meet the teachers
of elevate528
Stay tuned on Instagram — we’ll be sharing giveaways, teacher spotlights, and the classes they’ll be guiding!
alex urbano
Yoga & Pole Teacher
Alex is a yoga teacher, pole dance studio owner, performing artist and forever student of life. She has a background in dance, theatre and performing arts.When Pole arrived in her life at 19 years old, there was an immediate sense of curiosity and belonging. It was a beautiful journey of self discovery and empowerment she now brings to every class and workshop she teaches. Her journey to self discovery and healing came when a bald spot on her head in the summer of 2019 turned into Alopecia Universalis just a few months later. She has since been deepening into the work of somatic dance, trauma informed yoga, and facilitation of movement as medicine to serve and uplift the journey back to the body.
beth hawkins
Yoga & Pilates Teacher
With over 30 years of experience in fitness and movement, Beth has been guiding clients in Pilates for nearly three decades. She earned her first comprehensive certification 28 years ago through Stott Merrithew in Toronto, followed by Club Pilates in Windsor, and teaches Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Barrels, Ladder Barrels, and Stability Chair. With additional training in Injuries and Special Populations, she supports students at every level. Beth opened Essex County’s first fully equipped Pilates studio 23 years ago, sharing her passion before starting a family, and has also managed studios to foster welcoming spaces for growth. As a certified Yoga instructor, Breathwork facilitator, and Level 2 Reiki practitioner, she nurtures mind-body connection, joyful living, and community through the beauty of movement.
bouchra el amine
Trauma-informed energy healer, plant medicine guide, and holistic coach
I’m Bouchra El Amine, a trauma-informed energy healer, plant medicine guide, and holistic coach. Trained in Reiki, Qigong, sound healing, breathwork, and somatic practices, I guide others through deep transformation using intuitive energy work, sacred space holding, and feminine embodiment. My healing journey began after facing my own emotional struggles and led me to study ancestral wisdom and trauma healing. Today, I support individuals ready to heal, reconnect, and live in alignment with their true selves—through ceremony, coaching, and heart-led service.
christine hamel
Reflexologist
dan boland
Yoga Teacher
Dan doesn’t teach yoga to help you touch your toes — he teaches it to help you reconnect with yourself. Rooted in Vinyasa Flow and a no-BS approach to mindfulness, his classes blend breath, movement, and mindset to build both inner strength and physical grit. This is yoga with edge: powerful flows, great music, grounded presence, and real self-inquiry. Whether you're here to sweat, slow down, or shake things up, Dan holds space for it all. Known for keeping it real on and off the mat, his classes challenge, inspire, and push you to grow beyond your comfort zone. Off the mat, he’s with his wife, kids, four dogs, guitar, coffee, or in the yard.
elle serafim
Yoga Teacher
I truly believe in the benefits of yoga and meditation and want to help others experience the beauty of these practices. My journey began in 2015, I wanted to try something new, find calm and build strength. I didn't know I would also develop such patience, awareness, and inner peace. I am so grateful for what I've learned and continue to learn. This is what I hope to help others find. I look forward to sharing and connecting with you! Elle Serafim, 250 RYT, Yoga Nidra, Yoga Massage
emmanuela pintus
Yoga & Fitness Instructor
Emmanuela Pintus is a Windsor-based fitness instructor with 15 years of experience teaching yoga, recently expanding into barre and fitness classes. Her journey began after high school with women’s bodybuilding, training at her local YMCA and competing for five years before moving into the Figure division, which aligned more with her goals. She has competed internationally and at Canadian Nationals, consistently placing, including 2nd in both Open and Masters Figure in 2019. Teaching yoga and fitness has supported her physical and mental health, complementing bodybuilding by reducing stress and keeping her grounded during intense competition prep. Emmanuela values the community that fitness fosters and has learned how to properly fuel her body, maintaining a strong focus on balance and overall well-being.
fran braccio
Kickboxing Teacher
Francesca fell in love with fitness 15 years ago when she walked into her very first class, and she’s been hooked ever since! After teaching at over 10 studios across Canada, she’s always felt the most at home on the bag with kickboxing and boxing. For the past 14 years, she’s been helping women feel strong, confident, and empowered while proving that working out can actually be fun! Her cardio kickboxing classes are high-energy, sweaty, and guaranteed to leave you smiling while you punch it out.
