MEET OUR COACHES
Our coaches bring years of experience in strength training, mobility, and performance coaching, specializing in programs designed for mountain sports enthusiasts and active lifestyles.
Whether you're training for skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, running or just want to feel stronger and more capable, our tailored approach ensures you get the support you need to succeed. We believe in creating a space where you can improve skills, build resilience to injuries, and progress at your own pace, with programs that meet you where you are.
MEET OUR TEAM
Elijah Christie
Head Coach, Owner
Results-driven and client-centric, Elijah prides himself on providing the highest level of instruction and coaching across all of the programs.
As a Bellingham native he cares deeply about the wellbeing of his community. An avid mountain biker, splitboarder and mountain explorer, Elijah loves connecting health and fitness with the outdoors. He enjoys working with people from all walks of life and developing meaningful relationships with his clientele.
Mel Aviñon
Coach
Mel is a passionate and outgoing Argentinian who loves being part of the Evergreen Strength team and brings a little latin vibe to the gym. Growing up exploring the Argentinian Andes mountains made her an adventure seeker and outdoor lover. She enjoys mountain biking, rock climbing, snowboarding, and scuba diving. You can find her at Galbraith, either riding, trail running, or harvesting medicinal plants. One of her biggest passions is taking care of people who get injured doing these kinds of funtivities.
As a Certified and Licensed Athletic Trainer, Mel’s area of expertise is injury prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation along with on-site emergency care. Her goal as a coach at Evergreen Strength is to provide members with the tools and knowledge to understand their body, listen to it, strengthen it, and maximize its performance so they can enjoy the activities they love and stay injury free!
Amy Balonick
Gym Manager, Lead Coach
Amy fell in love with fitness after realizing how much working out positively affected her mental and physical health. She recognizes that a large part of her growth was thanks to a lineup of awesome, knowledgeable coaches.
Amy’s goal as a coach is to provide that same support to members. She helps them develop their fitness and health in order to maximize their lives outside of the gym. Amy has a CF-OL1 certification and a Precision Nutrition Level 1 certification. When she’s not at the gym you can find her hiking around with her husband and pups or putting down a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.
Brandon Petersen
Coach
Brandon’s coaching journey began by focusing on elevating his own health and wellness. The more interested he became, the more he wanted to share his excitement and knowledge with others who have struggled with their own physical fitness. He earned personal training, nutrition coaching and weight loss specialist certifications from NASM and later a Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science from Penn West University.
In the gym, Brandon’s biggest priority is helping people feel comfortable, confident, and supported. He aims to create a safe, judgment-free space where people can focus on reaching their goals and feel comfortable in their own skin. He wants to help others learn to focus on what their body is capable of and how it feels.
Outside of the gym he likes to spend time with his dog Murphy, cook delicious food (more specifically eating it), and training for his next trail, half marathon, or full marathon race.
Keller Northcutt
Coach
Keller grew up biking rocky trails and skiing pow in the mountains of Colorado. She was never a “gym person” until discovering firsthand how much strength and conditioning made all of her sports more fun (and recovery much faster).
Keller worked as a full-time strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer in Durango, Colorado prior to moving to Bellingham. Evergreen is her dream gym and she is grateful to be part of it. She has a CF-L1 and a CrossFit Nutrition 1 certification, and is also a licensed massage therapist, focusing on sports and recovery massage.
Keller’s favorite part about coaching and private training is adding joy to people’s health and wellness journey. When not at the gym or working her other job as a freelance writer, she can be found riding her motorcycle, backcountry skiing, or watching sunsets with her old spotted dog.
Jacob Romano
Coach
Jacob’s primary focus in the gym is to have a freakin’ blast and be prepared for all the fun stuff we do in our daily lives. He likes to emphasize good body mechanics and getting the most out of a workout.
Jacob played rugby at Western Washington University where he earned a bachelor’s degree focusing on human movement/biomechanics and a minor in sport psychology.
He has worked with athletic trainers and movement coaches most of his life and is stoked to share what he’s learned along the way!