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(MA Human Kinetics - Intervention & Consultation: Health & Wellness)
(BSc Human Kinetics)
(BA Psychology/Economics)
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(Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association, 2005 – current)
(University of Ottawa – 2003)
(University of Ottawa, 2001 – 2002)
(University of Ottawa, 2000 – 2004)
(Canadian Fitness Professionals Inc., 2000-2004)
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[ Part-Time Professor: Faculty of Education (Professional Development Program), 2006– current ]
[ Part-Time Professor: Faculty of Health Sciences, 2005 – current ]
 Physical & Health Education (Specialist); Guidance (Part1, Part2, Specialist).
Nutrition, Fitness Methods, Physical Activity & Health, Posture & Human Movement (Injuries Prevention), Health Communication, Determinants of Health, and Selected Topics in Health (Seminar Course).
[ Part-Time Professor: Fitness & Lifestyle Management Program, 2005 – 2007]
Exercise Counseling.
(Wellness
Workshops, 2005)
[ Teaching & Research Assistant: Faculty
of Health Sciences (School of Human Kinetics), 2003 – 2004 ]
Nutrition, pedagogy,
fitness methods, health and exercise psychology.
(Assistant teaching, volunteer
– 2002)
Grade 9 Boys
Phys. Ed., Grade 11 Biology & OAC Health.
(Health & Wellness Specialist, 2012)
Stress management lunch n' learn seminars.
(Health & Wellness
Specialist, 2003 – 2005)
Designing and
implementing wellness and lifestyle seminars.
(Health & Wellness Specialist – 2004)
Wellness workshops,
seminars, group processing, and mediation. (Health &
Wellness Specialist – 2004)
Wellness workshop.
(Health & Wellness
Specialist, 2002 – 2003)
Seminars,
workshops, and lectures.
Author of ‘Health
Corner’ - weekly internal newsletter.
(Personal Trainer,
2000 – 2009)
Personal fitness
training: exercise, implementation, and evaluation.
Nutritional
consulting, lifestyle counseling, and personal coaching.
(Program Director – 1998)
Assistant manager.
Food Consultant:
one-on-one consultations with clients.
(Membership Coordinator
– 1998)
Membership sales,
promotions, and advertising.
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I was ten years old the first time I picked up a weight. My father worked
at a community center, where there was a small exercise room. I look back
at these years with sadness and joy; my childhood was spent idle and in isolation… yet, my resolve was
molded in this very place. Our family moved a few years later but part of my spirit never
left.
My father bought me my first bodybuilding magazine when I was nine and started a love affair with the human body that continues
to this day. I was raised in a very traditional Asian household and
the notion of entering a profession outside that of science or math was
unthinkable. So this “infatuation” with fitness could serve
nothing more than a mere “hobby”. Ironically, as I entered high school,
my health and well-being diminished... since my all-consuming
focus was excelling in school.
I had no idea what passionate learning was.
Being
a late-blooming overweight teenager was difficult. Being raised to be introverted,
in a household where communication was not appreciated,
was harder. Atypical teenage
experiences and low self-esteem made for arduous years.
To this day, it amazes me how I survived moments that left me wondering if life was worth living. These
years segued into my years at Carleton University, where my life slowly
and unassumingly changed.
The first two years at Carleton, I was an academic underachiever. My health was deteriorating from a combination
of poor eating habits and lack of physical activity. I knew what I needed to do to change things but
I was unmotivated… I had become conditioned to being this
way. I was trapped in a perpetuating negative cycle that relentlessly
and unmercifully eroded my being… physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
But it was during this time that my passion for fitness rekindled.
More importantly, I wanted to prove to myself that I hadn’t failed. What I
didn’t know was how this would change the rest of my life.
My last year at Carleton, it was diagnosed that I was suffering symptoms of obsessive-compulsiveness, manifested in the
forms of hypochondriasis and anxiety. This verified that I hadn't gone
crazy over the years. All those years now made sense. Antidepressants were prescribed
for a few months and appeared to help. But more importantly,
my health began to improve because being well became
the priority in my life. I began to restructure my eating habits and physical activity became a staple in my daily routine. As a result, I became motivated with my studies
at school; I was now an “A” student again. Graduation came
in the summer of 98’ and marked the beginning of my professional
endeavors in the domain of health.
I moved to Vancouver in search of a career and a new life. I was free to pursue the career
path of my choice and found myself working in the fitness industry. In retro,
my work experiences in Vancouver gave me valuable life learning and laid the foundation to what would become my lifework. It wasn’t until I came
back to Ottawa for a family emergency that I realized going back to school
was what I wanted and needed. Academic success for the sole sake of academic success was not the most important thing anymore… and this felt liberating. Learning ceased to be a chore and became the way
to wisdom and enlightenment.
It was spring of 1999 when I applied to the University of Ottawa’s
Human Kinetics program. I was placed on a waiting list
and would not attend that year but reapplied the following year. Oddly enough, I began working as a personal trainer for a local gym. Months later, I received
notice from the University that I had been accepted into the Program. I was now going to school for
the "right" reasons… for me. Three years later graduation came … yet there remained many other challenges.
Working in the fitness industry has opened so many doors, such as an Internship experience at the
United States Embassy as a health and wellness specialist. Conducting
seminars at the Embassy unveiled my love for teaching and communication.
I began giving wellness workshops with private companies and even volunteered
at my old high school as an assistant teacher.
In 2003, I was accepted to Teachers’ College but decided to enroll in a Masters Program at the
University of Ottawa. During my studies,
I learned many things about the art of teaching as a Teaching
and Research Assistant. My role in the fitness industry morphed; I began to enjoy more of the communicating aspects, uncovering a passion for counseling
work. My experiences in the program culminated in an Internship experience
at a local long-term care facility as a health specialist.
I conducted health-related workshops in the areas of motivation, interpersonal communication, stress management, and emotional health.
Shortly after I finished the Masters degree, I became a Certified Canadian
Counselor (Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association). It was during this time that the University of Ottawa hired me as a professor to teach courses in the Faculty of Health Sciences. A year later, I began teaching courses in the Faculty of Education.
As of July 2009, operations of InVivo Learning Inc. commenced. A holistic health centre dedicated to the achievement and maintenance of wellness for the general public, it is also dedicated to the growth and development of health science students at the University of Ottawa. There is roughly 1000 square feet of open space for the teaching and learning of human movement: proper posture, bodily awareness, and the prevention of injuries. In addition, there is an area dedicated to academic mentoring, lifestyle coaching, and career/educational guidance. The Centre also features a relaxation room; individuals are able to achieve states of restful awareness that ultimately lowers daily distress levels.
With utmost gratitude, I accept the way in which life has unfolded… and the idea
of this journey still enamors me.
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