Designer Health Net Talk Show All About Kriste'

All About Kristé

Born Kristina Marie Sprague, January 17th, 1967, in Chicopee, Massachusetts, Kristé hit the ground running and was on the move. Her father, Kenneth (Kenny, Ken or Duke) (serving in the USAF); mother, Karen; and sister, Kellie (3 years Kristé’s senior) were stationed at Westover Air Force Base while Ken served his tour of duty in Vietnam. After Ken's service was completed, the family returned home to the small town of Princeton, Maine, on the east side of the state next to the Canadian border. Princeton was fed economically by the slightly larger mill town of Woodland, just a few miles to the south.

“Everyone worked at the paper mill,” says Kristé. “My dad tried working there when we came back to Maine after he left the Air Force. It wasn't something he could do. My father can't be kept indoors doing something that has a set routine for very long...hmmm, that sounds familiar!”

Family was a huge factor in Kristé’s beginning and still plays a large part today.

“My sister, Kellie, and I had the typical sibling relationship growing up. We would get along one minute and want to choke each other the next. Now, she is one of my very best friends. Kellie has called me ‘Krispy’ for as long I can remember. My sister is amazing and my family is so proud of her. She is an Oncologist at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Kellie and her husband, Stephen (who is a Pediatrician), work so hard! Kell and I have gotten our work ethic from both our parents.

“My mom has always been the centerpiece of our little family. She has been the organizer, the chief cook, do-it-all, and still worked outside the house for many, many years. She worked at Calais Regional Hospital and in private practice forever! My mother retired from nursing and now spends her time with my dad. They're so close! Where one goes, the other isn't far behind. It's a refreshing thing to see when so many relationships today are based on 'What can you do for me?' instead of 'How do we do this together?'

“I feel like I have finally found the secret my folks share with Jeff. It's so worth waiting for, no matter how long it may take. Take your time...” Kristé’s relationship with her father has always been a very special one. Ken and Kristé very much mirror one another in personality and humor.

“Jeff (Kristé’s husband) knows there's another man in my life. My dad is, well, he's just that one soul I feel in my heart. When I think of my father, I realize that there is no one in the world who can make me feel more secure and comforted. My dad has always been reason, responsibility, warmth, and the one who made everything okay.

“Dad has called me ‘Kritter’ (pronounced ‘Krittah’ in the native tongue of New England) my whole life. When we see each other, we might say, ‘I just can't stand ya!’ or ‘You'll never amount to anything’ as an inside joke. My dad and I can connect with one another with a simple glance. We speak the same language. He's the busiest retired guy you'll ever meet. I've always told Jeff, my dad will never die from some illness... he'll just fall off a roof!” The loving relationship with her family would not be complete without mentioning one more important person.

“I loved my grandfather,” says Kristé. “Oh, my, how I loved that man. My grandfather was in the Navy and served in WWII on the U.S.S. Yorktown. I spent so much time with him when I was little. He was just the nicest man and treated me so well. He had such an influence on the way I perceive life today... I miss him every day.”

Kristé’s passion for activity began early. Having been brought up near a paper mill, a common thing to do was “run logs” on the river. The paper companies would use part of the St. Croix River that fed into Big Lake to transport logs for the mill by “floating” them.

“We (the neighborhood kids) would get out on the logs and jump from one to the other. It was very tricky and really hard to keep your balance. I was very good at it. One day, however, I didn't do so well. I had jumped from one log to another, lost my footing and fell into the water, between two huge logs. I was a tiny little thing, so I couldn't separate the logs once they closed up. I remember looking up and seeing the light fading as the logs began to close. I was scared to death! All of a sudden a hand reached down into the water and pulled me out. It was my cousin, Sammy Sprague. He was my hero that day. Of course, we were right back at it, running logs again that very same day. That wasn't the first time Sammy Sprague was there for me.”

Kristé graduated in 1985 from Woodland High School. Of her schooling experience Kristé says, “I didn't play sports as a general rule. I did play basketball in high school, not as a star by any means, but I did play for two years! I can finally admit it now, I use to sit on the bench (which I did a lot) and secretly root for the other team to score so high that it didn’t matter if I went in, and I’d finally get the chance to play! But eventually I found my true calling in the world of high school sports. I became the mascot for the Woodland Dragons for one year. I loved it. I would put on the dragon costume and go out at half-time. I'd go running around, playing to the audience, and getting my tail pulled! It was a blast! I was much more active at home than in school. I loved to skate on frog ponds, ride bicycles, go snowmobiling, and build tree houses. I stayed pretty busy. I did swim, but not competitively...more as a means of escape!

“One time, I was riding my bike across the bridge over that same river where I nearly drowned. This big girl stopped me in the middle of the bridge. I was about ten or so. She pushed me off my bike and threw it in the river! I was really upset, but not nearly as upset as I was when she picked me up and tossed me off the bridge as well! I swam all the way home. Once again, my hero was Sammy Sprague. He went back later and fished out my bike. I told Jeff this story and the first time we went up to visit my folks, I showed him the scene of the crime. He unofficially re-named the bridge, ‘The Chuck-A-Kristé Bridge!”

