Meet the Team

Paige grew up in the Collingwood area playing any sport she could before focusing on downhill skiing and cross-country mountain biking. Skiing led Paige to coaching, which is where she first fell in love with teaching. Mountain Biking led her to racing at the highest level across the country and the opportunity to represent Canada at junior world championships in 2014 in Norway. Paige’s love of movement, wellness and staying physically active that she developed while competing and coaching then took her to McMaster University where she completed her Kinesiology Degree learning the physiology and biomechanics behind the movements she loves.

When concussions were preventing her from training and perusing her athletic goals, it was Yoga that taught her to slow down and become grounded when life seemed to be spinning. Therefore, Paige went on to complete her 200hr Yoga Teacher Training. She hopes to share this powerful practice with those she is lucky enough to teach. Paige is very excited to be sharing her love of movement through teaching Yoga Flow, Slow Flow, and Total Body Athlete Lab at IFY.

Jennifer Gerrard is one the Administrative Assistants at IFY, where she helps build the systems to maintain an easy flow of all that is yoga studio operations at front desk. Her niches are content management, graphic design and marketing. While working in marketing and event communications, Jennifer earned a city nomination in 2017 for the Business Community and Achievement Awards in promotions of a vibrant city in celebration of arts and culture. Seeing the positive affect and transformation that yoga has on our well-being, inspires Jennifer. As a yoga enthusiast since 1986, she is dedicated to experiencing almost every type of yoga and would like to express her inner aspiring instructor someday.

I was certified in 2004 at STOTT Pilates in both Mat and Reformer. With an extensive dance background, it was a natural transition to study Pilates. In 2008, I completed the certified Core Integrity course at Body Harmonics, to add to my knowledge and experience. I have also begun holistic healing. I am certified in foot and hand Reflexology, Indian Head Massage and in 3rd final degree Reiki. I continue to be drawn to many aspects of holistic healing, furthering my education in this way of life.

I have been featured in publications such as Escarpment Magazine and Mind/Body/Spirit magazine. I also have done several appearances on Rogers Television, Georgian Bay Life and York Region Living. I also volunteer yearly at Scandnave Spa for their Yoga and Pilates marathon for Colon Cancer awareness.

I am excited to teach people about mind/body awareness and coordination. You will be strengthening deep inside muscles to enable proper posture and support to bones. Your muscles will become long and lean. Pilates helps strengthen and tone muscles, increases circulation, flexibility and cardiovascular strength. Staying focussed and concentration is the most important part of any pilates exercise.

In my class, I use therabands, pilates circle, stability balls, weighted balls, foam rollers and HUMOUR!

My classes are excellent for adults, seniors, youths and the amateur and professional athlete.

“Everyone is the architect of their own happiness” Joseph Pilates.

Tamara background began with “Instructing Group Fitness and Aqua Fitness” at the YMCA in the early 90’s. She has always believed “nothing happens by coincidence” and surprisingly she was led to Deepak Chopra. Over the past 10 years she has been travelling all over North America delving deep into the 5,000 year old Ayurvedic philosophy and “way of living”. Tamara studied and certified in the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga with Deepak Chopra and Masters of Meditation with Davidji. She shares her unique style of yoga incorporating movement, breathing, awareness, relaxation, meditation and the essence of yoga philosophy as taught by Deepak Chopra. Her latest endeavour is sharing her knowledge of the ancient “Tibetan Singing Bowl” healing therapies. Tamara is a yoga and meditation instructor as well as a Health & Wellness expert. For more than 15 years she has been a Registered Massage Therapist specializing in Myofascial Release, Cupping, Reiki, Cranial Sacral, Lymphatic Drainage and Visceral Manipulations which all fall under Osteopathy.Her ability to instruct yoga and meditation helps assist people towards living healthier, happier, more peaceful lives. She believes there is a healer in each of us and we can begin by healing ourselves. Namaste

Emmie has an extensive background in dance. She began dancing at the age of three and continued to dance until the age of 25. She went to a high school for the performing arts, was the varsity dance coach in college and even had her own dance squad for a while.

Her first yoga experience was free yoga in the park in West Hollywood, California and she fell in love. She practiced when she could get to classes but when she moved to England, she signed up for Bikram yoga and was hooked. However, she didn’t always have time to attend a class, so, in October of 2018 she took a one-way ticket to India where she studied yoga in an immersion YTT course to gain more knowledge and get her own practice . She teaches Hatha and Ashtanga, but also offers gentle stretch, chair/accessible yoga which she is currently educating herself on. “I believe that yoga is for everyone no matter shape or size, old or young, athlete or not, flexible, not flexible and so on. There are many misconceptions about yoga which really affects people’s thoughts on attending classes and how they feel about yoga. One of my goals is to go past these misconceptions and show people that yoga IS FOR YOU… IT’S FOR EVERYONE!” Show your inner you! Namaste.

