Strength & Grace: Off The Mat

Sarah Cabana is a skincare expert, an aesthetician, and a leader in her industry. She is passionate about providing clients with the tools they need to take charge of their skin.

Growing up in a small town outside of Quebec, Sarah fell in love with skin after watching her grandmother take such good care of her own skin as a girl. After being a brand rep for various skincare companies, it was last year after Sarah moved to Edmonton when she decided to open up a space to offer consultations, treatments, and education for clients regarding their own skin. 

Sarah’s approach to skin is one we resonate with deeply. Her mission is to teach people to find the balance needed to maintain healthy skin through skincare. In the aesthetic industry and the era in which we live, everything seems to be allied with the medical industry and injections that freeze your look, and Sarah’s realized over time that there is a lack of empathy in the field of aesthetics & especially a lack of education for the client. Sarah is one passionate woman and a leader in this industry, who takes it upon herself to continually expand her own education.

Her social media is a wealth of knowledge. She include skincare tips & videos talking about a wide arrangement of skin concerns and issues, and she does an inspirational job of promoting loving the skin that we’re in. This refreshing episode gave us the reminder we needed that aging is a natural part of life, and when we learn to embrace ourselves for everything we are we begin to see ourselves in a new light.

You can learn more about Sarah Cabana by visiting her website at https://www.loshen.ca and be sure to follow her on Instagram for some great skin savvy tips

Sarah Cabana: https://instagram.com/sarah.m.cabana?igshid=9pofh5zkuhyo

Loshen & Crem (online boutique): https://instagram.com/loshen_crem?igshid=qc1nmf11pclg

Join Meg as she welcome Marnie Ashcroft, the founder of Glow Juicery, an incredibly successful company that provides a very fresh perspective on nutrition. Glow launched in Edmonton specifically gearing towards those with critical care solutions and athletes, and now her business is arming her customers with knowledge and strength to take command of their health with locations all over Canada.   

Marnie is a true leader in the health and wellness industry and she discussed what it took to build a Canada wide franchise, how to keep your ego in check so we can continue to operate from a place of intention, how she supported her team of owners through the most challenging year in business, and most importantly how our own wellness is our own responsibility and what we can do to support that journey. 

Join Meg as she welcomes Amanda Wagner for a conversation about how to achieve work life harmony and resiliency fatigue. 

Amanda is a former teacher and now founder of The Complement, a company in which she shares the art and intention of service. Despite her love for working with teams and large groups, Amanda has since launched "The Amanda Wagner" where she works to help individuals figure out what they want, why it matters, and how to get it. She also hosts her own podcast called  "The Amanda Wagner Podcast" in which she and her co-host Liz Pitman discuss the challenges of bravery, living thoughtfully and strategically, and share their experiences as women with impatient ambition.

Learn more about Amanda:
www.theamandawagner.com
www.thecomplement.ca
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-amanda-wagner-podcast/id1494024118
Instagram: theamandawagner / thecomplement.ca
https://www.facebook.com/theamandawagner

Visit Navina Yoga Online:
https://www.navinayoga.ca

Join Meg for Strength & Grace: Off The Mat episode 11 as she welcomes co-founder of Poppy Barley, Kendall Barber. After a light bulb moment at a handcrafted boot shop in Bali, sisters Justine and Kendall Barber launched Poppy Barley in 2012. They travelled to León, Mexico in search of a leather shoe factory that prioritized its people and could offer flexibility in sizing and inventory through small-batch manufacturing. Although they were newcomers to shoemaking, Justine and Kendall were raised to be creative, ambitious, industrious and ask a lot of questions. Collaborating with factory owners and artisans, Poppy Barley started producing beautiful footwear and accessories designed for modern life.

Poppy Barley is a Canadian luxury brand that’s rethinking every step of the fashion industry—from design to factory relationships to retail experience. Partnering with family-owned factories in Mexico and Brazil, they ethically craft polished, foundational footwear and chic, functional accessories—selling them at fair prices and donating 1% of sales back into the communities.

Poppy Barley is a certified B Corporation, meeting the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. Certified B Corporations are a forward-thinking businesses that balance purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community and the environment. In the episode Kendall discuss the importance of maintaining B corporation status, ways to support the environment through consumerism, and why she’s so passionate about it.

Kendall offers some great advice for new entrepreneurs and why upholding values is integral if you want to truly make an impact in your community. Intentional in everything she does, Kendall’s transparency and openness to be vulnerably herself is inspiring and we encourage anyone who is looking to truly create conscious change to listen to this episode for tips on how to do just that with more mindfulness and grace.

