Meet Our Guides
Discover the incredible teachers, healers, and facilitators bringing their wisdom to City of Om 2026.
Adam Bracken
Adam has spent over 19 years in the fitness and health industry and is the Founder & CEO of The Fitness LAB, a strength and performance-driven training brand established in 2016. What began as a single location has grown into four facilities across the Ottawa area, known for delivering high-quality coaching, community-driven culture, and results-based programming. With a background in Fitness and Health Promotion, along with certifications including CSEP-CPT and FRC, Adam has coached a wide range of clients, from everyday individuals to elite athletes competing in the CFL, OHL, NCAA, ECHL, AHL, and NHL. A lululemon Legacy Ambassador and respected leader in the fitness community, he continues to expand The Fitness LAB while helping clients and teams perform at their highest level.
Adele Stratton
Adele has been practicing Holistic medicine and Spirituality for 35 years. She has studied all over Canada, U.S. and Caribbean. Specializing in Biodynamic Cranial Sacral therapy, Visceral manipulation, Developmental trauma, Bio-computer operating system. Being clairvoyant, she brings more to a session then most practitioners, as quite often guides or spirits will show up in a session to bring more information to the client. It could be a person who has passed on and comes in to give the client a message. Their Aura could change colour on the table. Just to say, it's not your everyday therapy session. Her main goal....Find the Root cause.
Adrian Soble
Once a full‑time sustainability engineer, Adrian is now a dedicated Lagree, Mat Pilates, and Yoga teacher with a passion for functional movement, strength, and mobility. His anatomy‑focused, dynamic, and playful classes draw from a wide range of practices to create approachable, intentional spaces where students can build strength, move with purpose, and close each session in gratitude.
Amanda Bottiglia
Amanda is a passionate Pilates instructor with seven years of experience, known for her welcoming energy and classes that build strength, flexibility, and overall well‑being. Whether she’s teaching from her home studio, online, or in group settings at Pure Yoga, Yogatown, or Framework, she brings enthusiasm and care to every session to ensure you get a powerful workout and have a great time doing it.
Brittany Bryden
Brittany Bryden is a music‑infused movement teacher who helps students find presence, play, and deeper connection through yoga. A mompreneur with a big love for community and co‑creation, Britt brings fun, creativity, and rhythm into every class — always guided by the beat that moves her.
Bronwyn Lefebvre
Bronwyn began practicing yoga at a young age and turned to it as a source of balance and vitality after being diagnosed with Lupus at nine, navigating surgeries and intensive therapy with the support of her mother’s introduction to self‑healing practices. Trained in Rishikesh and teaching for over nine years, she brings a joyful, powerful spirit to her classes, offering challenging and inspiring sequences rooted in lived experience and inner strength.
Brynn O'Dwyer
Brynn is a Pilates instructor and former varsity athlete who is passionate about intentional, well-informed movement. She discovered Pilates as a way to complement strength training and deepen body awareness beyond performance alone. Her classes focus on creating a focused, supportive environment where participants can move with confidence and purpose.
Cat Doyle
Cat is passionate about helping people feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally, weaving her extensive experience with a deep love of health, healing, and wellness. A yoga teacher since 2011, she leads classes, retreats, and trainings with a focus on connection, continued learning, and the magic of community.
Cat Labelle
Kelly and Cat are two friends driven to help people discover strength beyond what they thought possible, blending high-energy, form-focused training with plenty of fun. They’ve created an inclusive, community-rooted space where everyone feels welcome to push limits, connect, and show up as they are. Their goal is simple: leave every person feeling stronger, sweatier, and just cheeky enough to come back for more.
Charlene Dygos
Charlene is a personal trainer, fitness coach, and lagree certified instructor. Her sessions are built to push limits—combining power, endurance, and grit in a way that challenges both body and mind. Expect structured, athletic programming with a strong focus on effort and execution. Whether you’re chasing performance or stepping into something new, Charlene creates an environment that demands your best and proves you’re capable of more. Driven by intensity and curiosity, she brings a “show up and work” mindset to every class—no shortcuts, just results.
