My Story

Nic Nakis

Nicholas John Nakis Amha Selassie

Health & Fitness Coach

I grew up in the foothills of the North Cascades, hiking, bicycling, camping, and playing sports.  My parents taught me to forage, to garden, and to cook my own food.  I experimented with diet and exercise from a young age, and began developing my personal code of health. 

After an emergency surgery at age 21, I had a long recovery and embarked on a quest to rebuild my body and improve my nutrition.  I practiced a series of popular diets and started doing workouts from a website called CrossFit.com in 2003.  I was one of the first 100 CrossFitters in the world, training at the world’s first CrossFit affiliate (CrossFit North in Seattle) and competing during the birth of the sport of fitness. 

My love of health & fitness grew as I traveled the world and pursued a career in film and television, constantly learning new things and spreading the love.  I took courses in mountaineering, Olympic weightlifting, and Yoga teaching.  I’ve participated in a vast array of sports and fitness modalities, such as street workouts, logging sports, and the Highland Games. 

In 2012, after achieving my CrossFit Level 1, I started as a part-time CrossFit Instructor at Xplore CrossFit in Seattle.  Within the year, I was living in Phuket, Thailand, running the cross-training program at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA and working as a Personal Trainer. 

I returned to the USA in 2014 and helped open a gym called Crossover Fitness & Training in Sedro-Woolley, WA, my home town.  Then I went to work for Riverside Health Club, where I became the affiliate owner-of-record at CrossFit RHC and their Personal Training Supervisor.  I added to my knowledge with certifications from TRX, Precision Nutrition, and the crown-jewel: the OPEX Coaching Certificate Program. 

In 2019, I struck out on my own. Now I coach health & fitness clients remotely as well as in-person at my home gym in Sedro-Woolley, WA.

What I Do