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!  

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! 

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.