OUR TEAM

Laura Sygrove
Executive Director, Co-founder

Laura has dedicated several years to teaching and management work within the Toronto yoga studio community, and has also taught yoga at both studio and non-studio settings in Asia and in Trinidad.

She completed a 500 hour yoga certification in 2005, and has since earned certifications of training with Vajra Yoga & the Lineage Project in New York City, designed specifically for working with at-risk and incarcerated youth, Street Yoga Teacher Training (Portland, Oregon) for street-involved youth, participated in Youth Circles Training through Peace Builders International, and a 6 month Mindfulness Yoga Teacher Training, bridging Buddhism and yoga. She has also completed the certificate training program in Trauma Sensitive Yoga at The Trauma Center, Justice Resource Institute in Boston, studied mindfulness for at-risk youth with Vinny Ferraro, teacher training director for Mind Body Awareness Project in Oakland, CA, and most recently completed additional training in trauma-informed yoga at Wavelengths studio in Ontario.

Laura has been working directly with youth in custody for the past 9 years, and currently teaches at Roy McMurtry Youth Centre in Brampton.

Jessica Robertson
Co-founder

Jessica Robertson is co-founder and director of Moksha Yoga, a community of environmentally designed and ethically inspired yoga studios. She has been involved in leadership positions in the not-for-profit sector for over a decade, working primarily to implement and safeguard international human rights legislation and to promote environmentally conscious living.

Jessica has studied yoga with Baba Hari Das, Jai Uttal, Gurumukh, Bikram Choudhary, Sri Navasana, Judith Lasater and many other yoga luminaries.

Nicole Madison
Administrative Director

Nicole has been involved in management positions in the non-profit and charitable sector for over 10 years. She has worked in design, in administration and bookkeeping, as well as event management. Nicole is a certified yoga teacher; dedicated to the practice of yoga for over 10 years and teaching yoga since 2005. Her certifications include Moksha Yoga, Mindfulness Yoga with Frank Jude Boccio, Restorative Yoga with Hali Schwartz and Trauma Sensitive Yoga with the Justice Resource Institute.

Emily Bremner
Director of Development

Emily came to New Leaf from the Centre for Business and Social Entrepreneurship (CBaSE) at the University of Guelph where she worked as Project Manager. In her role, Emily developed programming that fostered strong rapport between a growing number of young people and businesses each year. While at CBaSE, she assisted in the creation of a 5 year strategic plan, proposed and contributed to implementing an incubator space - a facility that now houses several student start-ups - supported small business research & development overseas, and secured funding that supported the Centre’s long-term evolution. Professionally, Emily is movtivated by a personal desire to build strong, resilient communities.

Julia Gibran
Program & Educational Coordinator

Julia’s studies in yoga began at age four with her grandfather long before she learned a physical posture. Her accreditations now include study in Hatha, Meditation, Mindfulness, Vinyasa, Restorative, Yin and Trauma Therapeutics, and she has been teaching for the last decade in classrooms, studios and on retreat. Her background in Education fuels a passion for social activism and working with trauma survivors of all ages. Julia has worked extensively for the past six years facilitating New Leaf programming, mentoring instructors, building community relationships and supporting youth.

Felicia Cyrus
Administrative Assistant

Felicia began attending New Leaf’s Free Up program in Rexdale as a participant in 2012. Developing a love for yoga and continued interest in community services, she became an intern for New Leaf, assisting with the functioning of the Free Up program in Rexdale and other important New Leaf projects. A Social Service Work graduate, Felicia spends her time working as a child and youth program facilitator with the Albion Boys and Girls Club and a certified recreational gymnastics coach with various gymnastics clubs in Toronto. She has also worked and volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto and Tropicana Community Services. Felicia currently attends York University, where she hopes to obtain her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.