Conference 2015 Speaker Biographies
Marian Barnick, BSc, RKin, CWCE, CEES(C)
Marian Barnick is a graduate of the University of Waterloo and a Registered Kinesiologist, practising in Toronto, Ontario. She opened Kinetic Health, commencing her clinical and rehab practice in 1993. In 1997, she founded Independent Mobile Assessment Centre, focusing on assessments including medico-legal files. In collaboration with Sunnybrook Hospital in 2005, Marian’s research and programs for cancer patient rehabilitation were reviewed, and in 2006 Independent Mobile Assessment Centre commenced a rehabilitation study for Sunnybrook with both breast cancer and prostate cancer patients. Marian’s passion lies with the collaboration of assessment and rehab – with assessment objectively determining the questions, and rehab providing the answers. For more information, please visit www.imaccentre.com.
Sean Bechtel, BA, NCCP
Since first qualifying for Canada’s National Triathlon Team in 2001, Sean Bechtel has been a fixture on the national and international triathlon scene. Sean’s career highlights include competing in the 2003 Pan American Games, many national teams, as well as multiple Triathlon Canada Athlete of the Year Awards. During the 2013 season, he completed his first Ironman, finishing in 8:47:25 (IM Mont Tremblant), and was the top Canadian at the North American championship.
Diana Bereas, CAIB, CRM
Diana Bereas is a senior marketer at PBL Insurance Brokers in Toronto, practising in the firm’s Commercial Insurance and Professional Liability segments. She regularly provides coverage advice and support to colleagues and policyholders in a broad range of areas, including commercial general liability, commercial property and professional liability insurance. Diana’s 14 years of industry experience enable her to provide unique insight to her insurance industry clients. Her enthusiasm for working with people to deliver solutions and peace of mind is contagious. For more information, please visit www.pblinsurance.com.
Patrick Beriault, BSc, RKin, CEP
Patrick Beriault is a 22–year veteran in the sport of Jiu-Jitsu where he held the title of junior Canadian champion. He has had the privilege of representing Canada at international conferences and tournaments in North America and Europe since 2004. In addition, he has five years of Judo experience. He is the CEO of KinMotion Inc., an Ottawa-based company that offers strength and conditioning solutions to performance athletes and physical activity practitioners. Patrick is also the North American representative for ComplexCore™.
Michael Chapman, RYT, CPTN-CPT, CPTN-CYS
Mike Chapman has been practising Yoga for 32 years. He is a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance, a Certified Personal Trainer with CPTN and certifies CPTN members in the Certified Yoga Specialist Program. He owns the Breathe Into Motion Yoga Studios in Cambridge, Ontario, and has hosted events with world-famous Yoga instructors. For more information, please visit www.breatheintomotion.com.
Kevin Duguay, Dipl HS AT, Sport Therapy Consultant
Kevin Duguay graduated from the Athletic Training and Management Program at Sheridan College in 1984, receiving the Cooper Canada Award for Outstanding Achievement. He is a Sports Rehabilitation Specialist, and has worked as the Head Athletic Therapist for a wide range of teams in both professional and amateur settings. He has also lectured at Seneca, Humber and Sheridan College in the field of health and wellness.
Christine Felstead, BA, E-RYT
After coming to Yoga as a 20–year running veteran, Christine Felstead pioneered the development of Yoga for Runners, and today is the leading authority on the practice. She has spoken at several international conferences, covered in media, and she teaches classes, workshops and teacher training internationally. She has developed best-selling DVDs, including “The Essentials: Beginner Program” and “Intermediate Program,” and recently launched her book, Yoga for Runners. For more information, please visit www.yogaforrunners.ca.
Brian Grasso, Dipl Fitness Management
Brian Grasso is the Founder and former CEO for the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA) and current CEO for the Mindset Performance Institute. For 18 years, he worked as a Performance Coach with Olympic, professional and National Team athletes from around the world as well as more than 20,000 young athletes through his long-term athlete development model. He served as a Consultant and Advisor to Nike, writer for Men’s Health and Men’s Fitness magazines and has presented lectures on topics related to Mindset, Performance and Youth Athlete Development for organizations worldwide including IHRSA, PT Academy – Australia, Millennium Institute of Sport New Zealand, Perform Better, Dublin University – Ireland and the United States Olympic Training Center, among others. For his unique and inspiring work in the fitness industry, Brian has been featured in media outlets such as Newsweek, The New York Times, ESPN and ABC News.
