2025 National Summit on Health, Movement and Community

Monica is of mixed ancestry from the Secwepemc Nation on her mother's side and with French Canadian background on her father's side. A proud member of the Adams Lake Indian Band, Monica brings with her over 30 years of experience from numerous roles across the system of care, working directly with patients as a Registered Psychiatric Nurse before progressing to several leadership roles.​

Monica holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree in Psychiatric Nursing from Thompson Rivers University and a Masters of Arts in Leadership and Training from Royal Roads University. She is known for her strong client and family advocacy and passion for improving quality and safety in the health care system. Monica's leadership approach is from a humility lens and seeing the strengths and resilience that First Nations people possess, as the way to change the system. 

Outside of her professional life, Monica enjoys experiencing the outdoors with her husband and son in the territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations where she and her family now live. She has a passion for connecting with people and experiencing the fullness that life has to offer.

Marty Deacon was appointed to the Senate of Canada on February 15, 2018. 

Prior to serving in the Senate, Senator Deacon completed a 35-year career in Education. As an Educator with a Masters of Education (Western University) she taught (Physics, Science, Physical & Health Education) in Secondary Schools (Waterloo Region District School Board), at two Universities (University of Toronto, Western University), was a Consultant, and an Administrator at the Elementary and Secondary School level.  Deacon finished her career in Education as Superintendent. Following this career, Senator Deacon consulted across sectors with a focus on organizational excellence.

Senator Deacon, while raising two daughters (Kristine and Kailee) with husband Bruce, also volunteered extensively in her community and internationally. She garnered international respect in sport and education.  This work began when Deacon served as an Apprentice Coach for the 1994 Commonwealth Games.  Over the past 24 years Deacon has coached, led or served at 15 Olympic, Commonwealth and Pan Am Games.  Her highest international opportunity was leading Team Canada (Chef de Mission) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

Senator Deacon recently served as a Director on the Canadian Olympic Committee, Commonwealth Games Canada, Ontario Excellence Leadership Centre and the Grand River Jazz Society. 

Senator Deacon is most passionate about the physical and mental well-being of all Canadians.  She is an advocate for the future of women and young girls and children worldwide.  She has mentored and supported leaders in developing countries with a belief that sport, the arts and education can build better communities, one community at a time.

Senator Deacon is dedicated to ensuring organizations can thrive and function at optimal levels.  She has assisted with developing governance and policy that allows this to happen in a meaningful, purposeful and respectful way. Senator Deacon will use all of her skills and experiences to ensure an inclusive. inviting meaningful connection for all Canadians.  All perspectives need to be heard and understood. Senator Deacon understands the importance of taking risks, participating in courageous conversations and learning every day.

Senator Deacon has been recognized through a variety of awards including: The Women of Distinction and Lifetime Achievement Award (YWCA), Waterloo Region, The International Olympic Committee, Education and Youth Award, the Jules Nisse “Playground to Podium” award, the Queen Diamond Jubilee Medal, Induction in the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame and the Cambridge Hall of Fame.

Senator Deacon enjoys time with family and friends, exploring the world as a global citizen, hiking, cycling, yoga, quiet reading and music.

Brent Bishop is a national on-air fitness expert, celebrity trainer and published author. He is also the founder of Think Fitness Studios, performance-inspired conditioning centers in Toronto. He is currently fitness expert on CityTV’s daytime show, Cityline and has made several media appearances on North American networks including KTLA, WFLA Daytime, The Marilyn Denis Show, Global TV, Etalk, ET Canada, Breakfast Television, CityTV to name a few. Additionally, he is a regular contributor to numerous print media such as Best Health Magazine, Canadian Health and Lifestyle, Fitness Business Canada, Inside Fitness Magazine, Canadian Living and Sweat Equity Magazine. With over 25 years in the fitness industry, Bishop dedicates himself to inspiring the active lifestyle through fitness, adventure and media.

Based in Toronto, Canada and working globally, Erin is a passionate health and wellness expert – a hybrid fitness leader and communications expert.

With over 20 years in the fitness industry, Erin is an award-winning group fitness instructor, personal trainer and health coach. Erin brings passion to every class she teaches and every client she works with.

Erin’s freelance articles have been read by millions of people. She has been a contributor to some of the world’s top magazines and newspapers including Best Health, Today’s Parent, Reader’s Digest, The Globe and Mail and currently writes about exercise, nutrition, health and wellness, travel and parenting.

Erin has worked with small and large businesses, governments and non-profits helping achieve their communications needs – managing traditional and social media campaigns, writing press materials, creating original content and working with them to elevate their brand through clear and concise messaging.

Erin has an undergraduate degree in communications from Queen’s University, and a MA in journalism from the University of Western Ontario. She is a certified fitness instructor, personal trainer and health coach with an extensive in-person and online coaching practice. She is trained in nutrition, pre and postnatal, cycling, pilates, yoga, HIIT and boot camp. She teaches group fitness for Equinox and is a Torq cycling instructor.

Most importantly, Erin is mom to Lily, 13, and Teague, 11.

A co-founder of Strong Athlete and former national level athlete, Coach Gaétan is a world-class performance coach and functional movement master who has worked for many years with elite professional and amateur athletes and individuals who want to take their health and performance to the next level. From cutting-edge strength & conditioning design and advanced sports nutrition protocols, to elite athletic performance mindset coaching, Coach Gaétan delivers incredible results for his extensive clientele. Coach Gaétan also specializes in addressing and treating chronic and acute injuries that keep hard-training individuals from achieving their full potential. To work with Coach Gaetan, email him at Gaetan@strong-athlete.com

Samantha Gladish is a Holistic Wellness Coach who helps people transform and nourish their mind, body and spirit. Through personal consultations, workshops and her site HolisticWellness.ca, her insights and advice inspire readers and clients to be more conscious in their lifestyle choices so that they too can experience a higher level of well-being.