gosia szczech
Fascia Release Specialist
I’m a fascia release specialist helping women and men reconnect with their bodies, release deep tension, and rediscover their natural radiance. My approach blends full-body fascia release, buccal and facial massage, lymphatic drainage, and sculpting techniques to ease tension, boost circulation, and slow signs of aging. I believe beauty is about feeling free, relaxed, and aligned. Each session supports real shifts in the body and face, leaving clients feeling lighter, softer, and more open—both physically and emotionally. Whether your goal is healing, anti-aging, or tension release, fascia work offers a powerful path inward.
gloria mcleod
Yoga Teacher
Gloria loves teaching Power Vinyasa Flow and Ashtanga-inspired classes, bringing creativity to each practice. She emphasizes balance, breath, and the mind-body connection, offering modifications and reading the room to support every student. Believing music and movement go hand-in-hand, she creates flows that deepen presence and awareness. Inspired by her mother, who lived actively with arthritis until 91, Gloria embraces challenge with resilience. After 20 years as a salon owner, she found peace and clarity through yoga—and now shares that gift as a Registered Yoga Teacher, Y12SR Instructor, Breath Coach, and Antigravity Fitness/Restorative Teacher. She guides students with breath, movement, and mindfulness, helping them release what no longer serves them and discover their inner strength.
k.lee
Yoga Teacher & lululemon Ambassador
For k.lee, yoga has always been a place of refuge—first from the rush of university, later from long hours of design work. To her, wellness begins with slowing down, listening inward, and creating space within to trust the body’s quiet wisdom. Fascinated by movement from a young age, she shaped her practice to support spinal limitations and chronic pain. After more than a decade of practicing different styles of yoga, she trained in India and later with Lara Heimann, a renowned physiotherapist, weaving neuroscience, physiology, and functional anatomy into classes that restore balance and build sustainable strength. Her teaching extends beyond movement. She is passionate about empowering students through introspection, mindfulness, and somatic awareness, encouraging yoga as a practice that fosters deep mind-body connection—both on and off the mat. She invites students into self-kindness and embodied healing, creating space within for body and mind to meet as they are. And it is through community that we are reminded we are held, seen, and connected.
kimberly richards
Yoga & Pilates Teacher
Kimberly has always enjoyed physical fitness and loves to share her passion with others. Her goal is to provide a fun, positive, and safe environment for participants. Kimberly has worked in the fitness industry for several years and across multiple roles. She has earned her 200-hour Yoga certification her 200-hour Mat Pilates certification and a Group Fitness Certification from the American Council on Exercise. These certifications focused on practical experience, breathing techniques, meditation, alignment and injury avoidance. Make no mistake, her classes will be challenging and results driven and may even put a smile on your face!
kim chia
Yoga Teacher
Kim has been practicing yoga for close to 20 years. Initially, starting out once per week and then, progressing to about 3-5 times a week as a form of physiotherapy for his sciatica attack about 14 years ago. This practice has kept him sciatica pain free for all these years, and now as an instructor, he can’t wait to share this wonderful experience and journey with you at this Wellness Festival.
kirk rowse
Yoga Teacher
Kirk’s personal healing journey began over 20 years ago and throughout that journey he’s worked with several skilled intuitives and in turn developed his own unique process under a mentors shamanic guidance. He was educated at the Naturopathic Institute of Therapies and Education and has several tools in his toolbox from Psych-k, holoenergetics, healing touch, Somatic EMDR. Although he has many years practical experience in these modalities his greatest teacher has been his own healing journey and his greatest gift is his own innate ability to tune in to what your system requires and to create a safe space of wholeness and healing.
leila laba
Pilates Teacher
Leila Laba is a STOTT Merrithew certified Pilates instructor, passionate about creating an inclusive space where everyone feels welcome. No matter age, body type, or experience level. Her classes focus on building core strength, flexibility, and posture, while encouraging mindful movement. Leila aims to empower each client to move with confidence, feel energized, and connect with their bodies in an uplifting environment.
lisa codina
Ayurveda & Yoga Teacher
Lisa Codina is a dedicated Ayurveda Wellness Coach and Ayurvedic Integrative Nutrition expert, blending ancient wisdom with modern practices to support holistic health and well-being. With certifications in Mindful Eating (MB-EAT), TSD Mindfulness Teaching, and Healing, Lisa is passionate about helping individuals find balance and inner peace through mindfulness and healing practices. As a yoga teacher (RYT200), Lisa specializes in Prenatal Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and Yin Yoga, offering personalized sessions that restore body and mind. A certified Reiki Master, Lisa also integrates energy healing to promote deep relaxation and spiritual connection.
lisa morin
Elemental Breathwork Facilitator
Lisa is an experienced, certified Elemental Rhythm Breathwork facilitator, Ushi Reiki Master, and Shamanic Practitioner. She infuses all of her offerings with inner wisdom, compassion and love and will provide a safe and supportive space for your healing and transformation.
