Conference 2008 Speaker Biographies
Paul Aspinall, BPE, MES, CPTN-CPT
Paul is the Director of Personal Training for Mayfair Racquet and Fitness Clubs, a CPTN Certified Personal Trainer, CPTN Practical Assessor and Course Conductor, and a Medical Exercise Specialist. He teaches program design at Seneca College and lectures at various corporations and fitness facilities in Toronto. His educational background includes a degree in Physical Education with a major in athletic therapy and a diploma in Fitness and Lifestyle Management from George Brown College. For more information, please visit www.mayfairclubs.com.
John Paul Catanzaro, BSc, PFLC, CK
John is a certified kinesiologist and professional fitness and lifestyle consultant with a specialized honours Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology and Health Science. He owns and operates a private studio in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. For more information, please visit www.bodyessence.ca.
Adele Derkowski, CPTN-CPT
Adele is certified as a YMCA Yoga Instructor, CPTN Certified Personal Trainer, and a Shiatsu Therapist. Her interest in Oriental Medicine is incorporated into her work. Her experience with teaching fitness for the past 12 years involves groups of people age 50+ and their desire to age gracefully.
Alison Wells, BA, BJ, CPTN-CPT
Alison holds 2 University degrees and has been working in the fitness industry for the past nine years as a club manager, marketing director, Personal Trainer, Nutrition Specialist and Fitness Instructor. Her degree in Journalism has given her the marketing expertise she has needed to help establish a very successful fitness business at Health Options Fitness and Wellness Centre in Hanover, Ontario.
Astrid Trim, DC, BSc
Astrid is a Chiropractor with a post-graduate degree in Sports Injury. Astrid has been practicing for 17 years and is the director of the Momentum Healing Arts Centre in Mississauga, a multidisciplinary health care facility. Astrid has treated athletes from many disciplines, and has been the Trainer for 2 Mississauga AA hockey teams, where she was part of the medical team at international tournaments. Astrid is a faculty Member of the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and teaches functional assessing, rehabilitation principles, clinical diagnosis and applied chiropractic. For more information, please visit www.momentumhealingarts.com.
David Sandler, MSc, CSCS, *D
David is the President and Co-Founder of StrengthPro Inc. He is a doctoral candidate at the University of Miami where he was the former Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach and head of Baseball during their 1999 National Championship season. David has published more than 20 scientific abstracts and articles and more than 75 articles in power and strength training for various magazines. Sandler was lead Sports Physiologist with National Geographic’s Super Strength and Fight Science shows dealing with Special Forces, Mixed Martial Arts, and the newest show about Steroids. He is currently working with Fox Sports on the 11 episodes of the super series, Sport Science.
Dawnelle Hawes, MEd, RYT, CPTN-CPT.M
Dawnelle has been involved in the fitness industry for more than 20 years with roles ranging from Fitness Director to instructor in fitness theory and personal training at post-secondary institutions in Toronto and Hamilton. Currently, she is a Medical Education Research Coordinator at McMaster University. To find balance in her own life, she has added a Registered Yoga Teacher certification to her credentials, and is passionate about sharing her journey and discoveries with others.
Joe Arko, CPT
Joe is a Strength and Conditioning Coach from Burlington, Ontario. Having worked as the Strength Coach for Skate Canada and with athletes from the NHL, NFL, CFL, and professional track, Joe has grown his business from a local gym Trainer into a successful private studio and web-based business. Now operating several of his own websites, Joe draws from first-hand knowledge and years of experience, to show you how web-based training can take your income to the next level in the fitness field. For more information, please visit www.joearko.com.
Michelle Becker, BSc, CPTN-CPT
Michelle is a Certified Kinesiologist and a CPTN Certified Personal Trainer. She is the founder of M. Becker Resources, which has provided In-Home Fitness and Rehabilitation programs for over 10 years. Michelle is a CPTN Course Conductor and is ARCON and Matheson certified.