John Griffin, MSc, Professor (R)
John Griffin has been the coordinator/professor in the Fitness & Lifestyle Management Program at George Brown College for 37 years. As a private consultant, speaker, coach and writer, John has authored more than 70 publications, including the new HK test Client-Centered Exercise Prescription (3rd Edition). John has designed curriculum for courses in Exercise Prescription, personal training, musculoskeletal assessment, and rehabilitation and training techniques. His recent research involves functional mobility in older adults.
Lori Haws, BA, RKin, CPTN-CPT, CEP
Lori Haws has been in the fitness industry for nearly two decades. She is the owner of FitLife Personal Training Services, and provides in-home personal training and exercise therapy. Three years ago, Lori came across the Ki-Hara Method of Resistance Stretching and proceeded to attain all five levels to become a Ki-Hara Master Trainer. She stretches elite athletes and individuals who just want to achieve better balance in their bodies.
Tom Jackobs, BA, CPT
Tom Jackobs is responsible for the coaching and sales department of Net Profit Explosion (NPE). He has extensive experience in the corporate world and holds a Degree from DePaul University. Tom started his fitness company in 2008 and quickly built it to a successful enterprise. Having been a trainer and owner of a fitness center himself puts him in the perfect position to coach clients and sell the programs NPE offers them. For more information, please visit www.netprofitexplosion.com.
Roman Jahoda, PT, AC
Roman Jahoda is an Austrian fitness coach, physical therapist and Athletics coach. He is the CEO of ComplexCore™, and the author of ComplexCore™ – Core Stabilization in Training and Therapy. He is a sought-after body technician with a clientele that includes Austrian and Swiss Soccer Federations, EUFA, Formula 1 Drivers, Austrian Judo and Jiu-Jitsu national teams, as well as instructors from multiple sport universities around the world. For more information, please visit www.complexcore.at.
Karsten Jensen, MSc, CPTN-CPT.M, CHEK Practitioner L2, CHEK HLC L3
A periodization coach and expert, Karsten Jensen has helped world-class and Olympic athletes from 26 different sports since 1993. Many of his athletes have won Olympic medals, European Championships, World Championships and ATP Tournaments. Karsten is the first strength coach to create a complete system of periodization, The Flexible Periodization Method – the first complete method of periodization dedicated to holistic, individualized and periodized (HIP) training programs. Karsten shares all aspects of The Flexible Periodization Method with his fellow strength coaches and personal trainers through the Flexible Periodization Method workshop series (Level 1–4). For more information, please visit www.yestostrength.com.
Angela Jervis-Read, BA, CYT
Angela Jervis-Read has been immersed in the world of Yoga since 1998. She has both international and local experience, has a multi-disciplinary approach, and tailors the style of her classes to the group of people or person present at that time. She is the owner of Sundara Yoga studio, has appeared on the Marilyn Denis Show, and is a regular contributor to health and wellness magazines and online publications. For more information, please visit www.angelajervisread.com.
Larry Jusdanis, BPHE, CPTN-CPT
Larry Jusdanis is the owner of SST – the #1-rated speed facility in Canada. He has been training athletes for the last 16 years and is the leader in Speed training. His athletes include NFL, CFL, NHL, NCAA, CIS and more importantly young athletes! Larry is the Canadian and Northern US Director of the National Association of Speed and Explosion. For more information, please visit www.sst.training.
Steve Karlsson, BA, NCCP
Steve Karlsson has successfully guided youth, beginners and age groupers to podium finishes in triathlon, road cycling and running races from 5km to the marathon. As a triathlete since 1996, he has raced at nationals and has competed as an Ironman. A favourite undertaking of Steve’s is inspiring youth in sport, and he has orchestrated several triathlon events, clinics and race experiences.
Stuart McGill, PhD
Stuart McGill is a Professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo. He is the author of three textbooks and over 300 scientific publications that address the issues of low back function, injury mechanisms, development of evidence-based rehabilitation and performance exercise. Collectively, these works have received numerous national and international research awards. As a consultant, he has provided low back expertise to various government agencies, many corporations, elite athletes, professional teams and Olympic programs from many countries and legal firms. Working at the interface between basic foundational science and clinical practice, he is one of the few scientists regularly asked for consult by the medical and sporting community regarding particularly difficult back cases. For more information, please visit www.backfitpro.com.
Ross O’Donnell, BA, CPT
Ross O’Donnell is president of Fitness Kickboxing Canada Inc. (FKCI) and oversees operation of its certifications programs and CEC courses across Canada. He is the host of the TV show “MMA Hot Seat,” an international fitness and martial arts presenter, a fitness columnist with over 300 published articles and 15 instructor-training manuals to his credit, and author of The Ultimate Fitness Boxing & Kickboxing Workout. Among the many leadership roles he plays, Ross is also a professional MMA coach. For more information, please visit www.fitnesskickboxingcanada.ca.
