Each month the coaching staff at EHP selects a member that is “Better Than Yesterday!” The selected recipient is a great example of EHP’s CREDO—demonstrating compassion, honesty, resilience, perseverance, and tenacity. Kaylee Juntunen-Novak was selected as February’s “Better Than Yesterday” recipient.

Why did you start CrossFit?
I had just completed my graduate program in 2023 and thought the Fargo/Moorhead area would have been a temporary home. Turns out it became my home, but I knew I was missing the community I once had in a CrossFit space as a young 14-year-old. I had been looking for a CrossFit gym for years throughout my transitions of high school, undergrad, and grad school, but nothing felt right, until I met with Jenna Pepsin and Dr. Karla at EHP for my initial consultation, I had felt like I was in a safe place with a pretty rocking community – turns out, I wasn’t wrong!

Why do you continue CrossFit?
Just as I stated, it truly is the community itself that inspires me to show up every day to the scheduled classes, but also showing up in open gym sessions in efforts to continue to improve myself and my abilities. For those who first met me and saw me try a kipping pull up for the first time (cough cough, Callie Metsala and Jenna Pepsin) both know that it took WORK to learn kipping, rather than strict.  However, that work was solely driven by the dedication and support that the coaches had in challenging me to practice it and providing guidance/tips to improve my skills.

What has been your greatest achievement since starting EHP?
I don’t think I can just name one – truly I think I say every day, “I couldn’t do that 6 months ago, or I couldn’t do that yesterday.” EHP has allowed me to truly be better than yesterday!

How has your life changed since joining EHP?
EHP has truly been able to uncover the self-doubt that I have in myself and the skills that I have the capability of achieving. I get to show up every day to the gym not with competitors but with a community. I know that if the world was ending personally or literally, I would have such a rocking group of people right beside me to take on the world.

Anything else you would like to share about yourself, fitness journey and/or EHP.
Assuming that everyone is scared to take that first step, I was in the same boat when I showed up to my first class. I had done CrossFit for two years when I was 14 and was set on my own two feet to figure it out in a public gym for the other 8-9 years. No one knew me, no one knew my background, I didn’t know anyone, but everyone made you feel like you were there and had known you for a lifetime.