Melinda A Howe, APRN, CRNA

Melinda Howe MNA, CRNA, APRN owner and provider here at Ascend Wellness. She is an active member of the Mayo Clinic Alumni Association, American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, the Society for Opioid Free Anesthesia, the American Society of Ketamine Physicians, and the North Dakota Association of Nurse Anesthetists.
Born and raised in Minot, Melinda began her nursing journey at Minot State University in Minot and worked for Trinity Medical Center in Minot’s Intensive Care and Criticair Flight Program for several years. Melinda decided to pursue anesthesia as her specialty because of her intense interest in the field, and she attended the prestigious Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences, earning her Advanced Practice Nursing degree with a specialization in anesthesiology. Adding to her training, Melinda underwent specialized instruction in ketamine therapy and IV hydration and nutrition at the online Ketamine and IV Nutritional Academy. She is also AFMCP certified in Functional Medicine via the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM). She spent several years gaining invaluable experience at a variety of hospitals and surgical practices across the United States before bringing her skills home to the Minot community.
Melinda has a personal interest in therapies for conditions like chronic pain, as her father struggled for several years without finding any treatments that truly improved his quality of life. She believes there are better options available now, and she wants to make them more widely available. She looks forward to delivering expert therapies in a safe and fully monitored environment and hopes that these novel treatments will help patients in their recovery from psychological and physical pain. She has a strong interest in working towards root cause exploration while working with patients and combines Holistic and Western medicine methodologies to help you feel your best. She is most proud of her family- husband Wayne and 3 beautiful children. She is happy to have been able to bring them back to the Minot area as it is such a special community to raise a family.
Dog’s name: Ziggy Stardust (you may see him from time to time at Ascend. He loves hugs!)

Dr Samantha Pajestka DC

Dr. Sam is a nervous system centered chiropractor who specializes in the perinatal period, pediatrics, and family wellness. Dr. Sam is a graduate of Parker University where she received both her Doctorate in Chiropractic and her Masters in Neurology. Dr. Sam also holds a degree in Biomedical science from Texas A&M University.
Dr. Sam utilizes multiple adjusting techniques including; Thompson, Diversified, Activator, Craniosacral, and Tonal Techniques. Dr. Sam is also certified in Webster technique through the ICPA which she primarily utilizes on her pregnant practice members. While Dr. Sam has a passion for serving chiropractic to all populations, serving families seeking preventative wellness care has always been her greatest passion.

Wayne Howe

Office Manager

Wayne is our Business Manager and “jack of all trades” at the clinic, the glue that holds us all together! Wayne holds a Bachelor degree in Finance from Minot State University. Wayne was born in Louisiana. His father served in the Air Force so he has lived all over the US. He came to Minot while in high school and considers Minot home. He is a proud veteran of the Army National Guard. Happily married to Melinda and blessed with three kids. In his free time, he enjoys trying to golf, playing pool, getting nutritional infusions, and getting massages from Monica.
Dog’s name: Ziggy Stardust (but he mostly claims Melinda…)

Kira Mackay BSN, RN

Kira is a Registered Nurse who graduated from Minot State University in 2017. She has spent the majority of her nursing practice in the mental health field, obtaining the ANCC psychiatric mental health board certification in 2020. Kira has a passion for helping others become their best selves and is currently attending UND Graduate School pursuing a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner degree.
Kira was born and raised in Minot and in her spare time, enjoys spending time with her husband and three kids. Their family loves to travel, go camping, and watch their kids play hockey.
Dog’s name: Lucy and Lilo (naughty #1 and naughty #2)
Kira is ACLS/BLS and IV Nutrition Certified and loves interacting with clients in the Infusion Lounge. She assists in selecting and customizing infusion plans for you.

Courtney Throckmorton BSN, RN

Courtney is a registered nurse originally from Nashville, TN. She graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama in 2018 with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The majority of her nursing career has been in Critical Care in the ICU and ER. She spent a large portion of her nursing career working in Surgical Transplant ICU, where she discovered the importance mental wellness has on your physical being.
She was a travel nurse for 2 years before moving to Minot in December of 2022, where she pursued her passion of holistic health and wellness by joining the Ascend team. She strongly believes in the importance of healing the mind, body, and soul.
Courtney enjoys spending her free time with her fiancé and dog. They enjoy traveling, hiking, snowboarding, scuba diving, and going on runs together. When not outside, you can find her reading a good book or indoor cycling.
Courtney is ACLS/BLS certified. Her favorite part of Ascend Wellness is forming relationships with the patients and investing in their growth and improvements each time they come in.

Monica Sivertson, RMT

Monica is a 2005 graduate of The Boulder College of Massage Therapy in Boulder, CO. Her main area of focus is sports and orthopedic massage with an emphasis on deep tissue, myofascial release, and trigger point therapy. Monica was a teaching assistant at The Cortiva Institute of Massage Therapy from 2007-2008, where she helped students develop their skills in sports and orthopedic modalities.
Her passion for massage therapy stems from the ability to help people reach their full potential in their journey toward maximum health and wellness. Tracking the progress of her clients and seeing the positive results that massage therapy can have is what drives Monica to continually learn and grow as a massage therapist. Monica has much experience helping athletes with injuries, concussions, prevention of injury, and overall wellness.

Monica was born and raised in Westhope, North Dakota, and is excited to be home after 16 years in Colorado. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, and going for walks with her sweet puppy.
Dogs Name: Hank (but he is really a human… we swear!)

Josie Frueh (Gilles) LMT

Josie is a Minot native who graduated from Minot State University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Corporate Fitness. She ventured to Scottsdale, AZ in 2015. While there, she graduated from Cortiva Institute of Massage Therapy in 2016. Her focus is deep tissue, myofascial release, cupping and trigger point therapy. She also loves to focus on the prenatal care population.
She loves seeing the progress of her patients that are on the road to recovery. She has a passion for assisting patients in getting back to feeling like themselves again.
In her free time, she loves traveling, hiking, spending time with family/friends and going to the lake in the summer months.
Dogs name: Sage
Josie is excited to be a part of Ascend Wellness because of the profound impact combining mental health, nutritional and physical health has on the community!