Celebrating International Women’s Day With The Women of KBC

Jennifer Huggins

Fight Team Coach | High Performance Trainer

Jennifer Huggins owns and operates Kingsway Boxing Club in Toronto, Canada. As a 3-Star International Boxing Referee and Judge with AIBA International Boxing Association, she understands the sport from the inside out. In addition to being a senior coach for at Kingsway, Jennifer is the Founder and CEO of the Fight To End Cancer and President of Boxing Ontario. She is heavily involved in the community, however still manages to find the time to travel the world performing with a World Class Magician.

“Maintaining a clear perspective and honouring fairness is always key. As a boxing official, I play the role of both referee and judge. I pride myself on being fair in and outside of the ring.”

Shireen Fabing

Boxing Coach | Personal Trainer

Shireen has been a competitive boxer since the day she first laced up her first pair of boxing gloves. Still competing as an amateur boxer, she continues to enjoy the sport in and outside the ring, sharing her joy of the sport with the community. Shireen works with recreational and competitive boxers, helping to educate the world on the benefits of boxing!

“When I found boxing (or boxing found me), for a while I thought ‘why didn’t I find this sport earlier in life’, but as I began to progress, that thought is now a distant memory. I believe we found each other at the right time. Boxing is on the rise. Women’s boxing is on the rise and I’m living it now.“

Sophia Ingrassia

Assistant Boxing Coach

3 years ago, Sophia started boxing in hopes of learning a new skill and becoming more fit. Immediately she fell in love with the sport and the community at KBC and knew this was something she wanted to succeed in and become more involved with. 

“KBC is truly one of the most amazing communities I’ve ever been apart of with the most welcoming environment and I’m so happy to be apart of it. I hope to continue to help grow the KBC family and share the skills I’ve learned with whoever may join.”

Jacqueline Walters

High Performance Instructor | Kickboxing Coach

Jacqueline Walters is a 4-time Canadian Kickboxing Champion in the 60kg, K1 Division, representing Canada at the World Championships in 2009 and 2011. Having trained and/or competed in Thailand, Europe, Africa, North and South America, Jacqueline is now Canada’s only A-Level, internationally-sanctioned Kickboxing Ring Referee with the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO). She is also a Chief Official with WAKO Canada, a Kickboxing coach and instructor. As an ACE-certified Personal trainer, pre-COVID Jacqueline trained clients individually and in group settings.

Jacqueline’s love of the sport, and fitness in general is what inspires her to help others stay healthy through recreational and/or competitive sport.

Jo-Anne Sheffield

High Performance Instructor | Personal Trainer

Jo-Anne is a Certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor who brings a commitment to health and fitness, combined with enthusiasm and experience to create fun, high energy and athletic classes. An avid runner and marathoner Jo-Anne believes cross training is an important part of developing overall fitness and her classes are designed to strengthen muscles, maintain a strong core, increase cardiovascular output and promote flexibility.

Jo-Anne’s motto is “Just keep moving” and while she has run many races she is particularly proud of her two Boston marathon finishes.

Shyanne McPherson

Shyanne has always been intrigued by the world of fitness. With over 10 years’ experience as a Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor, she credits the fitness industry for paving her life’s journey. Shyanne lives and breathes fitness and says her passion lies far beyond simple exercise. Fitness is about your mind, body and soul which is exactly what she will challenge.

Power4Teens has allowed Shyanne’s two passions to come together, working with youth and workin’ their butts!

Melissa Karagianis

Professional MMA Fighter

Professional MMA Fighter from Toronto, Canada and hairstylist, Melissa ” Magic” Karagianis, began teaching her clients who encouraged her and indicated they’d love to learn self-defense from her if Melissa were to ever start a class. As she started building her skills and taking on national fights, she decided professionally start teaching and began the Warrior Women Fit Program, here, at Kingsway Boxing Club.

Clare Hickey

Registered Holistic Nutritionist

Clare is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and is in her second year of study to become a Naturopathic Doctor through the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto.

