matHEW benvie
I grew up in Hilden, Nova Scotia and had the best upbringing with a great family who taught us hard work and supported all the things we were involved in. Our childhood was spent outside playing sports and I don't think my parents ever missed a game.
My whole life I wanted to be a gym teacher and coach so I could be like the amazing coaches growing up. It would be my way of paying it forward.
Thankfully, while at St.FX taking Human Kinetics, I discovered a passion for helping people with their fitness goals, which is a different type of teaching/coaching. September 1st 2009 I started Evolve Fitness with a small personal training studio in downtown Halifax.
It would be way too much for a bio to talk about the fate that was involved in starting the business and the progress that has been made in the last 12 years. I've had ups and I've had many downs but I always felt supported and always had a great community around me to push forward.
2009 was just me offering one on one training and we have progressed to two locations, a virtual gym, with group fitness being our predominant offering. The last thing that is important is that I am Canada's biggest country music fan. Music and giving back to the community are my equal passions to helping people with their fitness!
MITCH BENVIE
Hello. I am Mitch! For those of you who don't know I have a twin brother and his name is Matty. I graduated from Dalhousie in 2008 with a BSc in Kinesiology and have been with Evolve since January 1st 2012! The gap between graduation and starting at Evolve was spent teaching English in South Korea and working out enough to make sure I was bigger than Matty by the time I got home (turned out to be pretty easy).
The two things I love most about Evolve and being a personal trainer are working out everyday with the best clients in the world, and also helping to educate people on nutrition and healthy living. Nutrition has become a huge passion of mine with a main focus on weeding through the BS and contradictory information we see on social media and digging into what the research says works.
Favorite trip--Lebanon 2019
Favorite TV show--The Night Manager
Favorite Food--Pizza
Favorite Brother--Tyler
Alan dalton
Alan has been a personal trainer at Evolve since 2014 and is currently the Head Instructor for the Evolve Fitness Forever program (although he still dabbles in leading the occasional boot camp).
He completed his BSc. (Honours) in Kinesiology at Dalhousie University in 2009. During his time at Dal he played varsity soccer, was the tiger mascot, and began to gain a keen interest in adapted physical activity. In his 3rd year, while taking the “Physical Activities for Persons with Disabilities” class, he created a wheelchair sport which won the Motrin “My Game, My Pain” National competition, and began to play (and later coach) wheelchair basketball. These experiences also shaped his honours thesis topic, which tested different change of direction and speed tasks for use in wheelchair basketball player assessment.
In 2011, Alan moved to Newfoundland to complete his MSc. Kinesiology at Memorial University. His thesis project centered around simulation technology for the training of offshore workers. It was during the long hours behind multi-screened computers that he realized he was not built for the “desk life” and moved back to Halifax in 2014 shortly after graduation.
Since starting with Evolve, Alan has worked with clients of all fitness levels but has found a niche working with the aging population. Certified with the Functional Aging Institute, he is determined to help everyone who walks through the door have a great but safe workout and keep them moving strong through their golden years.
SCOTT HIPPERN
Scott graduated from Acadia University in 2019 with a bachelor of Kinesiology and is certified with standard first aid and CPR. He grew up in Bedford playing golf, football, and spent a lot of time at the ski hill. He made some big changes in his life, lost a lot of weight and started focusing on health and fitness. “I love the opportunity to express and hopefully share my thirst for a healthy lifestyle with others.”
Scott loves the small community feel of Evolve and the opportunity to create social bonds with clients and make a big impact on their day-to-day lives. “The intimacy that Evolve, and especially the Bedford gym provides, is a very rewarding experience that makes me proud of not only the members, but also myself. I want to be able to show members that a healthy, happy, and fun-filled life is very possible with the right balance, and that a stringent routine isn’t always necessary.”
Scott spends most of his time teaching boot camps at the Bedford location, but can also be found filling in at Strawberry Hill.
VICTORIA SHUPE
Victoria has been working as a personal trainer for the last 10 years and exclusively in small local businesses. She primarily works with small to medium sized groups and knows how to deliver individualized, boutique-style training. Victoria actually worked with Matt and Evolve Fitness back in 2011 running some bootcamp classes!
At Evolve, you can find Victoria in the small group training room or Saturday morning bootcamps. Her small group training involves coaching up to 4 clients at one time as they work through their personalized program in a shared space. She is focused on getting her clients moving well and developing strength so that they continue to live long, healthy lives. Victoria has worked with individuals experiencing chronic pain, recovering from injury, youth athletes, teams, professional athletes, and people looking to stay fit and healthy.
