Strength Training Coaches — Georgetown, Seattle
Meet The
Coaches.
Real athletic backgrounds, formal education in human movement, and a strength rehab specialist from Root Physical Therapy on the floor. Every coach here is as good at teaching a first squat as they are at sharpening a competitor — and every class scales to the person in front of them.
Creole Walker
Five years of coaching, a degree in Exercise and Physiological Science, and a former strongman competitor.
Read Creole's bio ↓
Payton Kessler
Former collegiate softball athlete with an Exercise Science degree and a strength and conditioning background from CWU Athletics.
Read Payton's bio ↓
Sabakhan
In the fitness industry since his teens. Strength rehab specialist with Root Physical Therapy, focused on injury prevention.
Read Sabakhan's bio ↓
General Manager · Head Coach
Creole
Walker.
Strength & Conditioning·MetCon·HIIT·Functional Fitness·Former Strongman
Creole is a performance-focused trainer with five years of experience helping clients build strength, improve movement, and gain confidence in their bodies. With a college background in Exercise and Physiological Science, Creole blends formal education with practical coaching experience to create safe, effective, and sustainable training programs.
Specializing in cross-training/MetCon, strength training, HIIT, and functional fitness, Creole works with individuals of all levels — from beginners starting their fitness journey to competitive athletes striving for peak performance.
A former strongman competitor with experience in wrestling, basketball, track, and fastpitch softball, Creole brings a well-rounded athletic perspective to every training session. Additional experience includes assisting as a strength and conditioning coach for high school rugby and football, and supporting powerlifting competitions.
Creole emphasizes not only results, but education — helping clients understand the principles behind movement and training so they can build confidence, move efficiently, and achieve lasting progress.
Years of Coaching
All levels, beginner to competitive athlete
Exercise & Physiological Science
Formal education in human movement
Sports Competed In
Strongman, wrestling, basketball, track, softball, powerlifting
Athletic Background
Coach
Payton
Kessler.
Athletic Training·Strength & Conditioning·HYROX·Collegiate Athlete
Payton is a former collegiate softball athlete at Central Washington University with a degree in Exercise Science and a strength and conditioning background built through CWU Athletics. She brings competitive athletic experience and hands-on coaching to every session she leads at Root Strength.
Her work in CWU's strength and conditioning program gave her direct experience with athlete testing, data-driven programming, and daily weight room operations across multiple sports. She also spent two seasons as a pitching coach for youth softball — building a coaching voice grounded in clear instruction and genuine athlete development.
Payton coaches with the same intensity she competed with, and brings an athlete's understanding of what it takes to show up, do the work, and get better over time.
In Her Classes
Coach · Strength Rehab Specialist
Sabakhan.
Injury Prevention·Strength Rehab·Scaled Intensity·Root Physical Therapy
Sabakhan has been in the fitness industry since he was a teenager, and it shows in how he runs a room. He is the coach who learns your name on day one, notices when you're having a rough one, and makes sure you leave the floor feeling more capable than when you walked in. Uplifting is the word members use.
He is also a Strength Rehab Specialist with Root Physical Therapy, which gives every class he coaches a prevention-first eye: how a movement loads a joint, where form starts to break down under fatigue, and what to adjust before a niggle becomes an injury. Training hard and training safely are the same thing to him.
That is what makes his classes work for everyone in them. Sabakhan scales intensity and modifies movements in real time — a lighter load, a different variation, a slower tempo — so a first-timer and a seasoned lifter can work side by side, each getting exactly the session they need. If you're coming back from an injury, nervous about one, or just new to all of this, his class is a good place to start.
In His Classes
Ready To Train With Us?
Start with a 2-week trial and meet the coaches in person. All levels welcome — no experience needed.