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Our Story

Our Story

About Rez Dog

Our Main Initiative is to Support Youth Athletes! 

When you support Rez Dog Barbell Club, you are supporting an athlete in need. Our Athlete Sponsorship Initiative can assist a youth with facility membership fees, athletic clothing and shoes, athletic programming and even specialized coaching!  

 

Our Mission: To be a supporting partner, through a variety of avenues, in the path toward equal opportunities for every member of every Indigenous community.

  • We are about empowerment and helping to build confidence through fitness and holistic well-being. 
  • Fitness to us is an avenue toward meaningful endeavours. Wellness, focus, accountability and an overall demonstration of committed character transpiring athletes into leaders. 
  • We are committed to building and maintaining community partnerships that will help to support and inspire change. 

Our Vision: Healthy, confident and empowered Indigenous leaders who continue to close the gaps of inequality.

The Rez Dog Story

Rez Dog Barbell Club is a not-for-profit corporation. We are community driven – motivated by challenge and the pursuit of change and inclusion. With what began in our garage gym, Rez Dog Barbell Club’s name is a representation of true grit, resiliency and survival. Rez Dog is a symbol of determination and a reminder to never quit, no matter what the environment or situation. The gym is where you put the work in. It is where you take control and learn to be accountable and build character. Attributes that translate to life outside the gym, where we need healthy, motivated leaders.

At Rez Dog, we are building a community of leaders and motivated partners who share our vision and who’s efforts in the gym will lead to action in
communities.

I am proud to be called a wife, stepmom, daughter, sister, granddaughter, aunt and friend. I always felt that our families should be our number one priority. While keeping this value close to my heart, it is time to come together as a big family and make our Indigenous youth, families and communities a priority. I am proud of my heritage and today stand strong, with my head up, as an Anishinaabe woman. Unfortunately, this has not always been the case. I struggled with low self-esteem, self confidence, and had no connection to my Ojibway culture. I felt lost in my identity and often wondered where I belonged being “only half” Indigenous. After many years I recognized this disconnection was a result of colonization, the direct impact of residential school and continued inequalities we see today. I stand for reconciliation, equality and inclusion. Rez Dog allows me to use my passion for fitness and a holistic health approach to give back to our people while empowering our youth.
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Zoe began her career as a registered nurse, then attended Northern Ontario School of Medicine where she obtained her degree in medicine. She is now a medical doctor with a specialization in Psychiatry.
Zoe MichanoFounder, Coach
Zoe Michano
Growing up I never knew, not one thing, about the history of Indigenous people and all of the injustices. Life took me north and it was there, after completing “schooling” that I began my true education. I was accepted and embraced by the Cree of O-Pipon-Na-Piwin First Nation (Northern Manitoba). It was here where for the first time, from First People, that I became aware of the tragic pasts and the severe lack of resources and ongoing hardships. Shortly after, I was welcomed and encouraged by the Nuxalk Nation (Central coast British Columbia). It was here that I was invited to participate in rich cultural practices and where I felt true pride and belonging. Now, I am family to the Ojibways of Biigtigong Nishnaabeg (Northwestern Ontario).
It is here that I continue to embrace the teachings and spread awareness. Using my passion for fitness and healthy balance, I apply the lessons that I’ve learned. This is where I am loved and where I stand up to be a trusted voice for change and empowerment.
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A certified Strength and Conditioning coach, Matt spent 8 years as a teacher before embarking on a career in law enforcement.
Matt GulkaFounder, Coach
Matt Gulka

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