2020 CPTN Personal Trainer Online Summit Speaker Biographies
Fred Antwi, CEO, Publisher and Marketing Strategist
Fred Antwi is a Creative Director and Publisher of health, fitness and wellness magazines on newsstands across Canada, with experience in all aspects of the business, including but not limited to branding, content creation, distribution, management and promotion. As a former Mr. Canada/IFBB Pro Bodybuilder and certified personal trainer, he flexes 30+ years of knowledge in the fitness Industry.
Riaz Aziz, CPTN-CPT.M, CSCS, CES, CFSS, FMT, PN2
In 2006, Riaz received a Stage 3 Lymphoma diagnosis. Newly married with his wife expecting their first baby and cancer rampaging through his entire left side, he underwent surgery and very aggressive chemo treatments, which took a heavy toll on his body and mind. Today, he is one of the most sought after cancer fitness professionals in Toronto. This journey back from hell lead him through many paths - fight-trainer, rehab specialist, fascia stretch specialist, nutrition coach, cancer exercise specialist to a Patient Family Advisory Council member for Sunnybrook Hospital’s Odette Cancer Centre actively helping those recovering from cancer and being an influential voice for patient advocacy.
John Berardi, PhD, CSCS
John Berardi is a Canadian-American entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of Precision Nutrition, the world’s largest nutrition coaching, education, and software company. He’s also the founder of Change Maker Academy, devoted to helping would-be change makers turn their passion for health and fitness into a powerful purpose and a wildly successful career. Over the last 15 years he’s advised Apple, Equinox, Nike, and Titleist, as well as the San Antonio Spurs, Carolina Panthers, US Open Champ Sloane Stephens, and 2-division UFC Champ Georges St. Pierre. He’s also been named one of the 20 smartest coaches in the world and 100 most influential people in health and fitness. For more information, please visit www.johnberardi.com.
Alvin Brown, BSc, DOMP, RHN
Alvin has been in the health and wellness space for 3 decades, serving in numerous roles from personal trainer to wellness entrepreneur. Alvin has taught and spoken worldwide, teaching and speaking on a variety of topics around wellness, personal development and peak performance. For more information, please visit www.thecentreforhealingandpeakperformance.com.
Alex Cartmill, BSc, CPT
Alex is the Head Coach of the Online Trainer Academy (OTA), the world’s most comprehensive certification program for personal trainers and other health professionals who want to work with clients online. He’s also the co-author of the Wealthy Fit Pro’s Guide to Online Training along with Online Trainer Academy founder Jonathan Goodman. For more information, please visit www.theptdc.com.
John Paul Catanzaro, BSc, CEP
John Paul Catanzaro owns and operates a private training facility in Richmond Hill, Ontario. He also founded The Catanzaro Group in 2004 with divisions in fitness, nutrition, supplements, lifestyle, seminars, and publishing. Over the years, John Paul has appeared on television and has written articles for various health and fitness publications. He has authored several books and DVDs and has released several webinars geared toward health and fitness professionals. Throughout his career, John Paul has consulted for numerous organizations and has lectured for many of the leading fitness organizations.
Anne Marie Collingwood, BA, CPTN-CPT, GFL
Anne Marie Collingwood has passionately worked in the fitness field for almost 20 years. After facing breast cancer 13 years ago, her experience as a personal trainer and Pilates and fitness instructor has led her to help others who have faced this disease. Anne Marie is the coordinator of YWCA Encore, an after breast cancer exercise program in Hamilton and is a national trainer for Encore. She continues to see the positive impact that specialized programs have on the lives of women. Also, Anne Marie’s various roles support and link people and organizations within the local breast cancer community.
Jill Cressy, BPHE, MEd, RYT-200
Jill has extensive experience leading movement and mindfulness programs, presenting wellness workshops and collaborating with partners to support community engagement, learning and well-being. She is Registered Yoga Teacher with a certificate in Applied Mindfulness Meditation through the U of T School of Continuing Studies and a Registered Health & Exercise Practitioner-Trainer of Fitness Leaders, National Fitness Leadership Association Accredited and Member to the International Confederation of Registers for Exercise Professionals. Jill completed her BPHE and MEd at U of T. She completed her Master of Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and her final elective in Health Communications at the Graduate Department of Exercise Sciences in partnership with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She has published articles on physical activity and health, presented workshops for a variety of organizations, and received Excellence through Innovation Awards for various wellness initiatives within the U of T community.
