Here’re our stories
The Founders
Zacchaeus Chan
Zac is the co-founder of WerkHaus and the director of education. Zac began his journey in his undergrad when he found his passion for long distance running and became a competitive distance runner. Afterwards, Zac was immediately immersed in the Health and Fitness industry working alongside Toronto powerhouses such as Stephanie Joanne, Eva Redpath, and joining the groundbreaking team at Equinox.
Bridging his education in exercise physiology and physical therapy, Zac has always found that effective therapy ought to lead to effective training and has brought that mentality to WerkHaus. Zac is constantly teaching young aspiring health and fitness professionals key fundamental therapy techniques and how to use them effectively within the realm of strength and conditioning training.
Jane Yuan
Jane is the co-founder of WerkHaus and the director of operations. Jane always had a keen eye for creative design and wanted to share her creative flare with the world. But being the eclectic woman that she is, decided to pursue formal education in business. After mastering the principles of what it took to be a successful entrepreneur, Jane decided to pursue multiple projects including interior design, luxury retail and travel.
Jane’s journey into health and wellness began with training as a client which ignited a spark in wanting to spread the many benefits of what a healthy lifestyle can bring to anyone. Seeing an opportunity to fill the niche of a bespoke, boutique experience for fitness and therapy, Jane humbly began what we now call WerkHaus.
Our Growing Team!
Sophie
Sophie is graduate of Sutherland-Chan School of Massage Therapy and is currently a registered massage therapist via the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) .
Sophie’s passion for health and fitness started at a young age with riding horses and competing to some of the highest levels in the sport. Being an athlete herself, Sophie always noticed the lack attention to health, self-care, and strength and conditioning among equestrian athletes. Through competitive Nordic skiing, road cycling, mountain biking she became even more aware of the importance of proper training and rehabilitation for athletes. During her years at Hartpury University she played rugby for the Gloucester city team, and gained further experience in strength and conditioning, fitness and rehabilitation.
In order to further pursue her interest in helping athletes reach and maintain optimal performance, Sophie joined Werkhaus and looks forward to combining her passion for fitness with her knowledge of athletic training and massage therapy.
Jennifer
Jennifer is a Registered Psychotherapist and is currently licensed to practice with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario.
Growing up in Ireland – the land of storytelling - Jen always had an interest in psychology, and in the lives of others. Beginning a bachelor’s degree in Ireland, she wanted to experience other countries and so transferred to the University of Central Florida to complete her degree. She completed her master’s degree in Florida as well and eventually moved to Canada in 2021.
Jen has worked in a number of environments with a vast range of mental health concerns, diagnoses and stressors. Her passion is working with those who have experienced trauma, individuals from diverse backgrounds, and people with anxiety that impacts them physically and mentally. Mainly, Jen meets people where they’re at!
Whether that is exploring therapy for the first time, supporting body dysmorphia or social anxiety, resolving your past, or determining your future.
She works holistically, integrating a relationship between our body and our mind and is very excited to join Werkhaus to serve individuals who are already taking action for their wellbeing and putting themselves first.
Joanne
Joanne is a certified personal trainer from the American Council of Exercise. She specializes in helping people increase strength, physically and mentally, through fitness. Her personal fitness journey began at the age of 8 when she started playing basketball, followed by rugby, and collegiate Quidditch, and she coaches her team in and out of the gym. Joanne led athletes of her teams through weekly strength sessions in the gym and saw not only improvements in the game, but also improved mental strength that carried over to various aspects of their life. That’s when she decided to become a fitness coach to help as many people as possible to gain strength in all aspects of life, starting with the physical. She began to acquire more knowledge for the necessity & benefit of strength and conditioning for sustainable long term performance, and now she is a certified trainer.
Joanne believes in the importance of commitment and consistency, and that they will lead to confidence, and in a circular direction, Increased confidence will lead to higher consistency and commitment.
Joanne teaches in-person and virtual strength and conditioning classes, she is MovNat ACE& Agates Kettlebell Certified.
Anna
Anna is a certified personal trainer from the National Academy of Sports Medicine and a graduate of the Fitness & Health Promotion program from Humber College. From the age of 7, Anna was a competitive figure skater in Italy and her passion and training for the sport has continued to this day.
Exercise has been an integral part of Anna’s life and career and she has always enjoyed pushing herself to overcome limits in order to become stronger mentally and physically.
Anna is excited to bring the passion that she has for fitness and sports to each and every one of her clients to show them not only what they can do, but also things they never thought they could!
Angela
Angela is a certified personal trainer and is the owner and founder of Lift Academy. She is an established name in the health and wellness scene here in Toronto, and her academy has grown to be one of the most influential group training classes here in the city.
Angela has a passion for health and wellness and wants to bring that mindset to everyone around her. She saw the need for women everywhere to gain the knowledge to step into any gym in the world and be able to pick up weights with confidence. Thus she started Lift Academy, to guide and mentor those who wish to build a healthy and everlasting relationship with themselves!
It is an honour for Werkhaus to partner up with Angela and her Lift Academy to help as many people as possible in their pursuit to physical and mental wellness, to earn from one another, and to consistently push themselves a little further each day!
Josh
Josh is a physiotherapist and mobility specialist whose passion lies in providing a path towards movement optimism for all his clients. He completed his Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology at McMaster University prior to his Masters of Physical Therapy at Western University. During his schooling, he was fortunate enough to study abroad in both Japan and Australia, leading to an obsession with trying to see the world.
Josh’s main area of interest in rehab is in the wide world of movement and exercise. He is certified through Functional Range Systems in both the Functional Range Conditioning and Functional Range Assessment disciplines. With a blend of these movement interventions and skills accumulated from manual therapy and Dry Needling courses, he strives to bridge the gap between injury rehab and training/sport.
Having practiced martial arts his entire life, Josh is currently engrossed in Brazilian JiuJitsu and is always eager to work with other martial artists of all levels. When he’s not training, working, or watching combat sports, Josh often lives an alternate life with his interests in fashion.
Daria
Daria is the friendly face of our socials as the Social Media Manager at WerkHaus! She recently moved to Canada from Ukraine with her family and loves it here.
In the gym, she is happiest when stretching with friends. Outside of fitness, she has many passions including fashion, reading, chess, and learning languages.
Fun fact: She’s a polyglot - she can speak five languages: Ukrainian, Russian, English, Spanish, and a bit of Japanese!
Chanthi
Combining her technical knowledge, creative problem solving skills, and love for all things organizing, Chanthi helps manage the admin side of things for the crew as our Office Manager!
She is an artist and former professional 3D Animator with a love for fitness. Growing up in Saskatchewan, she spent her days split between pursuing creative opportunities and participating in various team sports. Her passion for leading an active lifestyle truly blossomed in 2017 when she fell in love with weightlifting. Through her fitness journey, she realized the importance of athleticism as a form of physical expression, which also informs her creative practice.
When she’s not working, you can find her running around birdwatching, painting, reading, practicing yoga, or learning some new pole or rollerskating move.
Jes
Jesmarie is the newest Social Media Manager at WerkHaus! She brings a splash of creativity and a big smile to the team. As a college student in commerce with a passion for fashion and music production, she is always buzzing with new ideas.
When she is not busy with editing and shooting creative content, you can find her staying active with yoga, skateboarding and dancing.
Jesmarie loves to blend her creative side with her energetic lifestyle, and is excited to connect with everyone and share her adventures!