Her approach to wellness is centred around simplicity and practicality. She aims to empower her clients to have the nutritional science and knowledge necessary to make informed decisions about their health. 

Marie Gernega

Fitness Guru and HIIT Coach

Maria Gernega is our newest Coach at the Kingsway Boxing Club. She has a remarkable resume under her belt, including Boxing and HIIT Coach, Mat Pillates and Yoga Teacher.

A boxing enthusiast, Maria Gernega ensures her 45 minute classes are filled with intense training, leaving you empowered and energized!

She describes her classes as “Spicy, music-driven and invigorating for the mind and body”

P.S. She is also very artistic and does illustrations on the side.

Aimee Lee

Coach and HIIT Instructor

When Aimee Lee discovered CrossFit it helped her find strength, both inside and outside the gym. CrossFit has inspired Aimee to study movement by earning certifications and coaching clients. Over the past 7 years, not only has she coached people of all ages and abilities but she has also learned from each and every one of them.

“It does not matter what your starting point is. Our bodies are made to move. Let me help you find what moves YOU.“

Katerina Muchnik

Yoga Instructor

Katerina’s approach to Yoga focuses on using poses to get into your body (not the other way around), while focusing on how the asana feel, rather than what they look like.

Katerina is a certified Yoga teacher with a formal education in Life Sciences, UofT. She is well aware of how each body is perfectly imperfect and uses this combination to focus on proper form and alignment.

You may think yoga may not be your “thing”, …but what if it is?   Come alone or with a friend to see for yourself… YOGA is for everybody!

Colleen Layug

Colleen Layug is a high-energy group fitness and kickboxing instructor, personal trainer and now sports nutritionist. She has inspired all age groups including seniors and children, to get fit and healthy. Colleen loves teaching a variety of exciting, motivational fitness classes, and training her clients to push their bodies to their personal limits. She has a passion for fun and believes that fitness should be enjoyed, not dreaded.

Colleen’s motto is:
“Work hard, play hard. The work you put in are the results you get out.”

Patricia Else

After many years in public health and as a funder for community-based services, Patricia decided to take a career turn and focus on supporting people to reach their fitness goals.

She is a certified personal trainer through Can Fit Pro and a 200 hour certified yoga teacher. In keeping with her belief in fitness for all abilities and ages, she is an older adult fitness specialist and has completed Heart Wise training. She is a clinic instructor for the Running Room and has worked with hundreds of runners through the 5k, 10k, 10 miler and half marathon clinics.

Pat has a Master of Science in Community Health Nursing. She is the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Women’s Habitat of Etobicoke and a volunteer with Golden Rescue.

Julia Caravaggio

Assistant Boxing Coach 

Julia started boxing four years ago and has loved the sport ever since. As her skills continued to develop, so did her desire to share the benefits of the sport with other young boxers. Julia continues to evolve as a boxer, while helping to inspire and encourage the next generation. 

“Becoming a part of the KBC community gave me new confidence and a family that helps me grow in many ways. I have learned determination, strength and perseverance through boxing and hope to share that with whoever steps into the gym.”

Vanessa Lees

Registered Massage Therapist

Vanessa Lees has been in the health and wellness field for over 20 years.

She graduated as an RMT in 2012 and combines these skills with a previous designation of a Certified Natural Health Practitioner in which she learned a variety of healing modalities. She works intuitively on the body.

Vanessa is passionate about educating others on self-care and rehabilitation to aid in healing between treatments as well as creating a safe space for healing.

SHAUNEEN RYAN

Pilates Specialist

Shauneen began her dance training at the age of four in classical Royal Academy Ballet.  Dance was her passion and main form of fitness throughout her adolescence. 

In 2019, Shauneen earned her Mat Pilates Certification from the esteemed Body Harmonics Teacher Training Program right here in Toronto. 

Having worked through various injuries herself over the years, Shauneen is always compelled to seek out what can help her clients move better, feel better and embrace the journey of Pilates movement as she has for so many years. 

Dance inspired fitness classes became Shauneen’s obsession to keep fit as she began her career path in and industry which she continues to embrace today as a tenured educator and lecturer.