Meet Our Team

John and Katie Pipek

Hello! We are the Pipeks, John and Katie. We are the owners of LIVE Hydration Spa Kalispell. We both grew up in the Midwest; John in Minnesota and I in Nebraska. We met in 2018 after we each moved to the Flathead Valley in order to enjoy the mountains and outdoors lifestyle. John worked for the railroad as a conductor, but decided to get back into plumbing in order to spend more time at home. I’m a registered nurse, having attended the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. After graduation in 2016 I began working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at one of the women’s hospitals in Omaha.

Once I decided to move to Kalispell, I was fortunate to be offered a position within the NICU at our local hospital. I loved taking care of the babies in the NICU but found myself looking for some change, and transferred to the Cardiac Cath Lab in September 2021. I gained some valuable experience yet it still wasn’t quite what I was looking for, and realized I wanted to find a way to help people with their preventative health. After trying the services for myself and feeling the positive effects I knew this was what I wanted to do. John and I decided to open our own location here in Kalispell and are excited to share what LIVE has to offer with our amazing mountain community!

Cassandra Kuhl, APRN

Medical Director

I was born and raised in a small town in Minnesota. I grew up in a large family of 6 kids. My parents worked very hard as they each owned their own business and instilled in us kids a hard work ethic. I thank them everyday for this lesson.

I moved away after high school graduation to attend nursing school and play volleyball at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa. After graduating there I moved to Omaha for a job at the Nebraska Medical Center on their medical/surgical floor. I worked there for 5 years while pursuing my masters degree. Once finished with my masters degree through Clarkson College I worked at an urgent care for about 6 months before moving back to my small hometown in Minnesota to work in the family practice, hospital and ER. While I learned a lot at that job it was not the right fit for my family and we decided to move back to Omaha. I started a job at CHI in a family practice clinic and am still there. I absolutely love what I do and am passionate about helping my patients become proactive in their health care and wellness.

I have been married to my incredible husband Seth since May 2012 and we have two remarkable children, Aiden and Kenleigh. Outside of work and family life I enjoy working out and am passionate about fitness and nutrition.

I am lucky enough to have my partner Felicia Janovich also be one of my best friends. We have the same excitement and devotion towards most things we do. We feel Live Hydration Spa is going to be a great stepping stone in helping our clients become the best versions of themselves and for us to help the community by promoting preventative care and wellness.

David MacNeill, RN

Registered Nurse

I started out as a new grad RN in 2006 in a post operative Cardiac Surgery ICU at University of Colorado Hospital. In that unit we took care of all types of critically ill post-operative patients recovering from many different open-heart surgeries.
In 2014 I decided to move here to Kalispell MT where I worked in the OR on the CV heart team. I realized that really wasn’t the best fit for me and transitioned to the Cardiac Cath Lab at Logan Health where I’ve been since 2016. I also work in the EP lab, IR, Holding Room, Nuclear Medicine, and Stress Echo.

I’m also a clinical instructor here in Kalispell with Montana State University (Go Cats!!) and I teach Medical/Surgical Nursing, Foundations, and Nursing Simulation.
I’m currently working towards a master’s degree in Family Nurse Practitioner and have enjoyed the clinical portion of this program very much. I’m really looking forward to continuing patient care in an advanced practice role and feel like this is the best next step for my career.

I look forward to working with you here at Live Hydration!

Sarah Zaharia, RN

Registered Nurse

Hi there! My name is Sarah, and I’ve been a part of the staff at Live Hydration Spa Kalispell since August 2022. I love that the spa is able to provide health resources to clients in which the clients themselves get to make the decisions in their own care. It’s impressive to meet clients with such a wide range of knowledge about the services we provide, and I feel there’s always more to learn!

On the personal side, I have been a NICU nurse for several years – that’s how I met Katie! I love my job with the little ones. I’ve been a part of the Flathead Valley community since 2014 and have loved every minute of living here. When I’m not working you can find me reading, fishing, or hiking… or cleaning. I love to clean – I really do!

Tara Howe, Director of First Impressions

My name is Tara. I am the receptionist here at Live Hydration. I stay busy with three awesome children and two dogs! I have worked in healthcare for 15 plus years, and started working at Live Hydration Kalispell in the Spring of 2023. At first, I myself was a client then after my first month of IVs I was hooked. My energy levels and mood drastically improved after starting IV therapy. Shortly after becoming a member, I asked Katie if she ever needed someone to work here I was in! My goal here is to make sure everyone feels welcome and taken care of the minute they walk in the door. I look forward to working with you and helping you feel your best!

Kristie Swenson, RN

Hi! My name is Kristie. I am Southern born and bred. Raised on sweet tea and Jesus, lots of “yes ma’ams”, and “bless your hearts”! I am a wife to a wonderful man named David. We will be celebrating 20 years of marriage this May. I am a mom to four amazing kiddos. Mekhi and Izzie (twins) are 14, Grace is 13, and Macie is 8 years old. We are a homeschool family and have been homeschooling since the twins started kindergarten. We love to camp and travel wherever the wind takes us. We love Montana and all of its beauty.

I have been a nurse for 21 years. When I was in first grade, I felt the Lord calling me to be a nurse, and I did not waiver. After receiving my degree, I began my career at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, where I worked on the cardiac stepdown unit. We then moved to Knoxville, TN, where I worked on an open-heart stepdown unit and then moved on to be a PICC RN at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. From there we moved to Indiana, where I obtained a job working as a Vascular Access RN at Deaconess Hospital. Now, we are in the amazing state of Montana. I am an Infusion Nurse and Vascular Access RN at Logan. Also, I am happy to say that I work as an RN with Katie here at the Spa!