Victoria completed a degree in kinesiology at Dalhousie University and has a Certified Personal Trainer certificate from the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology (CSEP). She is a Precision Nutrition Level 1 coach and is currently pursuing a degree in Applied Human Nutrition (dietetics stream) at Mount Saint Vincent University. Victoria enjoys working with clients to see how food and nutrition fit into their lives and coaching them on how to build habits that support their goals, health, and general well-being.
Victoria is a native Haligonian who enjoyed playing competitive hockey and soccer growing up. She likes to cook and one of her specialties is making rice bowls – loaded with veggies, some sort of protein, and a tasty sauce! Her all-time favourite way to relax is reading on the beach (often in Siesta Key, FL), and she plays recreational tennis in the summer.
KEESHA CROSS
Keesha is a fitness instructor at Evolve Fitness. She graduated from St. Francis Xavier University in May of 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics with a major in Kinesiology and a minor in Health Sciences. She’s currently in the Respiratory Therapy program at Dalhouse University. While at St. FX she worked as a Student Therapist and was able to receive training in Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries. A major focus of hers is to ensure everyone can perform their workouts in a safe and effective manner, to avoid injuries and to work around any limitations.
Growing up she has played multiple competitive sports including Fastpitch, Basketball and Volleyball. Healthy living and exercise has always been a big part of her life and she is excited to be able to work in a field that allows her to share that passion with others.
Keesha is certified in Emergency First Aid & CPR/AED. Since working at Evolve she has become a Certified Functional Aging Specialist. She is passionate about helping people live a long and healthy life which she can accomplish through instructing Evolve Fitness Forever, as well as Boot Camps.
BECKY LYTLE
Becky has been a long time and loyal member at Evolve since 2016. Since beginning her fitness journey with the team, she has passionately sung the praises of this gem of a gym to any and all who would listen. Together with her sister Laura Little, Becky has helped add to the fitness program Evolve offers its clients, by instructing regularly scheduled Cardio & Core sessions. She also subs in for the occasional boot camp (A task she particularly enjoys).
A high school Drama teacher by day, fitness motivator by night, you can always count on Becky to bring the enthusiasm and positive energy! Becky strongly believes in the community Evolve has built, and works diligently to support and contribute to that community in any way she can.
Growing up, Becky was always much more involved in the arts as opposed to athletics and struggled to see herself as an athlete. Evolve and it’s trainers have offered Becky an opportunity in adulthood that has helped to change the way she sees herself. Becky has learned to “trust the process”, by setting fitness goals, and working hard to achieve them. As a result of her own personal journey, she is committed to supporting the other clients at Evolve by helping them to build self-confidence while realizing their own potential.
LAURA LITTLE
Along with her sister (and fellow Evolve Team member), Becky Lytle, Laura currently teaches Cardio & Core classes at Evolve Fitness Halifax and promotes a welcoming community atmosphere through her positive energy and friendly personality. Laura learned early on that a positive attitude will take you far and brings this mentality to her instructional style.
Laura joined Evolve as a member in 2016 and has been attending boot camps ever since. With a background in government policy and administration and an unnatural love of spreadsheets, Laura’s involvement on the business side of Evolve began with providing administrative assistance for the popular Evolve Fitness Challenges.
Growing up, Laura was not involved in organized team sports yet showed promise in individual sports such as gymnastics and track and field. Ultimately, she didn’t pursue either of these paths due to a lack of self-confidence. Instead, Laura followed in her sister’s footsteps by participating in her other passions of singing and musical theatre.
It wasn’t until her mid-twenties that Laura decided to revisit individual sports such as running, fitness, cycling, and Muay Thai kickboxing that she ultimately found the confidence to complete a Sprint Triathlon in 2015.
Laura now incorporates health and fitness into her daily routine, whether it is boot camp at Evolve, taking a yoga or a spin class, or getting outside on her bike or going for a run. While it may have been a circuitous route to embracing a fitness-centric lifestyle, Laura is proud to be helping others realize their own potential by supporting their progress, embracing balance, and living by example.
FRANK “THE TANK” HOWELL
Frank is a native of Cape Breton who now calls Fall River home. He joined Evolve Fitness in May of 2013 and never looked back.
Growing up, basketball and cycling were his passions. He was always active even throughout university. However, one fateful day in 2008 changed his life, as he was involved in a near fatal car accident.
Fast forward to 2013 when he found Evolve Fitness. His passion for physical fitness returned, and his body got stronger again!
Since then, he has become a dedicated part time trainer at Evolve, while working full time as a medical device rep. He is passionate about food and fitness, and tries to motivate others as much as possible. Not to mention he has a killer playlist!
JOHN TRAMBLE
From Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, John is currently a teacher and director of basketball at Armbrae Academy. He is also a Basketball Nova Scotia High Performance coach, Halifax Hornets coach in the Maritime Women’s Basketball Association, tipping off their inaugural season in April 2022 and former Assistant Coach with the back-to-back AUS Champions Acadia Axewomen.
