About Us

Susan Sommers

Born in New Jersey, Susan Sommers is one of Canada’s most accomplished authors and experts in marketing and media relations. She established her own communication company in 1982 (Susan Sommers + Associates), has lectured in universities and at conferences across Canada, and has written four books on marketing and media relations.

Susan’s vision of physical and mental fitness emerged from her own long-standing issues with weight and body image. She thus brings unique personal inspiration to her quest to mentor and educate women about the life-changing impact of a proper program of personal fitness. She has learned from her own inadequate strategies for dealing with physical challenges, including spending years at gyms without a “fitness for life” vision of higher-level conditioning.

Susan’s perspective took a fundamental turn in 2002 when, at the age of 58, she began to walk and jog as a new Toronto YMCA member. From 2004 to 2007 she lifted weights and took aerobics classes but, more importantly, she started training and signing up for races. Within three years she had completed a number of half-marathons and 10k and 5k runs. She won a medal for winning in her age category in a Toronto 5k run in 2004. From 2004 to 2010, Susan completed 25 races, ranging from 5k to 42k.

These experiences were powerful motivators. Susan was further driven by the sight of her mother losing mobility due to osteoarthritis and Alzheimer’s disease. Susan set a major challenge for herself: to complete the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2005, at the age of 61. That training created the exhilaration of pushing hard toward a goal. Two years later, she accomplished the same feat again — completing the Scotiabank Marathon in a grueling seven and a half hours. She now combines her own marathon training with different levels of cross-training and appreciates her husband Peter’s passion for running. He is a two-time Boston Marathoner, who completed that race at ages 60 and 62.

A dynamic speaker, Susan has delivered motivational workshops related to fitness for women throughout North America. She is appreciated for her inspirational keynotes and seminars delivered to clients like LuluLemon Athletica, and Running Room retail outlets, fitness retreats, and conferences for Parks and Recreation. Susan is a strong contributing volunteer at the North York YMCA. She has served as public relations coordinator for the Breakfast of Champions and was the inaugural speaker for the YMCA Women’s Speaker Series on defining achievement in personal fitness.

Susan is the mother of two daughters and a grandmother with six grandchildren.

Theresa Dugwell

Theresa Dugwell operates PsyMetrics Professional Services, a Toronto-based company that offers psychological assessment services. She is a member of the Canadian Psychological Association, the American Psychological Association, and the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.

Theresa is keenly aware of the importance of training the mind as well as the body. She works in the area of applied psychology, using biofeedback and neurofeedback modalities to help people build mental resilience through better regulation of the stress response.

Theresa believes that physical training is an integral part of optimal mind–body integration. Her own personal fitness program is rigorous and evolving and includes 19 completed marathons and several half marathons in the last 18 years. As part of her commitment to comprehensive health and wellness education, she mentors individuals to achieve a healthy lifestyle through mind–body fitness. She is a member of the Canadian Fitness Professionals Association and is a certified Lifeskills Coach and Facilitator, a Certified Spinning and Pilates Instructor, and a Fitness Instructor Specialist.

With an award-winning role in the volunteer program at Canada’s largest YMCA, Theresa has produced the Breakfast of Champions and is a founding member of the North York YMCA Women’s Fund, a program that assists women and children in shelters. This program provides YMCA memberships to women during critical life-transitions, giving them access to a place of community, health, and support for personal growth.

As part of her inclusive and eclectic perspective on fitness, Theresa has given workshops on Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace, Creativity and Self-Esteem, Running for Beginners, and the Psychophysiology of the Stress Response. In addition she is Associate Producer of the Canadian feature film, Blueprint. This film is a deep and honest study of one woman’s struggle with depression, a woman who through fitness, friendship, and faith, finds greater self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-acceptance.