President

BSc (Honours Kin.), CSCS, CK

A grad­uate of the kine­si­ology pro­gram at the University of Waterloo, Angela has spe­cial­ized in clin­ical assess­ment and the pre­scrip­tion of ther­a­peutic exer­cise over the course of her career. In 2010, Angela became a proud member of the University of Waterloo Alumni Council rep­re­senting Applied Health Sciences. Over the past 10 years, Angela has been acknowl­edged by the Institute for Work and Health (IWH) as an Educational Influential (EI) in the field of kinesiology.

Angela was a member of the Ontario Kinesiology Association’s (OKA) Board of Directors for over 10 years. She was closely involved in the suc­cessful effort to reg­u­late the pro­fes­sion in 2007. In 2010, Angela accepted the posi­tion of VP Communications with the Canadian Kinesiology Association (CKA). Also in 2010, Angela was asked to par­tic­i­pate on the Program Advisory Committee for the Bachelor of Applied Health Sciences (Exercise Science and Health Promotion) pro­gram at Sheridan College. A reg­ular pre­senter at col­leges and uni­ver­si­ties in Ontario, Angela speaks on behalf of her com­pa­nies and the OKA and CKA about the aca­d­emic and pro­fes­sional sides of kine­si­ology to fac­ulty, stu­dents and parents.

Angela’s clients are usu­ally referred to her by her cur­rent clients, phys­io­ther­a­pists, physi­cians and spe­cial­ists. She spe­cial­izes in working with clients with chronic recur­rent pain syn­dromes that sig­nif­i­cantly affect their everyday func­tion. Attention to the cor­rec­tion of move­ment pat­terns and building a base of con­sis­tent low level strength­ening exer­cises is key to Angela’s clients’ recovery. Angela’s exper­tise in kine­si­ology prac­tice has been fea­tured in the Globe and Mail, and in Elle Canada, Chatelaine and Zoomer magazines.

When tem­porarily dis­tracted from working with her col­leagues on the First Line team, Angela enjoys spending time with her five sib­lings and their growing fam­i­lies. She par­tic­u­larly loves to study the devel­oping move­ment pat­terns of her niece and nephews!

Vice-President

BA (Honours Kinesiology), CK

Monika has been a part of the First Line team since 2003. She is respon­sible for man­aging client refer­rals and training kine­si­ol­o­gists new to First Line team. She has a talent for ensuring clients are com­fort­able with their kine­si­ol­o­gist and has a good rap­port with the kine­si­ol­o­gists she hires.

Monika grad­u­ated in 2001 from the Kinesiology and Health Science pro­gram with an hon­ours degree from York University. Monika is known for her unique and cre­ative approach to exer­cise pro­gram design. Her knowl­edge and pro­fes­sional skills are matched only by her enthu­siasm for helping her clients achieve their goals in the most pro­fi­cient and enjoy­able way. Over the years of pro­fes­sional training she has man­aged to estab­lish many great friend­ships with her clients which still thrive to this day.

Outside of her com­mit­ments to First Line, Monika is busy together with her hus­band Les raising their son Damian in Toronto’s west end. Monika is an avid vol­ley­ball player com­peting year round in events in Toronto and the sur­rounding area. She enjoys strength training, spin­ning classes, run­ning, down­hill and cross-country skiing and Latin dancing. Through her interest in var­ious sport dis­ci­plines Monika has gath­ered a better under­standing of the bio­me­chanics of human move­ment, muscle func­tion and poten­tial risk for injury.

Kinesiologist

BSc (Honours Kinesiology), CK

From a young age, Sarah has main­tained a pas­sion for move­ment through a diverse back­ground in clas­sical ballet, jazz and con­tem­po­rary dance, com­pet­i­tive swim­ming, and down­hill skiing. As the daughter of a phys­io­ther­a­pist and a ded­i­cated stu­dent of dance, Sarah’s curiosity grew about how the body and the mind func­tion while in motion. Following her grad­u­a­tion from the 3 year Teacher Training Program with the Dance Masters of America in 2000, Sarah began her studies in kine­si­ology at McMaster University, from which she grad­u­ated in 2004.

