Our Coaches

Brandi Exarhos (Owner)

Brandi grew up in Wisconsin where she played multiple highschool sports and spent time each summer visiting her grandparents on Bainbridge. She earned her B.B.A from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she also met her future husband, Chris. A career opportunity took her to the east coast for a few years, but after earning her MBA, she and Chris made the move to Washington to plant their roots and raise their two daughters. She became passionate about running and went on to complete 8 marathons before finding CrossFit in 2009. She fell in love with the community aspect of CrossFit, the constantly varied nature of workouts and the exceptional results it produced for so many people. She has over a decade of experience coaching clients of all ages and abilities, and when she's not in the gym, she can be found helping other CrossFit Affiliate Owners or traveling to visit her daughters at TCU in Fort Worth, TX. She is most passionate about working with teens, individuals with developmental disabilities, and anyone who is committed to making a positive change in their overall health. Go Badgers…and Horned Frogs!

Chris Exarhos (Owner)

Chris has been an athlete his entire life. He learned to ice skate at 4, started playing hockey at 5, and was an accomplished athlete in golf, baseball, football, and hockey throughout high school. He was also a longtime Globo-Gym weightlifter until being introduced to CrossFit in 2009.  Other accomplishments include completing 8 marathons, as well as numerous half-marathons and 10 mile races. Chris earned a B.A. in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he was also a member of the Wisconsin Badgers Men’s D1 Hockey Team from 1994-1997. He had the benefit of training with a highly qualified coaching staff that provided education on weight lifting, a personalized strength & conditioning program, and nutrition advice, all in a world class athletic facility. An untimely broken hand derailed his professional hockey career. As an athlete and coach, Chris’ focus is on proper technique rather than the amount of weight being lifted or moved. His philosophy is simple, “You’re here today to be better than yesterday.” Chris relies heavily on his education and experience as a Division 1 athlete, CrossFit Games Masters athlete, and professional GRID athlete. His coaching style is personalized to the athlete to encourage and instill confidence for maximum results.

Jessica Bratonia (General Manager/ Head Coach)

Jessica grew up in Southern California where she started playing competitive softball at the age of 10, which eventually earned her a full scholarship to the University of South Carolina. During college she played catcher and outfield until an elbow and back injury limited her to being a designated hitter. After moving to Washington after graduation,  Jessica looked for something to replace the discipline and competitiveness of softball and turned to running. After completing two half-marathons, she quickly realized that running wasn’t for her and set out to find something to replace it. CrossFit entered Jessica’s life in January of 2013 and she immediately fell in love with the discipline, community and competitiveness with oneself that it brought. Coming from a competitive powerlifting family,she felt like it blended her two loves (lifting heavy and moving fast) in a way she hadn’t experienced before. In her spare time, she is a mother of 3 crazy kids and softball hitting instructor. Jessica is passionate about helping young athletes get to the next level, and anyone else who is trying to become a better, stronger and healthier version of themselves. The best feeling as a coach is watching someone accomplish something they never thought they would be able to do! Oh yes, and GO GAMECOCKS! 

Brent Gray (Coach)

Brent has been a lifetime athlete playing three sports a year for most of his life. Hockey and Baseball were his passions and he pursued both in college, ultimately playing 4 years of college baseball at St. Lawrence University. Brent's love of competition and pushing his boundaries led him to distance running where he completed multiple half marathons and a full marathon in 2018. He was introduced to CrossFit by his wife Eleanor and quickly fell in love with the discipline needed as well as the challenge of learning a whole new sport. What was a surprise was how tight the community is, how welcoming every gym is, and how supportive the other athletes are. CrossFit has filled the void of being a part of a team and ultimately led Brent to pursue his certification as a Coach. With 2 of his 3 daughters being gymnasts Brent focuses his coaching on learning proper technique at lower weights over just moving at higher loads. He has seen and believes that getting the basics right first will lead to faster gains, better long term success, and lower risk of injury. And there is nothing better than seeing an athlete work hard then achieve a PR. We are all a work in progress so just getting going is the best thing we can do for ourselves, both physically and mentally.

Pilar Wilson (Coach)

Former collegiate lacrosse athlete and passionate outdoor enthusiast, Pilar brings a wealth of experience and a contagious love for fitness to the gym. With a background in Occupational Therapy and a master's degree from the University of Washington, Pilar has an understanding of the human body and how to optimize its performance.

In her 20s, Pilar explored the great outdoors, hiking, biking, and backpacking through challenging terrains. This ignited a passion for group fitness that's both competitive and strength-focused. Olympic lifting and high-intensity interval training led her to CrossFit.

Today, Pilar is a dedicated parent of three children. Balancing family, in-home rehab for older adults, and a love for sports, Pilar knows the importance of efficient, effective workouts that yield results.

