Heather coaches athletes on the trail in Squamish, Canada

I COACH SPORTY SOULS

People who move their bodies with intention. Who are motivated to give their best, embrace challenges, and commit wholeheartedly. Who want to excel in sport and life without sacrificing balance and joy. Who want to get results they’re proud of.

I’m a sporty soul. Are you?

Three athletes and dogs adventure on a mountain trail near Whistler, Canada

WHAT FUELS ME

Seeing you confident, strong and grounded in your inherent worth as you chase and reach your goals. Humans empowered, healthy, and connected through sporty pursuits. Creating spaces where all are seen, respected, and valued for who they truly are. Moving in nature, getting sweaty, and the strength of friendships forged through adventure.

My why? It’s you.

25+ years of competing in endurance sport has given me relationships with many amazing sporty souls. And here’s what I’ve noticed: we sporty souls often look confident and strong on the outside.

But on the inside, we may doubt ourselves, entangle our worth with our results, dance with burnout as we try to balance achievement with happiness, and struggle with negative self-talk. This was me for many years. I’m not alone.

Getting coached helped me find balance, happiness, and a healthy sense of self. I’m a better me because of that journey. And I want that for you.

Every time I witness a client step into their capability, enoughness, and courage, it lights up my soul. It’s the work I was put here to do.

MY APPROACH

I see you as already capable, strong, and whole. Our work together is about filling your backpack with supportive skills, practices, and self-belief so you can feel confidence, joy and fulfillment as you chase your goals. My approach is grounded in coaching, positive psychology, and somatic practices.

My job is to help you find your unique path and navigate it with consistent forward-focused action. I meet you with encouragement, empathy, and an unwavering belief in what’s possible for you. We co-create your action plan and celebrate together as you get results, overcome setbacks, and build sustainable momentum.

“My mental game was holding me back. Heather helped me find the belief and tools I needed to change my self-defeating thought patterns and unlock a new level of performance.”

– Madeline H., Triathlete & Ultrarunner

“Thanks for helping me on my journey to being radiant!”

– Carmen C.

“Our work over the past 6 months has given me the confidence I needed to navigate big goals and big changes. Thank you for supporting me, Heather.”

– Gary M.

I want you to experience joy like this!

Heather, retired veterinarian, holds dog on trail in Stanley Park, Vancouver

MY STORY

I spent several decades pursuing excellence in academics, my veterinary career, and endurance sport. I was highly motivated by external affirmation. That worked for a time but ultimately gave me a shaky sense of self-worth outside of results and accomplishments.

I lived my life around other people’s schedules and expectations. I said yes to everything, practiced perfectionism, forgot how to rest, was chronically overtrained, and had nothing left in my tank for the people who truly mattered most to me.

I thought something was wrong with me. Hadn’t I done everything “right?” I had my dream job of helping animals, found an amazing partner, got to race in cool places. And yet I was miserable and exhausted.

The more tired I got, the harder I pushed. I experienced continual negative self-talk and disordered/stress eating. I couldn’t find joy in my sporty pursuits (or anything else). And I’d completely lost my connection to myself and my inherent worth.

Everything changed one day in my mid-thirties. A health scare hit home, and I chose to show up for myself and my husband. I left my career, we moved across the country to live close to nature, and I learned to do life differently.

Here’s what I discovered:

I couldn’t make myself feel healthy on the inside by doing more, doing better. I needed to unlearn the unsupportive beliefs and resulting behaviour patterns that kept me stuck. I devoured self-help books, opened myself up to love, and worked with a coach.

I’m a better me for all of it, and I’m grateful. I know how good it is to finally feel great in my own skin and show up as fully me in my work, sport, and relationships. I get to play on the trails and race again for fun, not for accomplishment. Sporty Soul, I want this for you too.

THIS IS WHY I COACH. This is why I’m rooting for YOU. I want you to find the grounding, confidence, self-belief and path forward you need to get results you’re proud of—in life and sport—while feeling a deep sense of joy and fulfillment.

Let’s work together.

VALUES I LIVE & LEAD BY:

Radical Respect - we are all worthy of equal amounts

Open Heart - ready to fill with curiosity, growth, love & surprises

Authentic Connection - inwardly, outwardly, deeply trusting & true

Be the Breeze - spread the magic, gentle yet firmly committed & rooted

Adventuring Always - in the mountains & valleys, the ease & challenge

What do you value?

Dandelion seeds in breeze

P.S. - Real success and fulfillment require you to take aligned action with what matters most to you. Getting you connected (or reconnected) with your core values is foundational when we work together. They hold fast and run true, in sport and life both.

EXPERIENCE

EDUCATION & LIFE

  • Certified Professional Coach, Erickson International

  • 5+ years of coaching/guiding sporty souls, veterinary team members, and other amazing humans

  • Registered Yoga Teacher (200 hour), South Okanagan Yoga Academy

  • iREST Yoga Nidra Facilitator (Level 1), iREST Institute®

  • Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Western College of Veterinary Medicine (University of Saskatchewan)

  • Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist, Canine Rehabilitation Institute®

  • 10+ years of small animal veterinary practice

  • Founder of the first physical rehab practice for dogs and cats in London, ON

  • Bachelor of Science (Combined Honours Biochemistry & Chemistry), University of British Columbia, top 1% of Science Faculty Grads

  • Married to an Incredible Human for 15+ years

  • Lifelong nature lover, adventurer, reader, traveller, dog (and one day donkey) mom, gardener & slow/local food fan

SPORT

  • 25+ years competing at the local, provincial, national and international level in 5 sports as an amateur, adult-onset athlete

  • 100+ races in: triathlon (Olympic-Ironman distance), running (5km-Ultra distance), cycling (road race, criterium, time trial) & nordic skiing. Results = podium finishes to overtrained/mentally burned out DNF’s

  • 2 x Trans Alpine Run (7-day, 270 km mountain race; 1x finisher, 1x illness DNF, both equally fulfilling…ask me why!)

  • 3 x Ironman including 1 x Kona Qualified

  • 4 x Triathlon Canada National Team Athlete (age group) at World Champs

  • Multiple Provincial Championship podiums - Triathlon, Cycling Road Race & Time Trial

  • 2nd Canadian woman to qualify for the Club des Cinglés du Mont Ventoux (because why not do that on your honeymoon?!?)

  • 25+ years of leading, volunteering, and organizing in the running, cycling, triathlon and biathlon communities

GIVING BACK

I believe sport is an amazing catalyst for personal development, relationship building, and lifelong wellness.

I offer 5-10 hours of pro bono coaching each month to sporty souls working in or with great non-profit groups in the Sea to Sky region and beyond.

A portion of my monthly revenue is also donated to non-profit groups facilitating empowerment through sport and stewardship of nature. These include: Right to Play, Protect our Winters, Fast and Female, Indigenous Women Outdoors, Yukon Wildlife Preserve, and Georgia Strait Alliance.

I see a confident, clear & couragous you.

Find your unique path forward to results you’re proud of. Experience joy in the journey.