Session 4109:

Winning the Fitness Career Management Game: Business Tips from canfitpro Award Winners

Facilitated by Nadine Charles

Senior ManagerMembership Experience

canfitpro

Official Music SponsorSponsored By

Panelists and Advisors

❖ Oonagh Duncan❖ Laura Jackson❖ Dione Mason❖ Tara Newbigging

❖ Carol Phillips❖ Rhonda Roberts Smid❖ Dave Smith❖ Stephen Sinanan

Oonagh Duncan

Oonagh Duncan is a multi-award-winning Fitness Expert specializing in helping women in their 40s get lean, strong and healthy through a unique habits-based approach.

Her methodology has resulted in international media attention, speaking engagements, most importantly, five star reviews from the thousands of people who have changed their lives through her programs Globally, Online and in the Parks of Toronto.

Founder of the Feel Good Movement which recognizes that fitness is not about a number on the scale but about feeling good.

Because if you want to reach your highest potential and generally kick ass at life - it starts with feeling good right NOW.

FitFeelsGood.com

Laura Jackson

Founder of FIT CHICKS®, Canada's largest women's only fitness company. Starting in 2008 with only 7 chicks, Laura's goal of "fierce fitness made fun" that’s accessible to ALL women expanded their award winning women’s only boot camp from 20+ locations to include health retreats, fitness DVD’s programs, nutrition challenges and FIT CHICKS Academy(r) online certification programs.

Laura's commitment to women's health earned her 2016 Top 3 Canadian Fitness Professional of the Year in Canada & Stevie Award for Women in Business – Health & Wellness Company of the Year.

She will continue her of helping women create the life, health & career of their dreams and build healthier communities around the world with the internationally recognized 12 week FIT CHICKS(R) Academy online Fitness & Nutrition Expert Certification Program and 8 Week Holistic Nutrition Weight Loss Expert Program.

Laura has helped 10,000+ women transform and reach their goals. As a Certified Personal Trainer, Nutritionist and Leading Transformation Coach, Laura is also: ❖ Host of the top 100 rated Fitness & Nutrition Podcast

on Itunes named "FIT CHICKS CHat" ❖ TV Host of “Shape Up with FIT CHICKS”❖ A fitness and nutrition contributor to national

publications and TV Shows such as Canadian Living Magazine, The National Post, Breakfast Television, CTV Morning Live

❖ Has appeared on CBC's "Dragon's Den" and The Shopping Channel

❖ Creator of an online Fitness & Nutrition Expert Certification Program and Holistic Nutrition Weight Loss Expert Program.

Dione Mason

Fitness & Lifestyle Coach, Event Producer, Founder/President of The Simunye Foundation, Founder/Race Director of the Toronto Carnival Run and the 2017 canfitpro Fitness Professional of the Year. She has proven her dedication, drive and commitment to excellence in the Health and Fitness Industry for the past 15 years.

Through her Group Fitness classes, audiences are motivated by her energy, creativity, style and focus in helping participants not only achieve their fitness goals, but have fun while doing it. Through Personal Training, she has helped clients achieve and maintain their wellness goals with personalized training programs.

Dione’s Charity Initiatives: ❖ Alzheimer Society ❖ Walk for Memories❖ Brain Tumour Walk❖ Scotiabank Rat Race❖ United Way CN Tower Climb.❖ And many more!

Media Contributions & Appearances: ❖ Sway Magazine❖ Metro News❖ Breakfast Television ❖ SNAP Magazine❖ canfitpro Magazine

Her philosophy is a strong body, leads to a strong mind, therefore a strong spirit. www.dioneMASON.com

❖ CP24❖ Toronto Star❖ City TV❖ Rogers TV.

Tara Newbigging

Entrepreneur and mastermind behind the BooTy® program, Soul Coach, Fitness Coach, Yoga Teacher, and adventure seeker residing in the Canadian Rockies.

Tara holds a Bachelor of Physical Health and Education with a Major in Health Promotion.

Beyond the labels, she is a passionate individual who loves to inspire people and help them discover their talents and gifts. She shares her passion and teachings in a variety of ways. Through fitness classes, The BooTy® program, Retreats, and one-on-one soul coaching, she is committed to helping individuals achieve their ultimate goals.

Tara enjoys enabling others to make courageous changes, let go of fear, understand both head and heart, embrace and explore self, and most importantly provide support to truly LIVE and LOVE their life.

Her areas of expertise are:❖ Entrepreneurship and creating a small

business from nothing.❖ Creating an independent fitness

program and Teacher Training❖ Yoga/Energy work

Carol Phillips

With 13 years in the fitness industry, and having joined the canfitpro family in 2008, Carol is a Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor at the North Huron Wescast Community Complex.

