our story

Oak & Iron began was founded by Lindsey Dias, an IFBB Physique Pro. During the chaos of COVID-19 in 2020, while the world shut down, she opened a small corner of hope, strength, and routine in her garage. What started as a few lifters gathering in a converted garage quickly became a community.

By 2021, she opened the official gym, and it grew into a place where both women and men in Santa Maria felt safe, supported, and pushed to be better. It wasn’t just a gym; it was a refuge built by someone who lived the lifestyle and understood what lifters needed.

As the community expanded, so did the vision. In 2025, Scott joined forces with Lindsey, bringing two decades of experience building and scaling tech businesses. He saw the heart she had built into Oak & Iron and helped channel that energy into a stronger structure—streamlining operations, improving systems, and bringing in new resources to support the lifters who already loved the space. Together, they strengthened the backbone of the gym without ever losing its soul.

Today, Oak & Iron stands as a testament to what happens when grit, heart, and expertise collide. It’s still the same safe space Lindsey built during a difficult time—just larger, more polished, and ready to serve the serious lifters who call it home. And at its core, it remains what it has always been: a place where people are welcomed, challenged, and inspired to grow.