Meet The Instructors

My love for movement and music started at the young age of 3 when my mom enrolled me in a weekly tap dance class. I dabbled in other things and some sports growing up but I definitely gravitated towards all types of dance...my favorite was always tap! I was recruited to attend Colorado Mesa University (then Mesa State College) as one of the very first to major in the brand new Dance program.  I graduated in 2006 with my BA in Theater Arts-Dance and continued teaching as an adjunct professor (teaching tap of course!) ​

I started taking Les Mills BodyBalance while pregnant with my 3rd child and its what kept me sane! It still felt like dancing to me, even though it was mostly yoga. I got certified in BodyBalance a year later and have never looked back.

My favorite part of teaching is the connections I make with the people....both in my classes and out! The gym has become my home away from home, and the people my second family. Movement and music have been back bones to my life...and I opened Riskey Fitness to continue to help others find the joy of movement and connection with people that has meant so much to me.  

Take my classes:

-BodyBalance: Thursdays noon, Saturdays 9:30am

-BodyPump: Mondays noon, Tuesdays 9:30am, every other Friday 5:30am

-Les Mills Pilates: Wednesdays & Fridays 7am

-SoulBody Barre: Mondays 9:30am & Tuesdays noon, every other Friday 5:30am

-Stretch & Roll: Fridays 10:45am

-Family Fitness: Tuesdays 5:45pm

 

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I love to share my passion for people, music and dance with workouts that make you feel like you're in a music video! I have my Bachelors Degree in Kinesiology and I'm a certified fitness instructor with 18 years of experience! I’m certified in Body Pump and I love choreographing my Cardio Sculpt class! It’s a freestyle class where I hand-pick the music and exercises to meet the needs of the members! I work hard to keep things fresh and exciting every step of the way!

My classes are all about Holy Spirit-filled words of encouragement, great music, and amazing people!!

It's more than just a workout!

When I'm not at the gym, you can catch me playing pickleball, enjoying brunch with friends, or playing games with my family at a coffee shop!

You can take my classes at the following times:

-BodyPump Mondays 5:45pm & Thursdays 9:30am

-Cardio Sculpt Wednesdays and Fridays 9:30am

Janae is a dedicated fitness instructor of 20+ years with great love and passion for helping and inspiring people through movement. Her classes are the perfect combination of hard work and a dance party! You will leave feeling energized and inspired!

Janae has certified in general group fitness, AFFA personal trainer, Turbo kick, Hip Hop Hustle, PIYO, Barre Above, Les Mills Barre, Les Mills GRIT, Les Mills Sprint, SHiNE dance fitness and Soul Body Restore, and currently teaches for the CMU department of Kinesiology.

Aside from health and wellness, she LOVES being a mom to her 3 kiddos, a wife, and performing! She holds a degree in Musical Theatre and minor in Dance. When not working out she loves to be with her family, (they are her JOY!), lift weights, volunteer at the school, bake cookies, watch her kids activities, play games, get massages, take walks, eat, and research health and wellness!

Take class with Janae:

-Mondays Stretch & Roll 10:45am

-Wednesdays ShiNe Dance 5:45pm

Miriam Deming is a mother of two children, married to a wonderful husband. She took BodyBalance classes for over 10 years and was thrilled to finally become an instructor! She has been teaching it for two years now. She also received her registered yoga teacher 200 hour and yin certification.

In addition to teaching fitness and yoga, she teaches singing lessons and directs a community youth and adult choir. She loves the camaraderie, self-acceptance, and growth that comes from teaching fitness and looks forward to being a part of the Riskey Fitness community!

Take class with Miriam:

-Wednesday BodyBalance 10:45am

“Hello, My name is Mackenzie! I love music and the movement that comes with all it’s different varieties and cultures! Group fitness has saved my life, time and time again and continues to drive me in my personal and professional journey as well as the amazing community group fitness creates! I have been teaching Zumba for 3 years and also teach Fly Dance! I am looking forward to dancing with you!”

