ABOUT JACKIE
Where Science and Yoga Meet
My story:
I have been practicing as a Certified Athletic Therapist for over 30 years, supporting individuals across a wide spectrum—from little league and varsity athletes to Olympians and those simply seeking to live well. Regardless of their label or level, these individuals all share a common desire: to move freely and be free from pain. Over time, I’ve come to understand that beneath diagnoses and performance goals, we are all human beings in search of healing and wholeness.
As a clinician, I was trained to assess through a biological lens—locating the root cause of dysfunction and treating it accordingly. The psychological and emotional components of pain were often reduced to superficial tasks like journaling, or worse, dismissed entirely. When a biological explanation was absent, I assumed either my clinical skills were insufficient or the patient was noncompliant.
That perspective began to shift about a decade into my career. I was working with varsity athletes at a Western Canadian college, many of whom spoke openly about their faith. These conversations revealed how their beliefs allowed them to frame injury as a meaningful life event rather than a setback. They worked with pain, not against it. I began to see healing as a process that extends beyond tissue.
Around that same time, I worked with two varsity athletes—let’s call them Andy and Bill. Both sustained nearly identical knee injuries, underwent surgery by the same orthopedic surgeon, and were under my care. Andy, carefree and self-motivated, returned to play with ease. Bill struggled—not just physically, but emotionally and socially. Mental health resources were scarce, especially for young male athletes. What I learned from Bill was profound: therapeutic outcomes are deeply influenced by emotional connection, language, and trust. I stopped calling people “patients” and began using “participants”—acknowledging them as active agents in their recovery.
Over the years, I encountered many more “Bills,” which led me to the biopsychosocial model—a framework recognizing that healing involves biological, psychological, social, and even existential dimensions. This discovery aligned closely with yoga therapy, which I was drawn to more deeply after the pandemic. Although I had practiced yoga intermittently for flexibility, it wasn’t until I experienced a trauma-informed, breath-centered studio that I recognized yoga’s profound effect on mental and emotional well-being and led me to study yoga therapy.
Yoga therapy offered the integrative lens I had been seeking. It brought clarity to my evolving approach: healing is not just about tissue repair; it includes how we think, feel, relate, and make meaning.
Today, my clinical work is rooted in evidence-informed care and whole-person healing. If you're looking for an approach that honours your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health, I welcome you into a space where science meets yoga.
Why Whole-Person Care?
My early career was rooted in a purely biological model of injury and pain: assess the injury, find the cause, and treat it. But over time, I began to see the limits of that approach. I listened to athletes who recovered faster not just because of physical resilience, but because of mindset, belief, and support. I saw others struggle; not for lack of effort, but because their emotional or social needs weren’t being addressed.
This shift in perspective led me to the biopsychosocial model, a well-established, evidence-based framework that views healing as a multidimensional process. It was the bridge between what I was taught and what I knew to be true: that the mind and body are not separate.
Client Testimonial
RGA
“One day I shared with Jackie how I was feeling - I was feeling incredibly low and experiencing debilitating anxiety that came out of nowhere (so I thought). Jackie made me feel safe, normal and listened to. She told me she could help me-I believed her xo After meeting virtually and in person, she developed a morning and evening program especially for my needs. I did it religiously and often a couple times a day. For months it got me through my days. I’m so grateful for her. I would highly recommend Jackie for any kind of mental health needs."