What motivates you? 

I am motivated to stay in optimal physical and mental condition. I am a multi-sport athlete, participating in ice hockey, baseball, softball, wrestling, rugby, biathlon, cross-country skiing, and marathon running. I have been a soccer coach for kids aged 6 to 16 and a half-marathon coach.

Give us a background of your wellness journey? How did you get started? What inspired you?

I have long known the need to maintain optimal fitness and health. I have always worked out in one fashion or another since I was a child. Fitness became more critical when I wrestled at university, and it became a permanent part of my lifestyle once I joined the Army. I live with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I had some great experiences during my military career – and some not-so-great ones. I view physical fitness as the foundation for good mental health.

What inspires you in life?

Courage inspires me. Whether it is the soldier’s courage, the cancer patient, the caregiver for the cancer patient, or the single mom with six kids doing the night shift, courage in others encourages me to give back as much as I can to help others overcome the barriers in their lives. I am particularly drawn to help those who serve others, such as military members, First Responders, i.e., police, fire, and emergency medical staff, front-line health care workers, and teachers. Of course, there are countless other occupations, but these are the ones that I am closest to.

Your favorite movie and why?

Margaret’s Museum (1989). Although a work of fiction, most of the background narrative is true. This movie displays the hardships that many people in my hometown had to endure in the 20th Century, and still have to overcome in the 21st Century. It is not for the faint of heart.

Your favorite book and why?

Thinking, Fast and Slow by 2004 Nobel Prize Laureate Daniel Kahneman (2011). This book became my go-to text when preparing talks on overcoming biased thinking patterns (i.e., cognitive traps) and making better judgments. It is never far from my desktop.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

To snap my fingers and take away people’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, adverse childhood events, depression, and anxiety. You never know what the stranger beside you might be confronting every day when they wake up – or when they turn off the light.

The post Meet the New Team Member- Ian MacVicar 0 (0) first appeared on Tone & Strengthen.

Vani lives in Canada. She works as a yoga teacher at local fitness studios, manages a consulting business, runs a yoga business, and works in social media lead generation.

Questions 1.  What motivates you? 

What motivates me is working with people and having deep meaningful conversations with my clients. I completed my yoga teacher training in two years while I was still recovering from an injury. I used to run long distance in high school. I won 27 medals in a period of three yrs. 

Questions 2.  Give us a background of your wellness journey? What inspired you? 

I was introduced to yoga at the age of six, but consciously my wellness journey didn’t start fully until 2018 when I decided to go for yoga teacher training. I had been struggling with post-concussion symptoms for many years and never really found anything that helped me recover until I started practicing slower styles of yoga and saw a massive shift in my health. I have been trained in restorative therapy, Yin, Hatha and Kundalini yoga. My biggest inspiration comes from my spiritual teachers who have guided and supported me through my journey as a student and a teacher.

Questions 3.  What inspires you in life?

Sustainable Innovations that serve humans and the planet. 

Questions 4.  Your favorite movie and why?

I have not one but two favorite movies- Eat Pray Love and Into the Wild. I loved them because I could personally connect with the stories.  

Questions 5.  Your favorite book and why?

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I liked it since it taught me to believe in my dreams, learn how to read the signs from the universe and always follow my path.

Questions 6.  If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

To be able to FLY.

The post Meet the Instructor – Vani Wadhwa 0 (0) first appeared on Tone & Strengthen.