2019 CPTN Personal Trainer Summit Speaker Biographies
Paul Aspinall, BPE, MES, CPTN-CPT
Paul is a Professor at Sheridan College where he teaches Business for Fitness Professionals as well as Nutrition and Workplace Safety. He is a CPTN Certified Personal Trainer, Practical Assessor, Course Conductor and a Medical Exercise Specialist. His education 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.sheridancollege.ca.
Christopher Chapman, MSc, CSCS, CEP, NCCP Certified
Chris is the Director of Sports Science for PUSH, a Canadian based sport and fitness technology company that builds solutions to help coaches do more work, make more informed training decisions and spend less time in front of a screen, so they have more time for coaching. Chris is also currently a lecturer at U of T, an Strength & Conditioning Coach with Freestyle Ski Canada and Paddle Monster, a company that trains professional Stand Up Paddlers and Surfski Kayakers around the world. Before PUSH, Chris was the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO), worked at Bill Crothers Secondary School and was a personal trainer for many years out of multiple facilities. For more information, please visit www.trainwithpush.com.
Trevor Cottrell, PhD, CSCS
Trevor Cottrell is the Program Coordinator for Sheridan College’s Kinesiology and Health Promotion degree. His education includes degrees in Kinesiology, Exercise Science and Physiology. Trevor’s current research is in human performance, and he has coached and competed in Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, highland games, strongman, and tug-of-war for over 20 years. For more information, please visit www.sheridancollege.ca.
Heather Harrison, MEd, BKin, NCCP Certified, CEP, CPTN-CPT.M
Heather is a Certified Coach, Exercise Physiologist, Personal Trainer and CPTN Course Conductor and Practical Assessor, as well as a Professor within the Fitness and Health Promotion program at Durham College. For the last 12 years, Heather has been purposefully infusing Internal Control Psychology / Choice Theory into her coaching and teaching; in so doing she has supported fitness professionals, clients and students to reach new levels of self-evaluation and subsequent behaviour change to bring them closer to what they want out of life. For more information, please visit www.durhamcollege.ca.
Jennifer Hintenberger, MEd, BKin
Jennifer is a seasoned veteran of the fitness industry, having held the positions of a personal trainer, facility owner, international speaker and kettlebell competitor. She is an EGSA Master Coach; Level 3 Certified KETAcademy Coach and a World Kettlebell Club (WKC) Kettlebell Sport Coach. A kettlebell skills expert and kettlebell sports competitor, she holds multiple kettlebell world records and recently won 2 World Championships/World Records in Spain in 2018. She currently is responsible for developing Team Canada for the IKMF World Championships that will take place in Poland in November 2019.
Karsten Jensen, MSc, CPTN-CPT.M
Karsten Jensen is a periodization coach and expert who has helped world-class and Olympic athletes from 26 different sports, written two books on periodization training (The Flexible Periodization Method and Performance Optimization with Periodization), published over 150 articles and 18 instructor-training manuals. 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 comprehensive method of periodization dedicated to holistic, individualized, and periodized (H.I.P.) training programs. For more information, please visit www.yestostrength.com.
Igor Klibanov, BA, CPT
Igor Klibanov was selected as one of the top five personal trainers in Toronto by the Metro News newspaper, and is the author of a book called STOP EXERCISING! The Way You Are Doing it Now. In 2010 he founded Fitness Solutions Plus, which provides personal training as well as fitness education. Since founding his company, Igor has done over 350 speaking engagements at some of Canada’s largest corporations (like RBC, Sun Life, Intact Insurance, and others). For more information, please visit www.fitnesssolutionsplus.ca.
Frances Michaelson, ND, BA, PTS
Frances Michaelson is a licensed naturopath, personal trainer, speaker, author and blogger residing in Montreal, Quebec. With over three decades of experience and a broad knowledge base, Frances is widely recognized as a leader in the health and fitness field. She has made it her business to help others achieve optimal health and wellness through her naturopathic practice which focuses on gut health. For more information, please visit www.francesmichaelson.com.
Ross O’Donnell, BA, I.S.K.A. Master, CPTN-CPT
Ross O’Donnell is president of Fitness Kickboxing Canada Inc. (FKCI). He is 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.
Melissa Putt, BA, MES, RNCP, CPT, DO(C)
Melissa Putt started her fitness company in 1989 while competing internationally as one of Canada’s elite-ranked distance runners. Since that time she has completed degrees in Nutrition and Public Health and is currently completing her degree in Osteopathic Medicine. Melissa is a published author of a lipid biochemistry book, The Last Tango with Butter. She operates a busy practice in downtown Toronto where client programs focus on posture, alignment and pain patterns coupled with nutrition counselling. For more information, please visit www.healthyhabits.ca.
Jodi Robinson, BSc, RD, CDE, PTS, RYT-200
Jodi Robinson is a consulting dietitian and fitness professional who operates her business, Craving Health Dietitian & Wellness Services, in the Niagara region. She specializes in helping busy people find simple and realistic healthy lifestyle solutions with an emphasis on nutrition for weight management, physical activity, disordered eating, and diabetes. As well, Jodi teaches nutrition to fitness students at Humber College, and regularly consults with media and the food industry. For more information, please visit www.cravinghealth.ca.
Meg Sharp, BSc, RD, CDE
Meg Sharp has been a Fitness Professional for more than 27 years and Executive Director of Personal Training for The Cambridge Group of Clubs for over 13 years. Working and playing with a group of more than 70 unique Fitness Professionals gives her the opportunity to coach and support in a very diverse and dynamic manner. The inspiration and wisdom she gains from working with this incredible group, couples perfectly with her research background exploring the interplay between Hope and Expectancy Violation and how that impacts people’s experience of and ultimately their ability to adhere to exercise and physical activity. For more information, please visit www.cambridgegroupofclubs.com.
Patricia Tonaj, BA, CPTN-CPT, CPTN-CYS, NWS, CMCP
Patricia Tonaj believes in the power of storytelling and became an author to share the stories of “ordinary people doing extraordinary things.” As a Master Coach Practitioner, Certified Personal Trainer and Yoga Specialist she completes her toolbox with a certificate from Harvard Law School in Mediation and Dispute Resolution. As a coach, her mission is to help you define goals, navigate change and achieve results. Trish will share how you may find your Superpower and live a life in FLOW2 as you create your own formula for success.
Alwyn Wong, DC, BSc
Alwyn Wong has been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 20 years. As author of The Kick Acid Diet®, he has provided nutritional services for individuals and teams, focusing on long-term fat loss and improved athletic performance. Clinically, he has combined his experience with professional athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts with the latest in scientific research to present a non-biased view of health and performance.