Meet the team! Our superb team of fitness professionals are here to guide, support and inspire you to be your best. Click on each name to expand/close each bio.
Ruthie Bowman
You'd never know it to look at her, but Ruthie was once extremely overweight and battled depression. Hard times in her life brought her to a point where she knew she needed to do something to change the way she looked and felt, and has she ever changed! Ruthie's lost almost 100 pounds to date and did it by exercising and eating healthy. Now she's helping others do the same as a certified personal trainer, fitness instructor and counter attendant at New Heights.
Her qualifications and personal experience with fitness and fat loss make her an exceptional part of the team. Not only can she help you lose weight, but her athletic abilities as a runner and tri-athlete make her an excellent mentor for others wanting to pursue running, biking and race events. Her passion for life is contagious; she'll have you living it to the fullest in no time!
Verna Bradley
Verna was a burnt out waitress when the owner of a fitness centre approached her and told her she had a great personality for the fitness industry. It turns out, she does! Since then, she's found a whole new career in the world of fitness. She's taken personal training and fitness instructor courses, attended several fitness conferences, and teaches group exercise classes as a certified fitness instructor. Her personal experience with fitness began in the 80's when she carried her homemade wooden step to aerobics classes and grooved to disco mania. She was so good at step, the instructor asked her to fill in for her. Soon after that Verna took up Yoga, Boot camps and strength training and incorporated healthier eating into her lifestyle. Now she helps others learn to love fitness as a fitness instructor and counter attendant at New Heights.
Jenny Emberley
Jenny EmberleyDon't be fooled by her size, Jenny may be small but she can actually bench press and squat YOU! She was ranked 12th in the world at the International Power Lifting Championships in 2008 and has earned 2 gold medals, 1 silver and 1 bronze at the Canadian Open Women's Power lifting Championships. She's living proof that women who train with weights will NOT get BIG! Aside from power lifting and a general passion for health and fitness, Jenny is a registered Dietician. She knows the importance of living a healthy and active life and practices what she preaches. At New Heights Jenny is a certified indoor cycling instructor. You'll catch her waking our members up at early morning cycling classes with her motivating music and intense rides. When she's not indoor cycling, she's running or biking outdoors and competing in duathalons and run events.
Melissa Poechman
Melissa's experience with fitness began with a fat loss goal. She was fairly athletic throughout most of her youth but after the eating habits and inactivity that come with college living caught up to her, she realized she was overweight and out of shape and knew she had to do something about it. Melissa joined a fitness centre, hired a personal trainer and cleaned up her eating. Not only did she lose the excess weight and keep it off, but she also placed 4th in a fitness competition out of more than 30 competitors for making such a major physical transformation. The transformation on the outside, however, was a small reflection of the bigger transformation Melissa's made on the inside. She's confident, happy and inspiring. Her enthusiasm for helping people makes her a remarkable personal trainer, fitness instructor and nutrition specialist. She genuinely cares for her clients and has a passion to help them reach every goal they set.
Alison Wells
Alison's passion for fitness began with a failure in it. With her peers watching, she was the only one to not cross the finish line of a mandatory school run. She was overweight and out of shape and her body simply couldn't keep up with the demand being placed on it. She knows what it feels like to fail in fitness and has a passion for helping others overcome past failures and achieve success.
Since the run, she's crossed many finish lines. She runs marathons, half marathons and competes in duathalons and fitness competitions. Her career in the fitness industry has been extremely rewarding. In 2008 she was awarded Can-Fit-Pro's Fitness Professional of the Year, selected from more than 15,000 fitness professionals Canada wide. She's a Pro-trainer, a conference presenter and her degree in Journalism has enabled her to write fitness columns for newspapers and online magazines.
Currently, Alison assists in running New Heights where she teaches fitness classes, works one-on-one with clients, and is a nutrition consultant. She'll tell you first hand, it's the team of dedicated fitness professionals and inspirational members at New Heights that make the club such a great place to be and she's very proud to be a part of it.
Kourtney Newell
Kourtney Newell
Kourtney was active throughout most of her life, however, in her early 20's she became very work oriented by day and party oriented by night. Too much drinking and inactivity left her almost 50 pounds overweight and feeling awful inside and out. She had no confidence and felt like she was falling apart. The thought of a gym horrified her, so at first she exercised at home. The more she heard about others achieving great results with indoor cycling and boot camps, the more interested she became in joining New Heights. At first, it was a very intimidating place. She was worried that everyone else was going to be faster and in better shape than she was and she was terrified that others would be looking at her. Despite her fears, she did it anyways and the results came so quickly that Kourtney soon fell in love with the gym. Now everyone does look at her because she is at the front of the room teaching indoor cycling classes! But it doesn't matter that they do, because she feels great about herself and loves helping others feel the same.
Graham Brown
Growing up Graham was short and small and constantly reminded of both. However, he never let his size hold him back. He was very athletic and excelled in track, soccer and numerous other sports. At a young age he fell in love with sports, fitness and phys-ed and knew he wanted to go to school for it. Years later his passion for fitness still burns. Now he holds a degree in physical education and Kinesiology and a Masters in Coaching and Sports Psychology. He's spent a year overseas studying at an elite sports school where he taught North American sports and coached several athletes. His qualifications in fitness, and ability to teach, have given him several opportunities within the fitness industry as an educator, conducting courses for people wanting to become a personal trainer, and a presenter for conferences and seminars. At New Heights, Graham works one-on-one with clients, leads Boot camps and fitness classes and oversees a team of exceptional trainers, instructors and counter attendants. His goal is to ensure members get access to qualified staff and receive the support and tools they need to be successful in fitness and in life.
Sarah Saunders
Sarah Saunders
With a wedding just around the corner, Sarah was feeling the pressure. She realized that despite being very athletic growing up she was far from it now. She was out of shape and felt unattractive and very self conscious. With only 2 months to do it, she joined a gym and hoped for the best. She knows now that results don't happen overnight and that she should have given herself more time but even so, she looked great for the big day and those 2 months in the gym got her hooked for life. The feeling of being able to go just a little further on the treadmill and lift a little heavier than she could before had Sarah coming back for more.
When she moved to Hanover, she joined New Heights and was inspired by the dedication in the members and staff! She hired a personal trainer and now her entire physique and attitude have changed. She's confident and feels good about who she is and how she looks. She is a certified indoor cycling instructor and her passion is to show others that the only limitations we face are those we place on ourselves.
France Harding
France Harding
France’s experience in the fitness industry began with her own personal weight loss journey. She, like many other women, spent years raising her children and looking after others but came to a point in her life where she realized she hadn’t been looking after herself. France joined New Heights Fitness Centre and in a little over a year totally transformed her body and lifestyle. She replaced old eating habits with new healthy ones and made exercise a part of her life. She completed a 5 and 10 k race, lifted weights and with hard work, France lost weight, gained muscle, flattened her tummy and tightened her arms and legs. Now she is helping others take care of themselves as a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor at New Heights Fitness Centre.
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