Take Mackenzie’s Fly Dance classes:

-Tuesdays at 4:30pm

-Saturdays at 10:45am

Talene is a Colorado Native and is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist.  She has a passion for helping people of all fitness levels and ages to build strength, flexibility, better balance and a healthier lifestyle. She does this through whole nutrition and an exercise program that fits the individuals needs and teaching classes! Her philosophy is that our bodies are created amazingly to adapt, heal and repair and that consistency is the key to a healthy and fit life. She’s been teaching/training for the past 14 years here the Grand Valley.

When she’s not training or teaching she loves staying fit, eating healthy, making her own soaps and detergents, milking the cow, and making milk products, gardening, sewing, doing renovating projects, coaching soccer or helping coach baseball, playing the piano and singing. She has 4 kids: 2 adults and 1 graduating this year, all of which graduated or will graduate homeschooling and she homeschools her youngest. She also runs her farm with fruit trees, a huge garden, cows, pigs, chickens, peacocks, dogs, and cats.

Her Riskey Fitness classes are:

-Mondays at 4:30pm Body Balance

-Tuesdays at 8am Yoga Flow

-Thursdays at 8am Yoga Strength

-Thursdays at 4:30pm HIIT/Core

*She’s also offering personal training sessions.

Kellen found yoga back in 2015, when she was injured after a long distance backpacking trip. Yoga was the only form of movement that kept her sane while still allowing her body to heal. Without realizing it at the time, it was yoga that led her back home to herself and it continues to do so.

In 2016, Kellen completed a 200-hr yoga certification in Asheville, NC. In 2023, she decided to deepen her knowledge and take an online yoga teacher training to become a certified 500-hr yoga teacher. In 2024 she completed a 200-hr embodied yoga life coaching certification.

Her intention as a yoga instructor is to be a guide for others as they deepen their connection to themselves - true and deep connection is forged by aligning with our body, mind and spirit. Kellen loves to teach vinyasa style classes, adding in strength and balance, moving with the breath but also holding and deepening into postures, to leave you feeling empowered, connected and grounded.

Kellen’s Yoga class at Riskey Fitness:

-Wednesdays at 4:30pm

“I fell in love with the Zumba fitness program as a student after I lost weight, gained confidence, and started to love myself. I have been teaching Zumba classes for almost 13 years and it has been one of the best and most rewarding decisions of my life. I love being able to bring a community of people from different walks of life together to spread joy, confidence, and help them lead healthier lifestyles. I have also had the pleasure or mentoring many new Zumba instructors just starting out in their journeys. My classes are for everybody! No dance or prior fitness experience required. Other classes I have taught are Barre, Les Mills BodyCombat, Kids Dance Fitness, and a Move & Groove class for Seniors.

When I am not teaching I love spending time with my family, cuddling with my 3 dogs, listening to music, and making tumblers.”

Lauren’s Riskey Fitness Zumba class:

-Thursdays at 5:45pm

Brittany is a Colorado native. Her love for exercise flourished from playing soccer for 13 years. She attended Colorado Mesa University where she received her BA in Health and Fitness promotion in 2015. For the past 8 years she has helped people reach their nutrition and fitness goals.

She teaches Silver Sneakers, HIIT, Boot Camp, Cycle, Les Mills Sprint, Strength, Water Aerobics, and is a personal trainer!

One of the things she enjoys the most about helping people reach their goals is being able to see where they started and walking alongside them and being able to cheer them on.

When she’s not working, she is homeschooling her son, hiking, reading, or spending time with family.

She is so very grateful to have a job that feels like a hobby!

Brittany’s Riskey Fitness classes:

-Power Hour: Mondays at 5:30am & Wednesdays at noon

-Functional Strength: Tuesdays 5:30am

-30 minute HIIT Wednesdays at 5:30am

*Check out the Riskey Fitness app for her personal training availability!