Angela Pereira, BSc, CSCS, CES
Angela Pereira is a graduate of the Bachelor of Science Kinesiology program at the University of Waterloo, Angela Pereira has specialized in clinical assessment and the prescription of therapeutic exercise over the course of her 20-year career. As the founder and President of the First Line Group of companies – First Line Kinesiologists Inc., First Line Education Inc. and First Line Works Inc. Angela continues her practice as a sole practitioner operating as Angela Pereira Kinesiology. For more information, please visit www.angelapereira.ca.
Sheldon Persad, MSc, NCCP, CSCS, SWC©, CPTN-CPT.M
Sheldon Persad has been coaching national team triathletes since 1991. For the past 24 years, he has coached hundreds of triathletes of all ages. The people he has coached have completed sprints, Olympic distances and the Ironman (including multiple Hawaii Ironman finishers). Sheldon was one of two Ontario representatives in Canada who helped create the triathlon NCCP coaching certification program when it was transformed into the new CBET system. For more information, please visit www.personalbest.ca.
Melissa Putt, BA, CPTN-CPT
Melissa Putt is the owner of Healthy Habits Nutrition and Fitness Consulting Inc. for the past 27 years. Throughout her career she has trained in fascial normalization modalities including Somatherapy, Cranial Sacral, Thai massage and Fascial Fitness. Her mantra is to change posture through fascial release is the root of permanent physical change. For more information, please visit www.healthyhabits.ca.
Jodi Robinson, BSc, RD, CDE
Jodi Robinson is a Registered Dietitian, Fitness Professional and Professor at Humber College. She specializes in nutrition for physical activity, weight management, disordered eating and chronic disease management. Jodi is acting co-chair of the Dietitians of Canada Consulting Network and consults regularly with media and the food industry. With a background in fitness, Jodi provides personal training and group fitness, and is currently enrolled in yoga teacher training. For more information, please visit www.dietitians.ca.
Barrie Shepley, BPE, NCI Level 5 Olympic Coach
Personal Best co-owner Barrie Shepley has been Canada’s National Triathlon Team coach since 1991. In that time, Barrie has coached over 500 people to national championship titles, Pan American Games medals, World Championship medals, as well as successful completion of the Hawaii Ironman and the Boston Marathon. Barrie was selected to go to the 2000 Sydney Olympics where Triathlon made its debut as a full medal sport. Canada won the Gold Medal in the Nen’s event, a performance no one will ever forget. He is Vice Chair of the Coaching Association of Ontario, and a Hall of Fame-inducted coach. For more information, please visit www.personalbest.ca.
Jennifer Sygo, MSc, RD
Jennifer Sygo is a Registered Dietitian and Sports Nutritionist with Cleveland Clinic Canada, and the nutrition columnist for the National Post. A service provider for the Canadian Sports Institute Ontario and Coaching Association of Canada, Jennifer works with Canada’s top national teams and Olympic athletes, sports organizations including Hockey Canada and Gymnastics Canada, as well as active individuals and weekend warriors. For more information, please visit www.jennifersygo.com.
Karusia Wroblewski, BFA, E-RYT, CYT
Karusia Wroblewski is a life-long yogini with over 45 years of dedicated practice and 20 years of teaching. She is proud to have received transmission of traditional Yoga teachings through esteemed master Baba Hari Dass, and believes in the healing and therapeutic value of Yoga. Karusia is an engaging and inspiring speaker, and delights in sharing the inner practices of Yoga with as many people as possible. For more information, please visit www.yogaspace.net.
Trista Zinn, BA, CPTN-CPT, Hypopressive Level 4
Trista Zinn, founder of Hypopressives™ Canada, is a personal trainer specializing in pelvic floor health and core re-programming. She is Canada’s highest qualified and most experienced Trainer in Hypopressive exercise – the only Canadian with Master Level (Level 4) Status – and is an International Course Instructor for the International Institute of Hypopressives and Physical Therapy based out of Spain. She is also its biggest advocate and travels the continent teaching its benefits. Trista has been featured on the Marilyn Denis Show, Marla & Friends and CHCH news and has been published in various magazines. She is a fitness industry veteran with over 20 years of professional experience, and holds alternate specialties in Pre/Post Natal and Older Adult Fitness Training. For more information, please visit www.hypopressivescanada.com.