Meet the Instructors
Meet Jess, Owner
Jess is an avid runner and full time mother of four, free spirited children. Her goal on a daily basis is to simply feel good, be energetic, and be happy. To reach this goal is even more simple: be careful of what you put into your body, get plenty of fresh air, exercise daily, be loving towards others, and enjoy a good craft beer! From track and cross country, to volleyball, basketball, and diving into any and all forms of physical fitness, Jess discovered a love for yoga, and felt inspired to teach others the practice that has benefited her life both physically and mentally. She has a bachelors degree in Sociology and Human Services from Black Hills State University, and is a RYT 200 (Registered Yoga Teacher) from the Colorado School of Yoga where she studied under the founder, Gina Caputo, who put her heart and soul into her schooling and taught her students the priceless knowledge of what yoga really means and how to practice it both on, and off the mat. Jess is CPR and AED certified, and has completed continued education courses in both Yin and Chair yoga. Come to class to breathe, laugh, and evolve both physically and mentally.
"At the end of the day people wont remember what you said, they wont remember what you did, but they will remember how you made them feel"
~Maya Angelou
Meet Dr. Devon, Owner
Dr. Devon's skills range from being an elite, division 1 athlete to a chiropractic physician. Her philosophy of health centers on lifestyle. Nurturing and cleansing the body with physical activity, quality food, and positive energy is the meaning of true health. Since she began her collegiate career, she has always dreamed of creating a gym that would appeal to all walks of life and fitness levels and a workout that would positively shape and change your entire day. Through her experiences and educational background, she and Jess have perfected the idea of “The Hot Room”. Her life mission, with chiropractic care and exercise, is to educate and lead her community to their optimum level of health. Dr. Devon has a bachelors degree in exercise science from North Dakota State University, where she was a 4 year student-athlete for the track and field team, specializing in the 100 and 400 meter hurdles. She is currently a practicing chiropractor and acupuncturist at Nelson Chiropractic. Dr. Devon is a certified group fitness instructor and will be leading students through strength and conditioning classes.
Meet Olivia, Yoga Teacher
Olivia and her husband, Jared moved to The Black Hills in the Summer of 2016 after working in the area during Sturgis Rally since 2005. Growing up in San Diego, CA introduced her to fitness at an early age playing competitive Club Soccer, training horses, and competing in tennis tournaments as a teenager, but the sports never showed her the true meaning of discipline and mind control.
“I first fell in love with yoga after I received a free week trial at a local studio. I had just recently sprained my ankle and was hoping that a few classes would at least help bring back some mobility. After only three classes, I was blown away by the drastic improvements I experienced, not only in my ankle, but my overall leg flexibility and mental calmness. I’ve been hooked ever since", says Olivia.
After recovering from her injury and practicing yoga daily for several years, she kept the momentum going by getting certified through Core Power as a Yoga Sculpt Trainer in 2013. Immersing herself in the intensive training lead to her passion in introducing as many people as she could to the wonders of yoga.
Her yoga classes are based off a Vinyasa Flow and focused on perfecting each yoga pose all while keeping a connection between the mind, breath and body.
Meet Alexa, Fitness Instructor
Alexa moved to Spearfish, SD from San Diego, CA in 2017. Growing up in San Diego, she was always outside and played many sports including volleyball, tennis and soccer in which she was offered a scholarship. After a meniscus tear in a soccer game, she started the healing process with a lot of yoga and even more physical therapy. This is when she became more intrigued with the weight lifting side of fitness. She fell in love with the Hot Room after her sister, Olivia started teaching yoga there and wanted to be a part of it as well. She looks forward to sharing her love for fitness with the community.
Meet Taynger, Certified Personal Trainer
Taynger, rhyming with DANGER, is persuing her dream of becoming Miss South Dakota USA. She has competed for Miss SD Teen USA for two years, earning 4th runner up in state. She competed for one year for the Miss division and placed in the top 10. Taynger competes in three areas of competition: interview, swimwear, and evening gown. Through this journey, Taynger fell in love with the healthy lifestyle changes she was making and the transitions she was seeing. This has inspired her to help others! She is a personal trainer certified through NASM and enjoys creating HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts and experiencing any new exercises and workouts. Taynger would describe herself as spunky and fun and loves to laugh, dream, and get things done!!
