The Capital Strength Podcast

In this episode, we sit down with professional hockey player  Kyle McDonald  of the Texas Stars and  Matt Kelly , physiotherapist at Capital Strength, for an inside look at the journey from junior hockey to the professional ranks—and the challenges that come with it. Kyle shares his path through the OHL, what it took to become a point-per-game player, and the biggest adjustments he faced transitio...

In this episode, I sit down with Canadian professional golfer and 2025 PGA Championship of Canada winner, Craig Stefureak. Craig shares his journey from growing up at MontHill Golf & Country Club to competing at the NCAA level at Drury University, and ultimately making the leap into professional golf. We dive into what it really takes to pursue a career in pro golf—the highs, the challenges, a...

The MOST full circle Story yet. Jacob has been around Capital Strength since he was 14 years old. In this episode, we sit down with Jacob, strength coach at Capital Strength and former OUA First Team All-Star volleyball player. After completing his Bachelor of Kinesiology at Brock University—where he also competed with the Brock Badgers—Jacob has transitioned from high-level athlete to coach, brin...

Movement Literacy, Pilates, and the Future of Fitness Education In Episode 18, I sit down with  Liv Urquhart , founder of  The Body Balance Studio , to talk about movement literacy, entrepreneurship, and the evolving relationship between fitness and healthcare. Liv brings a unique perspective to the industry with a background that includes an  Honours Degree in Human Kinetics , an  Advanced Diplom...

In this episode, I sit down with one of the true heartbeats of Capital Strength — Michelle Ayotte. If you’ve ever trained at Capital, you know exactly who she is. The big smile. The loudest cheerleader in the room. The coach whose voice carries across the entire facility. The mastermind behind Boost Your Body Bootcamp, and so much of the creative energy that fuels our community. Over the last four...

In this episode, Nick sits down with Matt, one of the physiotherapists at Capital Strength, to dive into hockey injuries, hip and groin health, and the role of sport science in modern rehab and performance. Drawing from his background as a high-level hockey player, Matt shares insights into why hip and groin issues are so common in skating sports and how understanding biomechanics changes both ass...

Our first professional athlete on the podcast, and Capital Strength's first professional soccer player! In this episode, we sit down with Emily, a professional soccer player for the Ottawa Rapid of the NSL, to reflect on her journey from collegiate athletics to the professional game. She shares what it was like being part of the Rapids’ inaugural season and how that experience compared to play...

Donny came to Ottawa to be a Gee-Gee football player, but he stayed in Ottawa to be part of the Capital Strength family. After football, through his love for the weight room, Don found Capital and never looked back. He retells the tale of how it all came to be in this episode. Don takes us through his transition from Football, to Powerlifting, to Olympic lifting and his is debut on the marathon sc...

He’s a strength and breathwork coach, and the founder of Submerge Wellness.  A company redefining performance and recovery through breath, cold exposure, and sauna. We met during my planning phase of the 10 year anniversary party and we immediately connected on so many levels. He’s a husband, a father,  an inspiration to the health and fitness space, and leader in the industry here in Ottawa, welc...

Meet one of our newest Therapy Clinic additions, Justin Mai. Justin is one of our Performance Physiotherapists at Capital Strength . He elaborates on his own story of pain and dysfunction that plagued him for years and eventually led him down the path towards Physio. He is a compassionate healer and someone who tackles musculoskeletal problems with a very holistic approach. We discuss the shortcom...

Dr. Dave has become an integral piece of the Capital Strength Therapy Clinic and CSTS Fam. Tune in to hear about his path towards becoming an elite level chiropractor in Ottawa. From almost dropping out of university to strength coach to dedicated practitioner, Dr. Dave has a very interesting story to tell. Dr. Dave discusses his style of chiropractic practice. How he became the "needle guy&q...

Sue is a long-time member of Capital Strength, an original from when our doors opened in 2015. She has see the changes and growth of CSTS with her own eyes from the start. Sue's professional career started in fitness and she grew in the industry for 20 years before making her way in to Real Estate where she know leads a team who is recognized nationally within Royal Lepage. Sue share's how...

Get to know Coach Mason in this podcast! Learn about the path he took to Capital Strength and the experience he gained along the way. Mason and I met back in 2010 when he was a young AAA hockey player and I was his Strength Coach. A full circle moment for us. Mason had the privilege of spending a summer as an intern at Gary Roberts Performance ,a world class hockey off-season program that houses N...

Dr. Anish is a Capital Crew member, an Ottawa Native,  a family physician and co-founder of Novel Health. With a background in health science, business, and medicine, he is passionate about leveraging technology to improve healthcare efficiency and patient engagement. As President of the Ottawa Medical Society, he also champions physician well-being.  In this podcast we discuss Dr. Mody's view...

Dr. Yannick is the newest member of the Capital Strength team as a chiropractor, who brings a wide range of knowledge and experience to the table. His expertise of therapy, strength training, rehab and nutrition makes him such an asset to our community and his patients. We discuss what led him to become a chiropractor and online coach. He opens up on his views treating as a chiropractor and his re...

Hari and I dive into some great chats about nutrition principles, different diets and where most people are making mistakes when it comes to nutrition. I really think the CSTS Fam is going to love this one! Hari Ghuman is the owner and clinic director of PHC360, a premier health and wellness facility in Ottawa. With over a decade of experience, Hari has had the privilege of working with thousands...

Ian Perry shares his story of how he became a Strength Coach and how he landed at Capital Strength. As the Director for Performance at Capital Strength, he explains how his training philosophy has changed over the last 9 years. We dive into a large talk about the trending topic of longevity. He goes into detail about how to breakdown longevity training, where to start and how to increase your heal...

He holds Master of Science Degrees in both Exercise Science and Sports Management and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with 18 years’ experience in varying capacities from youth to professional athletics. He  is the Founder and Head Coach at Master Athletic Performance and the Co-Founder and Lead Educator of Coaches Corner University. He is a Coach, Educator, Mentor and Athlete....

Learn about Coach Lex's story at Capital Strength over the last 9 years; how she went from intern student to the facility manager. She talks about her training philosophy, and how its changed - "movement is medicine". We discuss her passion for training and educating female clients. She tells us her favourite health and wellness hacks and more!

The Founder of Capital Strength, Nick Haince, tells the story of how he got into the fitness industry 18 years ago and the story of how Capital Strength was created. This episode recaps the last 10 years along with the challenges and changes Capital Strength has seen. You'll learn about the evolution of the business, the team and the CSTS family community since 2015.

Welcome to the Capital Strength Podcast! I’m Nick Haince, the founder of Capital Strength Training Systems, an athletic training facility here in Ottawa. We talk fitness, business, health, rehabilitation and more with our CSTS family, industry experts, and special guests! I’m excited to share our story and the stories of our community with you, so let’s get into it!