Poppy Barley website: https://poppybarley.com

Visit Navina Yoga Online:
https://www.navinayoga.ca

Episode 10 of Strength & Grace: Off The Mat is here! In this episode Meg & Sarah welcome on of Navina’s most important team leads - Frank! 

Frank Stevenson is one driven man. Not only is he the main man behind the scenes for us at Navina Yoga - directing & editing videos for our online studio, troubleshooting technology issues so that we can deliver the highest quality classes to our online members, and ensuring our physical studio is running as it should - he’s also a business owner himself.

Frank is a full time Pressure Vessel Inspector who has worked very hard to create a legacy for himself. Originally a pipe fitter, Frank was tired of being an employee and decided to start his own business. Frank walks us through his journey and how his role within Navina has evolved over the years. 

Frank and Meg’s relationship has evolved over the years too. Especially throughout the past several months as their professional relationship has had the opportunity to grow in a way they never imaged, that growth hasn’t always been easy. The two of them discuss the challenges they’ve had to overcome as a working couple and how that’s affected them personally and their life at home. They speak to how they keep each other balanced and offer some great advice on how to maintain a sustainable working relationship. 

Frank’s story reminds us of the power that lies in the ability to open ourselves up to other people’s perspective and ideas, and how that openness gives us the freedom to live out our values fully. His hard work, dedication to excellence in anything he does, and love for Meg and the Navina community is truly felt in this episode and we cannot thank Frank enough for joining us.

Visit Navina's website for information about the studio and services:
https://www.navinayoga.ca

Episode 9 of Strength & Grace: Off The Mat is here and in it the ladies are back for an important conversation surrounding our values. In it, Sarah and Meg sit down to discuss their values and how the idea of perfection can disconnect us from our values and creates internal unrest. Especially in a time when things are far from perfect, Meg & Sarah offer tips on how to stay grounded and connected to what really matters - gratitude.

Growing up as the oldest sibling in the seemingly perfect household came with its own set of expectations for Sarah, and in this episode she talks about how her attachment to the unrealistic idea that perfection was necessary in order to be happy lead her to many missed opportunities on experiencing true joy, and how she moved through that mindset to find authentic happiness in the everyday world.

Meg’s experience, especially as the owner of Navina teaches us that there will never be a perfect time for anything - all we have is now so rather than waiting for the ‘perfect’ moment to come, what would happen if we allowed ourselves to have hiccups every now & again while remembering that progress is so much more important than perfection.

The ladies offer some insight on how to maintain mindfulness through the Thanksgiving and Halloween festivities and although things may not look like how we envisioned, that there are so many more possibilities for unique experiences that the kiddos will remember much more and may even surprise you with how fun these new ways of connecting can be! Meg shares a wonderful story of how one of our incredible Navina Yoga members chose to embody her values with her family, so expect to leave with a little homework after listening to this one that will be beneficial for the whole family.

Listen to Strength & Grace: Off The Mat: https://linktr.ee/strengthandgracepodcast

Visit Navina Yoga Online:
https://www.navinayoga.ca

Arri McWatt is one of two owners of Optimize Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic here in Edmonton. Alongside his partner Aaron Norris, their space is much more than just a physiotherapy clinic.

Optimize offers a wide variety of services including working with MVA and workplace injuries, post-op rehab, manual osteopathy, nutrition services, pelvic health, massage therapy, acupuncture, vestibular rehabilitation, myofascial taping, and much more. Their multidisciplinary team works collaboratively to provide an overall approach to wellness, offering patients a high quality care plan that encourages healthy living in its entirety.

Optimize has been voted as Edmonton’s top physio clinic several years in a row through YEG Fitness, and Arri personally has taken the cake as top physiotherapist, however starting and building a successful business from the ground up has come with its unique challenges. Arri offers insight through his journey to the top and what the lessons he’s learned along the way has taught him.

As a business owner, trainer, charity advocate, husband, and soon-to-be father, Arri discusses how he stays in check and how he avoids burnout, an experience many of us can relate to. We often get so caught up in the busyness of life and the guilt that surrounds taking a break, Arri chats about how his wife and team keep him accountable for balancing out work and home life.

For more information about Optimize Physiotherapy and to explore the services they offer and their incredible team of highly experienced staff, visit their website link below. As Arri mentions in the podcast their next charity event is Movember, so stay tuned as we post the link closer to the date on how you can support our good friends for an important cause.

Optimize Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Clinic: http://optimizephysio.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/optimizephysiotherapy/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/optimizephysio?igshid=15bci94ozkikr

Jaime Bonnett is one inspirational woman. For as long as she could remember she has felt deeply connected and passionate about health & wellness. As a little girl, Jaime paid close attention to medical terms and the science behind the human body. This passion translated into her desire for education within the health and wellness field. In her heart was a want to help others. To make a tough or challenging situation comforting. To be the reason an individual had the strength to overcome and find their resilience. 

