Friday, May 29, 2026 – Saturday, May 30, 2026
MNP Community Sports Centre / Fairmont Palliser Hotel
Whether you’re a longtime fitness professional, just stepping into your career, or simply passionate about health and movement, the 2026 Fitness Trainers & Instructors Conference is where fresh ideas, fresh perspectives, and real inspiration come to life.
Open to fitness professionals and enthusiasts alike, this year’s event is designed to energize your passion, expand your knowledge, and elevate the way you lead, coach, and grow.
Across two dynamic half-days, top presenters from across Canada will deliver powerful conversations, hands-on learning, and practical takeaways in fitness, business, nutrition, and inclusivity — all designed to move your career, your community, and your own fitness journey forward.
Continuing Education Credits (CECs) will be available through BCRPA, Fitness Alberta, and SPRA.
Join us as we celebrate the power of fitness and then continue the energy at the ‘feel-good fitness industry event of the year’: Canada’s Top Fitness Trainers AWARDS GALA!
Friday, May 29, 2026
MNP Community & Sport Centre
2225 Macleod Trail SE Calgary
AFTERNOON SESSIONS
Dr. Rosanne Woods, Calgary, AB – Bending the Aging Curve: Training the Older Adult
4:30 PM – 5:15 PM
About Rosanne:
Canada’s Top Fitness Trainer – 2024, 2026
Dr. Rosanne Woods is a strength and conditioning coach, educator, and founder of Elevate HER Wellness, specializing in midlife and older adult performance. She holds a Master’s degree in Exercise Science and a Doctorate in Health Science, bringing a strong academic foundation to her applied coaching practice.
Rosanne is an instructor in the Personal Fitness Trainer Diploma program at Mount Royal University, where she teaches future fitness professionals how to translate evidence-based research into effective, real-world programming. With over 25 years of industry experience, her work focuses on bridging the gap between science and practice—particularly in the areas of aging, metabolism, and strength training.
Her approach challenges traditional models of training older adults by emphasizing strength, function, and long-term capacity as the foundation for healthy aging.
What You Will Learn:
Most training models for older adults focus on limitation, regression, and risk avoidance. This session challenges that paradigm.
Drawing from current evidence and applied coaching practice, you will learn how to design progressive, performance-based training programs that target the true drivers of healthy aging: strength, muscle mass, power, and functional capacity.
In this session, you will learn how to:
- Identify the key physiological changes associated with aging—and which ones are modifiable through training
- Program resistance training that goes beyond “light and safe” to be effective and outcome-driven
- Integrate strength, power, and functional movement into training for older adults at varying ability levels
- Apply practical coaching strategies to build confidence, competence, and long-term adherence in this population
- Shift your programming lens from decline prevention to capacity development
Attendees will leave with a clear framework for training older adults that supports independence, resilience, and long-term performance.
Stiva Sinanan, Toronto, ON – An 80’s Style Aerobics Class
5:30 PM – 6:15 PM
About Stiva:
Canada’s Top Fitness Trainer & Instructor – 2024, 2025
Stiva is a seasoned and highly respected fitness professional who uses his voice, lived experience, and platforms to elevate others and build strong communities. He was named by IMPACT Magazine as one Canada’s Top Fitness Trainers/Group Fitness Instructors in 2024 and 2025. He is known for delivering dynamic, inclusive experiences where people of all backgrounds, identities, body types, and abilities feel seen, supported, and empowered. Stiva proudly embraces the role of a fitness social justice warrior, using movement not just to strengthen bodies, but to challenge norms, foster belonging, and build confidence.
Drawing from his personal journey, Stiva focuses on helping individuals discover their strength while reinforcing that all bodies are worthy and valid. His coaching prioritizes accessibility, joy, and connection, meeting people where they are at and removing barriers to participation. Whether working with beginners or seasoned athletes, he creates environments that encourage growth, and self-belief. His work extends beyond fitness, using storytelling, advocacy, and community leadership to inspire others to show up fully and take up space in their bodies and in the world.
What You’ll Learn:
Step into a high-energy throwback with our 80s-inspired aerobics extravaganza! This class is a celebration of the decade that brought us neon, leg warmers, and some of the most unforgettable hits in music history. You’ll move to the rhythm of iconic 80s tracks, blending classic cardio choreography with easy-to-follow, repeatable movements designed to get your heart pumping and keep you smiling.
