There is so much more to life than the continuous pursuit of destinations. If you merely bounce from one location to the next, checking goals off your life’s bucket list, you will miss the fulfillment found within the journey itself. My fitness story embodies the full comprehension of this reality in the fact that I […]
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Rosalie is an Aveda Institute graduate and has been working as a licensed esthetician for 6 years. She is passionate about helping people look and feel their best by enhancing their natural beauty. Rosalie feels that working as an esthetician is more than just performing services on clients, it’s about forming meaningful relationships and creating a place for clients to feel welcome, relaxed, and understood!
Rosalie specializes in facials, eyelash extensions, lash lifts, and brow services. She pays close attention to detail to ensure that every service is performed with expert care.
Rosalie looks forward to being the next step in your self care journey!
Let’s go way back to elementary school. I loved watching and playing sports. I would play games in gym class and at recess- come home- and brag about how good I was in all these sporting activities. My dad started playing catch with me and realized I always stated how I threw a great pass – or made such a good catch. He listened to me as I continuously complimented myself while never giving any credit to the others playing. After stating a rule of “no organized sports until junior high”, he relented while I was in fourth grade to teach me a lesson in humility. That’s how my athletic story began…. A little lesson on “no I in TEAM” turned into a long, successful career in wrestling, basketball, football, and track. In college, I was fortunate enough to play a game I loved while obtaining my exercise science degree and taking classes in health education. Football had always kept me in shape and I learned so many other valuable lessons in weight training, sports conditioning, and coaching others.
After my college career ended, I started working for a distribution center. It was amazing how well I could stay in “lifting shape” while being on the truck. I was still strong and trim, but could feel my cardio slipping. I joined a one-hand touch football team as an outlet to continue to play the game I loved – while trying to get back to the shape I was in college. I remember coming back from playing on Sundays and still feeling my legs on Wednesday!!! I needed something else to do and I did not like how out of shape I was getting.
Like Julie mentioned, we joined the Y in 2008 and I had no problem getting back into lifting shape. The cardio would come, and with my exercise science background, I started putting a plan of sorts together to help me achieve my goal. That was the problem…. What was my goal? What am I training for? What am I trying to achieve? For the first time in 15 years, I was no longer training for a sport. I needed something to drive me. I needed a reason to be at the gym after a 10-hour day on the truck. Enter triathlon.
This was it! I became fascinated with this sport. The Y had a “cycle camp” class where I figured out how to bike. I could not believe how exhausted one could get while riding a stupid bicycle! I started running. I could always run – however my 4.6 40-yard dash speed was not going to help me in a 5k. I started running for mileage. Pacing was something totally new. I hit the pool and became friends with a man named Tim Keppers. He was a fantastic swimmer and graciously took the time to teach me how to swim efficiently. It was fantastic! I couldn’t wait to begin the racing season.
Around this time, Julie had started working again. She started at the Y and you know her story about becoming a personal trainer. We talked about our future. I felt I could not do my job forever, and I was wishing I was doing a job that I could use my degree in. I wanted to do something that I really enjoyed. Julie would come home and she always seemed happy with what she was doing. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I could do that too. As Destination Fitness was born, I went out and started personal training as well. From my experiences with overseeing the weight program at my high school to tracking/developing an off-season training program for one of our college sports’ teams – I felt like I had a lot to offer. I gained a ton of knowledge and expanded my certifications to include a USAT Level 1 Triathlon coach.
This is it – something I truly enjoy doing and look forward to. I love getting to know each one of you. I hear your stories, I long for each one of your goals, I enjoy our accomplishments, and I want to work harder when we stumble. It has been so gratifying to read your stories. Julie and I have talked about how we can serve each of you better. We have lots planned for the future – so keep working hard!
NOTE: We require at least 24 hours notice to cancel an appointment. Clients who cancel an appointment with less than 24 hours notice will be billed 50% of the price of the scheduled service. Clients who do not show up for a scheduled appointment or notify us in advance will not be refunded any of their session.
Tom earned his DPT from the College of Saint Scholastica in 2014. Since that time, he has completed extensive post-graduate training and earned advanced certifications in Spinal Manipulation (Cert. SMT) and Dry Needling (Cert. DN) through the American Academy of Manipulative Therapy. Tom specializes in treating a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions. His expertise includes managing neck pain, headaches, TMJ dysfunction, vertigo, back pain, shoulder pain, hip and knee pain, plantar fasciitis, tennis and golfer’s elbow, Achilles tendinitis, and more.
Tom utilizes a variety of treatment techniques, including spine and extremity manipulation/mobilization, dry needling, soft tissue mobilization (IASTM, cupping), and personalized exercise interventions. His approach helps patients recover quickly, while preventing future injuries.
A former multi-sport athlete in both high school and college, Tom now channels his passion into running, skiing, mountain biking, and rock climbing. His personal experience as an athlete gives him unique insight into the importance of returning to the activities you love.
Outside of his professional life, Tom enjoys spending time with his wife, two daughters, and their energetic black lab, who is always up for a run.
Stephanie (Steph) Gregorich-Mahnke, CMT: Steph is a 2009 graduate of the massage therapy program at Lake Superior College. She appreciates the benefits of massage on both the mind and the body. She specializes in relaxation, deep tissue with a focus on stress management as she is passionate about the mind-body connection and limiting the negative effects of stress.
Steph has years of experience working in the healthcare industry and is thankful for the opportunity to care for the Northland. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, friends, and pets. She also enjoys cooking, quirky television shows, and soaking up the sun in the short Minnesota summers.
