Coming from an overweight French Canadian family where issues were swept under the carpet and feelings were stuffed down with food, I was determined not to be like the majority of my family members. I often prayed to be thinner in high school and was overweight most of high school, continually cycling between bingeing, starving and over exercise. In high school I wasn't great at team sports due to performance anxiety and self-esteem issues, but weight training really worked well for me and ever since my first time weight training at age 15, I've always loved it!

At age 22, I became a young mother to a beautiful baby girl, Vanessa. When my daughter was 5 months old, I became a single parent, reaching a high of 220 pounds, the same as what I weighed right before giving birth at 9 months pregnant. I had been eating as if I was still pregnant, eating in the middle of the night and living off strawberry milk and apple turnovers. Upon stepping on the scale in after NYE 2008 and my 23rd birthday, I realized something had to change. I needed to be a better role model and decided to commit myself to a healthier lifestyle. Although it was difficult to find time to exercise, I started eating healthier and eventually lost 60 pounds over a 3 year period. It definitely wasn't easy to do being a single parent, studying and eventually working part time, but if I can do it, so can you!!

As someone who's dealt with anxiety since age 17, as well as depression and insomnia starting not long after that, weight training has helped relieve these issues through the release of endorphins and the other numerous benefits of exercise. In addition, I have had issues around food and lacked self-confidence for many years, starting counselling at the age of 16. Weight training has helped me develop a healthy relationship with food and feel more confident – to love myself by properly fuelling and nourishing my body and exercising ​on a regular basis.

When my daughter was a year old, I went back to school to continue my business studies at Capilano University, as I received a board entrance scholarship for the first 2 years. It took me over 7 years on and off, but I finally finished my degree, Bachelor of Business Administration, Accounting Major, while working 2 part time bookkeeping jobs. After completing my degree, I worked at an accounting firm for almost 2 years but felt like it wasn't right for me, so I decided to take a break to consider what would make me happy. Shortly thereafter in November 2013, I got in a serious rollover car accident and was unable to weight train for a few weeks. Bored out of my mind and restricted to the stationary bike, I realized how much I loved "pumping iron."

In the next few months off work, I caught up on quality time with my daughter & slowly returned to weight lifting, making new friends at the gym, taking any opportunity I could to help others and talk fitness. I thought deeply about what would make me truly happy and soon the answer was clear - I wanted to help others discover what I had found! The gym has always been a place where I’ve felt my best, my “home� and my refuge from the monotony and stress of life.
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My family and friends had been telling me for years that I should become a trainer or a nutritionist and so in fall 2014, I completed the CanfitPro Personal Training Specialist Certification. In 2015, I will be adding the Nutrition & Weightloss Certification to my repertoire so I can advise my clients on correct dieting strategies and provide meal plans. On nights I’m relaxing, I am usually watching YouTube fitness videos for new training ideas. I am also currently reading Mark Rippletoe’s ground breaking book “Starting Strength.� The learning will never stop and is an important part of my personal and professional development.

I plan on entering my first bodybuilding show in November 2015, "Popeye's Fall Classic." I already did a 14 week "trial" bikini prep from July to October 2014 & another January to April 2015. Competing on stage has always been a dream of mine and I cannot wait to unveil my hard earned muscles and rock the stage! Aside from bodybuilding, I am also extremely interesting in powerlifting as I love lifting heavy. My plan is to enter a owerlifting meet sometime near the end of 2015.

My Maxes in case you wondered...
Squat 225 pounds x 6 reps
Deadlift 260 pounds x 3 reps
Bench press 5set of 135 pounds x 5 reps