I’m Iona and I was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland before moving to Toronto. Sports and fitness has been a huge part of my life through participating, coaching and my studies. I grew up playing many sports throughout my childhood but my main passion was swimming. I swam throughout High School at my local club before joining the University of Stirling Swimming Club for 4 years where I was also the club president for my last year. During this time I competed at many BUCS competitions (team finishing in top 3 position every year in league and meets) and our annual home run Stirling Sprints event. After University I took up CrossFit/Weightlifting where I competed in a few competitions finishing on the podium a couple times. Playing sport and being around fellow athletes taught me a lot about myself and the mental struggles athletes face and helped me understand the importance of coping mechanisms and utilising support networks for mental wellbeing.

My transition from athlete to full-time coaching was the natural path for me having coached swimming for 8 years alongside my own training and studies. I am currently a Fitness/Strength coach. Throughout my coaching career I have worked with youth athletes and young and older recreational sport/fitness participants from a range of backgrounds and abilities. Having worked with these groups for many years and understanding the importance of building a relationship between them and coaches, in this case mentors, allows me to help them break down and overcome stressors and struggles they may face and build confidence, manage stress and empower them to be the best version of themselves. I am a huge advocate for the importance of mental health in sport. It was the main focus of my University studies and I think it should be talked about more in this day and age. I always want to make sure the people I work with feel supported, have someone they can talk to openly, but also can self-reflect and grow into that best version of themself whilst performing optimally.

Education & Professional Achievements:
– BSc (Hons) Sport & Psychology (Dissertation – Elite Student-Athletes Perspective of Balancing Academics and Sport)
– MSc Strength & Conditioning (Dissertation – Coaches Understanding of the Impact of Stress on Elite Student-Athletes: A Coaches Perspective)
– University of Stirling Swimming Club President
– Qualified Fitness/Strength Coach
– Qualified Swimming Teacher