One of her favorite quotes is, “Balance is not something you find. It’s something you create.” She knows the importance of self-care and how challenging it can be to navigate the time to truly make changes in one’s life. This is why she appreciates each one of her clients and each one of her sessions. Steph believes in an empathetic and holistic approach to massage and looks forward to supporting you on your journey to a happy and healthy you.
Christen Hull is a wellness enthusiast, group fitness instructor trainee, Raindrop Technique trainee, and certified wellness coach trainee. She has been on a mission to help promote healthy living for families for the last decade and LOVES helping other people feel their absolute best!
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Kait was born and raised in Duluth. She played soccer, softball, and figure skated as a kid but quit when things got too scary (Fast pitch? Scary. Spinning jumps on ice? Scary). In high school she played volleyball until that got too scary (overhand serves hurt when you get hit in the face). She was also a cheerleader until that got too scary (catching a flying person). She went to UW-Eau Claire for college where she played no sports and did no working out. Then she moved in with a boy. Neither of them learned how to cook (too scary?) so they ate out a lot. Kait gained a lot of weight. “A lot a lot” of weight (scary for health reasons).
The she ditched the boy and moved home to Duluth. She didn’t realize how much she loved to move her body until she went to her first Zumba class. Zumba turned into running, which turned into group fitness classes, which turned into saying yes to absolutely every new activity anyone asked her to try – races, spin classes, yoga classes, indoor triathlons, dragon boats, rec league softball, bar league volleyball, Ragnar, inline skating marathons, Tough Mudders… she loved everything so much, Kait became the pusher of others to try new things with her. Are new things scary? Absolutely. But she hasn’t quit yet (except for CrossFit… because the barbell was scary… but a few personal training sessions with Julie seven years later took care of that fear).
In the years between quitting CrossFit and overcoming her fear of the barbell, Kait started teaching fitness classes (SUPER scary at first). She got her first certification in 2018 and started teaching at Destination Fitness a few weeks later. Kait’s taught in a few studios around Duluth over the years, but Destination Fitness will always be home for her.
Kait’s actual home is in Lakeside with her French Bulldog-Chihuahua mix, Clyde. She has a boyfriend, Dan, who loves inline skating, volleyball, and golf. She has twin nieces who she can’t wait to get into sports and piano lessons when they’re old enough. Kait’s super supportive parents still come to her races and volleyball games any chance they get. Kait works as an HR systems analyst by day and teaches fitness classes by morning, evening, and weekend. Her two fitness life goals are to do one singular hand stand push-up (really, just one is fine) and be a pacer in a running race. She is inspired by everyone out there finding the courage to try new things, and not quitting when things get too scary.
Kait is a Certified Personal Trainer, RYT-200 Yoga Instructor, and Certified YogaBarre Instructor, and is in the process of completing her Corrective Exercise Specialist and Nutrition Coach certifications.
Next Chapter Motherhood
Uh oh. No longer was I being told what to do and how to do it. After having two kids, I was struggling with my fitness. The weight gain wasn’t too bad, but I just didn’t know WHAT to do. In January 2008, while also getting pregnant with #3, we decided to join the YMCA. They help people with their membership fees if they cannot afford payment. With me being a stay at home mom and Mike a truck-driver, we were broke!! I spent the first month in the weight room, where I was comfortable, and thought I was getting in pretty good shape. Next thing I know, I am invited to join a bootcamp class and I went. Ok, I guess I wasn’t in such great shape. People 3 times my age were killing me. BOO. Nevertheless, I was an athlete darn it, and I worked hard to get back at it. I loved classes! It brought me back to being part of a team. I worked out hard all throughout my pregnancy and cruised through labor and delivery. Yay to getting back in the gym 2 weeks later.
Next Chapter Class Instructor
Anna McGee (instructor at the YMCA) believed in me… I guess. She taught me how to instruct BOSU Challenge. I was hooked on teaching. I was hooked on helping people feel awesome/exhausted.
Next Chapter Triathlete
We thought that Steve and Angel Hohenstein were gods. They were triathletes and we wanted in. We had found a new challenge. I still remember my first group ride and asking Angel how long it would take before my legs would stop burning. She said “never, you just get used to it.” Awesome, sign me up. I raced several years at the Sprint, Olympic, and Half Ironman distances, as well as participating in some local half marathons, and found it very challenging and liberating. I generally placed in the top 10% and was happy with that.
Next Chapter Personal Trainer
I was ready to help people in a more intimate way. Personal training was the vehicle. After studying hard, I became a certified personal trainer for the YMCA. I love being a part of everyone’s success story. One day, my client Nicole asked me to come to her house. I told her that YMCA policy wouldn’t allow that, but it got me thinking. I wondered if there were more people out there who needed a trainer to come to their home, and hence, Destination Fitness was born.
Next Chapter Destination Fitness
Apparently there was a great need for an in home personal trainer. God had set us on the right path. After the first year, we were lucky enough to find a studio at the DECC. It was great for the time being ,but in 2014 we moved up to Rice Lake and started building our very own space. Our Rice Lake studio opened in August 2016 and has been awesome for our family and business.
Outside the studio
We live right next door to our studio which is THE BEST! In my free time I like to workout, cook, feed the birds, do yard work, read & watch movies while snuggling with the cats. When I’m lucky, I get to spend time with our 3 adult children, all of whom are still in town. Mike and I hit the jackpot with these kids and we have so much fun together.
