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.
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.
Mel Aviñon
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!
Keller Northcutt
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!
Keller worked as a full-time strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer in Durango, Colorado for two years before moving to Bellingham in July 2022. 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 currently in school for sports 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, she can be found riding her motorcycle, backcountry skiing, or watching sunsets with her old spotted dog.
Brandon Petersen
My coaching journey began by becoming focused on my own health and wellness. The more interested I became, the more I wanted to share my excitement and knowledge with others who have struggled with their own physical fitness. I received my personal training, nutrition coaching and weight loss specialist certifications from NASM and later earned my Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science from Penn West University.
In the gym my biggest priority is helping people feel comfortable, confident, and supported. I aim to create a safe, judgment-free space where people can focus on reaching their goals and feeling comfortable in their own skin. I want to help others learn to prioritize focusing on what their body is capable of and how it feels.
Outside of the gym I like to spend time with my dog Murphy, cooking (more specifically eating), and training for my next trail, half marathon, or full marathon race.
Jacob Romano
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!
Community Partners
Amar Parekh | EverStrong Therapy
Founder and Owner of EverStrong Therapy, Dr. Amar Parekh PT, DPT has been studying and working as a Physical Therapist for over a decade. His passion is the recovery, training, support, injury prevention, and physical longevity of athletes at every level. He has built a business around this passion: correcting and optimizing an athlete’s movement in order to keep them performing at their best.
Since starting EverStrong Therapy, he has had the privilege of not only working with sports teams in Bellingham, but also with elite level professional athletes on an individual basis, including players and competitors in the NFL, the USPA and the USPSA.
Amar believes that an educated patient is the most powerful one, and that the best outcomes come when the therapist and patient work as partners towards a common goal. By using hands on/manual therapy skills and focusing on effective, evidenced based exercise techniques, with a strong focus on mechanics and ensuring optimal movement patterns, he believes that everyone can feel their very best and get back to doing the things they love.
Megan Percy | Align
Over the past eleven years Megan has developed a passion for helping others with pain management, movement dysfunctions, mobility
restrictions, and mind body awareness.
She specializes in neuromuscular re-education and myofascial release as a Structural Medicine Therapist & Private Trainer. Stop by her office in the gym or visit her website to learn more: align-smm.com.
Megan’s favorite pasttime is eating good food and drinking yummy wine- so you will probably see her in the gym because life is all about balance!
