About Me

Hi, I’m Val — strength coach, mobility and mental health advocate, nature lover, DIY hobbyist, and someone who believes deeply in the power of rebuilding yourself, no matter how many times life asks you to begin again.

I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba with my husband, James — a firefighter-paramedic — and our four fur-kids: Huckleberry Finn and Peaches (our dogs), and Kilo and Murdoch (our very opinionated cats). I’m happiest outside on a trail, exploring somewhere new, or halfway through a DIY project I confidently thought would only take one weekend.

My Journey Into Strength

My journey into health and fitness began in 2008 when I stepped into a CrossFit gym for the first time. After gaining weight and losing a lot of confidence and physical capacity through University, what I thought would be another short-lived attempt at “getting healthy” slowly became a huge part of my life (after a couple years of inconsistency first!).

Over time, I fell in love not only with CrossFit, but also Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting — eventually competing nationally in all three sports.

For years, I chased numbers, competitions, challenges, and the excitement of discovering what my body could do rather than focusing on what it looked like. Those experiences shaped so much of who I am and introduced me to some of the most meaningful friendships, mentors, and opportunities in my life.

I began coaching in 2010 and, despite a few life interruptions along the way, have continued coaching ever since.

The Years That Changed My Perspective

As much as strength came naturally to me physically, confidence didn’t always.

Along the way, I experienced injuries that forced me to slow down and relearn movement, seasons of body dysmorphia, weight fluctuations, struggles with mental health, and eventually chronic pain that led to a diagnosis of Undifferentiated Peripheral Inflammatory Arthritis during the COVID years.

There were periods where training felt effortless — and others where simply getting through the day without pain felt like a win.

Those experiences changed my relationship with fitness entirely.

What started as a pursuit of performance gradually became something much deeper: learning how to work with my body instead of constantly fighting against it. I began to understand that strength is not just about lifting heavier weights or achieving goals in the gym — it’s also about resilience, adaptability, confidence, and learning to care for yourself through every season of life.

That perspective now shapes how I coach.

Why I Focus on Coaching Women

Over the years, I’ve coached in many different environments — from CrossFit classes and competitive strength sports to HIIT classes, small-group training, and one-on-one coaching. But through my own experiences, I started realizing something important:

So much of what we’re taught about training was never truly designed with women in mind.

Historically, much of the research around exercise science, recovery, and performance was done primarily on men, while women were expected to fit into those same models. But women’s bodies are not simply smaller versions of men’s bodies. Hormones, anatomy, menstrual cycles, pregnancy, postpartum, stress, perimenopause, menopause, recovery, and life demands all impact how women experience training.

The more I learned — and continue to learn — the more passionate I became about helping women train in ways that actually support their bodies instead of fighting against them.

Today, my coaching focuses on building strength, mobility, confidence, and longevity through training that reflects real life. My programming emphasizes:

  • strength development

  • active mobility and functional movement

  • power and plyometrics

  • cardiovascular health

  • sustainability through different stages of life

Over the last several years — especially since beginning to coach women in my garage studio setting — I’ve become increasingly passionate about continuing my education specifically around women’s health and performance. I’m currently expanding my learning through Dr. Stacy Sims’ Menopause 2.0 course, along with education from AWPT University and Kayla Lee Physio.

That learning reignited a whole new passion in me: learning from women who actually study women, rather than relying on decades of research that largely inferred conclusions about women from studies done on men.

More than anything, I want women to feel capable, strong, educated, and empowered in their bodies — at every age and every stage of life.

Certifications & Education

Coaching Certifications

  • CrossFit Level 2 Trainer

  • NCCP Olympic Weightlifting Level 1

  • CPU Powerlifting Workshop – Stage 1 to Certification

  • CrossFit Specialty Gymnastics Certification

Education & Ongoing Learning

  • Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing & General Business), University of Saskatchewan
    Great Distinction & High Honours

  • Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Program — First Nations University of Canada

Current Continuing Education

  • Dr. Stacy Sims — Menopause 2.0

  • AWPT University

  • Kayla Lee Physio

Beyond the Gym

Outside of coaching and training, I’m someone who:

  • loves being in nature and helping the furry creatures of the world

  • thrives on exploring new places

  • always has a DIY project (or fifteen) on the go

  • values connection, community, and meaningful relationships

  • believes deeply in personal growth, even when it’s messy

I’m also endlessly curious, a bit of a planner/logistics nerd, and someone who genuinely loves getting to know people, their stories, and how things work.

Valere Moves

Valere Moves is the culmination of all of these experiences — the competitive years, the setbacks, the rebuilding, the learning, the coaching, and the understanding that strength is never just physical.

Above all, it reflects what I’ve learned over decades of movement and life: you can always begin again, and you never have to do it alone.

Valere

Latin: “To be strong, healthy, and powerful.”