Personal Trainers

Hello, my name is Chip Taggart and I'm a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. I received my Bachelor of Science Degree in Exercise Science and completed all my course work for my Masters in Exercise Physiology, both at the University of Kansas. I have three kids; Austin the oldest is 10 years old, Andrew and Nolan (the twins) are 7 years old. However, my wife Michele would tell you that I add as our "fourth boy". Sunshine, a blonde Shih-Tzu has been a part of our family for three years now. Most would say that black is not an actual color, if that's the case then black is my favorite non-color. I love the foods that most trainers would advise people to stay away from, junk food. Although lately I have tried to stay away from junk food, it hasn't been as easy as I thought it would be. When I was 19 years old, I broke my C5 vertebrae after diving into a shallow pond and hitting my head on the bottom. I love what I do and I have devoted most of my life to fitness, both for me personally and professionally helping others. I feel there is very little in a person's life that is not positively impacted by increased fitness and better health. I have helped literally hundreds of people change their lives for the better through exercise.

When someone asks me why I chose Personal Training as a career, my answer is simple: I absolutely love fitness, and I enjoy helping set others up for success. Those two things are what quality personal training is all about. I love my job so much that my college career was even molded around becoming the best personal trainer that I could possibly become.

I just recently graduated from the University of Kansas where I received my Master's Degree in Exercise Science. Although I had already been personal training for 3+ years before I attended graduate school, I decided on attending grad school so that I could better myself as a more knowledgeable personal trainer. I had known very few personal trainers would bother with furthering their exercise wisdom by attending graduate school (or any college for that matter), so I knew this could only help my career. I wanted to learn EVERYTHING about exercise, physical activity, muscles, the energy systems, nutrition, etc. Those 2 years in graduate school opened my eyes to how incredible the human body truly is. It also showed me how deep you must dive in order to fully understand all of the material related to exercise. The choice to attend graduate school ended up being completely worth it. I also received my Bachelor's Degree at KU in Business Management with a concentration in Sport Management.

I have been a Certified Personal Trainer for the past 5+ years., so I have many different client success stories. Most of them consist of significant weight loss. I want to share one with you that I still find fascinating to this day. This lady was in her upper 50's and smoking two pack of cigarettes a day when we first started training. She had absolutely no physical activity in her life. When we first began, she was not capable of performing even the simplest of exercises. After a few months of working with her, we had gotten her to quit smoking altogether, and she was able to perform any exercise I threw her way. Her Before and After pictures look like two completely different women. I would often catch her checking herself out in the mirror while flexing her biceps and triceps. She could not get over how defined her arms had become. This lady is now a Certified Yoga Instructor and continues to teach Yoga daily. She also just recently finished a half-marathon. This client has been an inspiration and has had an incredible transformation. Please check out my website for more information about me: www.natebrunsfitness.com

Hi, my name is Shannon Brady. I've been a member of the FitnessQuest family working as both personal trainer and membership director since we opened our doors in November 2005. My background is in healthcare working as a nurse for 17 years before leaving to pursue a full time career in fitness. I am an Idaho native and graduated from the nursing program at the College of Southern Idaho and finished my education at Boise State University (Go Broncos!). While I will always be an Idaho girl, I have grown to love the midwest and the people. My husband, Michael and I have a wonderful teenager named Connor. Our house stays active with three additional family members, Tug, Bodie and Jigs (all pugs). I taught Jazzercise for 7 years and retired in 2007. I completed my first triathalon in August 2007. I run several short course races through the year as well. My favorite way to relax is to sneak off with a mindless magazine and good glass of wine. My most severe battle scar dates back to when I was 6 and I received severe burns on my tongue from a frozen pipe. I'm always available for workout, nutrition or even a little nursing advice...don't hesitate to ask!

Hello, my name is Jason Allen and I’m a certified Personal Trainer through the American Fitness Professionals and Associates. I am originally from Bryan/College Station, Texas, but came to the Midwest on a wrestling scholarship to Missouri Valley College, where I received my Bachelor of Science Degree in Exercise Science. I have one son; Jacob, 4 years old. I own a long haired terrier mix named Tatty. In my spare time I enjoy being outdoors, camping, canoeing, being at the lake, playing the drums and working out. I’ve been very active in sports since I was very young; playing baseball, football, track and wrestling. Since ending my college wrestling career, I’ve competed in powerlifting and strongman competitions. My favorite muscles to work would definitely be my shoulders. I enjoy working in the fitness industry to impact peoples’ lives, help them reach their goals and the satisfaction of their success.

Hi, my name is Rae Marsee. I am a certified Pilates Reformer instructor and train on the reformer machines at Fitness Quest. I hold certifications in Pilates Reformer, Pilates Mat, Personal Training, Group Exercise, Yoga, and Spinning. I received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of NE. After working in the corporate world for too many years, I decided to pursue my passion in fitness. I can draw on a wealth of knowledge to customize the workout for each individual. My husband Mark and I have two boys, Cole 12 and Blake 11. We have Buddy (cockapoo), and Zoey (yorkie). We also have Spirit (black lab) who comes to live with us on the weekends. Our free time is spent boating, skiing, wakeboarding and jetskiing. Being active has allowed me to keep up with any new trick my boys can do on the water. My philosophy is “I believe in fitness for a lifetime. We need to take care of our bodies so that they continue to take care of us as we age. I have been teaching fitness for many years and plan to continue for many more!”

My name is Wright Summers and I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of South Tennessee and have been a licensed realtor and broker since 1972 in both Kansas and Missouri. I have two kids, Susan, 41 and Shannon, 38 and a dog named Sam. In my free time I enjoy golfing, being with friends and traveling, preferably in the outdoors. I also enjoy eating good food like Italian, not bad food like sushi or liver. My favorite color is green. When exercising, I enjoy working on my chest, arms and shoulders. I have a couple of battle wounds, including having my C5 and C6 removed from my neck and I blew out my L4 in my lower back. I enjoy working at FitnessQuest because it has a happy environment with no complaint department.