In his spare time, you can find John at Evolve, filling in part-time when the Benvie Boys are off gallivanting to paradises unknown, or on your screen for Virtual Evolve at home workouts.
John is a graduate from St. Francis Xavier University, where he became great friends with Matt Benvie and witnessed the beginnings of Evolve Fitness. He brings his energetic passion for living a healthy and happy lifestyle to every class, along with a “pump up the jams” playlist to wake the space and pick up the pace.
Let's take a ride on the struggle bus together and Get ER Done. Can't wait to meet all of you and best of luck on your Evolve Fitness journey!
JESSICA DOUCET
Originally from Cape Breton, Jessica moved to Halifax in 2016 to work as a Land Surveyor. Growing up, her family was big into organized sports but she had no interest in it herself.
After deciding to make some changes in her life she was introduced to Evolve through their 6 week challenges and quickly fell in love with everything they had to offer. Since becoming a member at Evolve in 2018, Jessica’s outlook on fitness and nutrition has completely changed.
She has completed her Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification and her ISSA Personal Training Certification. You can mostly find her at our Bedford location, where she teaches boot camp, cardio & core and spin classes.
Jessica draws from her personal experience joining Evolve to help relate to and help others who are feeling overwhelmed and are struggling to get started.
ANDREW MACSWAIN
Andrew was born and raised in Charlottetown, PEI and moved off the Island after completing his bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Education at UPEI in 2010. Andrew then spent a few years traveling the world for contract work in both teaching and modelling until settling in Iqaluit, Nunavut in 2016 to teach. Andrew and his wife moved back to Halifax in June 2019.
In addition to classroom teaching, Andrew has experience in coaching athletic teams. Andrew coached provincial soccer teams and developed a soccer goalkeeping school while completing his undergraduate degrees at UPEI and playing for the UPEI soccer team. Andrew also has a passion for yoga and completed his yoga teacher training in Goa, India during the winter of 2019.
Andrew joined our Evolve team in the fall of 2019 as a bootcamp fitness instructor and in late 2019, he also began teaching yoga.
Andrew loves the fitness community at Evolve and is driven by the energy from each client and colleague he works with. He appreciates the challenge of tailoring his fitness classes to each individuals' comfort and skill level. He enjoys training in an environment that exposes him to individuals with a wide-variety of fitness levels and goals. He has a passion for life-long learning and overall mental and physical wellness and he feels that Evolve is the perfect place for him to grow in his experience as a yoga and fitness instructor for many years to come.
ZOE INGRAHAM
Growing up in the small town of Lunenburg, Zoe knew what it meant to involve herself in the community, so it felt completely natural to join the Evolve team! Throughout high school, she played every sport possible, which kick started her keen interest in fitness and nutrition. When she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition at Acadia University she knew that she wanted to work in an upstream wellness environment.
Zoe’s personal journey has provided her with a unique understanding of the struggle associated with food and body image. She takes a holistic, strength-based approach to helping clients, and believes that healthy eating combined with a positive attitude is fundamental to physical and mental well-being. Zoe is a certified mindfulness and meditation teacher.
Outside of Evolve, Zoe loves spending time with her two cats, and has recently begun using her organizational talents to help others declutter their lives.
AMERA HINNAWI
Hi lovelies, I’m Amera! I am a personal trainer/fitness coach and a bootcamp instructor. I am passionate about promoting exercise and other daily practices to serve for a longer, healthier and happier life.
I am a Dalhousie graduate of a Bachelor of Sciences in Kinesiology (2018) and Masters of Arts in Health Promotion/Therapeutic Recreation (2020). The majority of my academic journey was spent doing research in exercise physiology and community involvement.
I apply my research expertise through my duties here at Evolve. I believe that achieving small daily goals leads to bigger and longer successes, and celebrating those achievements with our loved ones is a success of its own. I am excited to celebrate those achievements with you!
A little more about me:
Place of birth: Damascus, Syria
Nickname: Peaches
Favourite colour(s): Black and pink
Favourite leg exercise: Bulgarian split squats
Free time activities: Cooking and eating
JEN HARBIN
Jen is a certified yoga and mindfulness instructor with a personal and professional focus on resilience and connection. Jen's philosophy is that success is achieved when you uncover your unique talent and use it to create change.
Her professional background includes an extensive career in government, non profit and entrepreneurship, however her true passion is supporting others to recognize their ability to have an impact and live with purpose. An active advocate for Cystic Fibrosis and regulatory change, Jen draws on her experience to bring motivation and mindfulness to each of her sessions.
