THE TEAM

Ethon Burns

Lead Trainer

Ethon's one and only career in life has been as a personal trainer and fitness educator for over 20 years He has always had a deep passion for teaching and, importantly, helping people move, feel, and look their best. Clients' consistency, small victories, and personal bests fuel him.

He began his career as an assistant coach training the Iowa Hawkeye TaeKwonDo team to nationals and coaching Junior Olympic TaeKwonDo camps before bringing his love of fitness and movement to his personal training studios in Chicago.

He is now back at home in Iowa helping our awesome community become even stronger and healthier. Ethon considers it his life's purpose to help people wade through the fitness fads and instead bring the most current, evidence-based transformational changes to all who seek them. 

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Ethon specializes in functional movement and has a degree from the University of Iowa in sports psychology, with minors in exercise physiology, nutrition, and kinesiology. Ethon's current specialized certifications include USA Weightligting, Gym Jones Level 1 & 2. He is also a Certified Onnit Academy Foundations Trainer and Onnit Academy Battle Ropes and Kettle Bell Specialist. He is also ProjectsMethod certified on the rower and skierg.

Sarah Harkness, PhD, Pn1

Lead Trainer, Certified Nutritionist

Sarah's fitness journey began much later in life. When she joined the faculty of the University of Iowa in 2011, she knew she needed to take better care of herself physically and mentally, and so she joined a local Crossfit gym. From there her interests in training have expanded to reaching the body's fullest potential. In her academic life, she studies the sociology of health, and welcomes Alchemy as a place to immediately practice what she learns so she can have an immediate impact on the community.

Sarah's health and fitness journey has led to her becoming a certified nutritionist through Precision Nutrition  She is also ProjectsMethod certified, earned a Gym Jones Level 1 certification at their first Women's Only seminar, and is Gym Jones Level 2 certified. 

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Sarah focuses on nutrition, meal prep, women's training and diet, and the social psychology of training (to compliment her PhD). 

Skyler Lamb

Assistant Trainer

Skyler is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and is is finishing his bachelors degree in Exercise Science at the University of Iowa.. Skyler’s love for fitness flourished after he graduated from high school. He stumbled across a CrossFit gym near his hometown, joined, and immediately fell in love with the way his body was changing and feeling. The world of CrossFit led him to a few different gyms, through multiple competitions, and allowed him to build many relationships. His fitness journey has instilled in him a deep passion to help others feel, look, and move their best.