Alex Malanco’s yoga journey began in 2014 when he was looking to stretch his muscles after my gym routine. He wanted a better understanding and connection to his body. Alex quickly adapted the “yogi” mindset and learned that through breath, he was more connected to my spirit. It all started as a simple exercise and organically became a lifestyle.
Not only did this deep practice still his mind, it also challenged him in profound ways that would lead to a different way of being. Alex fell in love with the variation in each class and was intrigued by the breath work and human anatomy. The stronger his body became, the stronger his mind felt and the same is true for flexibility. During his practice, people would ask if he was a teacher because he naturally had good form and alignment. Alex had only been doing yoga for less than a year, but it planted a seed that would soon come to fruition. Months after, he moved to Playa del Carmen where he found the ideal studio to continue my practice and eventually did my Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training. During training he was completely humbled and started to understand the true wisdom of this ancient practice. Alex knew he had found his true calling. Yoga transformed his life and he wanted to share that with others. Alex is glad to be part of the IFY family as a volunteer to spread the benefits of yoga and help others find peace within.

Kree’s love for sports started at an early age, growing up playing hockey and being active, but her fitness journey truly began in 2008 when she got certified as a personal trainer, fitness instructor and nutrition specialist. She took her passion for exercise to the next level, opening her own gym and training clients. Fast forward to today – she is a 4x gold medalist elite athlete with UFE with goals of going pro. She now helps women reach their peak performance, feel their best and live their healthy lifestyle through fitness, whole nutrition, mindset and natural beauty. I was born to inspire, motivate and change lives by helping people implement daily, positive, healthy habits. Join Kree in one of her classes where she brings her enthusiasm, knowledge and education together to leave you with a positive experience and wanting more.

Matt Polowyk has been practicing yoga every day for the past three years. Through this journey, he absolutely fell in love with yoga and changed his career and life path. Matt recently completed his 200hr power yoga teacher training with John Fortin at Monty’s Beach Lodge in Jiquilillo, Nicaragua. The trip totally changed his life and he came back a different person, spiritually, mentally and with a new purpose in life. The community in Nicragua has a special place in Matt’s heart. He plans to continue to raise awareness and funds to help out the local community in Nicaragua. Matt will be leading yoga retreats with a purpose (building schools, homes or making the community safer). So stay tuned for dates. Matt is also finishing his restorative teacher training with Parisa Samet. He looks forward to working on your core and then helping you restore and relax afterwards. Matt has also earned an Honours Kinesiology degree from the University of Waterloo and is working towards his Degree in Brewing. Matt’s “day job” is brewing craft beer at a local brewery in Collingwood.

Laura brings her personal yoga practice and life experience into every class and blends it with her training and career in the environmental sciences to create a truly unique yoga experience. She has explored the world in many ways through martial arts, dance, music, writing, outdoor adventures on land and water, travel, business, and motherhood. These experiences have influenced her yoga practice, both on and off the mat, which translates into a strong but sweet yoga class experience infused with nature appreciation, environmental awareness and a touch of ayurveda, the sister science to yoga. Laura views yoga as a meeting point of art and science. It’s a practice that gives us the ability to express our subtle body on a physical level, allows us to work through many modern-day challenges and teaches us to journey within to discover ways to navigate the complexities of life. Forever a student of yoga, she has been blessed to have studied with some of the most inspirational teachers and feels privileged to be able to hold this knowledge and share their wisdom with others. Laura completed the 200 hour yoga teacher training with BLiSS Ann Green Yoga in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. She teaches vinyasa and Hatha yoga with a strong focus on body alignment and awareness.

Certified Yoga Teacher Specializing in Vinyasa Flow. Trained through PURE Yoga Ottawa. Known for her detailed queuing, energizing play lists and optional hands on adjustments! Lindsay is also a Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation, living with her daughter Kit in Collingwood. Lindsay could be found throughout the summer teaching yoga at Sunset Point on Tuesday evenings under Balanced Warrior Yoga.