Whether you’re a seasoned aerobics instructor, a fitness enthusiast, or someone just looking to try something new, this session is for you. Expect an uplifting, inclusive atmosphere where everyone—regardless of fitness level—is encouraged to let loose, have fun, and embrace the neon vibes of the era. Bring your energy, your favorite retro gear, and your sense of adventure, because this isn’t just a workout—it’s a party in motion!
Join us, connect with fellow members of the fitness community, and celebrate the joy of movement together. Sweat, laugh, and groove your way through a full-body cardio experience that will leave you feeling energized, motivated, and ready to take on the day—80s style!
Optional Workout: Prefer your own pace? Enjoy a complimentary facility pass to MNP and fit in a workout on us!
Geoff Starling, Calgary, AB – Inclusivity in the Fitness Industry: Working More Effectively with Clients in Diverse Bodies (light dinner included)
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
About Geoff:
Canada’s Top Fitness Trainer – 2022
Exercise Physiologist Geoff Starling (Every Body STRONGER) argues that the majority of potential clients are currently being alienated by traditional fitness models and messaging, creating a critical gap between health goals and facility accessibility. In Working More Effectively with Clients in Diverse Bodies, you will learn why simple “inclusion” is no longer enough and discover the Hyper-Inclusive standard—a term coined to mean creating spaces that genuinely understand and celebrate diversity. The overarching goal is to build viable pathways to better health for people across all sizes, ages, abilities, and identities. This is not a trend; it is the future of fitness.
What You’ll Learn:
Attendees will leave with a concrete framework built on three non-negotiable pillars for hyper-inclusion: Size-Inclusive, Queer-Friendly, and Trauma-Informed practices. Learn how to implement Size-Inclusive approaches by shifting away from weight-based goals and treating a client’s body as “not a problem to be solved,” how to display signals of active Queer-Friendly allyship, and how to apply a Trauma-Informed methodology rooted in compassion. This session expands to offer actionable strategies for supporting clients based on Age, Ability, Marginalised Identity, and Neurodiversity, emphasizing that “Allyship is a verb, not a noun” and that the human case must drive our business decisions.
Saturday, May 30, 2026
Fairmont Palliser Hotel
113 9 Ave. SW Calgary
MORNING SESSIONS
Josh Adams, Senior Director, Global Professional Education, Austin, TX
8:00 AM – 8:45 AM
(Light Breakfast will be served)
About Josh:
Josh Adams is the Senior Director of Global Education at Therabody. He helps bridge the gap between recovery and wellness science and technology. With a background in strength and conditioning and wellness programming, a deep understanding of athletic recovery and years of human performance leadership, Josh brings valuable insight into how science-based recovery strategies can help improve performance, reduce injury risk and support longevity in training.
Before joining Therabody, Josh held leadership roles with Exos and Texas A&M where he specialized in performance management, coaching and athlete development. He holds degrees in exercise physiology and sport management and multiple industry certifications.
Rebecca Garland, Calgary, AB – What Every Trainer Needs to Know About Training the Midlife Woman
9:00 AM – 9:45 AM
About Rebecca:
Canada’s Top Fitness Trainer – 2020, 2024
Rebecca Garland is a Midlife Health and Fitness Transformation Coach and founder of Élan Performance Inc., specializing in strength, nutrition, and whole-person wellness for women navigating midlife. She is a Certified Fitness Menopause Specialist and Health & Fitness Menopause Specialist (MedFit) and holds a Bachelor of Kinesiology from the University of Calgary. Her additional certifications include Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), Level 2 Master Nutrition Coach (Precision Nutrition), Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA), Grief Movement Therapy Practitioner (Grief Yoga®), and Woman-Centered Coaching through Dr. Claire Zammit’s Feminine Power methodology.
Known for her compassionate, science-driven approach, Rebecca helps fitness professionals and high-achieving women thrive — physically, mentally, and emotionally — through every season. Rebecca is a two-time recipient of IMPACT Magazine’s Canada’s Top Fitness Trainers award.
What You’ll Learn:
Learn how to better support the midlife woman. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of how hormonal shifts impact women’s bodies—and why many popular fitness approaches miss the mark for this growing demographic. As hormonal changes influence how the body adapts to exercise, your coaching strategies must evolve to meet the unique needs of women 40 and beyond.
