About Nicky
Nicky Poulin is a wellness educator, systems strategist, and community builder with nearly three decades of experience spanning corporate communications, government health and safety, publishing, construction leadership, and integrative wellness.
Before fully transitioning to the wellness field, Nicky built a career as a Corporate Brand and Communications Specialist within Ontario’s health and safety associations, supporting sectors including mining and aggregates, forestry, and the pulp-and-paper industry. Her work with organizations such as Mines & Aggregates Safety & Health Association, Workplace Safety North, Pulp & Paper Health & Safety Association, and Ontario Forestry Safe Workplace Association focused on strategic communications, brand development, and workplace education initiatives.
Nicky also founded AHA Communications, a graphic design company offering branding and design services. She created a local-area magazine called “CommUNITY” to promote people and businesses in the region, and she has published multiple area historical books and publications. Over the years, Nicky has maintained her “Print Broker Status” and occasionally provides work for clients when time permits.
In 1997, Nicky and her husband Darren Renaud founded Ohana Health & Wellness Centre in Callander, Ontario. What began as a small studio—originally known as “The Studio” on Landsdowne Street—has evolved into one of the region’s longest-standing holistic, community-based wellness centres. In 2008, Darren and Nicky designed and built Ohana with the goal of assisting others physically, mentally, and spiritually. They both worked at Ohana and beyond, volunteering and organizing events, and collaborating with Near North Palliative Care, Community Care Access, North Bay Regional Health Centre, and many other community organizations. Following a tragic accident in 2021, Darren passed away.
Nicky’s leadership blends strategic structure with embodied practice—across sectors, she emphasizes that healthy minds and bodies sustain our spirit and spark.
Her professional training in the wellness field includes extensive study in Yoga Teacher Training, Yoga Therapy, Ayurveda, Thai Yoga Massage, Phoenix Rising PTSD yoga certifications, MELT Method, Neuro-yoga, and multiple mindfulness courses. Her yoga certifications come from around the world, including Canada, the United States, Mexico, Budapest, and India, and she has trained with lineage instructors such as B.K.S. Iyengar, B.N.S. Iyengar, Sheshadri (Pavi Yoga), and the Mysore Mandala Yoga School. Her work has progressed from yoga as a foundation to focus on resilience building, nervous-system regulation, and sustainable daily practice—translating complex health concepts into accessible, community-rooted programming, individual practices, and mentoring.
Nicky has created, facilitated, and participated in numerous large-scale wellness and literary events, including Books By the Bay and Silver Linings Cancer Community Nipissing, www.cancercommunitynipissing.ca . These initiatives reinforce her long-standing commitment to education, connection, and community resilience. She also leads smaller workshops and events based on client and community needs.
The Ohana Project In May 2025, Dr. Aaron Rothstein and Nicky formed an alliance to expand Ohana’s reach and services, creating more space for a broader community offering. Ohana now houses multiple essential services, including RMT massage, osteopathy, psychotherapy, a nurse practitioner, naturopathic medicine, and various holistic practitioners. The building also hosts group therapy sessions, workshops, cooking classes, music therapy events, and a variety of yoga and wellness classes and activities. This project emphasizes growth for the community and for individuals.
On a personal note, Nicky is a mother and a new grandmother, she enjoys spending her free time in nature and by the lake.