Personal Trainers

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Personal Trainers

Kristen Whitley, a graduate of the US Naval Academy and a wife and mother of three young girls, joined UpLift in May 2007. At 40 years old, Kristen had spent her lifetime struggling with emotional eating and battling her weight.

The trainers at UpLift understood Kristen's needs and challenged her to begin to develop true strength by committing to their resistance training programs and a balanced diet that included reasonable portions of all the major food groups. Because the trainers were always available for motivation and encouragement, Kristen stayed committed to the plan, and over a period of just a few months, achieved a level of physical and emotional well being she had never known before.

This inspired Kristen to want to share her experience with others, and in February of 2010, she earned certification as a personal trainer with NASM. Kristen particularly enjoys speaking and working with women who have had some challenges with overeating or other emotional issues, and strives to encourage them to implement healthful, gradual lifestyle changes to achieve lasting results. She believes, "Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A word of optimism and hope. A "you can do it" when things are tough."

Chris Radke

Chris Radke is co-owner of UpLift and has a Bachelor’s degree in Management from the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Manangement. She is a certified personal trainer by the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

Chris has a combined 30+ years of experience in dance and fitness training. She performed professionally for 3 seasons as a Minnesota Viking Cheerleader. Her life experiences as a dancer, a mom, and being a cancer survivor, molded her passion to motivate others to get active and live a healthy lifestyle.

Chris married her high-school sweetheart, Todd. They have two kids, Courtney and Nathan.

Chris is extremely positive and motivating while she shares her knowledge on the power of achieving health goals through fitness and sound nutrition.

Her motto: “Start now, because today is the first day of the rest of your life.”

Jill Strand

Jill Strand is co-owner of UpLift and has a Bachelor’s degree in Business from the University Wisconsin - Eau Claire. She has a personal training certification through the American Council on Exercise. She has made exercise and sound nutrition part of her healthy lifestyle for over 20 years. She and co-owner, Chris Radke, had a goal when opening UpLift – to create a welcoming, non-intimidating atmosphere where women can learn the power of resistance training at an affordable price so they can do it for a lifetime.

Jill loves to see the emotional and physical transformations of UpLift women ... not only are they healthier on the inside, they are more confident on the outside! Jill has a straightforward, honest, motivating personality as a trainer.  

Jill lives in Woodbury with her husband, Mark. They have two children, Willie and Samantha.

Her motto: “It’s easier than you think, to lose fat and have the shape you want, if you just get the right help.”

Corrie Stanway

Through her experiences in group fitness and personal training, Corrie has been assisting others in achieving a healthy balance in life for the past 12 years. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Education from UW River Falls and a Masters of Education from St. Mary’s University. Corrie has her certified group and personal trainers certifications from NASM and NETA.
She shares her passion through guiding others in cardiovascular exercise and strength training, core conditioning, yoga, pilates, spinning/cycling, heart rate training, children’s fitness and prenatal exercise.

She believes that overall wellness is an intricate combination between the physical, mental and spiritual components of life. Her goal is to help clients find this balance in their own lives by applying an authentic, integrated and personal approach for success.

Her training philosophy incorporates strength, balance and a functional training approach that is highly specific to each client’s individual’s goals.

As she works with others on the physical component, her passion continues to foster a healthy realistic self concept. Understanding of the other components of wellness is critical for this process and essential to finding “true” balance.

Corrie is the mom to a beautiful little girl, Paige.

Her motto: “In life, there is no dress rehearsal. This is truly it!”

Amy Rodriguez

Amy Rodriguez has been a member of UpLift since December, 2005. After 18 years in the business world of finance and training, Amy left that world to join the team at UpLift and share her passions in nutrition and fitness. Amy has been catering for large parties for several years. Her menu selections would always include a healthy twist for the guests. She has been an avid runner, tennis player and softball player. Through her experiences at UpLift and discovering the power of resistance training, Amy realized it was even more important to share her passion of nutrition and exercise with others. Her philosophy is that fitness and weight management is a two-pronged approach of both the exercise and the nutrition. You can not accomplish either alone.

Amy is married and has a son named Will and two step children, Joe and Caroline. Amy is currently becoming certified for fitness and lifestyle weight management consulting.

Denise Coquyt

Denise Coquyt has been a member at UpLift since March 2006. Through her experience at UpLift, she found a new love – resistance training. Her passion for women’s fitness and her strong belief in UpLift’s philosophy about women’s health has sparked a new career for her. Denise has a Bachelor’s degree in Education from St. Cloud University. She is currently working on her personal training certification through the American Council on Exercise.

Denise and her husband, Tom, live in Woodbury and have four children. They have very close ties to the community; they are active in the Woodbury athletic program, church and school activities. Denise’s other passion is working with children. She is a licensed K-6 teacher and has owned and operated a family childcare business for 12 years, taught a Kindergarten Readiness preschool program for 2 years and also taught in the South Washington County School District.

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They Did It!

"I feel better emotionally and not just on workout days, but for days after. It is as if I had taken a capsule full of oxygen. I know this may sound silly, but my vision is clearer, my thought process more focused. More importantly, I feel happier, healthier, and content – like superwomen!"
- Char Neely