Evado StudiosHawthorn

Glenn McKernan

Director | APA Sports Physiotherapist

Master of Physiotherapy (Sports)

Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Hons)

Glenn is a founding Director of Evado Studios and has more than 15 years of experience in the Sports and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy industry. Glenn’s formal education includes a Masters of Physiotherapy (Sports) at The University of Melbourne where he was the top ranked student in his year level. He then became a qualified APA Sports Physiotherapist having completed various roles with the Football Federation Victoria, VFL Football, AGSV/APS football and National Institute of Circus Arts. More recently his sporting involvement has been with Russian Choreographic Academy (ballet) and Trinity Grammar (soccer and basketball). In 2018, Glenn also commenced a Tutoring role at The University of Melbourne’s School of Physiotherapy.

The majority of Glenn’s patients are directly referred to him through word-of-mouth. He has expertise in the management of complex and chronic injuries and enjoys working with individuals of any age and any level who are wishing to return-to-exercise or return-to-sport. Detailed and precise manual therapy treatments and Clinical Pilates programs are a key focus of his work.

Much of Glenn’s work is also the behind-the-scenes management of the Evado organisation and its team.

Special interests:

- Neck pain, headaches & migraines

- Low back pain

- TMJ dysfunction

- Sporting hip/knee injuries

Simone Phillips

Clinical Manager | Senior Physiotherapist

Graduate Certificate in Sports Physiotherapy (current)
Master of Physiotherapy
Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science (Physiology)

Simone is currently completing her Graduate Certificate in Sports Physiotherapy at LaTrobe University. She graduated from the University of Sydney with a Master of Physiotherapy after completing a degree in Exercise and Sport Science at Deakin University.

Simone has a vast background in strength and conditioning and tennis coaching. This combined with her prior degree has given her a solid foundation in exercise programming and prescription. Simone believes that exercise is vital in injury recovery and future prevention, making it a cornerstone of her treatment. She combines this with manual therapy and education to encourage patients to achieve their long-term goals and create self-sufficiency.

Further training:

• Trigger Point Dry Needling
• Clinical Pilates

Simone enjoys working with individuals of all ages. She also has had vast experience working with children and adolescences and enjoys teaching both the parent and child strategies to combat future demands of the desired sport/activity. She has had vast experience working with sporting teams working as the team physio for the ‘Dodgeball Federation Australia’ for the Australian Dodgeball Team between 2017-2020; as well as working with Hawthorn Amateurs Football Club. This work increased her interest in overuse injuries and in implementing injury prevention programs to ensure athlete longevity.

Special interests:

• Sporting related injuries
• Shoulders/Ankles
• Clinical Pilates & Clinical Strength

Mitch Stewart

Fitness Manager | Exercise Scientist | Personal Trainer

Bachelor of Exercise & Sport Science

ASCA Level 1 Strength & Conditioning Coach 

Mitch is passionate about leading by example and working hard to get the most out of himself and those around him. He places a large focus on technical proficiency and building a strong foundation to ensure his clients move correctly with excellent form. His aim is to help educate clients on how to move more efficiently so they can achieve their maximum potential. 

After successful completion of a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science at Deakin University, Mitch devoted his spare time attending courses and completing internships to learn from some of the best in the industry. 

Mitch has worked as an Exercise Scientist and Personal Trainer at Evado Studios since 2016. This has allowed him to gain a wealth of experience working with a range of diverse clientele focusing on body composition and rehabilitation. Working closely with the Physiotherapy team and targeting his interest towards strength training and rehab has taken his skillset to another level.

Mitch’s experience is demonstrated in his tailored programming for individual clients and group classes. It is clear from his training sessions that he can achieve results with a broad range of clientele in both an individual and group setting. Mitch states that programming with the right exercises, sets, reps, and tempo, along with the right amount of variety, are the key for a solid foundation. He believes that pairing this foundation with attention to detail on technique and intention will lead to exceptional increases in strength, injury prevention, body composition, and longevity. 

