacity to deliver work consistently.
Nutrition Education and Food Access
Royally Fit has operated its Nutritionally Tailored Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiative for six years, connecting food access with nutrition education and practical food skills.
Our work has also included more than 130 nutrition and cooking demonstrations, helping participants engage with food through accessible, hands-on learning.
These initiatives reflect our understanding that food access and food education work best when people have opportunities to learn, practice and apply new skills in their everyday lives.
Community-Based Program Delivery
Royally Fit has worked with Pittsburgh Parks & Recreation's Senior Healthy Living Centers for five years, supporting programming that connects wellness education with community engagement.
We have also developed Seed to Table programming in collaboration with the Allegheny County Health Department and facilitated structured wellness education through our Royal T.E.A. initiative, which has graduated five cohorts.
These experiences have helped shape our approach to program planning, facilitation, partnership development and responding to the needs of different communities.
Maternal Wellness and Family Support
Our work includes maternal wellness education, lactation-informed support, nutrition workshops and family-focused food access initiatives.
We recognize that maternal and family well-being are connected to nutrition, education, access to resources and supportive community environments. Our goal is to develop programming that acknowledges those connections and helps families access practical tools and information.
Education and Herbalism
Education is a core part of Royally Fit's model. Aquene's background in education, public policy, nutrition and herbalism informs the development of accessible learning experiences that connect wellness concepts with everyday practice.
Through workshops, structured cohorts, cooking demonstrations and herbal education, we work to make wellness knowledge more approachable while encouraging informed, responsible engagement with health and self-care practices.
Community Leadership and Strategic Partnerships
Our founders bring complementary experience in wellness, military service, education, organizational operations and community leadership.
Aquene's service on the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council's Board of Directors and her leadership involvement with a board associated with Magee-Womens Research Institute reflect engagement with broader conversations around food policy, health and research.
Dom's leadership in infrastructure, operational development and financial management supports the practical foundation required to maintain programs and prepare the organization for future growth.
Together, these strengths position Royally Fit to pursue collaborative opportunities that connect community knowledge and engagement with institutional partnerships, funding and sustainable program delivery.
Our Approach to Leadership
We believe the strongest community wellness programs are built with communities, not simply delivered to them.
Our approach prioritizes listening, accessible education, practical resources, collaboration and the responsible use of organizational resources. We value lived experience while recognizing the importance of professional training, sound program design and ongoing learning.
We also understand that sustainable community work requires a strong foundation behind the scenes. Program quality depends not only on what participants experience but also on the planning, partnerships, infrastructure and financial stewardship that make that experience possible.
As Royally Fit continues to evolve, our commitment remains the same, to develop responsive, community-centered wellness initiatives that can grow in reach, strengthen partnerships, and contribute to lasting impact.
Partner With Royally Fit
We welcome opportunities to collaborate with foundations, healthcare organizations, public health agencies, educational institutions, community organizations and other partners working to advance community wellness.
Our areas of interest include:
Nutrition education and community food access
Maternal wellness and family support
Herbal education and wellness programming
Community health education and workforce learning
Collaborative program implementation and evaluation
Strategic partnerships that strengthen long-term sustainability
Whether you are interested in funding an existing initiative, developing a collaborative program, sponsoring educational opportunities or exploring a new approach to community wellness, we welcome the conversation.
Let's build healthier, more supported communities together.
Contact Hello@RoyallyFit.org to explore partnership, funding, sponsorship and program collaboration opportunities.