Ciara Jean Beaton
Ciara Jean Beaton (yoga, pilates & acroyoga teacher) and Jason Nowlan (personal trainer) have been offering partner yoga and acroyoga together now for over a year in the Ottawa area. Together, they offer an uplifting experience by creating an engaging and inclusive practice environment that is always filled with laughter. They both love to bring people together by offering a practice that is lighthearted, dynamic and inspiring.
Devinder Kaur
Devinder is a knowledgeable and uplifting 500‑Hour Yoga Alliance Registered Teacher in the Hatha and Kundalini traditions, known for over 20 years of teaching with humour, sensitivity, and a deeply personal approach. As the founder of PranaShanti Yoga Centre and PranaShanti Education Centre, she has grown a thriving local and international community and is a sought‑after presenter and trainer at conferences and Yoga Teacher Trainings worldwide.
DJ Greeze
DJ Greeze is an Ottawa-based DJ and the owner of Crossfade DJs, known for creating high-energy dance floors that feel effortless, fun, and unforgettable. With nearly two decades in the music and nightlife scene across Ottawa, his style blends house, disco, throwbacks, hip-hop, and crowd favourites into sets built to match the energy of the room — whether that means getting people moving and grooving or simply complementing the vibe.
Doriana Taccardi
Doriana (she/her) holds an MSc and BSc in Clinical Psychology and is currently completing her PhD at Queen’s University, where she studies circadian rhythms in Chronic Pain and Multiple Sclerosis while witnessing firsthand the powerful impact of yoga on body and mind. A former competitive roller hockey player and RYT, she teaches hot yoga in Kingston and continues to deepen her practice through arm balances, inversions, Vipassana meditation, and a love of philosophy, breathwork, and mindfulness.
Edelaine Valino
Edelaine has been coaching at The Rig Boxing for four years and is Mechanicsville’s studio manager. Her love for the fitness space and coaching stems from her enjoyment of building community, seeing how fitness changes people’s lives, and helping people find the motivation and encouragement to keep trying.
Emma Pollon-MacLeod
Dr. Emma Pollon‑MacLeod, ND, is a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner and women’s hormone health advocate who specializes in guiding women through perimenopause and menopause with evidence‑based, whole‑person care. As CEO of NutriChem, she empowers women with education, choice, and personalized support to understand their hormonal changes and move through midlife with clarity, confidence, and long‑term vitality.
Giselle Fernandez
Giselle is a dancer, kids yoga instructor, mindfulness coach, and the heart behind YogiBeatz. With over five years of experience teaching kids' yoga, she blends movement, music, and mindfulness to create fun, engaging classes that spark joy and connection.
Grace Bracken
Grace is a former competitive hockey player who learned early how powerful nutrition can be, a lesson that deepened after two major hip surgeries pushed her to rebuild her health from the inside out. Now a mom, coach, and founder of The Body Sculpt, she’s dedicated to helping people restore their metabolism, build lean muscle, and pursue fat loss without burnout or restriction. She leads a team of functional nutritionists and coaches who share her mission of making sustainable, strength‑focused transformation feel clear, achievable, and deeply supportive.
Jason Nowlan
Ciara Jean Beaton (yoga, pilates & acroyoga teacher) and Jason Nowlan (personal trainer) have been offering partner yoga and acroyoga together now for over a year in the Ottawa area. Together, they offer an uplifting experience by creating an engaging and inclusive practice environment that is always filled with laughter. They both love to bring people together by offering a practice that is lighthearted, dynamic and inspiring.
Jenn Dumoulin
A former varsity track and field and cross country athlete, Jenn is a spin instructor at SPINCO Orléans who dabbles in Hyrox and powerlifting. Her passion is connecting sport and fitness to personal growth - we learn amazing things about ourselves by challenging ourselves physically and mentally through physical activity.
Jill Wright
Jill Wright is a Time Management Expert and founder of Energy + Hours, where she helps high‑achieving moms, creatives, and entrepreneurs align their hours and energy through practical tools, rest, intuition, and a neuro‑affirming lens. Her work—featured on 80+ podcasts and in organizations across North America—supports real people in creating sustainable, meaningful success without burnout.
John King
Monkey Rock Music is a fun, participatory music program for young children and their adult caregivers. We have been running in Ottawa since 2008, offering classes, daycare programs, elementary school shows, and even full blown rock concerts for toddlers and young kids.