Katrina Laczoffy

Clinical Services Coordinator | Physiotherapist

Doctor of Physiotherapy
Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science (Hons)

Katrina graduated from The University of Melbourne and Deakin University with a Doctor of Physiotherapy and a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science (Hons), respectively. She has actively been working in the private sports and fitness settings focusing on rehabilitation, injury prevention, load management and optimising performance over the last eight years. Katrina believes in a patient centered cared approach with exercise as the cornerstone of management, combined with manual therapy and education. This formula ensures patients achieve not only their long-term goals but prevents re-injury through self-sufficiency.

Katrina enjoys working with a variety of clientele, ranging from elite level athletes to general population across the lifespan. Her interest in optimising performance, return to sport post injury and injury prevention originated from her basketball experience where she played state and representative basketball in Victoria. Katrina encountered multiple knee injuries which ignited these interests.

Outside of basketball, Katrina has implemented exercise science initiatives, conditioned and rehabilitated athletes from varied sports including swimming, track cycling, rowing and football. She maintains her ongoing exposure to high quality research and events through her membership with the Australian Physiotherapy Association.

Katrina also has an interested in research. She completed her Honours in 2014 at Deakin University, in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Sport. She worked as a Research Assistant within the Occupational Exercise and Sports Science Research Team at Deakin University for two years whilst teaching tertiary education in Exercise Science.

Outside of physiotherapy, Katrina enjoys indulging in one too many coffees around Melbourne.

Josh Sedgwick

Physiotherapist

Bachelor of Health Science (Physiotherapy)

Josh graduated from the Auckland University of Technology with a Bachelor of Health Science majoring in Physiotherapy.

Josh has experience working with a range of patients suffering from acute and chronic conditions in rehabilitation, sporting and hospital settings. Having been involved with a number of AFL and Rugby Union sports clubs in New Zealand, both as a physiotherapist and as an athlete, has helped Josh understand and relate to the challenges, barriers and feelings faced during rehabilitation and working towards health goals.

Josh believes in the importance of a patient-centred approach taking into consideration how biological, physiological, and social factors interconnect and influence recovery. He does this by working closely with patients to formulate an individualised plan that addresses their needs and assists them to return to full physical function.

Josh has a strong interest in optimising performance in athletes and providing quality rehabilitation to the general population using a combination of treatment modalities including manual therapy, exercise and education.

Josh specialises in treating golfers and plays off a scratch handicap himself. He uses a range of treatment strategies to rehabilitate specific golf related injuries and works with clients to produce individualised exercise programmes training the body to move efficiently and effectively in the golf swing, reducing chance of injury and improving performance.

Outside of Evado, Josh enjoys spending time on the golf course or footy oval where he plays both competitively.

Lauren Cafra

Physiotherapist

Master of Physiotherapy Practice

Bachelor of Applied Science

Lauren completed her Bachelor of Applied Science and Masters of Physiotherapy Practice at La Trobe University. 

Lauren’s interest in the Physiotherapy profession began at an early age through her involvement in multiple sports including gymnastics, netball and running. Frequent Physiotherapy appointments for the treatment and rehabilitation of various injuries opened her eyes to the possibility of a future career in this field. 

Her experience working as a Fitness Instructor has facilitated a solid foundation of exercise knowledge, prescription and technique skills, and an ability to motivate individuals of all ages. She has also worked closely with the senior teams at the VAFA football club, St Bernard’s, assisting in injury treatment and management.

Lauren’s aspiration as a Physiotherapist is to provide holistic client care that utilises exercise and strength training principles in combination with Physiotherapy techniques to facilitate an effective recovery. She believes a personalised plan, incorporating a balance of exercise, lifestyle habits and self-management strategies, is the key to long term health and injury prevention. Lauren is passionate about helping individuals, of all ages, return to their full capacity and maintain optimal health and wellbeing. 