Jamie first began her career in the health & wellness industry in diagnostic imaging, specializing in breast health. As it turns our however her career path didn’t fulfill her the way she planned. It felt more like McDonald’s - patients in and patients out. Never impacting them in the positive way she anticipated. Never making a real difference in their journey.

Eight years into her career Jaime and her family received news that would change their life - a terminal diagnosis that would take the life of her eldest daughter, Ellie. When she was diagnosed the grieving and soul searching began for Jaime. A wise woman had told Jaime that children teach us more than our parents. So if this was the case and nothing happens without a reason, then Jamie wondered what was Ellie here to teach her.

 She was here to teach Jaime to use her voice. To follow her passion and impact others with her heart. To pursue her love of health and wellness. To teach. In honour of Ellie, Jaime named her business after her. She is what pushed Jaime to take all of the years of knowledge and schooling and put it into a business. To help transform others from the inside out. Now, with two more beautiful daughters Elizabeth and Emilia, she has a whole new journey. To make an impact on others.

When Ellie was diagnosed, Jaime made a decision, no matter what the outcome that she would no longer play scared. She would celebrate Ellie’s life and her own. Jamie would make her proud. She would change others lives. One person at a time.

To listen to this incredible conversation follow the link below, and be sure to learn more about this inspiring woman by checking out Jaime’s wellness coach and social media business websites.

Link to listen: https://linktr.ee/strengthandgracepodcast

Ellie Rose Wellness: https://www.ellierosewellness.ca

Social Sisters: https://www.socialsisters.ca

Join hosts Meg & Sarah as they reunite for this episode to chat about a few topics that can really affect our overall wellness. They discuss habits, and how easy it can be to fall back into old pattern that keep us from growing into who we are meant to be. They‘ll chat about some of the challenges they’ve faced and obstacles they’ve had to overcome to continue to keep Navina operating successfully - and safely. They also talk about the shift into this ‘new normal’, and what that looks like as we stay connected to our values both professionally and personally, and the importance of remaining kind in a world that can be anything but.

Meg & Sarah talk about emotion in the body, and how when we are emotionally charged we are often moving from a place of reactivity - often times without even realizing. The ladies offer a few mindfulness tips to help you learn the difference between formal vs. informal mindfulness and how you can weave one or both into your life for an increased sense of well-being.

Sarah talks briefly about her time as a wellness coordinator at an elementary/jr. high school and the program MindUP she implemented into classrooms - one that utilizes tools such as positive psychology, mindful awareness, and social-emotional learning to help kids begin to develop an awareness to their own emotions and how to regulate them in an age-appropriate way. For more information on MindUP, visit their website at https://mindup.org/ (they have lots of great free resources available for parents), and for the breathing exercise Sarah specifically mentioned which can easily be done from home, visit https://mindup.org/brain-break-at-home/.

Connect with Strength & Grace: Off The Mat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strengthandgracepodcast/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/strengthandgracepodcast?igshid=1l93dz8q7utpo
iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-strength-and-grace-off-the-63429437/
YouTube Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR_CvW133jVdJrhwbPWddTQ

Connect with Navina Yoga
Website: https://www.navinayoga.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Navinayoga/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/navina_yoga?igshid=ovsrp8or54x5

Join Meg for this episode as she sits down with Dr. Michelle Emmerling, a Registered Psychologist practicing in Edmonton with a PhD in Counselling Psychology from the University of Alberta. She is also a founding member and partner at Red Tree Psychology. Dr. Emmerling also offers professional training and supervision in Emotion-Focused Family Therapy, in addition to workshops for parents and loved ones. 

Dr. Emmerling has professional training and experience working with a diverse range of mental health concerns from a variety of treatment settings.  She has also spent the last 10 years specializing in an exciting and unique approach to working with individuals, couples, and families struggling with eating disorders. 

Dr. Emmerling's therapeutic work considers individual, couple, and family issues from a holistic perspective.  She believes strongly in developing a collaborative relationship in order to create a safe place for her clients to explore and access new understandings of their experience. She also believes that each individual that she works with brings with him or her unique personal characteristics, ways of coping, beliefs, and values. Therefore, she uses interventions from multiple theoretical orientations that are tailored to the individual needs of each person. These include interventions from: emotion focused therapy for individuals and families, somatic experiencing,  mindfulness, existential-humanist therapy, compassion-focused therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

For more information about Dr. Michelle Emmerling and to connect with her, visit her website at http://www.emmerlingpsychology.com