We’re proud of our outstanding instructor training program! These are our Master Trainers who certify Urban Poling instructors
(we have 1000+!) across the country.

Mandy Shintani (owner of Urban Poling – Vancouver area)

Mandy is one of Canada’s leading experts on the health benefits of Nordic walking. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy and a Master’s degree in gerontology. She has written and co-produced a Nordic walking manual and two DVDs and is co-developer of the Activator walking poles and training program for rehabilitation. Mandy has been featured in numerous media stories and presents regularly at conferences across the country.

Contact: Mandy Shintani, owner of Urban Poling Inc., Finalist for YWCA Woman of Distinction Award 2010
Phone: 604-990-7711
Email: mandy@urbanpoling.com

Barb Gormley (Director of Education & Master Trainer – Toronto, Mississauga, Durham Region, Barrie, London, Kitchener, Windsor areas)

Through her Toronto-based company CustomFit, Barb works as a personal fitness trainer, health & fitness writer and urban poling instructor. As Urban Poling’s Director of Education, she oversees the company’s master trainers and produces the company’s educational materials. Barb has written numerous magazine articles on the benefits of Nordic walking and also presents at conferences, tradeshows and health fairs across the province.

Contact: Barb Gormley
Phone: 416-461-4872
Email: bgormley@rogers.com
Website: Click here for more information

Wendi Paterson (Master Trainer Ottawa area)

Wendi is the owner of Nordic Walk Fit. She has been actively teaching urban poling classes for the past four years and has been an Urban Poling master trainer since 2008. She has been a personal trainer for more than 15 yrs and trains clients in their home gyms/pools in the Kanata and Stittsville areas. She teaches a wide variety of classes including strength conditioning classes at the Kanata Wave Pool. She is also a certified Sports Nutritionist and Golf Conditioning Specialist. Wendi’s other interests include dragon boating, kayaking and cycling.

Contact: Wendi Paterson, Urban Poling Master Trainer
Phone: 613-832-4407
Email: wendipaterson@hotmail.com
Website: Nordic Walk Fit

Kari Galasso (Master Trainer Kingston area)

Kari is the owner of Fit to the Core. She is a Personal Training Specialist (canfitpro) with a BA in Health and a BA in Physical and Health Education. Kari has worked for an number of years as a fitness trainer and offers Urban Poling classes on a regular basis in the Kingston, Ontario area. She’s worked with a number of highly motivated and outstanding youth sports teams, and as a seniors fitness instructor, she is constantly helping people improve their balance, flexibility and strength when they thought perhaps they couldn’t!

Contact: Kari Galasso, Urban Poling Master Trainer
Phone: 613-387-9910
Email: karigalasso@gmail.com
Website: Fit to the Core

Sarah Merkel (Master Trainer London, ON area)

Sarah is the owner of Fashionably Fit, a training business out of London, and is also an Urban Poling master trainer. She graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences degree specializing in Health Promotion from the University of Western Ontario. Sarah has a passion for improving the health and fitness of older adults, and currently works at the Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging as the Project Coordinator and a master trainer for the Senior Fitness Instructor Course.

Contact: Sarah Merkel
Phone: 519-719-0987
Email: smerkel2@gmail.com

Sharon Couldwell (Master Trainer Winnipeg, MB area) Sharon is owner of Fitness Concepts. She is a Manitoba Fitness Council Certified Fitness Leader as well as an Urban Poling master trainer. Sharon has been teaching fitness classes for over 20 years, specialising in classes for older adults and Urban Poling classes. With her passion for teaching and her enthusiasm for fitness she has embraced the new activity of urban poling and is excited about sharing her knowledge.

Contact: Sharon Couldwell
Phone: 204-488-6292
Email: sharon25@mts.net

Carrie Lawes (Master Trainer – Calgary, AB area)

Carrie is the National Manager, Life Enrichment Programs for Origin Active Lifestyle Communities and the Urban Poling Master Trainer for the Calgary area. Through her position with Origin and Urban Poling, Carrie fosters her passion for keeping older adults active, independent and inspired. She is a Recreation Therapist with a Bachelors of Arts in Recreation and Leisure Studies specializing in recreation for special populations/gerontology. Carrie is looking forward to the opportunity to get the Calgary area excited about Urban Poling.

Contact: Carrie Lawes
Phone: 403-630-5815
Email: clawes@origin.ca

Kimberly Willison (Master Trainer – Saskatoon area)

Kimberly is a Recreation Therapist working with Community Older Adults and the Forever…in motion program, and has been working for the Saskatoon Health Region since 2010.  As well,  she is Fitness Instructor and Trainer for SPRA and has been teaching since 1994. Passionate about fitness, she loves the flexibility and variety that becoming a Master Trainer for Urban Poling have given to her training.  Teaching everyone and anyone about urban poling is her passion.

Contact: Kimberly Willison
Phone: 306-229-9094
Email: cm_kimberlywillison@hotmail.com

Donna Hutchinson (Master Trainer in North Vancouver)

Donna is a Fitness Business Coach, Professional Speaker and Author of the “How-to Guide to Starting Your Own Personal Training Business” . She is the owner of  “On The Edge Fitness Educators” Throughout her career Donna has worked in all facets of the industry, parks and recreation, corporate health & wellness, privately owned facilities and finally culminating in the successful operation of her own personal training and fitness education business.

Contact: Donna Hutchinson
Tel: 604-985-7410
Email: edgefit@shaw.ca
Website: www.edgefit.ca