Ryoki Takeda

Myotherapist

Diploma of Myotherapy
Diploma of Remedial Massage
Diploma of Sports Therapy
Diploma of Shiatsu
Diploma of Classical Yoga

Ryoki has over 15 years of experience in massage and shiatsu.

He treats various conditions ranging from chronic to acute pain, sports injuries and other muscular problems. All populations benefit from Ryoki’s approach, in particular sportspeople, office workers, children and elderly. A range of techniques are used including trigger point therapy, myofascial release, deep tissue, shiatsu, acupressure and muscle energy techniques.  Combining Western medicine with Chinese medicine theory can be of benefit to challenging cases in Ryoki’s view.

In 2017, Ryoki completed his Diploma of Myotherapy. This adds to his already extensive list of treatment options and also means he is able to use a range of dry needling techniques.

Rebecca Stone

Clinical Nutritionist

Bachelor of Health Science (Nutritional Medicine)
Cert. III Gym Instructor
Bronze Level Swim Coach

Bec is a is a strong believer in food as medicine and is passionate about all areas of nutrition, in particular, sports nutrition, gut health and weight management.

As a former national-level swimmer, a recreational triathlete and a competitive swimming coach, Bec has been involved and interested in sports nutrition for the last 15 years. Throughout her time in the sporting industry, Bec has found very little education or information is provided to athletes, parents or coaches on the benefits of eating whole foods to boost sports performance, recovery and physical development.

Through Bec’s personal experience, she has found the majority of advertised and recommended sports nutrition products are of poor quality. In general, they are full of chemical sweeteners, artificial additives and poorly absorbed proteins, carbohydrates and minerals. In the long term, these are detrimental to an athlete’s digestive and liver health, their sports performance and their overall well-being. Therefore, Bec has a strong passion for educating individuals on the benefits of consuming whole foods with high-quality natural supplements to obtain optimal nutrition. This has a major role in sports performance, recovery and muscle development.

In addition to sports nutrition and weight management, Bec is also very interested in healing the gastrointestinal tract. The digestive tract comprises several vital organs that need to be functioning in peak condition for people to attain optimal health. Therefore, Bec is interested in helping everyone improve their gut health so they can achieve optimal digestion, absorption of nutrients, strengthened immune systems and an increase in overall vitality.

Bec’s philosophy of care involves setting realistic, achievable goals that fit into an individual’s lifestyle as well as providing knowledge and resources to achieve optimal health.

Emma Watterston

Operations Manager | Pilates Instructor

Master of Business Administration
Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition & Exercise Scientist)
Certificate III & IV in Fitness

A career in health and fitness was a natural step for Emma after competing in dancing at a state and national level for many years.

Her experience in teaching dancing inspired a love of group and Personal Training, which lead her to complete a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition & Exercise Science) and Certificate III & IV in Fitness.

Emma commenced working at Evado in 2012 where she was first introduced to reformer Pilates. and has been passionate about it ever since. She offers dynamic, challenging and fun classes, and she loves to think of new combinations to push you to your limits.

As well as instructing Fitness Pilates, Emma is the Operations Manager for the Evado group and completed a Master of Business Administration in 2019. When she's not working, you can find her sweating it out in a Conditioning class or hanging out with her dog, Benji. 

Domenic Trimboli

Strength & Conditioning | Pilates

Graduate Diploma in Exercise for Rehabilitation
Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Education)
ASCA Level 1 Strength and Conditioning Coach
Clinical Pilates Instructor (DMA certified)

Anyone who has been under the instruction of Dom will identify his expertise and detailed approach to rehabilitation and specialist strength and conditioning. He is also a highly credentialed and experienced Clinical Pilates instructor.

Dom’s work history is vast with over 25 years experience in the health industry. He has worked privately for some of Australia’s elite athletes across a broad spectrum of sports as well as various Melbourne based AFL clubs over the past 15 years. Most recently, Dom was the strength and conditioning coach of Melbourne Victory FC.