Through 10 years of expe­ri­ence teaching dance and move­ment to both chil­dren and adults, Sarah has devel­oped a unique style of instruc­tion which empowers her clients to per­form their exer­cises prop­erly using cor­rect move­ment pat­terns. Sarah has a keen eye for iden­ti­fying move­ment com­pen­sa­tions and is skilled in instructing her clients how to do their exer­cises safely and prop­erly. She has a solid under­standing of how to adapt exer­cise pro­grams to meet the indi­vidual needs of each client, including those with his­to­ries of injury, pain, or other med­ical conditions.

Sarah’s thirst for gaining a deeper under­standing of the human body has led her to con­tinue her edu­ca­tion in kine­si­ology through pro­fes­sional devel­op­ment courses and embark on a 7 year journey in the study of osteopathy at the Canadian College of Osteopathy in Toronto. Since both osteopathy and kine­si­ology focus on the bio­me­chanics of the body in motion, Sarah is able to incor­po­rate an osteo­pathic per­spec­tive into her prac­tice as a kinesiologist.

Sarah believes that exer­cise is an inte­gral com­po­nent in a holistic approach to health, and that it helps to bring bal­ance to both the mind and the body. During her spare time, Sarah bal­ances her work and studies with activ­i­ties such as dancing, prac­ticing yoga and med­i­ta­tion, cycling, reading, cooking nutri­tious and deli­cious food, and expe­ri­encing the out­doors. She shares these activ­i­ties with her sup­portive and loving family and friends, and looks for­ward to spending time with the spe­cial people in her life.

Kinesiologist

BSc (Honours Kin.), CK

Elise’s pas­sion to lead a healthy and active lifestyle led her to pursue a degree in Honours Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo (2007). While at uni­ver­sity she was actively involved in a car­diac reha­bil­i­ta­tion pro­gram at the Grand River Hospital. Elise’s enthu­si­astic approach and friendly dis­po­si­tion are clearly an asset to First Line as she encour­ages her clients to achieve their goals.

Currently Elise’s clients include adults who are inter­ested in improving their quality of life as they cope with chronic or recur­rent joint pain, osteo­porosis and weight loss needs. To ensure her clients receive the best quality care, Elise strives to stay informed on the latest devel­op­ments in the field of kinesiology.

When Elise is not attending to her clients you can find her on the ice. Elise has been a figure skater since the age of seven. Through hard work and ded­i­ca­tion she attained her Diamond Dances and Gold level in freeskate, skills and inter­pre­tive. During her four years at uni­ver­sity Elise skated on the var­sity team. Now to pass on her love of skating she is cur­rently coaching at a pri­vate school. Elise is also an avid golfer due to her family’s involve­ment in the golf busi­ness. Her under­standing of these two sports in par­tic­ular has given her an appre­ci­a­tion for the pre­ven­tion of injury through the involve­ment of kine­si­ol­o­gists in muscle development.

Kinesiologist

B.Kin. (Hons), CK

Kate’s enthu­siasm for sport and exer­cise from an early age allowed her a great deal of per­sonal insight into the world of elite sports training and reha­bil­i­ta­tion. This interest pro­moted her to pursue a degree in Kinesiology. Kate grad­u­ated from the Kinesiology pro­gram with an hon­ours degree from Brock University in 2006. Since grad­u­a­tion she has worked in sev­eral dif­ferent envi­ron­ments that have helped develop her pro­fes­sional skills. Kate has worked in mul­ti­dis­ci­pli­nary clinics with a diverse clien­tele including motor vehicle and work place acci­dent clients, clients with acute and chronic injuries and clients preparing for or reha­bil­i­tating from surgery.

Kate has acquired a great deal of expe­ri­ence working with active reha­bil­i­ta­tion clients who are inter­ested in pre­ven­tion and pro­moting their gen­eral health and well­ness as well as ath­letes who are looking to better their game. With her his­tory of per­sonal training and also her expe­ri­ence as a func­tional abil­i­ties eval­u­ator Kate has gained good knowl­edge base of weight training and func­tional training technique.