“Hi! I’m Roxana. I’d love to invite you to take one of my high energy group fitness classes. Positively infectious! Smiles guaranteed I pride myself in facilitating a safe space conducive to growth, expression, and positive change. All fitness levels are welcome! Everyone on this team is here to support you on your health and wellness journey. See you soon! ”

Roxana’s Zumba class at Riskey Fitness:

-Mondays at 7:00 am

Rikki started in fitness at 30 years old and took her first group fitness class a year later. She fell in love with Bodypump and to this day can’t get enough of it! She was hooked after she walked out of class feeling stronger than ever! It brings her so much joy to be able to share her passion for lifting and music with others!

Her participants get a great workout with precise instruction, making it safe for everyone to lift weights. Another highlight of her classes is that she also includes a little bit of karaoke and a whole lot of fun!!!

She makes jokes that she has a “boatload” of kids, but really it’s less than a basketball team!

Outside of group fitness, she enjoys the outdoors, BBQ’s with family and dance parties with her twin girls. She is a Grand Junction native and loves her hometown!

Come take her BodyPump class on Fridays at Noon.

“Hi, I’m Lauren and I am a certified Barre instructor and have been teaching group fitness since 2020. Group exercise has been one of my passions since I was young, taking Les Mills classes that my dad taught at our local gym in Ignacio, Colorado. I am currently working on a Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a minor in Exercise Science at Colorado Mesa

University. With dance being such an important part of my life because of the joy

movement brings me, I aim to bring that same joy of

movement to others through my classes. In my spare time, I enjoy hiking, decorating ceramics, and delicious food!”

Lauren’s Barre class at Riskey Fitness:

-Sundays at 9:00 am

Dominik is a Grand Junction native who is engrossed in the mantra, “Healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Pursuing longevity and wellness, he received his 200 hour certification in Baptiste Power Yoga. He uses the practice of yoga to commune with the body, to find my breath, and to serve others by sharing his practice with his community. In his daily life, he is a ceramic artist and a student. He looks forward to seeing you on the mat.

-Take Yoga with Dominik Sundays at 7:30am

“For much of my adult life, I have been in-and-out of various gym memberships. I’ve always enjoyed working out and going to the gym, but struggled with consistent motivation. I primarily worked out by myself through various methods and would be consistent few weeks, and then burn-out from over-working myself. So then I wouldn’t go to the gym for a while, and at some point get back into it and over-do it once again. It was a constant cycle of ups and downs, without enough consistency to ever see results.

In 2012, I got a membership to Crossroads Fitness and decided to try something different. Instead of working out by myself, I decided to try a Group Fitness class. I remember very vividly the first Group Fitness class I ever took. It was a kickboxing-style class, and I was out of shape and nervous. I remember pushing myself extra hard because I felt insecure and didn’t want people to know how out-of-shape I was. I also remember the Instructor and all the other members in the class were very friendly and welcoming and that made a good impression on me. Even though I was completely exhausted after that first class, I was happy and couldn’t wait to go again. I was exhausted and energized at the same time! I quickly got hooked on Group Fitness classes. I love the camaraderie and energy and have made many new friends over the years. Staying consistent was much easier and enjoyable. I became a “regular” in multiple Group Fitness classes. Going to class became a part of my lifestyle, and fitness became a consistent priority. I lost about 35 pounds, gained more confidence and felt so much better.

 I got my first certification as an INSANITY® Instructor in 2016 and have been teaching high-intensity classes consistently for the past 9 years at Crossroads Fitness. While I will continue to teach at Crossroads, I am very excited to also be a part of the Riskey Fitness team!

In 2020, I added a few more Group Fitness certifications: SH1FT, which is another high-intensity body-weight format, and L1FT which is strength/resistance training with weights.

Outside of classes, my wife Audrey and I have been married for 20 years and have three beautiful girls (16, 12, and 7 yrs old). When I’m not teaching classes, I also work full-time as a Mechanical Engineer for Bighorn Consulting Engineers. In my free time, I love getting outside usually to go camping, hiking or mountain biking or sitting on the porch sipping a big cup of coffee!”

Take class with Brian:

-Rise & Grind Thursdays 5:30am