When she's not instructing yoga and mindfulness for our Evolve at Home and corporate clients, Jen is also Evolve's Business Manager and all-around rockstar on the admin side of things.
AMY MUENCH
Amy’s time at Evolve began as a client in 2017. After a very successful 50lb weight loss, she fell in love with strength training and naturally transitioned into the sport of competitive powerlifting, where she now holds multiple national records with WPC Canada Powerlifting for her squat, bench, and deadlift.
In 2020, Amy decided to move into a coaching career and help others reach their goals. She uses nutrition and training strategies along with her own experience to guide others through weight loss, strength building, and improving performance. She is passionate about helping others work through physical and mental blocks and discover what they are capable of.
Amy is certified with the International Sport Sciences Association as a Strength & Conditioning Specialist, Sports Nutritionist, and Personal Trainer. She is also a Precision Nutrition Level 1 Coach.
Outside of the gym, Amy can usually be found in her cake studio running her other business, Cake Babes, most likely with some classic 80’s & 90’s country playing in the background!
CHRISTINE INGHAM
Christine joined the Evolve team at the end of 2020 to help with the additional administrative tasks that come with adding a virtual fitness offering to a busy boutique gym.
Originally from Pictou County, Christine moved to Halifax in 2014 to attend Saint Mary's University for a Bachelor of Commerce. She had initially planned to move to a bigger city after getting her degree, but after spending a semester studying in Spain, she realized how much she loved Halifax and is here to stay.
Christine thrives on being able to wear multiple hats, working on an array of projects at once and making her colleague's jobs easier, which is what drew her to working in an assistant role. Evolve's tight-knit community and love of giving back were how she knew this position would be a perfect fit.
At Evolve, you can find her answering questions for clients, organizing the space, planning challenge parties or uploading content to the member site. In her free time, you can find her hiking with her dog, baking mediocre cakes or attending bootcamp. Christine's favourite exercise is deadlifts, and her favourite post-workout snack is a banana!
DEMETRIUS “MEECH” FERGUSON
Demetrius Ferguson, known as Meech, was born and raised in the islands of the Bahamas, and has been a Haligonian for the past 6 years. He is a former dual student athlete at Saint Francis Xavier university, playing both Football and Track & Field. Fitness and sports have always been a huge part of his life for as long as he can remember. Meech loves connecting with people in his community and enjoys networking. You can also find him exploring the great outdoors, he’s an avid hiker, and enjoys adventuring with his dogs as much as possible.
You’ll always find him moving.. if it’s working out, trail running, or still competing in numerous recreational sports around the city including, football, basketball, softball, and volleyball.
Here’s a fun fact about Meech, he’s also a trained volunteer Doula, and is only one of two trained male doulas in Canada. One of his favourite phrases he says on a daily basis is; “Try to take over the world” which is a quote from his favourite cartoon Pinky & The Brain.
KENDRA PITRE
Kendra is a recent BBA graduate of Mount Saint Vincent University, with a major in Marketing and a minor in Applied Human Nutrition. When she’s not teaching boot camps, you can find her golfing, hiking, spinning or volunteering at events around the city. Her two favorite endeavors she’s completed include sky diving and scuba diving.
Growing up, she was put into every sport possible but found a competitive passion for soccer and volleyball, which later led to coaching. Over the years she’s learned the importance of physical activity on both the mind and the body for people of all ages.
Kendra took two years off school to seize the opportunity to work offshore on seismic vessels and yachts. During this time, she also taught English and French in Italy. Throughout her travels, she became fascinated by the power of nutrition and its ability to fuel and heal the body, which led her back to finish her degree.
She loves to challenge herself and believes it’s important to work on your weaknesses. “Yet” is an important word to use in life; Instead of saying I can’t, switch your mindset to I can’t...YET! You are capable of so much more than you know, you just need to believe in yourself.
NINA BRIEN
Nina started at Evolve right as the pandemic of 2020 hit and she hasn't looked back! She is now a leader for 5 virtual classes a week in both bootcamp and cardio and you may also find her jumping in on an in-person bootcamp too!
Originally from Bedford, Nina graduated from MSVU in 2014 after playing 5 years of basketball as a Varsity athlete. She was never the most talented player on the court but what kept her going was her ability to last the longest! This love for fitness is now instilled in her as she started to see success on the basketball court and in her personal life.
Basketball is a passion for her so she continues to coach in the community and was able to capture a Provincial Championship title in 2018 with the Citadel High School Phoenix. Her coaching energy transfers well to Evolve Fitness classes as she loves to keep people motivated and encouraged. You may also see her dancing because that's a secret talent or hers.. "The best thing you can do for your body is move it - so why not have fun doing it?"