Kat Gardner (Coach)

Kat was a Navy brat but ended up settling here in the Kitsap Peninsula as a young teenager.  She participated in several sports, such as fastpitch, basketball and tennis.  During her junior year of high school, she was introduced to Olympic lifting through a class offered at her school.  She ended up really enjoying the snatch and clean and jerk and joined a lifting team that competed at some of the other local high schools.  When she moved onto Central Washington University, she remained active, but really fell away from Olympic lifting.  In March of 2011, she tried CrossFit for the first time.  Finally, Olympic lifting was back in her life!  Crossfit as an exercise program has really helped her reach goals physically but also mentally. "If you can do the hard work that CrossFit asks of you, the discipline will flow into the rest of your life." Watching clients progress, reach their goals and get uncomfortable with doing hard things is the most rewarding thing as a coach. She loves the BICF community and is so thankful they welcomed her in with open arms.  

Heather Burnham (Coach)

Heather grew up in Southern California playing lots of sports (and the trumpet) until playing competitive fastpitch at 11 just like her older sister Jessica. Heather earned a full ride scholarship to Coppin State University; an HBCU in Baltimore, Maryland. She was recruited as a pitcher but ultimately became a utility player proving her skill in the outfield and at second base. After graduation she continued to workout but without the element of "competition" in her life it was hard to stay motivated. If she wasn't training to stay in shape for a spot on the roster then why workout? She realized her "why" when she walked into her first Crossfit gym in 2017 and never looked back! She loves the challenge, community, methodology, and life changing results that Crossfit provides which led her to getting her Level 1. Heather's favorite part of coaching is to watch clients walk in saying "I can't" and leave saying "I did it".

Jennifer Straughn (Coach)

Growing up by the beaches in Southern California, Jennifer has always been on the move.  She played any type of team sport she could while growing up – including softball, basketball and swimming.  She was even a part of a traveling and competitive jump rope team in elementary school!  Jennifer moved to Hawaii after receiving her Bachelors of Science degree in Special Education from Boston University.  While living in Hawaii and looking for something to add to her indoor cycling addiction, Jennifer was dared to try CrossFit.  She immediately fell in love with CrossFit because of the unequivocal energy, attitude, and community that CrossFit embodies.  She views coaching as an opportunity to help others push themselves to achieve their greatest goals and bringing them to the realization of how strong they truly are.  Her favorite classes to coach are the CrossFit Kids classes, where she focuses on promoting the importance of a healthy life style and a positive body image.  Today, Jennifer is a special education teacher on Bainbridge Island. When she’s not CrossFitting, you can find Jennifer playing in the ocean, seashell hunting, and trying to keep up with her son.  

Colin Cain (Coach)

Colin has had a passion for sport his entire life, spending his youth primarily focused on soccer and lacrosse. After college, Colin looked to replace his exercise habit from team sports with a big box gym membership, but quickly realized that routine was lacking the structure and dynamism he'd appreciated so much. Only a few months later, he walked into a CrossFit affiliate and was re-energized by the stimulating workouts and warm community. Now with 4+ years of CrossFit experience, Colin's goal as a coach is to create an environment where every athlete who walks in the door of BICF feels the energy, excitement, and community he's benefited from in his time with the program. He's motivated to help you accomplish your goals (whatever they are!) and become a better version of yourself with every class, workout, and rep.

 Colin originally hails from Idaho where he also completed his undergraduate studies. After a brief stint on the east coast while pursuing his MBA, he moved back west, found Bainbridge Island in 2020, and has been loving life as a member of the community ever since with his wife, daughter, dog, and cat.

Carrie Williams (Coach)

Carrie is a PNW native and grew up in Lake Forest Park, WA.  She graduated from Seattle University in Business, is a CPA, and specializes in taxation.  She found CrossFit in 2018 and immediately fell in love with the complexity of the sport and the supportive community.  Being an avid runner for many years, she missed the feeling of competition which pushes us all to be better.  All sports have a mental and physical component to them, but the mental toughness of CrossFit and the requirement that you believe in your abilities is her favorite part.  If you don't trust yourself and you haven't put in the work on the technique - you WILL fail your lift.  You can't just grind through every workout.  She is most passionate about teaching people who are new to weightlifting - it's never too late to start!  When not in the gym, you'll find her outside on the water, hiking, reading, crocheting, or at a live concert.

Alex Selby (Coach)

Alex, grew up in Portland, Oregon spending weekdays playing organized sports like football and track and weekends spent in the mountains snowboarding in the winter and biking in the summer. Before finding CrossFit, he was coached in weightlifting for high school sports in commercial gyms. But while he felt strong within the confines of the gym, he couldn’t see how the gym's machines translated to real-life strength. When he moved to the Seattle-area for work, he earned an MBA attending evening classes and went to a commercial gym a few times a week, sitting on machines, moving one body part at a time. But this sedentary lifestyle led to a decline in fitness that resulted in injuries.

 Alex’s turning point came in 2019 when a friend visited him on Bainbridge Island and invited him to do the 'Murph' workout. Alex fell in love with the community atmosphere and the real-world applicability of the movements. Since, Alex has been to CrossFit gyms on three continents and counting. After earning his CrossFit L1 certification in 2022, Alex transformed his passion into purpose. As a coach, he thrives on helping members recognize the connection between CrossFit movements and their everyday lives. He can often be found at morning classes or enjoying Winslow with his wife and son.

Chris Ruddick (Coach)

Quentin Young (Coach)