Introducing Caleigh Eriksen, M.S. [Video]

I’m Caleigh Eriksen, and I’m the wellness manager. And I’m responsible for overseeing and creating and implementing the programming for our strength and conditioning, nutrition, group fitness, and community education services. I grew up on a small island in Lake Erie, and I really enjoy getting back by the water ’cause I miss that. So I guess it’s fitting that I’m in Minnesota in the Land of 10,000 Lakes so that I can hit up one of the lakes. But yeah, anything to kind of be outside by the water. I love going to any kind of sporting events. My background is in athletics, so I still enjoy getting to games even though I’m not there every day anymore, and big fan of yoga. I try to get to a class every now and again. Just kind of helps me kind of recenter and de-stress ’cause I have to do that, as well. So those are kind of my top things. Yeah, you know, I think with my style, the one thing I hear from people, and it’s kind of been through my life, is I’m a very empathetic person, which I do have to kind of find the lines, you know, between that of not taking on what that person is fully going through but also being able to empathize with them and understand what they’re going through. You have to be able to listen. And I think that’s one thing, you know, I do really well, is I can really listen to that person’s story and try to understand where they’re at and meet them where they’re at. That’s one of the biggest things in behavior change is meet the person where they’re at and know where they need to start and where they should kind of head and go. Really, when you see somebody make a change that is going to increase the quality of their life, make them healthier, make them feel better throughout their day, that’s really the reward that I kind of get on my end, is helping them make those changes that are going to last, you know, not just for a couple weeks but long term will change kind of the course of their life. And hopefully, through the changes that we make in health and wellness, we would prevent disease and things down the road from happening. So yeah, it’s kind of that moment when you see that light come on for the person of “now I get it. Now I know what I need to do.” That’s when I feel that sense of reward.