Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Candice Krout Dutko.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Although I am healthy and fit now, I wasn’t always that way. At my heaviest, I was 220 pounds. When pregnant with my daughter, I had gestational diabetes (not to mention, much of my mother’s side of the family had diabetes). I knew something had to change, but could just never make it happen. Similar to many people, I tried diet pills and low calorie diets, to no avail. In 2014, some friends of mine invited me to participate with them in a Spartan Race. I decided to sign up and do it with them. While there, I saw people wearing CrossFit shirts, and those people were doing pretty good, so I looked up and joined a local CrossFit. It was the first gym I had belonged to for an extended period of time. I first developed the habit of showing up to the gym then eventually started to work with a dietitian to help me work on my eating habits. I still struggled for a period of time. In 2016, I decided to finally commit to myself and I set 3 New Year’s Resolutions, one being to lose 25 pounds, another to be able to do a strict pull-up, and the last to be a challenging Spartan Race in Vermont. I was able to successfully do all of those. I went on to continuously challenge myself to see what I was capable of. That led me to triathlon and Ironmans. I’ve also done Ultramarathons, my most recent being in April 2026 where I ran 135.5443 miles around a 400 meter track in 48 hours, marking the 2nd time I’ve ever done 100 miles. My background is as a Registered Nurse (I have a doctoral nursing practice degree). It was frustrating for me to see our healthcare system fail so many people. I left my full time career in 2022 to start my own gym and coaching service, Achieve Wellness and Fitness. I work with people in-person and remotely to help them make fitness and nutrition a better part of their lifestyle and actually improve their health. I still do some per diem nursing work to supplement my income. In 2023, I published my first book which can be found on Amazon: Failure is Not Final, where I shared my story and offered encouragement to people wanting to pursue change for themselves. I am currently working on a journal for Christian Runners to help them prepare their mind and body for their upcoming race. My goal is to complete that by the end of the year or at least early 2027. Presently, my training goals are more strength-based with a long-term goal of competing as a Masters Athlete at the CrossFit Games when I reach the 50-54 age group.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For sure no. I mentioned a lot of this in my book, Failure is Not Final.
Failure is tough in the moment, but is often the best learning experience for making adjustments which ultimately lead to success.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Our slogan is, “Be Strong. Be Confident.” People often come with a goal of “lose 10 pounds” or “fit into that dress”, but numbers aside, people want to be more confident in their own skin. They want to feel more capable in their everyday lives. Their objective goals are often subjective inner feelings.
The mission of Achieve Wellness & Fitness is to “help people build confidence through wellness and fitness to live their lives to the fullest.” That can mean so much to different people wherever they might be in their lifespan. We work with people from ages 10-80 (and sometimes outside that range!). Each of those people have individual needs and goals. Our program is tailored to their individual and they often work 1:1 with a coach or in a small group. I also work with people remotely and have had clients across the northeast.
I help people with general fitness, but have extensive experience with CrossFit, Strongman, endurance, and powerlifting.
Aside from helping remote clients reach specific goals, such as a client who wanted to qualify for the State Police and successfully complete the academy, some Remote clients just want to get more out of their Planet Fitness membership or their home gym.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I’ve nearly always worked with coaches in areas of my life where I wanted help to improve or do better. The coach I’ve worked with the longest is Coach Michael McElroy. He is my coach for my fitness and has been a big part of me accomplishing some amazing things like my Ironman races, ultramarathons, and improving my strength and CrossFiit abilities. He has become a friend and has helped me navigate some changes throughout my life. I also credit him with leading me back to pursuing a relationship with God.
Secnd to him, I’ve worked with Coach Bruce Young to help work on my mindset in my athletic endeavors. I also struggled with grief following the passing of my father and he helped me work through that. He has helped me a lot with goal setting and achievement.
Another valuable Coach/mentor to me is Joe Jardine, a sports psychologist and marital/family therapist who’s service is called Reset Performance Mindset. This past year, I also made the challenging decision to file for divorce from my husband and he helped me gain clarity on that decision. He has also helped me with some mindset work in preparation for my most recent Ultramarathon.
For my business, I have worked with various mentors to help me improve different aspects of my business.
Pricing:
- Personal Training starts at $70/hour
- Small group personal training starts at $30/hour/day
- Remote pricing varies depending upon the client’s goals and needs
- Nutrition Coaching is $150/month
- Nutrition Kickstart for basic habit building is $99/4 weeks
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.achievewellnessandfitness.com
- Instagram: @achieve.wellness.nepa
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AchieveWellnessAndFitness/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@coachcandicefromachievewel5925?si=my7mg41ZHnlexF0L
- Other: personal IG – @coach.candice.dnp