Jeff Boris, BPHE, CPTN-CPT.M
Jeff has been a Holistic Fitness Trainer for over 15 years and also serves as a Research Educator for leading nutritional companies and health professionals. As a CPTN Course Conductor and published author, Jeff lectures at universities and appears as a monthly guest expert on radio and television. In 2005, Jeff received the CPTN Award of Merit for his outstanding contributions and professional commitment to the personal training and fitness industries.
Graham Brown, BPHE, BA, CPT
Graham is Masters candidate in Coaching and Sports Psychology. He has worked as a Personal Trainer and Athletic Coach nationally and internationally with general populations, individual athletes, and provincial-level sports teams. Graham is currently at Health Options Fitness & Wellness Centre in Hanover, Ontario where he works as the personal training manager, corporate sales representative, and Personal Trainer.
Maureen Connolly, PhD, CSCS, CPTN-CPT
Maureen Connolly is a Professor in Physical Education at Brock University. She is a CPTN Certified Personal Trainer, CPTN Practical Assessor, CPTN Course Conductor, and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Her research and teaching interests include disability and chronic conditions, NIA, conditioning training, body building, and body core training. For more information, please visit www.brocku.ca.
John Dempster, ND
John holds his Naturopathic Medical license in Ontario and is a member of the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors (OAND) and the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND). He takes an individualized and integrative approach for treating clients, using Clinical Nutrition, Acupuncture, Western and Eastern Botanical Medicine, Homeopathy, Detoxification, Hydrotherapy, and Lifestyle Counseling. John practices family medicine with a focus in diabetes, digestive disorders, hormonal imbalances, and endurance athletes. For more information, please visit www.thedempsterclinic.com.
Heather Harrison, BKin, NCCP Certified, CPTN-CPT
Heather is a NCCP Certified Coach, Clinical Exercise Physiologist, CPTN Certified Personal Trainer and Practical Assessor as well as a wellness speaker. Through BodySense Heather conducts best practice presentations for the promotion of positive body image in athletes. As strength and conditioning coach and former York University varsity athlete, Heather has had the opportunity to interact with athletes, parents, and sport and fitness leaders in a variety of sports. Her knowledge, experience, and bountiful energy provide a fun and practical element to the important BodySense information. For more information, please visit www.bodysense.ca.
Jeremy Hudson, BKin, CSCS
Jeremy athletic background as a professional baseball player and nationally ranked CIAU 60 metre sprinter sparked his career in strength and conditioning. With over 10 years experience in the strength training industry, Jeremy has worked with athletes in the NHL, CFL, and Minor League Baseball. He is an expert in strength and power development and focuses his attention on baseball performance. Jeremy now resides in Oakville, Ontario where he continues to consult with athletes from across the province.
Karsten Jensen, MSc, CHEK Practitioner Level 2, CHEK HLC L3
Karsten has worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Danish National Elite Sports Institution, Team Danmark, for seven years. His focus on individualized training programs for athletes at the national and international level involves a variety of sports including judo, water skiing and racket sports. He is a published author with three e-books on combination exercises and general training; his latest book The Magnificent 35: Vigorous Variations of Classical Exercises is featured at the 2008 CPTN Conference. He also lectures in various international settings. He holds a Masters degree in Exercise Physiology, is a C.H.E.K Practitioner – Level 2, and a C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach – Level 3. For more information, please visit www.yestostrength.com.
Ken Kinakin, DC, CSCS, CPTN-CPT.M
Ken is a Chiropractor, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a CPTN Certified Personal Trainer with Merit. He regularly lectures across Canada, the United States and Europe on weight-training, rehabilitation, and nutrition. He maintains a clinic with a rehabilitation and training centre in Mississauga, Ontario where he treats a variety of patients from the general public to world champions. For more information, please visit www.swis.ca.
Marc Lebert, BA, CPT
Marc is a Certified Personal Trainer. He is proprietor of Personal Strength Fitness Inc., training clients at home and in corporations for over 10 years and co-owner of Fuel Fitness Club in Mississauga specializing in group exercise, personal training, and fitness. Marc is also the inventor of the Lebert Equalizer, which is fast becoming the hottest new fitness tool. For more information, please visit www.lebertfitness.com.