You’ll walk away with science-backed tools to enhance strength, recovery, and confidence—specifically designed for midlife clients. We’ll also explore why focusing solely on behavior change isn’t enough to drive lasting transformation—and what motivates sustainable results instead.
With this knowledge, you’ll be equipped to help your clients achieve better outcomes, while fostering deeper loyalty and long-term engagement. This session offers essential insights for every instructor working with one of the most underserved—and most powerful—demographics in fitness today. By mastering the science of midlife health, you’ll position yourself as a trusted resource for women seeking real, lasting change.
Daniel Salazar, Port Moody, BC – How to Create Real Impact Outside the Gym
10:00 AM – 10:45 AM
About Daniel:
Canada’s Top Fitness Trainer – 2026
Daniel Salazar is a kinesiologist, personal trainer, and competitive athlete based in Vancouver, operating out of Innovative Fitness, House Concepts and the Fairmont Pacific Rim. A former BC Provincial Champion in Olympic Weightlifting and current HYROX competitor, Daniel brings a performance-driven approach to every client — from professional athletes to executives who expect more from their training. He holds a Kinesiology degree from Simon Fraser University and was recognized in IMPACT Magazine’s 2026 Inspiration Issue as one of Canada’s Top Personal Trainers.
Every client engagement begins with a thorough movement and wellness assessment covering movement health, body composition, injury history, and nutritional awareness; a process that allows him to build highly personalized programs for both high-level competitors and driven professionals.
What You’ll Learn:
In this session you will move beyond sessions and reps into community involvement, partnerships, and destinations. Are your clients showing up, doing the work, and still leaving the moment their package runs out? What if the thing that keeps them isn’t a better program but a reason to belong?
Most trainers build client relationships one session at a time. The ones who build lasting businesses do something different: they create experiences and causes that make clients feel like they’re part of something bigger than a training block. The result isn’t just community impact — it’s retention, referrals, and a practice that doesn’t reset to zero every quarter.
In this talk, Daniel Salazar shares the playbook he’s built through years of real execution. From mobilizing an entire gym around the BC Cancer Foundation’s Workout to Conquer Cancer ($30,000 raised annually) to helping run the annual Train-the-Trainer charity event where clients pay to put their trainers through the work ($15,000 raised annually for the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation), to leading destination training retreats — a 10-day Costa Rica adventure through whitewater rafting, volcano hikes, canyoneering, and surf lessons, Summer Hiking Series and international HYROX race events — Daniel breaks down exactly how each of these works, what they cost in time and energy, and why they pay back tenfold. You’ll walk away with 2–3 concrete actions you can implement this quarter — scoped to your current capacity.
Fyonna Vanderwerf, Muskoka, ON – Coaching Through Crisis: What to Do When Life Shows Up in the Gym
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
About Fyonna:
Canada’s Top Fitness Trainer & Instructor – 2023, 2024
Fyonna Vanderwerf doesn’t believe the fitness industry is broken—she believes it’s incomplete.
As the founder of Bees Knees Wellness Muskoka, she has spent over three decades coaching in the space most programs ignore—the “other 80%” of the population navigating injury, illness, menopause, caregiving, trauma support and life that doesn’t fit neatly into a training plan.
A multi Ironman and marathon finisher and online expedition coach for Backcountry Strength, Fyonna trains clients for high-performance outcomes in extreme environments. But her work has evolved beyond performance alone—into building systems that hold up when life doesn’t. And sometimes that extreme is being able to get out of bed independently.
Now entering paramedic training, she is intentionally stepping into the fracture point between fitness and healthcare—two systems that rarely speak the same language, yet serve the same people.
A 2-time Canada’s Top Trainer, MedFitPro presenter, curriculum developer with Fitness Education Online and one of Ontario Top Trainers 2026, Fyonna is known for challenging industry norms and advancing adaptive coaching as both a professional standard and a business imperative.
Her work is not about doing less. It’s about building coaches who can do more—when it matters most.
What You’ll Learn:
Depression. Grief. Burnout. Caregiving. Medical uncertainty. End-of-life realities.
These conversations are already happening in your studio. The question is—are you prepared to respond?