Meet John, Fitness Instructor
My name is John Bohlinger, I grew up in Cheyenne, Wy. I have always recognized the importance of physical fitness and proper diet. I love the outdoors, exercise is a key part about experiencing nature in its entirety. I served in the United States Marine Corp, in the infantry. This helped solidify and focus my strategies and reasons for exercise. Later I started Training at Cheyenne Fit Body Boot Camp, running a variety of group and personal classes. Training people of all different ages and ability levels. During this time I discovered that better then training myself, was training others. I take great personal joy in helping people learn, grow, and succeed. I am currently a student at BHSU as an Outdoor Education Major, which I have used to focus even more on the learning process in informal settings. After running my first classes at The Hot Room last fall, I knew I’d be back. The hard working, positive staff creates an amazing uplifting atmosphere. The clients are driven and a blast to train. When Jess asked if I want to come back and train, I didn’t even need to think about the answer. I am excited to help more people to grow and succeed.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
-Marianne Williamson
Meet Kathy, Fitness Instructor
Kathy Citrowske moved to Spearfish, SD in 2014 from Southwest, MN. She has been married to her highschool sweetheart, Glen, for 18 years and they have five very active children together. For as long as she can remember, Kathy has had a passion for health and fitness. She has taught group fitness classes off and on for years and her main priority is to help others reach their fitness goals and help them feel their best. She loves all forms of exercise! Weight lifting, running, HITT workouts, power walking, and hiking! Her family takes full advantage of the beautiful summers in the Black Hills by getting the boat out and taking their turns wake surfing.
Kathy is going to be teaching Heated HITT on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 7-8am. Think cardio, plyometrics, squats, lunges, and abs. 30 min of cardio followed by 25 min of floor toning- planks, leg lifts, hip thrusts, butt burners, and core. This is a full body workout and toning!
Meet Jared, Wellness Coach
Jared Chrisman's journey to starting Primal Roots Wellness Coaching has been full of life experiences that lend themselves invaluable when coaching his clients.
As a child, Jared was considerably overweight and out of shape. In High School, he was recruited onto the football team for his size and height. Later, he was awarded a college football scholarship all while eating the unfavorable, Standard American Diet (SAD) and tipping the scales at over 300 lbs.
After the rigorous exercise from college was over, his days of overeating processed meals and sugary sports drinks finally caught up to him. He noticed muscle quickly being replaced with fat, depleted energy, and a decline in his overall health.
Desperate to improve, Jared tried to recreate the strenuous college exercises by competing in triathlons and marathons, but never got below 285 lbs. He also turned to misinformed diet trends like the vegan diet, low-fat diet, juice cleanses, calorie restricted diets, and others, but saw no results and even gained weight!
Finally, he found research on the Primal Blueprint and began dropping weight rapidly. Gone were the days of counting calories and spending excessive time at the gym.
Jared now has the freedom to eat amazing food, enjoy shortened exercises, and spend time outdoors and has lost over 100 lbs. in the process.
Eager to inspire individuals who share a similar story, Jared brings a whole new level of passion to coaching.
Meet Hailee, Yoga Teacher
Hailee is a vegetarian from Denver Colorado, with a passion for health, fitness, animals, and all things outdoors. She moved to Spearfish 2 years ago and is now enjoying life on a ranch. She has always had a passion for fitness and just expanded her yoga practice by receiving her RYT-200 through Yoga Alliance on the big Island of Hawaii. Her desire is to continually expand her knowledge and grow mentally and physically.
Meet Maggie, Yoga Teacher
Maggie is a 200H certified Sivananda Yoga Teacher and has been teaching hatha styles of yoga for the past 6 months. She loves to provide classes that look simple on the outside but cut to the deeper, subtler layers of the body and mind by incorporating breathing exercises and increasing mental/physical awareness. She teaches from inspiration that comes from personal experience that a small consistent yoga practice can change the trajectory of one’s health and one’s life, the effects of which ripple out into the community and world. Her other passions include foraging for wild plants, drawing, cooking, and and trail running.
Meet Madeleine, BUTI Yoga Teacher
Madeleine has always been very active, competing in sports since middle school and enjoying almost every outdoor activity you could think of. She grew up like many kids in the Black Hills, hiking, biking, climbing, oh and drinking good beer of course. She discovered her passion for dance early on in life and has been moving her feet ever since, she now teaches dance classes at a local studio (Kids and Company) and cheers for the Rapid City Rush hockey team. Madeleine started practicing yoga as a student at The Hot Room since its opening, and recently discovered a new way to combine her love for yoga and passion for dancing in the style of Buti Yoga. Completing her teacher training in New York City with master instructor Britt Hodgen and Buti Founder and celebrity trainer Bizzie Gold herself, Maddie is ready to boogie down and sweat with her intention back in Spearfish!
Meet Tracy, Yoga Teacher
Tracy moved to the fabulous Black Hills to raise her children in summer of 2000. She is a Mental Health Therapist with a passion for wholeness and wellness. Tracy loves to hike, mountain bike and travel. She recently completed her 200 hour teacher training and is elated to be teaching for the Hot Room and to begin her career as a yoga instructor.