Shannon Tracey
Owner/Boss – L2 CrossFit Trainer
We opened CrossFit NorthGate in 2013 to share our passion for fitness and grow a community of people who align with our values and prioritize health, personal growth, integrity and service to others. We wanted to bring something truly special to the market and strive to create the best facility, program and deliver the best coaching. We are honored to be surrounded by such and amazing community of people who show up diligently in pursuit of their best self!
Ryan has worked in the fitness industry since 1998, and has explored many areas of sport and fitness, spending a good chunk of his 20s and 30s racing bicycles and triathlons before fully dedicating to CrossFit and functional training. Shannon has always been an outdoor enthusiast and after finding CrossFit in 2011, has never looked back.
The transformative power of CrossFit has profoundly affected both of us and we love helping people enjoy the same success that we’ve found. Getting better and fighting to become our best selves always takes a lot of work, but we can help you take your fitness as far as you want. In this day and age of instant gratification, it’s important to remember that fitness isn’t a destination, it’s a way of life!
Danielle Nguyen
Manager/Coach – L2 CrossFit Trainer
Dani was born and raised in Sonoma County. Growing up, she was very active and played competitive soccer and softball through high school. Dani received a scholarship to play division one softball in North Carolina, ultimately graduating with a BS in Sports Science.
After college Dani stayed active by playing recreation soccer and softball. In 2012, Dani found CrossFit and fell in love. In CrossFit, she found many of the things she loved playing competitive team sports, but also found what she was missing (being a well rounded vs. a specialized athlete).
After six years, she still loves CrossFit and enjoys every minute of coaching. To enjoy her fitness, she loves to get out of the gym and you can find her snowboarding, kayaking, paddle boarding, and hiking (with her dog Luther in tow!).
Elijah Runyan
L2 CrossFit Trainer/PN Nutrition Coach
Elijah was born and raised in Redding, CA and was involved in many sports from an early age. Basketball is the one that stuck, and Elijah played from Jr high, into college.
In 2009 Elijah and his wife Christina along with their two daughters moved to Santa Rosa CA. Fast forward to 2016 – with two more kids and now 40lbs overweight, Elijah found himself constantly tiered, in pain, and upset with his state of health. Feeling too tired and injured to play with his kids, he decided he had to make a change. That year He found CrossFit and is forever changed. Elijah set foot in CrossFit Northgate and hasn’t looked back. He loved everything about CrossFit: the community, the constantly varied movements, and the healthy competition. CrossFit reminded him of the sports that he once loved and what it felt like to be an athlete again.
CrossFit has dramatically changed his life, and Elijah decided he had to be a part of helping to change others. Almost exactly one year after Elijah started CrossFit he received his CrossFit L1 and began coaching at CrossFit NorthGate.
Elijah is a CF-L2 trainer and Pn-L1 exercise nutrition coach. He loves helping people take control and change their lives through the power of proper nutrition and exercise.
Elijah is married to the love of his life Christina (who is also an avid CrossFit athlete!) and they have four kids: Makenna, Halle, Landon and Blake. Elijah now enjoys a healthy energetic lifestyle and is able to keep up with them!
Ally Sather
L1 CrossFit Trainer
Ally is a local – born and raised in Santa Rosa! She graduated from Sonoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and Planning and a master’s degree in Kinesiology while competing as an All-American volleyball player.
Volleyball is her passion and career. She is the head coach at the Santa Rosa Junior College and still plays in adult recreation leagues. She is a yoga teacher, holding an RYT-200 certification.
Ally found CrossFit in 2018, the same year she was hired at the SRJC. She was recruited to join CFNG by other SRJC coaches who have been CFNG for many years. Since joining CFNG, she has lost and kept off 45lbs. Her success can be attributed to the supportive, yet competitive environment that fosters the athlete still inside her. Because of this and her passion for coaching, joining the staff at CFNG was a no-brainer and finds helping others achieve their fitness goals to be extremely fulfilling and rewarding.
In her (minimal) spare time she enjoys snuggling her mutts (Master Splinter and Sassy), hiking, paddle boarding, and enjoying time with friends (the majority of whom are CFNG members).
Chris Esquivel
L2 CrossFit Trainer/ADAPT Certified Functional Health Coach
A lifelong athlete with an interest in many different sports, Chris’ foray into training began in 2010 when, as an ACE certified trainer, he started teaching outdoor bootcamps in San Francisco. He got his introduction to CrossFit in 2015 at San Francisco CrossFit, and he was immediately hooked. Being coached by some of the legends of the sport motivated him to expand his coaching repertoire, and equipped with a CF-L1 certification he began coaching at TJ’s Gym in Mill Valley. Always hungry in his quest for more knowledge and experience, Chris became an ADAPT-Certified Functional Health Coach in 2022, and a CF-L2 trainer in 2023.
Chris’ main focus these days is on holistic health, and how to provide practical tools for people to thrive in a complex modern world. His philosophy is that living a long and healthy life need not be complicated, and that consistency, as well as strong yet simple foundations are the key. When not in the gym you’ll find Chris on the golf course, deep into a crossword, making food for friends, or traveling the world with his wife Sandra.