With a busy Group Fitness and Personal Training schedule, she specializes in working with special populations such as fitness for older persons ( One Care Volunteer Program), the Minds in Motion project for the Ontario Alzheimer's Association as well as providing classes to community groups in her area.

When on the floor in group fitness, just about anything goes! Carol teach Pilates, Yoga as Exercise, Strength, Core, Zumba, group cycle. She works very hard to provide multi-level, inclusive classes for her clients with a philosophy of simply this: fitness should be fun!

As a Personal Trainer, much of Carol’s practice centers around persons recovering from serious accidents and/or illnesses, leading them back to a balanced, active lifestyle through both personalized programming and in small group settings.

Her passion is bringing her clients through their doubts, fears and hesitations to a new place of understanding, acceptance and competence.

Rhonda Roberts Smid

TAB is the vision of Rhonda Roberts Smid—stage and screen performer, fitness trainer and university instructor.

Rhonda has been dancing for over 40 years, with 15 of those as a professional, and has been studying fitness and personal training for more than 15.

Rhonda has also appeared on television and the big screen including in the Academy® Award-winning film Chicago and the dance classic Hairspray: The Movie.

She has also been a sought-after dance adjudicator across North America for the last 12 years and has spent the last 7 years instructing in the Faculty of Phys. Ed. at the University of Toronto.

Rhonda has a B.A. from McMaster, The Triple Threat Award from The Randolph Academy, a Guthrie Award from the Stratford Festival, and more recently in 2016 was a Top 3 finalist for CanFitPro Fitness Professional of the Year.

Rhonda has performed across North America and Europe in the Tony® Award-Winning Disney's The Lion King and the Tony® Award-Winning Ragtime. She has entertained on the stages of the Stratford Festival in musicals like Guys and Dolls and Anything Goes, and many other well-known productions.

“When you spend years doing 8 demanding shows a week, you have to know how to maintain your body. You also have to know how to nurture a good sense of humour. That's what you will find at TAB—a serious session blended with fun and creativity.”

Dave Smith

Dave Smith has been a women's fitness and weight-loss coach since 2001. While fitness is his passion, Dave's strength is in marketing and sales. He used his experience in corporate marketing to build a successful online fitness brand and now teaches other personal trainers to do the same.

“The fitness industry is changing. More than ever, consumers are looking for faster, easier ways to get the fitness coaching and support they need. I help Personal Trainers become more innovative in their approach to coaching so that they can stay ahead of this curve and so that they can serve more clients from around the world.”

Dave coaches Personal Trainers to develop their business skills through The Online Trainers Federation.

He helps them build a strong niche, a compelling offer, and online fitness programs that allow them to empower more clients in less time.

Dave’s goal is to help personal trainers work smarter, not harder, using simple online tools and marketing strategies to dramatically scale their business.

Stephen Sinanan

Stephen Sinanan is a very successful fitness professional with several accolades, a recognized leader in the fitness community for many charitable initiatives and a brand ambassador for several companies.

He was selected in the Top 3 for Fitness Instructor Specialist in 2017, and Top 5 in 2016. He was also named the Toronto Instructor of the Year at GoodLife on several occasions.

His life purpose is to leave a legacy of positivity in the world. He achieves this everyday in how he approaches teaching. His is a holistic approach that focuses on the four pillars of wellness:

1) Physical 2) Cognitive 3) Emotional and 4) Social.

Stephen believes we must treat our class participants not as passive listeners but as leaders in their own lives. We need to teach in a way that empowers participants with tools they can use in all aspects of there their lives.

Wellness is not just physical but mental, emotional and social as well. This is why the teaching holistically is so important.

Area of expertise include: ❖ Connecting with and leveraging business partnerships in the

community ❖ Having a visible and consistent presence in the philanthropic

community. ❖ Highlighting the importance of inclusivity in fitness programming

and the power of words.

QUESTIONS FOR NETWORKING

Assessing the Field❖ What has your career path been like in year 1, 2 and beyond?

❖ Does your work/career become more interesting as you stay longer?

❖ On a typical day (or week), how do you organize your time to meet the needs of your business and your clients?

❖ What is the need for, and the role of a mentor, in this field?

❖ What does your own network look like? 11

❖ What does personal branding mean when describing your unique value?

❖ If things develop as you would like, what does the future hold for your career?

❖ What are the key factors for advancement as a fitness professional?

❖ How do you see this field changing in the future?

❖ What opportunities for advancement are there?

NETWORKING & FOLLOW UP

Contact Name Specialty How can they help Email Phone Date of next contact Follow up Items/

Questions Contacts they shared Notes

NETWORKING & FOLLOW UP

Contact Name Specialty How can they help Email Phone Date of next contact Follow up Items/

Questions Contacts they shared Notes

NOTES