Toronto is filled with underdog superstars and this former Drake music video model turned basketball coach is one of them.
Chantel Crawford has created an empowered community through her fitness programs and youth basketball coaching around the GTA.
“During the pandemic, I was an active instructor teaching all over the GTA. During this point I was actually teased and bullied. I was called a chunky trainer. I was able to achieve losing 68 pounds, so I was able to help others while getting results at the same time,” Crawford told Now Toronto.
After going through a series of abusive relationships and the death of her father, Crawford realized self-care and having a positive mindset was the foundation of making any type of lasting change.
But it wasn’t easy. She worked in the finance industry while dabbling in music, even finding herself being featured in Drake’s “War” music video. She eventually started holding bootcamps and Instagram lives for stay-at-home mothers to bring their kids.
As a result of her consistency, she created Chanty Fit where she developed the Chanty Moves self-care plan to help people incorporate affirmations, breath work, nutrition, and active recovery in their daily routines.
“I’m all about creating community. What I really want is for people to not need me. I’m just here to help you understand what you need for yourself,” Crawford said.
To extend her love for empowering women, Crawford coaches a variety of teams in the GTA, including a Muslim women’s league at Crescent Sports Club and Point Goddess. Now, she’s creating the very first competitive league for girls under 19.
She also set up the active stretch recovery program for the Brodie League, a co-ed recreation basketball league with over 20,000 athletes across 25 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
“Co-ed teams are great too, but the guys don’t put us on. A lot of the girls I’ve been coaching are going somewhere and it makes me so amazed to watch them,” Crawford said.
She remembers there used to be leagues for young girls, but a lot of them were kicked out because they turned to vaping and smoking weed.
“The older league failed with building a positive mindset and empowering women in sport. I wanted to build a program to protect these areas and create self-worth to push all athletes from different walks of life,” she said.
“Self-care is a priority for longevity for athletes in sports, I saw the lack of priority with this,” she continued.
Crawford frequently travels to the U.S. to promote injury prevention and recovery training with pre-draft athletes in the WNBA and NBA.
With the expansion of the WNBA announced, the competitive team is an opportunity for young basketball athletes to have a direct pipeline if they want to play professionally.
READ MORE: ‘This is Canada’s team,’ Toronto awarded first WNBA franchise outside of the U.S.
Crawford has also led senior fitness camps around the city along with being a flexoligist, a sports physical therapist, holistic sports nutrition coach, mindset coach, and occupational therapist assistant.
Next week, she’s partnering with Nike for her women’s active recovery program, which will be the first of its kind in the Toronto area.
“By pushing through and making your own path, you are being a leader, you are the first. Once you have made your path, you leave a trail where others desire to follow you,” she said.