Julie Lefebvre
Julie discovered yoga as a path to recovery while navigating a severe wrist injury, an eating disorder, and the stress of caring for a critically ill child, finding profound healing through Ashtanga. Over the past two decades, she has trained with world‑renowned teachers and now blends technical expertise with a compassionate approach to support others on their own journeys to wellness.
Julie Parker
Julie has been coaching at The Rig Boxing for three years, where her challenging, attentive, and engaging style reflects her deep curiosity and growing love for the sport. A certified barre instructor and studio manager at The Rig’s Southpaw location, she believes in the power of group fitness to bring people together—and her classes do exactly that.
Katherine Markhauser
Katherine Markhauser is a trainer, mat pilates instructor and the co-founder of Chelsea Athletica Gym. Shes passionate about creating spaces where women can move their bodies - whether through strength training or on their mats. Her work at Chelsea Athletica centers around building a community and creating spaces where people can come together to move & meet like-minded people.
Kelly Schincariol
Kelly and Cat are two friends driven to help people discover strength beyond what they thought possible, blending high-energy, form-focused training with plenty of fun. They’ve created an inclusive, community-rooted space where everyone feels welcome to push limits, connect, and show up as they are. Their goal is simple: leave every person feeling stronger, sweatier, and just cheeky enough to come back for more.
Kemi Danmola
Kemi is a high-energy fitness coach and leader based in Ottawa, known for her empowering step experiences. She brings bold energy and joy into every class. Through STEP YOUR GOALS, she uses movement, rhythm and mindset to help people build confidence, express themselves and move with intention. Kemi believes movement is a powerful tool to step into your goals physically, mentally and energetically.
Kenny Caceros
Kenny Caceros is a lululemon Bayshore ambassador, hybrid‑training coach, and multi‑sport powerhouse who brings unstoppable energy to every room he enters. A HYROX 2025 World Championship qualifier and DEKA Fit AG World Champion, he leads The Strength Collective and The Hybrid Training Popup with the same fire that fueled his professional soccer career.
Kethy Sosso-Kolle
Kethy (she/her) is a Cameroonian‑Canadian 200-hr certified yoga teacher who enjoys leading yin and slow-paced flow classes to gentle tunes. She is the co‑founder of the BIPOC Yogis of Ottawa project, a photo‑journalism and fundraising initiative amplifying racial diversity within the Ottawa-Gatineau wellness community. She is also a devoted supporter of the 24‑Hr Yogapalooza project, helping raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer research through movement and community care. She enjoys eating sweet treats, playing with her cats and watching Japanese anime.
Kino Carey
Kino Carey is an Ottawa-born musician, based in Tokyo since 2015. In the past year, she has transitioned from being a pop-leaning artist to a dance music producer and DJ. Since then, she has played tech house parties at some of Tokyo's biggest nightclubs. Her sets combine the minimal grooves of tech house with the upbeat melodies of dance pop.
Krista Reid
Krista Reid is a breathwork facilitator and educator with over 20 years of experience in health and wellness, offering somatic, nervous‑system‑informed practices throughout the Ottawa–Wakefield region. She creates healing spaces, mentors facilitators, and supports individuals in reconnecting with their bodies, breath, and inner clarity through deep listening, thoughtful pacing, and embodied guidance.
Kyanna McPherson
Kyanna is a Jamaican Canadian yoga teacher who blends Hatha and Vinyasa with a grounding, intuitive flow that encourages movement with confidence, authenticity, and joy. Her playful, soulful classes weave breath, movement, music, and rest to support reconnection with the body, inner power, and sense of self.
Kyle Kirkup
Kyle Kirkup has been teaching group fitness for over twenty years, bringing a whimsical, challenging, and supportive approach to his strength and mat‑based classes at Collective Movement and beyond. He’s also a mentor to emerging instructors, blending strength, cardio, and mindfulness into pop‑infused, dance‑driven workouts that leave people feeling energized and empowered.