Through her pas­sion for increasing quality of life and helping others, Kate vol­un­teered in a non-profit Cancer Rehab Clinic. She assisted with fund raising to ensure that this pro­gram could con­tinue to help cancer patients by way of phys­ical reha­bil­i­ta­tion during or after their sur­gical, radi­a­tion or chemotherapy treat­ments. Kate has been involved in sports through most of her life. In her per­sonal expe­ri­ence ath­letics have taken her to Ontario cham­pi­onships in fast­ball, vol­ley­ball and field hockey. She is an avid swimmer and loves skiing and snowboarding.

When Kate is not working with clients she and her hus­band Drew are hiking with their adorable boxers Charlie and Lucy. Their hikes take them throughout the Hamilton are as well as around the Ottawa area along the Rideau Canal.

Kinesiologist

BSc (Honours Kin), CK

While growing up in a small town in Eastern Ontario, Drew played a variety of sports that have all helped him under­stand the dif­ferent mech­a­nisms of injury and how to min­i­mize them. After com­pleting his Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology at Sir Wilfrid Laurier University in 2007, Drew began working at a Sports Medicine Clinic in London, Ontario, as a Certified Kinesiologist. During his clin­ical expe­ri­ence, Drew has treated a vast scope of patients, from weekend war­riors to pro­fes­sional athletes.

Since grad­u­a­tion, Drew has also worked as an ergonomic con­sul­tant, and com­pleted func­tional ability eval­u­a­tions and post-offer employ­ment testing.

Kinesiologist

BSc (Hons Kin), CK

Meagan brings to First Line her pas­sion for helping clients under­stand the ben­e­fits of proper tech­niques in exer­cise reha­bil­i­ta­tion, through her knowl­edge and exper­tise as a Kinesiology grad­uate. Completion of her Honours degree in Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo in 2007 and vol­un­teering over three years at the University and Grand River hos­pital in both cancer and car­diac reha­bil­i­ta­tion, set the stage for her pas­sion to learn and grow in her under­standing of the needs of all who are facing phys­ical chal­lenges. Her ready smile and encour­aging words have made a dif­fer­ence in the lives of clients dealing with cancer, living with cere­bral palsy, as well as people coping with injuries due to sporting, motor vehicle or per­sonal accidents.

Her con­tin­uous thirst for knowl­edge regarding the move­ment of the human body, will allow her to achieve her aim to pro­vide the best pos­sible exer­cise reha­bil­i­ta­tion for all clients. Her sup­port and per­cep­tion of clients’ needs, allow them to reach their goals and phys­ical objec­tives. Meagan’s zeal for exer­cise has been obvious since she started playing hockey at a very young age and con­tinued to play com­pet­i­tive hockey through ele­men­tary and high school, intra­mural in University, as well as con­tin­uing to play today in a ladies com­pet­i­tive league. Her enthu­siasm of life extends beyond her com­mit­ment to make a dif­fer­ence in the lives of her clients and her love of the sport of hockey. Meagan enjoys working out at the gym – strength training and aer­o­bics; as well as hiking, reading, and spending her spare time having fun with many friends and a large family.

Kinesiologist

Bkin, CK, CSEP-CEP

Paul’s ini­tial interest in sports and the mechanics of the human body led him to pursue a degree in Kinesiology at Brock University. In the midst of com­pleting his post-secondary studies, Paul obtained his per­sonal training cer­ti­fi­ca­tion and began working on diet, fit­ness, and pro­viding moti­va­tion for lifestyle changes with a wide variety of clients. After com­pleting his degree with hon­ours in 2006, Paul began training clients on a full time basis, working with dif­ferent people with dif­ferent goals, ranging from increasing strength to ath­letics to weight loss. During this time, Paul gained valu­able one-on-one training expe­ri­ence while working for two of Canada’s largest fit­ness facil­i­ties. More recently, Paul has shifted his exer­cise knowl­edge and has chosen to focus on the world of ther­a­peutic exer­cise while working in a multi-disciplinary clinic. Paul is cer­ti­fied as an Exercise Physiologist through the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology as well as com­pleting a cer­ti­fi­ca­tion in Exercise and Osteoporosis through MelioGuide.

