2020 Professional of the Year
Congrats to our 2020 Winners!
U.S. Pro of the Year
Colleen Bridges, M.Ed
Personal Trainer, Coach and Educator
Nashville, TN
Colleen Bridges has worked for nearly 20 years as a personal trainer, group exercise instructor and fitness coach. Her passion for understanding the body — in sickness and in health — and how it moves has led to her special interest and talent in working with senior adults, especially those living with Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. Her skill at designing and implementing tailored strength, balance and endurance programs has resulted in an extremely loyal and long-tenured client base.
Colleen is an NSCA Certified Personal Trainer and has acquired many specialty certifications in areas related to neurological diseases. These include Parkinson’s Cycle Instructor Certification, Rock Steady Boxing Instructor Certification, and Brains and Balance Specialist, just to name a few.
She works with clients at S.T.E.P.S. Fitness and Rock Steady Boxing Music City in Nashville. She is the founder of Power for Parkinson’s, offering consults with clients, and coaching and development services for other fitness professionals. She is the author of MedFit Classroom’s Parkinson’s Fitness Specialist online course, to educate other trainers to safely and effectively work with Parkinson’s clients.
International Pro of the Year
Vani B. Pahwa
Founder, 'Body In Motion' Programs
Gurgaon, Haryana, India
Vani B. Pahwa is a Movement, Functional Fitness, Rehab and Cancer Exercise Specialist, among other niche specialties in the domain of wellness. Vani has nearly 2 decades of in-depth experience, diverse client profiles, and cutting-edge certifications from leading internationally-accredited and globally-recognized fitness institutions.
She is the leading Wellness Expert in India for people with challenging health conditions (Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson, etc.) and those wanting to overcome limiting constraints in their daily or competitive performance (chronic health issues, lifestyle-related health conditions/disease, injuries, sports performance). She is also one of the leading Corporate Wellness Experts with some of the most reputed companies across different industries. Major sports companies frequently utilize her services as a Foot & Gait Analyst and Movement Specialist to conduct specialized training and rehab programs.
Vani is a columnist with some of the leading national dailies and magazines, and a frequently sought subject matter expert panelist, consultant, writer and speaker. Her combination of specialties, client profile & range, and extensive work experience, make her unique in India.
Congrats to our 1st Runner Up!
Christine Conti, M.Ed
Let's FACE It TogetherTM Creator; Founder, Conti Fitness & Wellness LLC
New York, NY
Christine Conti is an international fitness presenter and educator, as well as the CEO of Conti Fitness & Wellness, LLC. With over 20 years of experience in the fitness industry, Christine creates and implements functional fitness programs for all ages and abilities. She is the creator of Let’s FACE It Together ™, a facial fitness and rehabilitation program with a certification that is sweeping the nation. She is the author of MedFit Classroom’s Arthritis Fitness Specialist online course, to educate other trainers to safely and effectively work with clients with arthritis.
Congrats to all of our 2020 Nominees!
DECEMBER
Vani B. Pahwa
Founder, ‘Body In Motion’ Programs
Gurgaon, India
NOVEMBER
Joshua Slone
Medical Fitness & Health Coach, Move Well, Live Well Preventative Healthcare Services
Yucca Valley, CA
OCTOBER
Alexis Batrakoulis
Founder, International Obesity Exercise Training Institute
Larisa, Greece
SEPTEMBER
Ke Wynn Lee
Founder, Ke Wynn Medical Fitness Center
Penang, Malaysia
AUGUST
Colleen Bridges
Personal Trainer and Coach, S.T.E.P.S. Fitness & Rock Steady Boxing Music City
Nashville, TN
JULY
Terrance Hutchinson
Owner, Your Best Lifestyles Fitness and Nutrition
Atlanta, GA
JUNE
Leigh Pozas
Owner, FitZone Bakersfield & Ventura
Bakersfield, CA
MAY
Dr. Dan Mikeska
Founder & CEO, Nova Medical Exercise
Herndon, VA
APRIL
Peggy Mills
Owner, UFIT (Unique Fitness and Independence Training)
Dublin, OH
MARCH
Leo Cruz
Strength and Conditioning and Corrective Exercise Specialist, Sports Conditioning And Rehabilitation (SCAR)
Orange, CA
FEBRUARY
Brendan Vermeire
Founder & Owner, Metabolic Solutions, LLC
Overland Park, KS
JANUARY
Christine Conti
Creator, Let’s FACE It TogetherTM; Founder, Conti Fitness & Wellness LLC
New York, NY
Submit Your Nomination for 2021
Each month, MedFit Professional Magazine selects one professional exemplifying the values of “medical fitness”.
Each of the 2021 Professionals of the Month will be in the running for “2021 Pro of the Year”. The winner will be announced in early 2022.