Danielle Carnegie

Instructional Designer, PR

Background

Danielle joined the Performance Redefined team in 2025 brining with her equally strong academic and applied skill sets in the areas of movement and rehabilitation science. While completing her PhD in Kinesiology in the Biomechanics and Sport Medicine Lab at the University of Toronto, she was introduced to the IAFF and the fire service through research projects she led investigating how personal protective equipment affects fire fighters’ movement, performance, and injury risk on the fire ground. One of the most impactful experiences of Danielle’s degree was being in active fire halls learning from and speaking with fire fighters. It impressed on her the importance of getting the right research to the people who can benefit from it in a way that actually works, and how those people play an important role in shaping what evidence is needed and how to gather it.

Danielle also holds the position of Knowledge Translation and Implementation Specialist with the Fitness and Performance department at the University of Toronto, where she works to bridge the research-practice gap to assist strength coaches identify and implement evidence-based approaches when working with varsity teams and athletes. She is also a registered physiotherapist where she helps her injured clients get back to engaging in the things they love to do by utilizing movement-based interventions. Danielle is excited to bring her passion for connecting research to the people who would benefit from its use and implementation to her role as an instructional designer for F2T education!

Activity Habits

Outside of work Danielle really enjoys travelling to new places to try unique physical pursuits. When she isn’t in a classroom, in the clinic, or behind a computer, she tries to be doing things like hiking mountains in the Yukon, learning to surf in Costa Rica, or backcountry snowboarding in Alaska. On a day-to-day basis she does her best to curate her experience during physical activity. For example, she loves to read but often doesn’t have much time to do so for pleasure. So, when she goes for a run or goes to the gym she will listen to an audiobook while training. Similarly, if it’s a really nice day out and she has been stuck at her desk she will find a way to train outside. This allows her physical activity to feel indulgent and fulfilling without any guilt. Using this tactic, Danielle has learned to enjoy tough workouts and find opportunities to try new things that might not have existed otherwise.

Being physically fit makes Danielle feel capable and has enabled her to find and participate in unique experiences when they arise. For example, because she stays active on a regular basis, she has been able to say yes to opportunities like a last-minute trip to hike the Adirondack mountains in Lake Placid, going for a late-night run under the midnight sun in Whitehorse, or trekking through lava and glacier fields in Iceland. Feeling like she is physically capable of trying new things has led to some incredible experiences that have broadened her perspective on life and the world. Working in different fields targeting the research-practice gap can sometimes make it challenging for Danielle to curate a stable exercise routine, which for her, makes it much easier to be consistent with her physical activity. She has found it helpful to reminder herself about the additive effect of even short bouts of physical activity during times where she isn’t able to do all the things she wants in the specific way she wants to do them.

Perspectives on F2T and fire fighter wellness and fitness

In Danielle’s opinion, the F2T program is unique because it recognizes that it’s the fire fighters that make all this work not only possible but effective. It brings evidence-based principles to the people who can benefit from their use and implementation by prioritizing a better understanding of fire fighters themselves. By understanding the people that make up the fire service (their wants and needs both on and off duty), the F2T program is identifying, addressing, and implementing strategies that are going to have the most impact on the lives of members across the United States and Canada. She believes that the value of the program lies in its ability to help fire fighters build and maintain the capacity to actively participate in the life they want. The knowledge and skills provided in the F2T program are specifically curated to help fire fighters integrate fitness and wellness principles into regular habits when on shift and at home.

The one word Danielle would use to describe the value of wellness and fitness for fire fighters is impactful. She would like every fire fighter to know that the F2T program is truly designed and implemented with each one of them in mind; their wants, needs, and how evidence can be used to help them engage in the things they need and love to do at work and in life, respectively. Danielle loves working with fire fighters because of how much she learns from them. In her experience, she has always been met with an openness and willingness for discussion. Because of this she has been introduced to new perspectives that have broadened not only her understanding of research application, but also her perceptions of life, work, and play. The pieces of advice that Danielle would provide to fire fighters is to be curious and to invest in themselves because they are worth it!

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