Hey Gorgeous, I’m Carina

My passion for health and wellbeing began at a young age with a keen interest in how our minds and bodies work. I received my honours degree in Psychology from the University of Guelph, with a focus on educational psychology. Since my time in university I have worked with thousands of children with learning difficulties, disabilities, and mental giftedness to achieve their greatest potential, and develop the same love of learning I have enjoyed all of my life. I am a voracious reader with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. I was always a curious child, full of questions and am a life-long seeker, always looking for the bigger WHY! 

Living with chronic illness for most of my life inspired me to become a Certified Health & Life Coach, so that I could turn my pain into my purpose, and help others to heal their underlying health conditions and live healthy, joy filled lives! 

On my journey to healing my body of many chronic conditions and illnesses, I found joy in movement for the first time in decades. I have loved yoga since I was 11 years old and knew I needed to share it's gifts with others. I am Certified 200 hour Hatha Yoga Instructor with additional training in Yin and Chair Yoga, and I already have my eye on further training ;) 

I have also completed a 295 hour Certification in both Mat and Reformer Pilates, an exercise method that is excellent for strengthening, rehabilitation, coordination, improved posture, and deepening your mind-muscle connection through body awareness. 

My self-healing has also led me to become a Reiki Master Healer, as well as a Mindfulness Meditation and Yoga Nidra instructor, allowing me to complete my trifecta of working with the mind, the body, and the energetic system for holistic health and healing!

I’m obsessed with puppies, athleisure, Star Trek and anything made from chickpeas.

But, I wasn’t always a happy, healthy, hopeful woman…

In fact, not long ago you could have found me bedridden with heavy metal toxicity, overcome with anxiety and no hope for the future. After a lifetime of suffering with chronic illness, anxiety attacks and IBS, my body had had enough. Toxic levels of every single heavy metal were creating severe and intense hot flashes that lasted for days, uncontrollable body tremors, muscle weakness, insomnia, panic attacks and depression (to name a few). As my liver and kidneys were on the verge of shut down, and I felt my life source slipping away, I knew something had to change…

At the age of 28 I turned my whole life upside down, knowing I had 2 choices… change or die.

And so I changed. A lot! I dropped all animal foods from my diet, and then all grains, I started eating all the fruit I had been told would make me fat, and drank a heavy metal detox smoothie every single day, without fail. I got my first Reiki Attunement, and learned how to self-heal my energetic body by tapping into Reiki energy.

I knew what I was feeding my body would have a major impact on my health, but I hadn’t really considered what I was feeding my mind. I was feeling fairly hopeless, depressed and immensely anxious. By exploring positive affirmations and guided meditations, I found a way to reframe my negative thoughts and start to trust and love my body again.

In time, I was able to move my body (gently) and a few minutes of restorative yoga each day felt like a blissful respite from all of the pain and suffering my body had endured. Each step forward, my practice grew until I was ready to share the healing gifts of yoga with the world, so I enrolled in Teacher Training.

I simultaneously enrolled in a Health & Life Coach certification program, because I knew that movement alone could not cure illness. We need a holistic approach that includes nutrition, (often supplementation as well) and stress management.

These two programs were life changing for me! I met some incredible people and learned a lot about myself. Today, you might call me a health guru. I’ve certainly spent thousands of hours learning, testing and putting what I know into practice.

Life was on the upswing. I was feeling healthy, and getting stronger every day. My anxiety was under control and I was newly married to the man I know without-a-doubt is my soulmate!

And then my mom died…

She was a vibrant, successful, incredible mom who was far too busy helping children discover their potential to notice she was sick. Until it was too late. She was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and passed away less than 5 months later. My heart was shredded, my soul felt empty, and I was lost without her. I fell into a depression, and started gaining weight…quite a bit of weight.

All the tools in my toolkit helped me to survive this tragedy and trauma, I still got up, and ran our business every day even though I really wanted to lay in bed and cry. I honestly didn’t notice my weight until I had finally sold the business and closed her estate. 2 years and 30 pounds later, I once again, knew I needed to pivot and come back to myself.

Enter Pilates Teacher Training. In Pilates I found a balance to my yoga practice. It helped me build strength, shed those extra pounds, and really come back to my body with precise, focused movements. If you’re doing Pilates mindlessly (like running on a treadmill) you’re doing it wrong, haha. It helped me get out of my head and into my body, which was a great relief after years filled with grief.

Several years later I found myself suddenly struck with a whole host of neurological issues and widespread pain that seemed to come out of nowhere. A long road of testing and perseverance revealed I had been dealing with Fibromyalgia, which came as quite the shock! This new diagnosis has taught me many of the mysteries and magic of our nervous system and the beauty of restorative yoga, yoga nidra and somatics to heal and nourish this vital part of our being.  

Over these past several years, I have learned that our bodies are constantly changing, evolving, maybe becoming sicker and weaker, maybe growing stronger and healthier. In either case, what we need to eat and drink, how we can move, what thoughts we meditate and ruminate on and so-forth will need to shift. I believe making these regular shifts, and monitoring my needs, and those of the women I work with has made me a master of habit change. If you have anxiety like I do, you know, change is not something we often look forward to. But now, it’s something I know I don’t have to fear. And neither do you!

These days you can often find me...

Gently moving my body 6 days a week (yes, rest days are very important too), eating as much as I want, (I love my food), and not worrying about my weight. I feel passionate about the work I do helping women and am always learning to develop the depth and breadth of my knowledge. I am in many respects, a completely different woman than the person I was in my teens and twenties. (Thank goodness). Now, I lead a life that I genuinely love, and you can too!

I coach women who struggle with their health to dial in their nutrition, fitness and self-care to be full of energy, free from stress and pain, and live in a body they absolutely love! This completely lights me up and fills me with purpose and passion! I feel so blessed to inspire women to find their own path, dance to the beat of their own drum, and live a life of abundant wellness!

When I’m not busy coaching and leading classes you can find me…

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