Lori Dye
Lori Dye is an Ottawa-born yoga teacher, mindfulness coach, and international retreat curator. Her work is rooted in elemental wisdom, breath, and the quiet intelligence of the body.
lululemon Canada
lululemon is an innovative performance apparel company for yoga, running, training, and other athletic pursuits. Setting the bar in technical fabrics and functional design, we create transformational products and experiences that support people in moving, growing, connecting, and being well. We owe our success to our innovative product, emphasis on stores, commitment to our people, and the incredible connections we make in every community we're in. As a company, we focus on creating positive change to build a healthier, thriving future. In particular, that includes creating an equitable, inclusive and growth-focused environment for our people.
Lyndsay McIntyre
Lyndsay has 15 years of experience as a coach and trainer with a recent certification from HYROX Academy; Level 1 Course. She is a coach at The Strength Collective and thrives on building community, pushing athletes to limits they didn't know they had and ensuring everyone who walks through out doors feels at home no matter their fitness background or experience: the gym is for everyone. Lyndsay comes from a Crossfit background which made transitioning to HYROX competitions seamless and easy.
Madi Harris
Growth begins with a shift in mindset, and Madi leads with that belief at the center of her work. The power of one small word—“yet”—has shaped her approach to possibility, helping transform doubt into direction. Purpose, Vision + Goals has met her at every stage of adulthood, through seasons of uncertainty, ambition, reinvention, and expansion. Each chapter offered clarity, alignment, and the courage to take the next step. As a leader, she has witnessed the transformation that happens when people move from “I can’t” to “I can’t yet.” Confidence builds. Decisions sharpen. Momentum follows. PVG becomes more than a framework—it becomes a living practice that turns intention into action. Madi is dedicated to helping others define a bold vision, set meaningful goals, and step into what’s possible, even when the path is still unfolding.
Mathieu Flosse
Mat Flosse is a business owner, men's circle facilitator, and sound practitioner based in Ottawa. With a background in competitive sports leadership and entrepreneurship, his work bridges grounded leadership with intentional inner growth. Trained in sound bath facilitation and shamanic practices, Mat creates spaces that combine nervous system awareness, reflection, and practical tools for modern life. His approach is steady, accessible, and rooted in lived experience, guiding individuals toward greater clarity, connection, and purpose.
Natalie Fraser
Natalie Fraser is a yoga teacher with families and community at heart. Her classes are inclusive, fun and accessible. Whether you are a first timer, a caregiver yoga'ing with kids, or someone looking for ease - you'll find what you need here.
Piaf Des Rosiers
Piaf is a physiotherapist and PhD candidate with a passion for finding fun ways to get kids and teens more physically active. As an advocate for inclusion and accessibility, she hopes that all will feel welcome coming to her lil om'ies class!
Rachel Hopper
Rachel Hopper is a Pilates and Lagree instructor known for her strength-forward approach and intentionally designed classes. With over three years of teaching experience, she’s passionate about helping people feel stronger, build confidence in their movement, and look forward to coming to class. Her mat classes are beat-based, combining structure and energy for a challenging workout, with options to modify or progress, making them accessible to a wide range of students.
Robert Aranyosi
Rob Aranyosi blends technical movement with creative, challenging sequences that prioritize curiosity over perfection. His classes offer clear cues, smart progressions, and a playful edge, creating a space where effort, exploration, and trying before you feel ready matter more than getting it “right.”
Run Ottawa
Run Ottawa is the National Capital Region’s premiere running organization and the organizers of Canada’s most popular multi-day running event, Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. Run Ottawa is committed to building an accessible, inclusive running community that promotes health, belonging, and personal excellence while empowering people to give back. Guided by values of environmental responsibility, community engagement, and operational excellence, they create programs and events that welcome all participants and remove barriers to movement.
Saman Tayari
Saman is a yoga teacher, breathwork facilitator and a percussionist. He integrates his drumming into his yoga and breathwork sessions, believing that drum beats connect us with our inner rhythm and with others, and help us be more present. He also incorporates electronic music to create more immersive experiences. His passion lies in quieting the mind through breathwork and invigorating movement and breath, a practice he is eager to share with others.
Sarah Boyd
Sarah Boyd is a personal trainer, nutrition and lifestyle coach, and author with over a decade of experience helping people build strength that lasts. She blends exercise science with practical behaviour change to support active adults and athletes in training with strategy, resilience, and recovery at the center.
