About

Training At Ripple Effect

Our training philosophy is inspired by the mountains, where high standards and hard work are paramount. Regardless of the athlete, our approach remains consistent: develop a deep awareness of posture, structure, alignment, and mobility; use that awareness to “injury-proof” the athlete by addressing injuries, managing stress, and supporting quality recovery; and incorporate periodized strength training designed specifically for mountain athletes.

Our objective is to practice our craft in an environment of unwavering support, where honesty, character, and integrity matter most. We provide motivation, instruction, and guidance to those genuinely committed to doing the work.

These practices aren’t exclusive to “elite” athletes—they apply to all of us. We are all athletes. An athlete is anyone who prioritizes their health and seeks vitality, strength, happiness, and the ability to excel at whatever they pursue, regardless of level.

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”

Ripple Effect Training Center is a private facility, though our doors are open to everyone. Private and group instruction must be scheduled in advance. Training sessions are individualized to meet each person’s needs—whether that’s an athlete recovering from an injury, a recreational athlete who wants to enjoy their days off, a high-performing athlete preparing for a season or event, or someone who simply wants support to stay active and healthy in an environment led by knowledgeable instructors.

Knowledge comes from experience. Our instructors bring lifetimes of experience in both the mountain environment and our unique gym setting, and each has completed our intensive three-tier Ripple Effect Instructor Certification program – a process that can take years to finish.

Together, this reflects our commitment to supporting our community’s recovery, health, strength, and performance for all mountain endeavors through personal training. Our Athletes are a reflection of that dedication.

Our Team

Carolyn Parker

Founder

The focus of my work and my life is to engage others in activities that create positive self change, to inspire, mentor, motivate, encourage, educate, and if that means changing the world one person at a time, so be it. I derive the deepest satisfaction from seeing others succeed, however I will be the first to tell you it is not just about being faster or stronger – it is about being a more conscious human being.

Carolyn is a life-long climber and mountain guide who has made the successful transition into full time coaching work. She is the founder and lead instructor at the Ripple Effect Gym in Carbondale, Colorado.

Carolyn’s personal pursuit of progress with her climbing led her to training. Training led her to Mark Twight and Gym Jones. In 2010 she earned her Gym Jones Certified Instructor credential. Carolyn can lead 5.12 rock, M8 mixed, and ski 50 degree couloirs. She has ski guided Mont Blanc, the famous Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route and the Italian Ortler Traverse multiple times. In 2001 she attempted to climb Makalu by a new route on the South Face with a small 4-person team. Most recently she has been competitive in mountain runs such as the Imogene Pass run, R2R2R Grand Canyon, Sandia Crossing, Four Pass Loop Elk Mountains, Power of Four Skimo Race.

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Betsy Dain-Owens

Instructor

Betsy grew up in the Pacific Northwest, with mountains, rivers, and rocky coastlines as her playground. Family backpacking and hiking trips, skiing, kayaking, and rafting as a kid instilled in her a deep appreciation for the outdoors and sparked an interest in climbing during high school and college. The love of wild places continues to be a guiding force in her life — remote landscapes, harsh conditions, and the company of like-minded souls energize and inspire her.

Before settling in Carbondale, Betsy graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Environmental Engineering, then soon after left the engineering world to pursue emergency medicine and outdoor guiding. She spent a few years working as a river guide and ski patroller in Santa Fe, NM, and worked as a mountain guide both domestically and internationally for nearly a decade — leading climbs on Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan, Mount Rainier, the Grand Teton, Aconcagua, and Denali, as well as peaks in the Cordillera Huayhuash and Cordillera Blanca in Peru. Personal skiing and climbing trips have taken her throughout the Mountain West, British Columbia, Alaska, and South America. Her most recent adventures include welcoming a son in August 2024 and building a house on the Crystal River just outside of Carbondale, CO.

Betsy has been working with Carolyn Parker since 2012. She is dedicated to continuously learning new tools and techniques — both inside and outside the gym — that support self-growth, injury prevention, and moving through challenges. She finds immense joy in seeing how focused training in the gym can lead to breakthroughs in both sport performance and everyday activities, and is committed to helping her clients build strength and resilience for whatever life throws at them. In addition to her work at Ripple Effect Training, Betsy teaches avalanche safety, climbing, and canyoneering courses for Colorado Mountain College.

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14 years of training, instructing, guiding, coaching, and 20 years mountain sport experience.

B.E. in Environmental Engineering, Thayer School of Engineering. B.A. in Engineering Sciences, Dartmouth College.

Pertinent certifications: NCSA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, StrongFirst Barbell Level 1 Course, StrongFirst Kettle Bell Course, SFMA Level 1 Certification, Blood Flow Restriction Training Certification through Rocky Mountain Therapros (Dr. Tanice Kitchener), Wilderness First Responder, NREMT-Basic, current CPR certification. Fully certified Level III Ripple Effect Instructor.

Caitlin Kinney

Instructor/Trainer

Caitlin grew up in Carbondale, where her passion for the mountains and the outdoors first took root. She graduated from California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, CA, and has spent time living in Baja Mexico, Bend, and Hood River, OR — along with travels to Europe, Bali, and New Zealand. Through it all, she discovered that her heart truly belongs back in Carbondale.

