October has always felt like a month of transition. The seasons begin to change, the pace of life shifts, and here in Canada, Thanksgiving gives us a beautiful reason to pause and reflect on what and who we are grateful for.
This October feels especially meaningful to me. At the beginning of 2026, I chose ARRIVAL as my theme for the year. At the time, I knew why I had chosen it. I just didn’t know exactly what it would mean. Now I do.
I have arrived at a moment in my life and career that feels both incredibly significant and wonderfully full of possibility.
After 33 years with canfitpro and 42 years with GoodLife Fitness, I recently announced that I will retire from my role as Chief Operating Officer of canfitpro at the end of 2026.
Writing that sentence still feels a little surreal. But it doesn’t feel sad. It feels like arrival. A career I could never have scripted. When I look back, I am filled with gratitude. What began in 1984 as a part-time fitness instructor at GoodLife has grown into a career that has taken me places I could never have imagined. Along the way, my path has included physiotherapy, group fitness, operations, program innovation, education, leadership, entrepreneurship, canfitpro, and countless opportunities to help people move toward what is possible. For more than three decades, I have had the extraordinary privilege of helping to build and shape canfitpro, supported by mentors throughout my journey. I could not have built this career without the vision, belief, and support of the leaders I followed and learned from along the way.
This is what I am most grateful for. It isn’t the titles, accomplishments or milestones. It is the people. The colleagues who challenged me and believed in me when I didn’t. The mentors who opened doors and showed me what was possible. The leaders I had the privilege of developing. The fitness professionals who trusted me to teach them. The partners, presenters, educators and volunteers who helped bring ideas to life. The friends I’ve made along the way. And the countless people who, perhaps without even knowing it, MO’tivated me to keep learning, growing, leading and dreaming bigger.
My career has been built on relationships, and I know how fortunate I am.
This isn’t goodbye. One of the things I want to make very clear is that I am not saying goodbye. I’m simply MO’ving my focus and intention forward. I will remain connected to canfitpro throughout 2027 in an advisory role, and I am genuinely excited about supporting our new Executive Director, Robert Robinson, as he steps into this next chapter of leadership. I have known Robert for many years, have watched him grow as a leader, and have had the privilege of mentoring him along the way. I admire and trust him, and I believe he has an exciting opportunity ahead to lead canfitpro forward.
My role will change, but my care for canfitpro, and for the people and industry it serves, will not. GoodLife will continue to be an important part of my story, too. I will remain involved part-time as Director of NEWBODY and as a Group Fitness and Yoga Instructor, and who knows what I might train for or teach in 2027?
I’m especially excited to be presenting at canfitpro’s fitCalgary event on Saturday, October 24. It will be my first time back in the field at a regional canfitpro event since before the pandemic, making the opportunity to reconnect with our community in person even more meaningful.
Because apparently, after 45 years (42 years with GoodLife), I’m not quite ready to stop teaching! And honestly, I’m grateful for that. Movement has been such a meaningful part of my life. It has been my profession, my passion, my community and, at different times, one of the things that has helped me navigate life’s challenges. I can’t imagine completely stepping away from it.
Making room for what’s next…
What I am ready for is space. Space for new adventures. Space for family. Space for travel. Space for ideas that haven’t yet found their way onto my calendar. Space for personal business opportunities. Space to explore what happens when I don’t have every hour of my week accounted for. And perhaps most importantly, space to be intentional about what I want the next chapter of my life to look and feel like.
I’ve spent much of my career helping organizations, teams and individuals move forward. Now I am permitting myself to do the same. To MO’ve forward. Not because I’m finished, but because I’m curious about what comes next.
And then there is HYROX…
As if I needed another reminder that this next chapter isn’t about slowing down! This October, I’ll be competing in HYROX for the third time, in Toronto on October 4th. But this time will be different. I’ll be taking on the challenge as a doubles team with my friend and neighbour, sharing the experience, the nerves, the laughs and, I’m sure, the occasional “What were we thinking?” MO’ment!
My first HYROX experience surprised me. The second challenged me. And this third one feels more like a celebration. I’m calling it the icing on the cake for what has already been an incredibly exciting start to October and to this final quarter of 2026.
There is something wonderfully symbolic about it. I’m not finished pushing myself. I’m not finished learning what I’m capable of. I’m not finished moving. And I’m certainly not finished having fun experiencing this mega-training-trend in fitness.
Arrival isn’t an ending…
When I created my 2026 theme, I imagined Arrival as the final destination after Awakening → Alignment → Authenticity → Abundance → Arrival. But I’ve come to realize that arrival isn’t really a destination; it is a moment of recognition, a pause long enough to appreciate where you’ve been, acknowledge how far you’ve come, and look ahead with greater clarity about where you want to go next. That’s where I am right now: grateful for the journey, proud of the people I’ve had the privilege to walk alongside, excited about the possibilities ahead, and very much still MO’ving.
This Thanksgiving, I have an especially long list of people and experiences for which I am grateful. Thank you to everyone who has been part of my journey. Thank you for trusting me, challenging me, teaching me, believing in me, laughing with me, moving with me and, most importantly, helping me become the person and leader I am today. My heart is full. My gratitude is deep. And my curiosity about what comes next is even greater. Here’s to arrival and saying “YES” to whatever adventure comes after it. I’m ready.
Let’s MO’ve.
