Jill is the proud owner and operator of Social Grounds, bringing over 17 years of experience as a Realtor in Calgary. With a passion for people, design, and planning, she thrives on creating meaningful connections and projects. Throughout her career as a self-employed professional, Jill often took on part-time roles, gaining valuable experience in sales, accounting, and community association work, all while staying energized and busy.

​

A longtime admirer of Oakridge, Jill finally convinced her husband to make the move to the neighborhood 11 years ago. She believes it’s the perfect place to raise their two children and one dog, and she cherishes the sense of community that Oakridge offers. Outside of work, Jill enjoys socializing, walking her dog, spending time in the mountains or on the beach, crafting, decorating both her home and shop, and, of course, savoring a good cup of coffee.

Curtis is the owner of Social Grounds, however you won't see him making coffees too often as his busy schedule doesn't allow him too. Curtis has experience running his own business, which he sold in 2020 and is now in charge of Sales & Marketing for a supply company in the Oil & Gas Industry. He is Jill's "Silent Partner", however he isn't overly quiet and has no problem telling Jill when her business ideas are less than ideal. Curtis enjoys doing a wide array of activities such as skiing (downhill & x-country), hockey, baseball, mountain biking and basically anything outdoors & active. He often coaches kids sports & loves the mountains. He is a fan of ice cream & is the reason there is ice cream available at Social Grounds!

Lenita has called Oakridge home for the past 28 years. After the birth of her fourth child, she left her career in the oil and gas industry to focus on being a full-time mom and volunteering for her children's many athletic activities. It was at Social Grounds that Lenita discovered yoga, quickly becoming close with the baristas and owner. In the spring of 2024, she was thrilled to land a position as a barista. Known for her creativity and infectious personality, Lenita is always a joy to be around. Feel free to stop by if you have any questions about our classes—she’s tried them all!

Hillary is a perpetual optimist who loves interacting with people over a cup of coffee. Working at Social Grounds is a great re-introduction into the workforce after spending two years as a stay-at-home mom with her youngest son. Hillary has 2 kids, 1 husband and a doggo! She's been drinking good, bad and tolerable coffee since she was 11, so she knows a good cuppa joe when she tastes it & she thinks the coffee at Social Grounds is top notch. If you want to meet a true morning person stop by to see Hillary weekday mornings. 

The first yoga class I took was in 2006 and was immediately intrigued. Yoga challenged me in a way I had never experienced before. The connection to self, paired with poses that engaged me mentally and physically kept bringing me back to the practice.

​

In 2017 I graduated from my 200hr teacher training with Yogadotcalm. About halfway through my yoga teacher training I injured both hamstrings, in a yoga class, and that injury completely changed the trajectory of my practice. I began to seek out further trainings in biomechanics, strengthening, critical alignment, and other movement systems to help people move better and ensure I could keep yoga in my life 

The yoga classes I teach are with an emphasis on exploration. I strive to meet students at their level, creating a safe space for anyone willing to learn.

Kaity is an experienced Yoga instructor, with over 15 years of teaching experience, and practicing for over 20.

​

Join her gentle yoga classes to learn the foundations of a strong and flexible yoga practice with focus on strength, flexibility and breath, correct alignment and developing a consistent practice with ease and grace. With her calm and gentle approach, her students feel comfortable and able to embrace the core principals of Yoga & meditation which are so beneficial and transformative.

I have been passionate about health, wellness, and fitness ever since I can remember. I finally got to follow my dreams of starting my teaching fitness journey after the birth of my second child and got my Alberta Fitness Leadership certification in portable equipment and group conditioning.  My interest has always been in functional movement – and so Barre, Pilates and functional strength training are the classes I enjoy teaching the most.

As a mom of two, I learned the importance of pelvic floor and core strength very early on. Fitness has been something that helped me both physically and emotionally when I needed to find a bit of myself otherwise lost in motherhood. I am an advocate for selfcare and self love and I encourage people to move, because they CAN, not as a punishment.

I've always enjoyed being physically active & participating in group fitness classes.  After having my second child in 2010, I decided it was time to become a certified fitness instructor with AFLCA. For 10 years I taught a variety of formats including HIIT, strength, cycling & Barre. During Covid I took a break from the industry, but found myself missing the people and connections that came through group fitness. My goal as an instructor is to provide a fun, energetic workout that never gets boring. I hope you will join me for my new early morning Barre class at Social Grounds, Breakfast Barre.

​

See you in the studio!

Lori is a mother of 3, who loves crafts, math and having fun.  Her love of crafting came quite young when she learned to knit, cross-stitch and crochet from her Mom.  Since then, she’s added quilting, scrapbooking and many other creative mediums to her repertoire of creativity.  She hopes to share this love of creativity with you at Social Grounds!

​

When not at Social Grounds, you can find Lori crafting Mittens & Bags for our retail corner and tutoring Math to all the neighborhood children.

Bridgette is a senior teacher in the ISHTA lineage and has been initiated as a Sadhaka Yogini by Kavi Yogiraj Alan Finger. In the last 25+ years she has received over 1000 hrs of training and countless hours of practice and teaching.Her love for  deep rest and relaxation led her to specialize in Yoga Nidra, Meditation and Restorative Yoga. She discovered Critical Alignment Therapy, CAT, 14yrs ago and experienced such relief from chronic back issues that she got certified to share it with others. She now teaches the practice in her Yoga for Backs classes and includes different breathing techniques, visualization and meditations in order to help her students manage their stress which plays a huge role in how pain shows up. 

​

Bridgette is also 1 of 3 women in all of Canada to be certified by the 98 yr old creator, Dinah Rodrigues, in Hormone Yoga Therapy, HYT. It is a practice that helps reduce or eliminate the symptoms of hormonal imbalances experienced from peri-post menopause. HY also helps with PCOS, Hypothyroidism and PMS.