Selina Rose
Selina Rose is an Ottawa‑based yoga teacher, Somatic Experiencing practitioner, and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner whose work blends movement, nervous system support, and digestive well‑being. With more than 10 years in the wellness world, she helps people reconnect with their bodies in grounded, accessible ways. She also founded Bloat Babes, a holistic gut‑health platform supporting women through education, embodiment, and community.
Serena Finlayson
Serena is a Certified Athletic Therapist, Registered Massage Therapist, professional dancer, and barre instructor who believes every(body) is an athlete. She’s passionate about movement as medicine and uses her wide-ranging expertise to bridge mind and body in ways that honour each person’s unique experience. Serena loves working outside the box, inviting students into movement as exploration, curiosity, and connection.
Spinco Orleans
SPINCO Orléans is rolling into City of Om with a full day of rhythm‑driven, sweat‑soaked, community‑charged rides — all inside our dedicated SPINCO space. As Orléans’ newest spin studio, they’re bringing their signature immersive, beat‑based experience to the festival, offering multiple 50‑minute classes that blend music, movement, and collective energy.
Stephen Bierbrier
Stephen Bierbrier (@bytownboy) has spent the past decade leading community workouts across Ottawa — from TD Place Stadium to Parliament Hill to the Dominion Arboretum. When he’s not coaching, he’s usually planning his next session, often spotted turning any nearby bench into an opportunity for a perfectly executed Bulgarian squat.
Sunshine Glitterchild
Sunshine Glitterchild is here to spread love, kindness, joy, cheeks & glitter through the art of drag…and sometimes on roller skates! Sunshine is a music lover with a passion for music of many genres and decades, especially disco. Sunshine seeks to connect with her audience not just through sparkley looks and performances, but through authenticity and heart with a side of silly.
Susan Benoit
Susan and Tarik are breathwork facilitators who guide participants to reconnect with their innate power, nervous system, and body intelligence. Combining trauma-informed awareness, embodiment, and breath mechanics, they create a container where people can regulate, release, and return to themselves-without force or expectation. Together, they bring complementary perspectives and energy, holding space for individuals to explore their breath, find their rhythm, and leave feeling resourced, grounded, and connected.
Tarik Hassan
Susan and Tarik are breathwork facilitators who guide participants to reconnect with their innate power, nervous system, and body intelligence. Combining trauma-informed awareness, embodiment, and breath mechanics, they create a container where people can regulate, release, and return to themselves-without force or expectation. Together, they bring complementary perspectives and energy, holding space for individuals to explore their breath, find their rhythm, and leave feeling resourced, grounded, and connected.
Todd Lavictoire
A lifelong mover, Todd brings equal parts strength, heart, and grounded grit to everything he does. Guided by his mantra — “If you are willing to do only what’s easy, life will be hard…” — he trains, teaches, and lives with purpose, recently stepping into the Fight for the Cure ring to raise money for cancer research and patient care. One of the original Pure Yoga crew, Todd shows up with the kind of resilience and integrity that inspires everyone around him.
Tracy Billows
Tracy Billows is the founder and co-owner of Yogatown, Ottawa's longest-running yoga studio, open since 2008 and now spanning three locations across the city. With 25 years of practice, she considers herself a student first and a teacher second. Yogatown reflects everything Tracy believes in - connection, belonging, and community. Off the mat, her greatest joy is her family - husband Jason, two children, and her dog Pepper. She is also a passionate health enthusiast who loves exploring new ways to thrive, and nothing brings her more joy than inspiring others to do the same.
Valerie Callaghan
A Lagree and Mat Pilates instructor with a commitment to celebrating the intersections of showing up for yourself, Valerie is driven by supporting her students to move with love and intention not reaction. She encourages her students to build trust within themselves cultivating a safe space to move freely. Her classes blend Latin, Reggaeton, and Dancehall beats intentionally building the energy in the room to amplify both psychological and physical benefits as she leads the class through movements rooted in everyday life.
Zeina El haff
Zeina is a 200‑hour RYT‑certified yoga teacher with additional Jivamukti Spiritual Warrior training, offering a simple, accessible approach rooted in traditional teachings. She emphasizes alignment, breath‑led movement, and steady presence to help students cultivate internal awareness and balance over time.