Kristé’s family moved to Grand Lake Stream while she was in high school, and it was there that she married and then moved to Valdosta, GA in 1986, where she gave birth to a beautiful daughter, Ashley. Kristé then attended Valdosta Technical College and earned her degree in practical nursing. While working at Valdosta General Hospital, she went back to school and received a business management certificate. She continued to work in nursing and took on an unusual side job…selling Rainbow vacuum cleaners!

“I made more money selling those vacuum cleaners than I ever did in nursing! I loved that job! I would pitch how wonderful the machine was; they had a humidifier built in, so it was healthy and good for your kids. How could you not buy one? So, how many can I put you down for?” she says with a laugh. Seven years later, Kristé moved back to Maine and gave birth to her son Christopher in 1990. After staying home with the new baby for a year, she began working in various health care facilities and tried many different career fields.

During this time, Kristé started her own business in massage therapy, got her certification in personal training, and also worked as an ambulance attendant…all at the same time! Then, in 2000, Kristé returned to school at The University of Maine at Machias (UMM), where she graduated with honors and received her degree in Recreation Management in 2004.

“Really, I'm proud that I graduated with such high honors. I'm not saying that I was Superwoman; there are many people who have had their plate over-flowing…raising children, working a couple of jobs, I get it! I just don't know how I did it. Oh yeah, I even found time to get a divorce! I remember graduation day. Everyone wanted to go out and party but all I wanted to do was go home and watch a movie with my kids without having to study…and I did!

“I learned so much about myself during my four years at UMM. Also, in those four years, I was certified in fitness therapy, smoking cessation, water safety instruction, group fitness instruction, sports nutrition, and lifeguard certification. After I graduated, I stayed at UMM and continued to work doing all of the jobs that went with my certifications, but I never had an official title. So, I left UMM and started my own personal training business. Things were going great! I couldn't have been doing better; money was great, I was busy and then…I got hurt.”

Kristé found herself in a position she never expected with an injury that was life-changing.

“I tore my anterior tibialis tendon—a complete separation. I wasn't even working out!” The injury put Kristé on crutches for 8 months. Nonetheless, she was happy to take a full time job with UMM doing her old duties, but now had a title as a Fitness/Wellness Coordinator.

“Try giving people incentive to work out while you're on crutches—it is not that easy! When I got the position from UMM, it came with some administrative responsibilities, which I really loved. I worked hard and had the best relationship with my clients. I even worked as conditioning trainer for the sports teams. Even though my injury made running, swimming, biking, or any type of exercising harder, I was doing really well.

“Then, outside of the birth of my two beautiful children, the one thing I waited my whole life for finally happened…I fell in love with the man of my dreams.” Jeff Crossman entered Kristé’s life at the end of 2007. Crossman was a drummer playing at a local club. It was a night that was meant to be. Kristé arrived at the club with some friends for a night out with the girls.

“I love to dance more than you can imagine. Some friends said there was a good band playing in town and we should go check them out. I had no idea how important that night was going to be for me. I hadn't been in a serious relationship for five years after my divorce. I wasn't looking for that at all, but when I met him, I found this connection. He fascinated me by the way he carried himself; his confidence was incredible. It turned out that Jeff was a police officer in Machias, too. I thought that was pretty interesting. I thought, ‘who is this guy?’

“During one of the band’s breaks that evening, I started a conversation with Jeff. I innocently asked what the story was with the guitar player. He grabbed my hand and said, ‘let's go see.’ He proceeded to pull me toward the stage where Gabe (the guitar player) was standing and left me there! Gabe and I just stared at each other, stunned as Jeff walked away. Jeff and I connected on a level that neither one of us had ever experienced before. We just love each other so much. I think he put it best when he told me he never thought there would be a woman that he would understand or 'get', and no woman would ever ‘get’ him. But, we do.

“We handle all of the business and bookkeeping of The Designer Health Net Talk Show together through our production company The Designer Health NetWork. We just love to work together. What one person misses the other picks up. We couldn't love each other more! My God, the man bought me a car starter! If that's not love, what is?” she says with a laugh.

“We decided to develop The Designer Health NetWork, and we found we were on to something unique, something that people could actually sink their teeth into! It was in the fall of 2008 that Jeff and I developed the idea of starting The Designer Health Net Talk Show. I had done an interview on a local radio show that dealt with women and small businesses. When Jeff and I left the radio station that day, we knew that radio was our calling. I really enjoyed being on the business end of a microphone. And the rest is history! So far, the feedback from our listeners has been so encouraging. Our guests are fantastic and our sponsors are very happy with their investment.

“In conclusion, Jeff and I are going to keep working hard to make The Designer Health Net Talk Show better and better every week! We are two of the most determined people on the planet! Hand-in-hand we are going to push this machine we've created down the road until we can actually climb on board and enjoy the ride! I believe it’s true that you can do anything you want. Time is never an issue; it's just what you do with it. Like I've always said, we all have 24 hours in our day…how will you use yours?” Kristé