I’ve spent 33 years in the field of health and wellness, counseling clients in sport performance through personal fitness training and injury rehabilitation as well as sport and clinical nutrition.
During the past 17 years, I have lived in the Bulkley Valley running my personal training and nutrition business as well as teaching an array of group fitness programs at Fitness Northwest including core conditioning, a variety of cardio classes, and most recently yoga.
Deep down, I’m a gardener and have enjoyed gardening since my late teens. I recently completed a degree in Horticulture and a certificate in Horticultural Therapy, which has given me a more clinical perspective on horticulture. Through horticultural therapy, I am able to combine my background in physical rehabilitation (especially related to fine and gross motor skills) with the benefits of nature immersion and the boost in mental health afforded by the garden environment.
It was through horticultural therapy that I was introduced to the labyrinth. When I walked it for the first time, the simple act of walking turned into a very powerful experience. From there, I knew how my life-long career in health and wellness would continue through a holistic approach that brings strength and flexibility to a much deeper level. I am now a certified labyrinth facilitator and have been steadily building a service on our private labyrinth.
For most of the years I’ve lived in Smithers my husband and I have produced between 1,700 and 2,300 pounds of tomatoes in our greenhouse annually, as well as supplying a variety of peppers, cucumbers, vegetables, fruits and berries for sale to our clients. We raise chickens, which we sell for meat, and have an apiary predominantly for pollination of our orchard and vegetable gardens (but who can resist the harvest of that liquid gold).
In 2014, I took the first steps toward becoming a yoga instructor by completing a five-week program of study and practicum giving a 200RYT certification. What I learned was that five weeks barely scrapes the surface of what there is to know and understand. In 2017 I carried on to complete my 500RYT in India, a most amazing experience that words can simply not describe. Adding yoga was a great decision, allowing me to marry my knowledge and passion for anatomy, functional movement, strength training and injury rehab with the physical practice of yoga.
I have a lot of goals, dreams and passions, along with a husband who has supported and encouraged every one of them. I’m thankful for the opportunity to live out these dreams surrounded by the many wonderful people in my life.