Meet the Trainers
Neil Ryan - Head Trainer
Personal Trainer Neil Ryan is a Grand Junction native who graduated from Grand Junction High in 2014. He attended Concordia University in Nebraska on a baseball scholarship. He played 4 years of collegiate ball as a pitcher earning accolades in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. Neil completed an internship at Crossroads the summer before his senior year and graduated from Concordia with a B.S. in Exercise Science in 2018. He has been a Personal Trainer at Crossroads since graduation. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Neil attributes his passion for training and helping others to his own personal physical therapy experience. He had Tommy John surgery as a high schooler and spent countless hours rehabilitating his elbow to get back on the pitching mound. Neil’s training style is functional strength training to help people move better and have less pain in their everyday lives. He works with a variety of folks including youth athletes, weekend warriors, golfers, and seniors who want to maintain their independent living. He enjoys mountain biking, camping, and spending time with his family.
Katie Brady
Katie, along with her husband and 3 sons, enjoy everything outdoors! Hiking, cabin trips, disc golf, and spending lots of time at the baseball field and other sporting activities. Thankful for a flexible work schedule, she has been fortunate to homeschool her boys and create a more fluid lifestyle.She has been training for Crossroads since 2011 and her goal as a trainer is to lessen the overwhelm of exercise and create a comfortable environment for her clients that brings confidence and results. Fitness is a life long journey, and Katie loves working in a field that promotes healthy living. She specializes in full body movements that strengthen your core and maintain balance. She also loves working with women to alleviate joint pain, regulate hormones, and provide systems for weight management through exercise and targeted nutrition. Our moto here at Crossroads is “to empower people to do great things” and she hopes to get the opportunity to empower you on your health journey too. Katie is a native to the Grand Valley and graduated from Grand Junction High School in 2007. She then went on to graduate from CMU with her Kinesiology and Exercise Science degree and has her NFPT (National Fitness in Professional Training) certification. She played collegiate basketball all 4 years on a full ride scholarship, and as an athlete, developed a passion for health and fitness.
Sierra Cholas
Sierra is a personal trainer at Crossroads Fitness and a health coach and lifestyle expert at the Integrative Medicine Center. With over a decade of experience in the fitness industry, she brings a well-rounded, science-based approach to helping clients build strength, resilience, and long-term health.She graduated cum laude (4.0 GPA) from Colorado Mesa University with a degree in Kinesiology—the scientific study of human movement—where her studies also included sports nutrition and exercise science. As a former collegiate athlete, Sierra understands firsthand what it takes to train and perform at a high level. She competed in Track & Field, excelling in the javelin, while also training in sprints and cross country.Sierra’s approach has evolved to focus not just on performance, but on longevity. She believes muscle is the body’s “longevity organ”—the healthier and stronger our muscle tissue, the better everything else functions. From supporting metabolism and energy to improving stability, confidence, and independence, her goal is to help clients build a body that supports them for life.Her training philosophy centers on developing functionally strong, balanced bodies at every age. She emphasizes correcting muscle imbalances, building stability throughout the kinetic chain, and training both aerobic and anaerobic systems to support everything from everyday movement to athletic performance.Sierra holds certifications as a Primal Health Coach, TRX trainer, Barre instructor, and is yoga certified, allowing her to blend strength, mobility, and mindful movement into a comprehensive and personalized training experience.
A Colorado native originally from Paonia, Sierra enjoys podcasting on long walks, hiking, mountain biking, lake surfing, and spending time outdoors.
Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown has been a personal trainer since 2009, he has been helping clients build strength, confidence, and healthier lifestyles. He joined Crossroads in 2013, bringing experience, dedication, and a results-driven approach to every session. Known for his high energy and genuine enthusiasm, he brings passion into everything he does—constantly learning, pushing limits, and inspiring others to do the same.
Deeply connected to the outdoors, Bobby thrives in activities like hunting, fishing, trail running, and mountain biking, carrying that same adventurous spirit into their training style. Their passion goes beyond fitness—it’s about helping people unlock their potential, build lasting habits, and live fuller, healthier lives. He takes pride in supporting every client’s journey, celebrating progress, and making a meaningful impact every step of the way.
Amber Dalley
Amber has always been passionate about health and fitness as well as helping people. Being a trainer at Crossroads enables her to combine her two passions on a daily basis. She graduated from Palisade High School with an International Baccalaureate degree in 2014. She attended Western Oregon University for two years and received her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science in 2016. Throughout high school Amber played volleyball, basketball, and soccer. This is where a lot of her passion for fitness originated and expanded even more so after those sports and mandatory workouts ended. She enjoyed finding new and different ways to exercise and reach her own personal goals. Her main focus as a trainer is functional fitness and ensuring lifelong health and fitness in any age group. Her fitness knowledge and experience increased even more as she progressed through the next stage of life, having two beautiful babies. She wanted to make exercise a priority even through a high risk pregnancy. She was put through it all; gallbladder removal during pregnancy, two C-sections, and a high risk pregnancy. Now she is a better trainer for it and ready to help any woman navigate through their pregnancy and post-partum safely. She is certified through NASM as not only a personal trainer but also a wellness coach. She loves helping people conquer their weight and fitness goals by providing knowledge, experience, accountability, motivation, and genuine support. Other than exercise, Amber loves Jesus, traveling, fishing, camping, and spending time with her husband, two kids, and all their farm animals!