Outside of his pro­fes­sional life, Paul remains an avid pro­moter of phys­ical activity and fit­ness. Playing com­pet­i­tive soccer year-round, as well as par­tic­i­pating in recre­ational vol­ley­ball during the summer months helps to keep him fit and active. Paul, along with his wife Amy, com­ple­ment their daily weight training rou­tine with weekly Yoga classes to help main­tain bal­ance in their fit­ness programs.

Kinesiologist

HBSc (Hons Kin), CK

Marie has been pas­sionate about the ben­e­fits of exer­cise therapy since she first embraced com­pet­i­tive and recre­ational road bike cycling more than 30 years ago. As an avid cyclist and exer­cise enthu­siast she is inti­mately acquainted with the ben­e­fits of exer­cise therapy for injury man­age­ment, pre­ven­tion and car­dio­vas­cular health. Active living describes her approach to life. After working for many years in the phar­ma­ceu­tical industry, Marie decided to take the plunge and con­vert her long-standing pas­sion for exer­cise into a second career. She returned to the University of Guelph and grad­u­ated with a degree in Human Kinetics in 2009. En route, she com­pleted and con­tinues to enrol in exer­cise cer­ti­fi­ca­tion pro­grams focused on func­tional strength­ening, bal­ance and reha­bil­i­ta­tion to enhance both her diag­nostic and exer­cise pro­gram design skills.

Marie has a strong interest in injury reha­bil­i­ta­tion and ther­a­peutic exer­cise for the man­age­ment and improve­ment of pos­tural dys­func­tions, sports and per­sis­tent injuries and chronic dis­ease con­di­tions such as osteoarthritis, dia­betes and car­dio­vas­cular dis­ease. She strives to make the expe­ri­ence of exer­cise fun, and is ded­i­cated to improving the lives of those whose can ben­efit from exer­cise therapy . Away from work, Marie is kept busy with her husband/cycling partner and their 4 lively, almost adult chil­dren. She resides in rural Ontario where access to country roads for riding her bike is only a tire spin away.

Kinesiologist

B.Sc. (H.K.), C.K

Devon was awarded a degree in Honours Human Kinetics from the University of Guelph in 2004. Through his own per­sonal expe­ri­ence with sport injury and recur­ring pain, Devon devel­oped an inter­ested in reha­bil­i­ta­tion. After tire­less research in bio­me­chanics and injury, and after accruing count­less hours of vol­un­teer hours at the campus phys­io­therapy clinic, Devon was driven to pursue a career in Kinesiology.

Devon began his career treating var­ious mus­cu­loskeletal issues, neu­ro­log­ical dis­or­ders and chronic pain issues using var­ious tech­niques and exer­cise pre­scrip­tion throughout the tri-city area. Throughout his career as a kine­si­ol­o­gist, Devon has over­seen suc­cessful treat­ment of count­less injuries, and man­age­ment of chronic pain.

Devon’s cur­rent focus is on man­age­ment of chronic pain, with focus on exer­cise pre­scrip­tion, bio­me­chanics, stress man­age­ment, and nutri­tional coun­selling. While con­stantly striving to improve his under­standing of the human body, and to ensure the best quality of care, Devon is con­stantly working to con­tinue his edu­ca­tion as a kinesiologist.

When Devon is not working, he can be seen devoting his free to time to his band, as an active per­forming and recording musi­cian, and song­writer. When he can find time away from his music career, Devon enjoys snow­boarding, run­ning, and travelling.

Kinesiologist

BSc (Hons Kin), CEP, CK

Marsha Vanwynsberghe has gained suc­cess not only as an elite per­sonal trainer, but also as a busi­ness entre­pre­neur. She devel­oped and oper­ated the only per­sonal training busi­ness in Tillsonburg, prior to moving to the Kitchener-Waterloo area with her hus­band, Brad, and two sons, Cameron and Andrew.