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.
Pete McCall, PhD, CSCS, CPT
Pete is the author of Smarter Workouts: The Science of Exercise Made Simple, host of the All About Fitness podcast and Global Master Trainer for Core Health & Fitness. As a fitness education consultant Pete has experience producing education and content solutions for a number of health and fitness organizations including the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), Reebok, Nautilus, StairMaster, 24-Hour Fitness, ActivMotion Bar, Hyperwear and Terra Core Fitness. Frequently quoted as a fitness expert in publications such as The New York Times, Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, SELF, Glamour, and Shape Magazine and featured as a fitness expert for TV news outlets including WRC-NBC (DC), Fox News, Fox 5 San Diego, and NBC7 San Diego, Pete is a sought-after media resource for accurate, in-depth insights on how to get results from exercise. For more information, please visit, www.petemccallfitness.com.
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, many of whom have won Olympic medals, European Championships, World Championships, and ATP Tournaments. He is the author of two books, The Flexible Periodization Method and Performance Optimization With Periodization. Karsten has also published over 160 articles, 19 instructor training manuals, and conducted hundreds of live, 8-hour workshops. For more information, please visit www.yestostrength.com.
Steven Karpenko, MBA, CITP, CMC
Steven Karpenko is a former competitive athlete who has facilitated workshops to boost the business skills of Toronto’s artistic community, aided exporters with global growth strategies and helps technology entrepreneurs create winning pitches for funding. Steve has an extensive business development background as a product manager, executive coach and technology entrepreneur. He has a passion for health and wellness and how to apply his business-building lessons to the fitness industry. He is the author of “From Gloom to Zoom: Regaining Control of Your Business and Building a Winning Life Book, ” and “Make It Fit: Wellness Tips for Remote Workers, Travellers and Casual Athletes.”
Igor Klibanov, BA, CPT
Igor Klibanov was selected as one of the top 5 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.
Anne Klausner, CPTN-CPT, CPTN-COATS, ETS
Anne joined CPTN in 2015, founding Exercise with Care one year later. Introduced to Z-Health Education at the 2017 CPTN Conference, she has continued in their education program and evolved as a trainer through the use of applied neuroscience-based drills. This knowledge has transformed her business. Anne Klausner studied hydrotherapy, osteopathic and rehabilitation therapy methods in Israel and worked at the Sheba Rehabilitation Hospital. Anne is passionate about changing the way we think about movement, chronic pain and balance, conducting workshops and speaking at events as an advocate for changing attitudes about chronic pain and exercise.
Lori Kirwan, PhD, CYT 350, CPT, CGFL
Lori Kirwan has worked for over 20 years as a group fitness manager and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing, a Masters in Health Science and a PhD in Exercise Physiology. Throughout her academic career, she worked part-time as a fitness instructor and trainer in downtown Toronto. While the early years of her career focused on teaching mainly high-intensity fitness classes, Lori discovered Yoga after suffering a Skiing knee injury in 1997 that sidelined her for several months. She has completed yoga teacher training with many wonderful teachers around the world such as Susie Dias, Cynthia Funk, Tim Miller and David Swenson and has taught over 10,000 yoga classes since her original training in 1997. In each class that she teaches, she learns more from her students about how to be a better teacher. Her energy and enthusiasm will leave you feeling invigorated for the rest of your day.
Judi Laprade, PhD, MSc, BSc, BA
Judith has four degrees under her belt, starting with a Bachelor’s in Physical Education, and Physical Therapy and ending with a Masters & Doctorate in Anatomy. For the past 20 years, she has functionally taught Anatomy to train Kinesiology, Medical, Physical Therapy and Dentistry students in two different countries. Currently, Judi is an Associate Professor in Anatomy at the University of Toronto, teaching undergraduates, graduates and professional program trainees. When she isn’t shaping young minds, you can find her either baking, playing volleyball, or hanging out with her husband and dogs.