Drawing from over a decade of frontline crisis-response experience and advanced training through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Suicide Talks and ASIST, this session equips coaches with practical communication and response strategies to navigate emotionally complex client situations—without stepping outside their professional scope.
This session will cover:
• Recognize when a client’s challenge extends beyond physical training
• Respond with clarity, confidence, and appropriate boundaries
• Support clients without taking on roles you are not trained for
• Protect your own energy, resilience, and longevity as a coach
• Because great coaching isn’t just about sets and reps.
• It’s about knowing what to do when the real work begins.
AFTERNOON SESSIONS
Amy Puzey, Invermere, BC – Nutrition for Runners & Athletes
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
About Amy:
Amy Puzey is the CEO and Founder of Goodphyte, a biotech company advancing phytase-based solutions to enhance micronutrient absorption. Her work is rooted in clinical research; exploring the intersection of iron metabolism, autoimmune disease, fatigue, and performance. Drawing from both scientific innovation and her background as a competitive runner (national mountain running champion), and holistic nutritionist, she is rethinking how we approach energy, recovery, resilience and disease.
Amy has been the CEO and National Race Director of 5Peaks, and after selling the business in 2021 dedicated herself to helping others with autoimmune conditions such as IBD, IBS, Chrohn’s disease, Colitis and Multiple Sclerosis.
What You’ll Learn:
Are you or your clients suffering from chronic fatigue, anemia, digestion issues, or performance plateaus?
Are your clients training hard, eating well—and still struggling with fatigue, low iron, poor recovery, or stalled performance?
What if the issue isn’t what they’re eating… but what they’re actually absorbing?
In this talk, Amy Puzey introduces phytase—an overlooked but powerful enzyme that may be the missing link in unlocking real performance gains. Phytase breaks down phytic acid, a naturally occurring compound in healthy foods that can block the absorption of critical minerals like iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium, protein and amino acids.
For all athletes, this matters more than most realize. Iron deficiency, low energy, and plateaued performance are often driven not by lack of intake—but by poor absorption.
A world-renowned expert in phytase research, Amy reframes nutrition through a new lens: not just fueling the body, but making that fuel actually usable and bioavailable instead of blocked by anti-nutrients in your food. You’ll walk away with practical strategies to help your athletes:
- Improve iron status without relying on harsh supplements
- Increase energy and endurance
- Support recovery and long-term performance
If your athletes are stuck, fatigued, or not responding the way they should—this may be the missing piece.
Kat Ostroumova, Toronto, ON – From Survival Mode to Purpose-Driven Success
1:00 PM –1: 45 PM
About Kat:
Canada’s Top Fitness Trainer & Instructor – 2024, 2026
Kat Ostroumova is an award-winning women’s wellness coach, hormonal imbalance specialist, and keynote speaker dedicated to helping women take back control of their health and lives. After battling hypothyroidism for over a decade, Kat transformed her own life through science-based nutrition, fitness, and mindset work, fueling her mission to help other women do the same.
As the Founder and CEO of Kat International Wellness, she leads a global coaching platform offering personalized programs that support women with hypothyroidism, PCOS, and metabolic imbalances. Kat’s holistic, results-driven approach has earned her multiple awards, including Woman of Inspiration (2025) Canadian Choice Award (2026) and Impact Magazine’s Canada’s Top Fitness Trainer (2024, 2026).
A WBFF athlete and sponsored ambassador for top wellness brands, Kat’s expertise has been featured on national television, radio, and in major international publications. Her work continues to empower women worldwide to heal, thrive, and redefine what wellness truly means.
What You’ll Learn:
In an industry built on high performance and “hustle mentality” many wellness and fitness professionals are silently battling burnout, overwhelm, and the pressure to constantly do more.
In this empowering keynote, Kat Ostroumova shares her journey from survival mode to building a purpose-driven wellness business, while redefining what success truly looks like. Blending wellness, entrepreneurship, and leadership, this talk will equip attendees with the mindset, boundaries, and sustainable strategies needed to grow a thriving business without sacrificing their health, energy, or identity.
Kat will also cover navigating wellness and hormonal health.
2026 CANADA’S TOP FITNESS TRAINERS AWARDS GALA
5:30 PM – MIDNIGHT
Join us for IMPACT Magazine’s Canada’s Top Fitness Trainers AWARDS GALA Industry Mixer and Show!