Along with her suc­cess as a busi­ness owner, Marsha has built a strong rep­u­ta­tion as a cer­ti­fied Kinesiologist. She is respected by insur­ance and med­ical pro­fes­sionals for her suc­cess in helping clients in a reha­bil­i­ta­tive state over­come obsta­cles and attain results that often astonish even the most skep­tical. Marsha’s keen eye and atten­tion to the details of bio­me­chanics and phys­i­ology allow her to assess a client’s move­ment and design spe­cific pro­grams to address their issues. Clients are suc­cessful because Marsha edu­cates and moti­vates them to under­stand how their body works. She teaches them how to use their mus­cles prop­erly and how to incor­po­rate proper move­ment into their daily lives, min­i­mizing or elim­i­nating pain.

In addi­tion to her training exper­tise, Marsha is also a Second Wind Certified Pilates Instructor. Marsha also draws upon her Pilates expe­ri­ence when working with one-on-one clients, who range in ability from beginner to pro­fes­sional ath­lete. With her expe­ri­ence, exper­tise and enthu­siasm, Marsha’s clients attain life changing results under the watchful eye of one of the industry’s best.

Qualifications: Honours BSc.Kin,, University of Waterloo, CK, OKA, Second Wind Pilates Mat Instructor, FMS Assisted Instructor (Functional Movement Screen), CSEP Certified Exercise Therapist, TPI Level 1 Certified (Golf Fitness Instructor)

Kinesiologist

CAT(C), Hons BSc Kin

Lindsay Dixon has over ten years of expe­ri­ence working in the field of sports med­i­cine and health and well­ness. She is a cer­ti­fied Athletic Therapist and Kinesiologist. She obtained her Honours Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from York University. She then went onto pursue studies in Athletic Therapy at Sheridan College and com­pleted the C.A.T.A national exam where she gained national recog­ni­tion as a cer­ti­fied Athletic Therapist.

Lindsay has exten­sive clin­ical and field expe­ri­ence and has worked with a variety of ath­letes including but not lim­ited to rugby, hockey bas­ket­ball, water­polo, gym­nas­tics, soccer, hockey, triath­letes, base­ball, run­ners, vol­ley­ball and swim­mers. Lindsay worked as Head Athletic Therapist for Seneca College for two years where she super­vised clin­ical and field ath­letic therapy for twelve var­sity teams. She also worked with national level ath­letes as well as Head Athletic Therapist for Markham Rugby Club for six years. Lindsay has a par­tic­ular interest in working with endurance ath­letes as she has com­pleted sev­eral triathlons and marathons including 1/2 ironman and Boston Marathon. Lindsay is entering her second year of Osteopathy this fall at the Canadian College of Osteopathy in Toronto. Lindsay’s pre­ven­ta­tive phi­los­ophy is in line with the teach­ings of Osteopathy cre­ating bal­ance for the body to restore health and allow the body to func­tion at it’s best.

Kinesiologist

BSc.Kin, MHK, CK

Lynn grad­u­ated from Laurentian University’s Kinesiology pro­gram in 1995 and returned to com­plete her Masters in Human Kinetics degree in 2008. She has been a member of the Ontario Kinesiology Association’s Board of Directors and in 2001, was named by the Institute for Work and Health as an Educational Influential in the field of kine­si­ology. A sea­soned instructor of both land and water-based, fit­ness and exer­cise therapy she has pre­sented con­fer­ence ses­sions for Can Fit Pro, AFPA, WaterART and the OKA. Presently, Lynn is a ses­sional instructor (Therapeutic Exercise, Track and Field, Group Exercise Leadership) at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario and pro­vides fur­ther edu­ca­tional training for Can Fit Pro as a Personal Training Specialist ProTrainer.

Lynn’s love of fit­ness began at a young age with bike rides with her Dad and sprint run­ning became a pas­sion throughout high school and uni­ver­sity. Mountain biking, cross country skiing, and (sprint!) triathlons were added as an adult. Now when not teaching adults, Lynn can be found teaching the exciting skills of run­ning, jumping, throwing, biking, and swim­ming to her favourite clients, her two young children.