SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO BURN THE HOUSE DOWN TO FIND HOME.

Not always, but sometimes (don’t let that scare you!). 

I often ask people to describe the last time they truly felt like their authentic self. The purest form of who they really are. There’s usually a long pause while they think about it. Sometimes they can’t even remember. And I get that. For many people, it was decades ago. That was me until I had to crack open like a seed and grow.

Finding my own personal Breath+Fire has transformed my life. My inner flame, which was either a pilot light or a blazing inferno is now a controlled blaze. I have been on my own intimate healing path of recovery from double hip replacement surgery, addiction, grief and a marital separation which has created a deeper sense of compassion and understanding for myself. Essentially, a road to self-love. It is my true desire to create transformative and customized experiences for others that hold space for them to find their own Breath & Fire within life’s journey.

But I can’t express how grateful I am to have finally decided to find that authentic woman again. Being in recovery pushed me to re-examine everything I was and everything I wanted. It forced me to reconnect to my breath, to find my calm, and to reignite the fire inside, to find my passion again. 

I think we’re always in recovery from something. No matter what has happened to us, we’re always living with and working through the trauma of our lives. But it can be better than that. You can come home. Let me help.

Michelle’s Professional Bio:

Michelle Hillier, B.Ed., OCT, CCAR, FIS

Michelle is on a fierce mission to ignite the limits of wellness—and she’s bringing you into the circle.

Michelle Hillier is a nationally recognized speaker, TEDx presenter, author, and movement strategist with over 25 years of experience helping people reconnect to themselves through breath, movement, and personal discovery. As the founder of Breath+Fire, she creates immersive wellness experiences in schools, universities, and corporate organizations across Canada = guiding others to navigate stress, burnout, and emotional regulation with practical tools and powerful presence.

Blending creativity, somatics, and recovery-informed practices, Michelle’s work supports nervous system regulation, emotional resilience, and inner clarity. Her own journey through burnout, injury, and reinvention during the pandemic sparked a new way of being - grounded, embodied, and real - and inspired the creation of the Body Movement Blueprint, The Educator Reset and her signature Awaken Your Flame RESET framework.

Michelle teaches in the B.Ed programs at Ontario Tech U and Niagara U, and is the creator of Groove for Kids, a program that has reached over one million youth and has trained thousands of teachers across North America. She has led wellness keynotes and activations for organizations including the Canadian Mental Health Association, PHE Canada, SunLife, WestJet, Loblaw/Shoppers, Bank of Canada, and BMO to name a few. She is also a certified dance specialist, yoga teacher, meditation and breathwork facilitator. 

Whether guiding intimate circles or packed auditoriums, Michelle invites people to move their way, reset their energy, and remember her mantra: “You Can’t Get it Wrong.”

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Education, University of Toronto (Certified Ontario Teacher) 

  • Recovery Coach (Recovery Coach University

  • Dance/Movement Specialist, York University

  • Certified Yoga Teacher, Yoga Alliance

  • Trauma Informed Movement Educator

  • Certified Meditation/Social Emotional Learning Facilitator, Breathe for Change

  • Certified E-Speaker, eSpeakers

  • Transformational Breathwork Coach (Breath Masters Academy)

  • Fitness Instructor Specialist, Can-Fit-Pro

Career Highlights

  • Sought after educator, speaker (TEDx, SunLife, BMO, Loblaws/Shoppers, WestJet, SHAPE America to name a few….see Media page for more info) podcast guest and published author/content creator. Transformed millions of lives with her message through large crowd presentations (up to 3000+), workshops, trainings, content creation and one-on-one coaching and experiences. Her work has spanned a broad range of industries taking her internationally with her message.

  • Pioneer in movement education, designing and delivering teacher training and workshops dedicated to inspire leaders and educators to make movement more accessible, as well as creator and founder of the “Groove for Kids” program, reaching more than one million youth in 800+ sites across North America

  • Recovery coaching and companioning for Greenestone Centre for Addiction and Recovery as well as personal one-on-one coaching for clients in all facets of personal recovery (addiction, embodiment, lifestyle, wellness)

  • Podcast guest interviews on shows such as The Addicted Mind, Sense of Soul and current weekly host for She Walks Canada

  • Creator of movement programming for Skillastics, reaching over 10,000 children across the USA

  • Author of the Teaching Dance and Movement Education in Physical and Health Education in Canada (2019)

  • Sessional lecturer on faculty at Ontario Tech University, former Instructional Leader in York University for current teachers and teacher candidates, shaping their philosophy of creativity and the arts in the classroom

  • Interviews with CP24, The Morning Show, CTV News, CBC, Breakfast Television Toronto, 680 News and Toronto Star regarding dance and movement and the reach of programming across North America