John Ball
John is a NASM‑CPT certified trainer and PN Level 1 Nutrition Coach specializing in corrective exercise, performance enhancement, and functional movement. He helps clients rebuild strong, efficient movement patterns after injuries or simply improve how their bodies perform day‑to‑day. His approach centers on mobility and foundational human movements—squatting, hinging, pushing, pulling, core stability, and carrying—always tailored to each client’s abilities.
He emphasizes practical, real‑life strength and building confidence in moving through everyday tasks. John keeps workouts engaging, purposeful, and aligned with each client’s individual goals.
John has been with Crossroads Fitness since 2012 and takes pride in serving members with his expertise and dedication to movement.
Outside the gym, John enjoys watching movies, tending to his chickens, and working on coursework for his business degree. He also values personal growth and continuing education in fitness when he’s not physically active.
Tina Nelson
Tina knows that life can be stressful, but your workout shouldn’t be! After serving 19 years as a 911 dispatcher, Tina decided to share the "gym therapy" that kept her going by becoming a professional trainer. She’s been a proud member of the team here for 13 years, specializing in ISSA-backed programs that fit your specific life stage. From helping young athletes find their footing to helping older clients maintain their independence and strength, Tina makes every session feel approachable and rewarding. She spent six months training under a top-tier mentor to ensure her clients get the best results possible. If you’re looking for a coach who is as fun as she is experienced, Tina is your go-to!
David Shepardson
David Shepardson… or Shep as he is most commonly referred to, is a Grand Junction native and has been a member on and off since 2002, and has been employed as a personal trainer with Crossroads since 2024. Shep graduated from Grand Junction High School in 2003 and was a 3 sport athlete in wrestling, football and track. Coming from mostly a weightlifting and bodybuilding background, Shep is passionate about teaching and coaching in all aspects of building muscle, burning fat and improving strength and range of motion through movement and weight resistance. Say hey to him if you see him around the gym, because if he’s not working he’s likely in the mountains or a river fishing.
Renee Jeffers
Renee has been personal training since 2022. She is both NASM and ISSA certified.
A Colorado native, Renee has lived in the Grand Valley most of her adult life. “Grand Junction will always be home to me.” Her interests outside of the gym include hiking, kickboxing, martial arts, camping, and paddleboarding. “I love being outdoors! I love the spring and fall weather the most as it draws me to the mountains and outdoor adventures.”Renee trains primarily middle-aged individuals—roughly 35-65 years of age—who are seeking a lifestyle change that includes healthy habits, physical exercise, resistance training, and general strength training. “I want my clients to experience that physical fitness and training in the gym can be fun, and the rewards are immeasurable.”
“It is such a joy to see my clients grow into stronger, healthier, happier versions of themselves and to know that I got to be a part of that!” Renee’s goal as a trainer is to help her clients realize their strength and potential and to achieve greater quality of life and an overall greater sense of well-being.
Breezy Hedrick
Breezy is a Grand Junction local who attended CMU for her Bachelor of science in Kinesiology. She loves to spend time outdoors with her dogs and family. Her hobbies include skiing, biking, golfing, climbing, pickleball, paddle-boarding, and many more.
As an athlete who has sustained multiple knee injuries, Breezy stresses importance of exercise in both injury prevention and rehabilitation. She hopes to share the benefits of exercise outside of physical appearance, but that training can also improve self confidence, energy, quality of life, and longevity.During her time as a student, she worked in the Human performance Lab learning to operate the state of the art equipment that tests for various aspects of health. She also has published research in an ACSM (America College of Sports Medicine) Student showcase in Denver. These experiences have taught her the importance of evidence based research in the design and implementation of her exercise programming
Eric Brunner
As a Colorado native Eric has a great love for outdoor activities including, backpacking, hunting, snow skiing, fly fishing, water 
skiing, and traveling. Eric also loves cooking, often infusing traditional recipes with healthy ingredients to allow for better nutrition, and flavor. He also has a zeal for working out, which he shares through his personal training instruction, at Crossroads Fitness, for the past 27 years. Eric enjoys the challenge of working out in other areas of the United States and internationally, while learning and growing with others in the fitness industry. In addition, Eric has taught full time at Grand Junction High School for the past 20 years, and is currently serving as an Intervention Specialist at GJHS. He is also the Strength and Conditioning coach for the baseball team andan administrator for online education for District 51, overseeing 12 high schools. Eric's education includes certifications in the following areas. Aerobic Pipeline, a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Human Performance and Wellness, with a Psychology & Speech Minor, a Physical Education Teaching Certificate K-12, a Masters Degree in Education Technology, and has earned his administration license through Colorado Mesa University. Eric thrives in diverse environments and many students have walked across the graduation platform, in part, because of his compassion and dedication. As both an educator and personal trainer Eric's former students continue to engage with him, as new clients, at Crossroads Fitness where he continues to maintain a commitment to excellence in all areas of his life.
Carla Bamford
Carla Bamford is a Colorado Native. She came to Crossroads as a member in 2012 and in 2014 she joined our first-class training staff. Carla is a certified personal trainer and licensed message therapist. She has been d
ialed into the fitness industry for over 25 years giving her the experience and knowledge to help a wide variety of clients. Working with Carla you will see for yourself her impeccable attention to each clients needs. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, water sports, golfing, skiing and spending time with her 4 grandkids!