Dom works on a consultancy basis and is available for people who wish to improve their ‘sport specific’ performance.

James Harrold

Exercise Scientist | Personal Trainer

Master in Sports Data Analytics (current)

Graduate Diploma in Rehabilitation Studies

Bachelor of Sports Science

Certificate III & IV in Fitness

James’ interest in exercise and training started from a young age which involved playing a wide variety of sports. This led him to play league football in the WAFL for East Fremantle where over several years he received some great coaching and was subject to high training standards. He then built on that knowledge and experience by completing a Bachelor of Sport Science at the University of Western Australia as well as a Graduate Diploma in Rehabilitation Studies at La Trobe University. He is currently studying his Masters in Sports Data Analytics and plays VFL at Essendon Football Club. He has over three years experience in the fitness industry as well as volunteering among several AFL teams.

Coupling his tertiary knowledge and previous experience within the fitness industry, James is highly motivated and wants his clients to consistently strive for their fitness goals through hard work. 

Div Pather

Personal Trainer

Bachelor of Exercise & Sports Science (current)

Certificate III & IV in Fitness

Div’s passion for exercise developed at an early age, where he participated in multiple sports before discovering resistance training at the age of 16. This lead him to start studying a Bachelor of Exercise & Sports Science and is currently enjoying every moment of it.  He is an accredited Personal Trainer with Certificates III & IV in Fitness, and an Australian Strength & Conditioning Level 1 Accredited Coach.

Div has spent multiple years applying his sports specific Strength & Conditioning knowledge at NPL soccer club, Melbourne Knight FC and State 2 Berwick City SC. Within the gym environment, his aim is to promote a fun and challenging Personal Training and group sessions for all ages and abilities, while always focusing on education to pre, intra and post training techniques and modalities to achieve goals. 

In his spare time, Div enjoys watching sport, kicking the footy with mates and watching movies. 

Sam Allen

Group Fitness Instructor

Bachelor Exercise & Sports Science (current)

St Kilda Football Club ‘Next Generation Academy’ High Performance Coach

Sports Trainer

From Auskick through to high level football, Sam has always been a keen athlete. Having been exposed at VFL level with the Casey Demons, he has a high level of regard for what quality athletic training looks like and how a coach can make it more effective. 

Sam's passion lies in athletic development, strength and conditioning, sports specific training and mechanisms for performance including methods of recovery and well-structured training. He has worked with a variety of clients ranging from young athletes to older adults looking to get moving again.

As he completes the final year of his Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, he continues to search for ways to improve his exercise prescription and delivery, while providing a fun and inclusive environment.

Brittany Baylis

Group Fitness Instructor | Admin Assistant

Bachelor of Exercise & Sports Science (current)

Brittany has always been involved in sport and, exercise, so a career in this industry comes naturally to her. Her Personal Taining style consists of mainly strength training but she loves to add some functional training, yoga and pilates into the mix also.

Brittany is passionate about helping others lead a well-rounded and balanced life and has a particular interest and specialisation in women's health. She is particularly passionate about working with female clients through all of the unique stages of their life and using exercise as a tool to help them through hormonal issues, pre/post partum & pregnancy, menopause and more. 

Brittany is studying a Bachelor of Exercise & Sport Science at Deakin University as well as completing a specialist female trainer course through the National Women's Fitness Academy. She believes that knowledge is power so she is always reading new information and keeping up to date to show up as best as possible for herself and her clients.

Brittany has also recently joined the admin team so you will see her both in classes and on the desk!

Alla Barden

Fitness Pilates Instructor

Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (Physiotherapy)

Certificate IV in Fitness

Breathe Certificate in Pilates (Matwork & Reformer)

Stott Pilates Certified Instructor (Matwork Level 1 & 2)

Alla is a highly qualified Pilates instructor who has been teaching Pilates - mat, reformer, studio & clinical - for over 10 years. She has range of experience working in Pilates studios, gyms, fitness studios and Physiotherapy clinics in Melbourne, Dubai and Moscow.