Deanna Lawson-Langford, BA, CCF-CMCP, CPTN-CPT.M, OFC-TFL
As a CPTN course conductor, practical assessor, and professor at Sheridan College, Deanna has been educating and assessing candidates for certification as fitness leaders and personal trainers for 20 years. She has experienced being a certified personal trainer, group fitness instructor and coach practitioner. She has since founded Deanna Langford Coaching in which she dedicates her passion for creating classes and programs in which people feel successful, seen and safe. For more information, please visit www.deannalangfordcoaching.com.
Susan Lee, PhD, CPTN-CPT
Susan Lee, is the president of the Certified Professional Trainers Network (CPTN) She led the development of the CPTN personal trainer and specialty workshops and certifications, and continues to partner with leaders and organizations to build the personal training and fitness fields. As a CPTN-CPT, certified pilates instructor, and Thai bodywork practitioner, she specializes in post-rehabilitation training, sport specific conditioning, and active aging. She is the co-author of Business Strategies for Personal Training and Start Your Fitness Business (book and online course). She lectures at the college and university levels on leadership, business and equity studies; presents at international conferences; and publishes in peer-reviewed journals and educational platforms to share her research, practices and passions.
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 recognized 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.ca.
Alex Nurse, BA, CSCS, SSC, CSAC, CSNC, NKT2, STR
Alex is a Strength & Athletic Development Coach who augments his programs with Neurokinetic testing principles. He trains occupational, youth, and professional athletes, as well as individuals looking to lose fat or build muscle. He is the Co-Director of AXIS Performance + Training, located in Scarborough, Ontario. For more information, please visit www.axisrh.com.
Ross O’Donnell, BA, 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.
Angela Pereira, BSc, RKin, CPTN-CPT, CPTN-CYS, RHN
Angela is the owner of First Line Education, Inc. Over the years, she has grown her therapeutic movement practice to include yoga and various approaches to fascial therapy. Her favourite clients are older adults who have multiple chronic autoimmune diseases. Angela has a passion for holistic nutrition and its incredible positive influence on stable mental health. She loves to be a mentor to her movement therapy colleagues as they start and grow their practices. For more information, please visit www.firstlineeducation.com.
Amy Roosenboom, BA, RMT, Sports Business Management
Amy’s personal training career began while studying Kinesiology at Laurier University. In 14 years, she coached clients in large corporate gyms, private training studios and physical therapy clinics. The latter sparked her desire to assess and treat physical dysfunction, so she obtained her Massage Therapy designation. Most recently, Amy accepted a full-time teaching position at Durham College in the Fitness & Health Promotion program and then transitioned into the role of Program Coordinator of the Massage Therapy program. In her free time, Amy enjoys spending time with her children, playing volleyball and camping with her partner.
David Sandler, MSc
David Sandler has been a leader in the fitness industry for more than 30 years. From his beginnings as a multi-sport athlete, turned competitive powerlifter, his passion was to innovate, educate and perpetuate his findings in athletics, nutrition and health. From his pioneering days of strength and conditioning to working with some of the world’s best athletes and celebrities, Sandler’s entrepreneurial spirit landed him decades of writing for the most prominent magazines in fitness and consulting for some of the largest firms in Sports, Fitness, Nutrition and Marketing. He became an advisor and content developer for more than 55 television shows for National Geographic, Discovery Network, Fox Sports, Spike TV, The Learning Channel, History Channel, and several others becoming an internationally recognized expert in Human Performance. Along the way, Sandler spent six years as an Assistant Professor in various Universities mentoring undergraduate and graduate students. Today, David is a highly sought-after executive in Sports Nutrition, and one of the industry’s top experts in R&D, Innovation, Product Formulation, Flavoring Science, and Ingredient Development.
Ashley Shaw, BA, CPT
Ashley has sold everything from Hello Kitty stationery to $1200 Cutco knife sets. Clients seek her out when they feel the “analysis paralysis” of marketing online. She teaches fitness entrepreneurs how to grow their business through their marketing efforts. A 16-year veteran of the fitness industry, Ashley is on a mission to help fitness professionals eliminate the overwhelm in their marketing efforts so they can have the business of their dreams.
Alwyn Wong, DC, BSc, ART, Med Ac
Alwayn Wong is a 20-year veteran of the health and fitness industry. 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.