Ed McNeely, MSc, CSCS, CPT
Ed is the Vice President and Education Director for StrengthPro Inc. He received his Masters degree in Exercise physiology from the University of Ottawa in 1994 and has been involved in the strength and conditioning industry for 18 years. He has been a consultant to 17 Canadian National and professional sports teams and is the author and co-author of five books. He has published over 130 articles on training and athletic conditioning covering topics that include strength training, plyometrics, making weight, assessing fitness, speed and power development, planning and periodization, and aerobic fitness. For more information, please visit www.strengthpro.com.
Ross O’Donnell, BA, PTS
Ross is president of Fitness Kickboxing Canada Inc. (FKCI) and oversees operation of the Fitness Kickboxing Certifications program and Continuing Education courses across Canada. Ross is an experienced fitness and martial arts presenter, a fitness columnist with over 250 published articles, 15 instructor training manuals and authored The Ultimate Fitness Boxing & Kickboxing Workout. Ross is also a Certified Boxing Coach through the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association (CABA-Ontario) and a Certified Coach and competitive Kickboxing club owner through the CASK. For more information, please visit www.fitnesskickboxingcanada.ca.
Melissa Putt, RNC, MES, CPTN-CPT
Melissa is the founder of Healthy Habits Nutrition and Fitness Consulting Inc. She is a Registered Nutritionist and CPTN Certified Personal Trainer with advanced certification in Medical Exercise, and Spinal Stabilization. Melissa recently returned to the University of Toronto to continue her studies in biochemistry so as to further enhance the nutritional programs that she designs for her clients. She has been a guest nutritionist on Life Television, Shop Toronto, Breakfast Television, and the BBS. For more information, please visit www.healthyhabits.ca.
Shawn Mozen, RKC
Shawn has worked in the fitness industry for over 15 years and is the owner of Agatsu Inc. Shawn was the first Trainer to introduce Kettlebells to the Canadian public. Through his company he created the first Kettlebell Instructional DVDs, workbook, and instructor certification programs in Canada. Some of the top Trainers from the US and Canada have attended his certification program which is known as being one of the toughest and most complete programs available. For more information, please visit www.agatsu.com
Peter Twist, MSc
Peter coached in the NHL for 11 years. An Exercise Physiologist with a Masters degree and a specialization in Coaching Science, Twist published over 400 papers, authored 10 books and 19 DVDs on athlete development, while coaching over 700 professional athletes. Twist is the President and CEO of Twist Performance Inc. For more information, please visit www.twistperformance.com.
Sheldon Persad, MSc, CSCS, NCCP, CPTN-CPT
Sheldon is the co-owner of Personal Best and strength and conditioning coach service provider for the Canadian Sports Centre, Sheldons clientele has extended to four continents. His clients have included amateur and professional athletes who have competed in several different sports, at world championships, the Commonwealth Games, Pan American Games, Olympic trials and the Olympics. A certified coach in five different sports, he is also the co-author of Business Strategies for Personal Training. For more information, please visit www.personalbest.ca.
Caron Shepley, BPE
Caron has worked in corporate fitness for over 10 years and is currently Corporate Director of the Toronto-based corporate health company, Personal Best. She has been practicing Yoga for 15 years and has become a renown yoga instructor for high performance athletes. Caron is the founder of Blue Dog Yoga and has produced her own video titled “Power Yoga for Endurance Athletes, Volume 2” which is featured at the 2008 CPTN Conference. Caron is also a five-time Ironman finisher and has won a silver medal for Canada at the World Triathlon Championships. For more information, please visit www.bluedogyoga.com.
Mahmoud Zaerian, BA, CSCS
Mahmoud is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and has been a Personal Trainer for the past eight years working with some of Toronto’s top amateur and Olympic athletes. With his experience as a chiropractic student, his ambition is to bring Olympic-level results to everyone. For more information, please visit www.focusitc.ca.