marquise thompson
Men's Group Facilitator
Marquise Thompson is a facilitator dedicated to men’s healing and growth, drawing on his gifts of wisdom, discernment, and emotional intelligence to create impactful spaces for transformation. As the host of Becoming: The Man I Am, he guides men towards purpose, vulnerability, and authentic leadership.
melodie richardson
Yoga Instructor
Melodie's passion for yoga ignited in 2004, after completing her Naturopathic Medicine degree. This journey took her on an intimate exploration of her own body and breath, culminating in her initial 200Hr Hatha teacher training in 2006 with Paula Tursi. Melodie has dedicated herself to both teaching and continuous learning over the last 18 years, with her teaching style being profoundly shaped by more than a decade of study in Anusara Yoga. Melodie is inspired everyday by the true essence of our heart’s goodness. She blends this truth together with laughter and strong body alignment, to enable her students to experience their own innate joy. In her classes, you can expect a playful practice where you are invited to strengthen, to lengthen, to breathe, and to love your life.
mumbi mooney
Yoga Teacher & Kirtan Chant Artist
Mumbi is the owner and operator of the “small friendly”, Om Studio in Chatham, Ontario. Sharing her talents, she travels out to the community to lead live music Yin yoga with Kirtan, Bhakti Yoga devotional chants. This combo practice immerses the cells in ancient chants and delivers sound healing for the spirit, body and mind. Mumbi cultivates calm with soothing vocals, piano, chimes and Tibetan bowls. It is an all-inclusive journey inward. As a devotional singer and yoga instructor she has been guiding people through yoga postures for over twenty years. She will “meet you where you are” and gently encourage you to challenge your boundaries. Show up. Nurture and uncover your genuine self. “Come for the Stretch and get a lot more.”
rachelle patterson
Nurse Practitioner & Pilates Teacher
Rachelle is a dedicated Nurse Practitioner specializing in Brain and Spine surgery, where her expertise is crucial in helping patients navigate complex neurological conditions. Her commitment to continuing education and holistic health care led her to discover Pilates, a practice she integrates into her fitness journey. Passionate about its benefits, Rachelle believes Pilates plays a pivotal role in enhancing physical strength, flexibility, and overall well-being, especially for individuals seeking to improve their fitness levels. Her medical background informs her teaching, emphasizing the importance of core stability and alignment in preventing injuries and promoting long-term health.
simmie sereg
Pilates Teacher & Founder of Elevate 528
Simmie is a certified Pilates instructor, who fell in love with the modality while using Pilates as a form of rehabilitation after child birth. A gym and movement enthusiast prior to children – Pilates was eye opening, in teaching her how to reconnect with her mind-body relationship, allowing her to regain healthy mobility and strength. She whole heartedly believes that mindful movement is integral to living a full life. The true beauty around Pilates (and moving with mindfulness) is around the refinement of the practice, leaving a lifetime of practice and learning ahead. She is blessed to have 2 healthy active boys who require a strong mama to chase and toss them around. Having to chase her 2 little boys around definitely helped to drive the purpose 💙
son nguyen
Chiropractor & Yoga Instructor
Dr. Son graduated from New York Chiropractic College in 2003 and opened Nguyen Chiropractic the same year. She completed the McMaster University Contemporary Acupuncture Program and later trained in CranioSacral Therapy (2005) and Stott Pilates Rehabilitative Training with Melanie Byford-Young in Portland. Guided by her motto “Movement is Life,” she integrates chiropractic, acupuncture, Pilates, and yoga to help patients stay active and well. Dr. Son also holds 200HR and 500HR Yoga Teacher Trainings, Meditation Teacher Training, and Aerial Yoga certification. For over 20 years she has led classes in Pilates, Yoga, Aerial Yoga, and Meditation, while also offering teacher trainings and a pre/postnatal fitness program focused on pelvic floor health and deep core strength.
tanya laliberte
Yoga Teacher & Sound Bath Facilitator
Tanya is a yoga, Pilates and sound healing teacher who loves bringing people together through movement and mindfulness. She is passionate about creating spaces where community can connect, breathe, and grow. Her classes weave gentle strength and stillness to leave students feeling grounded and renewed.
tanya fryer
Zumba Teacher
With 17 years of Zumba experience, Tanya brings energy, rhythm, and pure joy to every class. Known for her vibrant style and seamless fusion of dance forms, she loves weaving in the fluid, expressive moves of belly dancing to create a one-of-a-kind workout that’s as fun as it is fierce. Get ready to shake, sweat, and smile!