About Steph

Hi, I’m Steph! I am a certified Personal Trainer and Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism (P&PA) Coach based in Toronto. With over five years of experience in this industry, I’ve been fortunate enough to coach clients in-person, online and in group settings to help them reach their goals through effective and sustainable fitness programs that set them up for success not only in the gym, but in life.

My mission is to empower and educate pregnant and postpartum women so that they can safely and effectively train, feeling strong and powerful during this transformative chapter in their life.

Credentials:

Certified Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism (P&PA) Coach

Certified Personal Training Specialist (Canfitpro)

DTS Kettlebell Level 1

Bachelor of Biology and Violin Performance, McGill University

Masters of Biology, McGill University

Adult and Paediatric First Aid & CPR/AED Certified

Work with Steph

My Story:

Growing up, my world revolved around violin lessons and orchestra rehearsals. I didn’t play sports for fear of injuring my hands. I was the water girl on my high school volleyball team.

When I went to the University of McGill, I met the lovely Freshman 15 and started dabbling in group fitness classes. After another move to Toronto nine years ago, I was incredibly lucky to find a bootcamp gym that felt like home, complete with a new fitness family. My love for burpees grew stronger and I found a workout routine that was both challenging and sustainable. I realized that my strength was a choice that I could make, pushing myself to conquer my physical boundaries. This passion for movement pulled me into a second career as a personal trainer and group fitness bootcamp instructor, with a “savage but sweet” style of high-intensity exercise.

When I became pregnant, I knew that movement would be a big part of my journey. However, I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information on pregnancy and I was confused by the guidance I could find for exercising during pregnancy. It was vague and based around avoidance: “keep your heart rate below 140 BPM”; “don’t lift more than 25 pounds”.

During my pregnancy, I shifted my mindset to start training in a way that honoured this special chapter of my life. I began integrating strategies to protect and preserve my core and pelvic floor as best as possible, knowing that it would serve me well in my postpartum phase.

I wanted to be the coach for women that I didn’t have for myself during this time, so I became a certified Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism coach.

I took special care to treat my mental and emotional health with the same care that I did my physical health, developing the coaching method that I wish I had had access to when I entered this phase of my life.

When I’m not working my corporate day job in pharmaceuticals or training clients, you can find me spending time with my newborn son or cooking up a storm in the kitchen.