Alla’s clients call her the “Smiling Assassin,” “Spinal Police” & “Russian Rocket” and they know that she has an outstanding eye for detail.

Alla is an athlete at heart, an Economist and Psychologist by degree, and an ever evolving teacher. She is a life-loving, curious person who loves working with people, sharing knowledge and just having fun!

Come and try one of Alla’s classes for yourself - you will not regret it!

Victoria Greensmith

Fitness Pilates Instructor

Certificate IV in Pilates Matwork and Refomer

Victoria was born, raised and worked in Mexico City as a public relations consultant and journalist. After raising a family and work experience in various fields including corporate and event management, Victoria developed shoulder and hip chronic pain  which left her unable to continue Latin Dance, the sport she loved most. Out of this experience she learned that if we do not feel physically strong, our mental fitness is depleted as well. With the support of the Evado team, Victoria went on to discover Pilates and an approach to wellness for reclaiming her best self. This personal odyssey inspired her to train and work towards gaining her certification as a matwork and reformer Pilates instructor.

Having travelled  extensively in Mexico, the USA and Europe, Victoria has trained in various Pilates studios which have given her further knowledge and a great repertoire of exercises that she enjoys sharing with her clients in Melbourne.

Victoria loves to challenge her clients and strongly believes that consistency, dedication and patience is key for achieving positive results.

Emma King

Fitness Pilates Instructor

Certificate IV in Mat & Reformer Pilates

Emma has been teaching Yoga, Barre, Mat Pilates & Reformer Pilates since 2018. She has always been enthusiastic about helping others, working as a nurse in the UK before moving to Australia.

Emma aims to make everyone as welcome and comfortable as possible and will ensure a tough workout suitable for all fitness levels. She is always happy to discuss questions, concerns or injuries you may have before or after class.

Passionate about moving, when she is not instructing classes you can find her hanging out with her Border Collie at the park, playing tennis or baking vegan treats.

Kate Swain

Fitness Pilates Instructor | Admin Assistant

Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science (current)

Certificate III & IV in Pilates (Mat & Reformer)

Driven by her passion for movement after years of dance training and teaching, Kate is a lively member of Hawthorn’s Fitness Pilates Instructing and Administrative team. 

With qualifications in both mat and reformer Pilates, Kate is passionate about empowering others through movement. She strives to create inclusive and thoughtful classes, with a whole-body approach to exercise.
Outside of her administrative and instructing work, Kate is studying her Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science at Deakin University, aspiring to become a Secondary Health and Biology teacher. 

Lauren Riva

Admin Team Leader

Master of Dietetics

Bachelor of Health Science

Lauren has been part of Evado’s reception team since 2016 and thoroughly enjoys working with both clients and staff to assist in the delivery of quality services and a positive experience for all. 

Lauren’s experience in the health and wellness space began many years ago during her studies in Psychology. She has since also completed a Bachelors Degree in Science and Masters in Dietetics, and now additionally works in private practice as a Dietitian. 

Outside of work, Lauren enjoys spending her weekends hiking around the Mornington Peninsula, or browsing Melbourne’s best markets and bookstores with friends. 

Phoebe Ditchburn

Admin Assistant

Bachelor of Business (current)

Phoebe thoroughly enjoys working at Evado as it provides her great joy to support and coordinate individuals with their health and wellbeing journey. She takes great delight in having interactions with clients and welcomes the opportunity to communicate with them on a daily basis. 

Phoebe graduated from Carey Grammar School in 2020 and is currently studying a Bachelor of Business at Monash University.

Phoebe has a keen interest in sport and has been a part of many swimming, netball and water polo teams over the years. Her involvement in sport is what lead her to become a Physiotherapy client at Evado, before joining the team in 2021.