Dr. Shaunna Taylor PhD

I love all things to do with sport!

From an early age, I knew I'd found my place when drawn to sports like gymnastics, track & field, field hockey, basketball and soccer. My parents supported my wide variety of sports, following the "Sport for Life" model, culminating in international competition & seeing the world as an athlete. I've dedicated my life to building a healthy sport system in Canada, working with Canadian athletes and international colleagues in Olympic/Paralympic Games since 1998. I've found that people essentially want the same things: to feel appreciated, included, challenged, and loved. Sport has been my United Nations.

I am a sport leader at PacificSport Okanagan, and I sit on the International Paralympic Committee's Women in Sport Subcommittee, and the Girls and Women's Advisory Group at viaSport BC. Sport helped to form the creative, compassionate, and balanced person I've become. I'm a certified counsellor and Chair of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association, serving Canadian Sport Centres across Canada. Sport helps athletes set goals, manage stress, form healthy relationships, find leadership and to manage conflict and challenges. It helps us test our mental and physical limits and it feels great!

Particular interests to me involve the glory of human performance, but with a critical eye, asking more of me and you:

* Accessible sport - for the challenges of socio-economics, gender, sexual orientation, race, politics, religion or differences in level of ability. I believe in sport for all

* Fair and ethical sport - respectful treatment for participants and officials; honoring the rules; drug-free participation + hard work

* Coaching Support - raised profile of appreciation, professionalism and fiscal support for coaches - they are pillars of the sport community

* Equality and responsibility for portrayal of women in sport - I envision a community where female athletes are empowered, admired as strong mentors, and free to participate in sport without sexploitation and objectification

* A sport culture that helps us love our bodies and ourselves - what's inside us, and what our bodies do... not just what they look like (please visit: www.bodysense.ca)

We're not there yet. But we're on our way. Thanks for stopping by.