Carley Simandl started her career as a passionate and dedicated Make-up Artist. While working so closely with the skin and peoples faces, Carley noticed many patterns of dehydration and malnutrition are very common. On a quest to learn more about nutrition, she attended The Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and became a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. True Beauty is from the Inside-out. “If you can not pronounce it, do not eat it or put it on your skin”Carley tried yoga for the first time at 30 years old and instantly loved the poses, connection to breath and transformative benefits. In 2015, Carley went to Nicaragua and completed her first 500 yoga teacher training. Since her initial teaching training, she has completed 400 more hours of yoga training and has a certificate in Flow & Functional Power Yoga. Yoga is part of the healthy lifestyle puzzle and movement is such a critical adjunct to nutrition. Combining the best of all worlds, Carley coaches a healthy lifestyle while simplifying the process, keeping it educational and fun.“It is the small things that you do daily that make the biggest difference”.

Mark is a Certified Conditioning Coach; FKCI Kickboxing Instructor; and PN1 Nutritionist with a decade of experience within the Fitness Industry, working with professional (and non) athletes both young and aged; Athletic/Physical Therapists, Doctors and Surgeons (for client injury rehabilitation) and in so doing has developed his eye for both healthy (and unhealthy) Movement Patterns; Dis-Symmetries; and both Functional (and non-) Compensations. Originally from BC, attraction to sports started soon after learning to walk (so he’s told) and “apexed” with martial arts in high school. Competition has been in Martial Arts and Cross Country running at a Provincial level; Mountain Biking at a Regional Level; and others (like snowboarding, dancing and drumming) at a Backyard Level. Being immersed in the Fundamentals of Kinesiology have resulted in his infectious love for sharing sports and movement to help motivate people to reach new physical heights; surmount difficult plateaus; or simply achieve their goals of increasing HealthSpan. Mark has several years experience with (and is conversant) in Olympic-Style (and Power) Lifting; Program Design; Barefoot running (and sports); Postural Health/Endurance; the Physiological Effect of Hormetic Stressors; Intermittent and Extended Fasting; Genetic Testing/Polymorphisms; and Seasonal/Regional Ancestral Nutrition. Mark can be found on his new FaceBook Page and has just recently begun to dip his proverbial toes in Health Journalism/Reporting – his articles will soon be found there.

Jeff’s passion for teaching kickboxing stemmed from countless hours training and instructing in a Tae Kwon Do Dojo. After hanging up his 2nd degree black belt, he found himself taking kickboxing classes at Barton’s Martial Arts and before he knew it he was teaching up to five classes a week between gyms in Collingwood and Barrie. Sadly, his kickboxing classes came to a close when the gym he was teaching at was locked out. They say timing is everything and they are right. He’s been searching for the past two years for the perfect facility to start up an all new Hot kickboxing class and now he’s found it at IFY! Other things that keep him busy are his full time job at a local sign shop and his professional photography company. See you in class.

Briana holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology, and is a certified as a Fitness Instructor Specialist, Holistic Nutritionist and Health Coach. She has a background in health and wellness, as well as athletic performance training. Her passion for fitness began through her love of sports, and developed as a varsity athlete in Rugby; training in strength, conditioning, speed, endurance, and agility. Her approach to health is functional, primal and holistic; incorporating all aspects of wellness to her practice from food and movement to performance enhancing mindset, leadership and personal growth. Briana looks at health from a primal viewpoint, in that she believes our brains and bodies function best when we eat, move, sleep and breathe how we were designed to. When it comes to fitness, Briana focuses on mastering basic functional movements to improve strength, mobility, body composition and flexibility as to build a foundation for further gains. She defines her labs as simple yet challenging, fun yet educational, and very efficient with an emphasis on proper form and mobility. Her favorite client is anyone with a willingness give their best, whatever their best may be!

Kate is a physician practicing in Family Medicine and Palliative Care/Oncology. She achieved her Bachelor of Health Science from the University of Western Ontario. She then went on to study Physiotherapy at the University of Toronto before leaving the program a year early to study Medicine at McMaster University. She completed her residency in Rural Family Medicine at McMaster University and finally settled into full-time practice here in Collingwood.

Recruited as a coxswain at the age of 15, Kate has had a lifelong devotion to rowing and credits many of the skills she developed through rowing to her success in life. She is an active member of the Collingwood Rowing Club and also a UCANROW2 certified Indoor Rowing Instructor.

A sports enthusiast, Kate has always lived an active life. She taught skiing and snowboarding for over a decade. She is a previous marathon runner and highland dancer. Besides rowing, she currently stays active with cycling, skiing, snowboarding, SUP, swimming, yoga and hiking. Kate is also a mother of two young, active children.

With a core belief that movement is the best medicine, Kate encourages appropriate exercise for all ages, abilities and body types. She takes a science based, common sense approach to health with the aim of improving vitality throughout the lifespan.