For Vanessa, LG2’s Events and Activations Manager, sports have long been a defining element in life. From playing AAA basketball after school to competing at the Jeux du Quebec, she spent so much time with her teammates that they felt like her second family. Over time, her passion for sports evolved and Vanessa completed her certification to become a movement teacher – or rather a “happy coach,” as she prefers to say – for HappyFitness.
“Happy coach” may sound like an unusual title, but it makes perfect sense when you hear Vanessa talk about the benefits of movement for the mind and body. There’s only one rule: have fun! There are no body-related restrictions in her class, the goal is for people to enjoy themselves and reconnect with their inner child. Vanessa strives to make movement more accessible, ensuring it’s not limited to a certain body type or level of fitness.
Vanessa is committed to helping people feel good. She brings her enthusiasm to training women in Montreal parks and treats herself with the same gentle support. Her dedication is obvious to those around her: she always has a podcast on spirituality or a book on well-being to recommend, a healthy recipe to suggest, even the perfect playlist to help boost your mood. Vanessa never stops looking for new approaches to helping people gain a deeper understanding of themselves.
Connecting with herself and her environment through her mindfulness practice is a fundamental part of Vanessa’s sensitive nature. Convinced that we’re all connected to something greater than ourselves, she immerses herself in intuitive writing every day and finds deep comfort in animals. She’s particularly passionate about causes dedicated to saving animals, having adopted an abandoned kitten a few years ago and then a stray dog on her last trip to Mexico.
In 2022, after adopting River, her four-legged best friend, Vanessa received a diagnosis that finally explained the baffling health symptoms she’d had for over six years: she had Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), an incurable genetic condition characterized by overly flexible joints, skin hyperelasticity and generalized tissue fragility resulting in partial dislocations, cervical instability and chronic pain. Now that she had a condition that affected her whole body and her motor skills, her relationship with River became not just rewarding, but life-saving. Since her pet needs to get out and walk, it pushes Vanessa to do the same, despite her ups and downs.
After receiving the news, Vanessa took the only advice that doctors could give her: move. Though she already knew the power of movement, it became a privilege she vowed to celebrate. Encouraging others to do the same in her classes became a greater source of fulfillment and motivation. With the future of her health uncertain, Vanessa celebrates all that her body can do on any given day and all that others can achieve in their workouts.
Her philosophy of “don’t sweat the small stuff” (she credits Chloé Rochette for passing along this legendary wisdom) is an inspiration to us all. The one thing she wants people to take away from her story is to always do things with intention, because nothing is permanent. It’s a philosophy she tries to put into practice each and every day, and it’s a constant challenge. On good days and bad she just keeps moving, encouraging others to be there for themselves and the people they love, to appreciate what they have and to never take anything for granted.
LG2 would like to thank boulangerie Aube and the cheerful clients at HappyFitness in Parc Lalancette for generously hosting our Peek series.
Vanessa Bourque, Events and Activations Manager