Besides her long-time love for experimenting in the kitchen and obsession with eating the highest quality ingredients, Samantha is a firm believer in the power of food as medicine. She devotes herself to finding deliciously satisfying yet nutrient-dense whole foods to design recipes that her subscribers get to enjoy trying every week from her site HolisticWellness.ca. She uses her passion and expertise to share simple and sustainable methods of stress management, detoxification, hormone balancing, green living and more!

Samantha is the Author of The Qualitarian Life and The Qualitarian Cookbook. She is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, is a Registered Orthomolecular Holistic Practitioner, Certified Hatha Yoga Instructor, fitness fanatic and self-proclaimed foodie.

Dr. Kaitlin Link is a Family & Emergency Medicine Physician and Assistant Professor at University of Toronto. She earned her MD at McMaster University and completed her residency at University of Toronto. Kaitlin was a Varsity Tennis player at Rutgers University, where she did her undergraduate studies. 

For 10 years, Kaitlin treated patients in the ER whose conditions often could have been prevented with earlier intervention. She grew tired of the system’s focus on reactive “sickcare,” rather than investing in high-leverage preventative and proactive care. She founded Benchmark Proactive Health in 2023, to equip people to take control of their health so they can feel their best – today, and in the decades to come.

Ted is the founder of Life Is Athletic. Life Is Athletic (LIA) provides educational services in; health & physical education, staff and student mental health and social-emotional learning. These services include program/resource development, curriculum design & writing, monitoring and evaluation, professional development, demonstration classrooms, workshop facilitation, action research, and eLearning K to 12.

Our services are conducted in schools worldwide and are rooted in equity, diversity, and inclusion, using culturally responsive teaching practices to support teacher and student well-being.

Noah Bloom is the founder of RunGo. RunGo is a digital platform that helps prioritize our fitness and explore our world.

It does this with one of the largest platforms for routes, with creation, sharing, and following, and through innovation in audio navigation, augmented reality, wearables, and audio experiences you'll never forgot.

As always, RunGo is the most popular running app for taking your run planning and tracking to the next level, with the largest collection of ad-free running routes and voice navigation. Try it out on iPhone, Android, Apple Watch, and web.

Before RunGo, Noah was VP Growth at event registration and ticketing startup Picatic, which was acquired by Eventbrite, and director of marketing and part of the founding team at Blueslice Networks, a mobile telecom infrastructure company, which was acquired by Tekelec, now Oracle.

Noah has invested in, advised, and helped to grow startups in fitness, commerce, photo sharing, enterprise and SMB SaaS, and marketplaces. He serves on a board at Ocean Wise, a not-for-profit organization whose vision is a world in which oceans and healthy and flourishing, and serves as president of the Harvard Club of BC. Noah studied human evolutionary anthropology at Harvard.

Dr. Scott Rollo is a behaviour change scientist and public health professional whose expertise lies in population-based health measurement and translating behavioural science into practical strategies that promote healthier lifestyles across diverse populations. Dr. Rollo is Director of Research, Strategy and Content Development for GoGet.Fit, a health technology platform that integrates behavioural science tools to help individuals build sustainable healthy habits and health agency. Dr. Rollo is also a Health Promotion Specialist with Personnel Support Programs, Canadian Forces Morale & Welfare Services (CFMWS) at CFB Borden. His contributions have been recognized with the 2024 CFMWS Well-Being Award, highlighting his exceptional commitment to the organization's vision and mission and to promoting health and well-being within the Canadian Armed Forces community. Previously, Scott was a postdoctoral research fellow with the Healthy Active Living and Obesity research group at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and with the School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Scott has a PhD in Kinesiology from The University of Western Ontario, specializing in evidence-based health promotion, health behaviour change & behavioural medicine research. Dr. Rollo has held several Sessional Lecturer positions, teaching at both Western University and Carleton University, authored 35 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and regularly delivers presentations at provincial, national and international conferences. His work has contributed to the development of national and international guidelines and informed public health initiatives. Outside of work, he can be found spending time with his wife and two sons, exercising, and playing hockey. 

Ben Sporer, PhD, found his passion for competitive sport in early adulthood and has since spent twenty-five years working in elite sport and human performance. He has held multiple roles with the Canadian Sports Institute and, as an accomplished physiologist, has led support teams at summer and winter Olympic games, as well as at World Cup and World Championship events. In addition to his role as founder of Resync, a boutique consultancy firm for sports organizations, athletes, and corporate clients, Ben is an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia and the former vice-president of performance strategy for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of MLS.

Meghan brings a wide-ranging career in non-profit management and brand strategy to her role as Chief Communications & Marketing Officer at Trans Canada Trail.  From February to April 2024, Meghan was appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer by the national board of directors and led the team through the development of the new five-year strategic plan.

Before joining Trans Canada Trail in 2020, Meghan helped to transform some of Canada’s most respected national non-profits, including Habitat for Humanity Canada, YMCA Canada and Kids Help Phone, into cause-driven charities with global brand awareness.

Meghan’s creativity and partnership development have garnered national media attention and contributed to significant revenue impact. Meghan is a seasoned public speaker and has been interviewed as a thought leader in numerous contexts, including for an international best-selling book focused on strategic yet collaborative brand management.

Meghan has a long history of community volunteerism, including her present role on the marketing committee of the board of Michael Garron Hospital Foundation, in Toronto’s east end, and as an Advisory Board Member of the Canadian Health and Fitness Institute.

Meghan can often be found on Toronto’s Waterfront Trail, her favourite section of the Trans Canada Trail. She relishes time spent recharging outdoors with her family and her golden retriever, Louie.