In the mountains, Caitlin loves skiing, skinning, hiking, running, and mountain biking. For her, the mountains are a form of meditation — a grounding force and the place she feels she truly belongs. Beyond mountain sports, she enjoys surfing, kite surfing, yoga, and barrel racing with her horse in Carbondale’s local rodeos.

To Caitlin, Ripple is more than just a gym — it’s a safe, positive space that encourages people to become the best versions of themselves, both mentally and physically. The uplifting personalities and diverse backgrounds of the people who walk through the door constantly inspire her. She loves the sense of community Ripple fosters, along with the chance to continually learn tools for self-growth, proper alignment, and injury prevention — and to see how strength conditioning can transform the way people move through life outside the gym.

Caitlin feels incredibly grateful to be part of such a unique, high-quality team at Ripple Effect. Her passion for the outdoors, love of movement, and drive to learn, teach, and support wellness all come together in her role at the gym.

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8 years of training and instructing, and 15 years equine and mountain sport experience. 

B.S. in Animal Science, Minor in Equine Science, California Polytechnic University.

Pertinent certifications: NASM certified, ACL rehabilitation continued education under Dr Tanice Kitchener, Blood Flow Restriction training certified under Dr. Tanice Kitchener, STOTT Pilates Barre certification, Experience as a PT aide at SPORT PT and Rocky Mountain Therapros (Dr. Tanice Kitchener), current CPR certification. Fully Certified Level III Ripple Effect Instructor.

Davis Cowles

Instructor/Trainer

Davis is a Life, Breath, & Movement Coach, and founder of Moon & Back–a community-centric movement designed to support you in the task of living well. At the core of Davis’ work on personal growth is the notion that, despite the messages with which we’re inundated these days, there’s no silver bullet. Positive transformation and profound growth are absolutely possible. They also require consistent, committed, and conscious effort. With a deep background in wilderness-based leadership education, Davis supports curious and bold individuals in finding the joy latent in that process, invariably with an aspect of embodiment. 

His greatest teacher is the living Earth beneath our feet, and dancing with gravity in the mountains brings him alive. 

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8 years of training and instructing, and 12 years mountain sport experience.

B.S. in Coastal Environmental Science, graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Ogden Honors College at Louisiana State University.

Pertinent certifications: Professional Life Coach, Certified Breath Coach (YOGABODY Teachers College), Wilderness First Responder (WFR), Certified Yoga Teacher (RYT-200), Mental Health First Aid, High School Teaching Experience (Spanish & Biology), Single Pitch Instructor (AMGA SPI) Training, Swiftwater Rescue Training (SRT-1), Mental Health First Aid, AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Training, current CPR certification. Fully Certified Level III Ripple Effect Instructor.

Erin Spiess

Instructor/Trainer

A Pacific Northwest native, Erin was exposed early on to long outdoor adventures with both family and peers. She attended Colorado College, where she met her husband and continued to explore the outdoors through whitewater kayaking, climbing, and skiing. After college, she spent countless days in the Wasatch and Cascade mountains and rivers, taking on high alpine explorations, endurance races, and day trips.

After living in Utah and working for ski patrol and in wilderness therapy, she taught English and other skills in an intensive living/learning environment in Chiapas, Mexico. She then returned to Washington to teach high school science and middle school science and math in North Bend, where her two kids were born. Ten years ago, she and her family moved to Carbondale, where she connected with Ripple Effect almost immediately while recovering from a couple of challenging injuries. She appreciated the attention to alignment and the welcoming space to learn and grow. Alongside her work at RE, she continued studying yoga in depth with her teachers from North Bend to support her recovery, eventually earning a 500-hour RYT certification through their program — and she continues to study with them virtually today. Yoga, viewed through an Iyengar lens, forms the backbone of her knowledge of the body and movement, and she loves how naturally it connects to her work at RE.

Erin is grateful for the wide range of outdoor experience she’s had across so many disciplines. In addition to skiing in the winter, she now spends much of her time trail running and mountain biking — activities that fit well with parenting life in Carbondale. She recognizes the profound impact that strength training and mobility work have had on her ability to work through injury and expand her physical abilities. Over the years, she’s loved seeing the variety of athletes RE attracts and the welcoming space it provides. She’s excited to be part of the team, continuing to learn about the body and movement while sharing that knowledge with others.

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8 years of training, coaching and instructing, and 30 years mountain sport experience.

B.A. in Biology, Colorado College. Master in Teaching, Seattle University.

Pertinent certifications: W-EMT, taught high school and middle school science, 500hr RYT Yoga Certification (Iyengar), current CPR certification. Fully Certified Level III Ripple Effect Instructor.

Kristine Glauber

Instructor/Trainer

Kristine began training at Ripple Effect soon after moving to Carbondale in 2020. Drawn by RE’s training philosophy, its community, and the opportunity to pursue her lifelong passion for coaching — previously fulfilled through youth swimming and rock climbing — she joined the RE instructor staff in early 2022.

Kristine believes that person-powered play is the purest way to understand ourselves, others, and the world around us. She learned this firsthand in graduate school in Southern California, where movement on the climbing wall and the yoga mat helped her expand her awareness beyond the realm of the mind. The moving meditations of rock climbing and yoga opened doors to embodiment — and to ways of knowing beyond the logic of science.