Our Team
Donna McMurtry
Registered Massage Therapist
Donna has been a registered massage therapist since 1999. She grew up in Vernon, BC, where she studied the violin and viola when she wasn’t competing in freestyle skiing. It was Donna’s love of sport that inspired her to complete at BSc. in Biopsychology, at UBC in 1995 and then add a diploma in massage therapy from the West Coast College of Massage Therapy in 1998.
Donna is known for helping people, from all walks of life, to find more ease and wellness in their bodies. She holds many career highlights dear to her and credits those moments for helping build the strong and talented professional that she is today. Donna:
is a founding member of World Fascia Research Society
gained extensive experience while treating Olympic, World Cup and recreational athletes
has continued to learn from mentors across the globe who have shared their expertise in myofascial release, cranial sacral therapy, neuromanipulation, visceral manipulation, tendonopathy treatments, dynamic neuromuscular stabilization, neurodynamics and traditional native healing.
Always fascinated by the body, and the fact that we are more than the sum of its parts, Donna believes that we move in a connected and comprehensive way that is governed by the nervous system. All of which makes us uniquely human.
Donna holds space for her clients, because she is passionate about the partnership created between client and therapist. This philosophy allows for exploration and resolution of the restrictions that often prevent clients from living comfortably.
Honoured to call Squamish home, Donna works to share in community, feels gratitude for the richness of her friendships and enjoys time with her wonderful husband. On any given day, she may be seen loving the freedom she finds on her bike in the forest, on her skis in the mountains or on the couch with a great book.
Karen Ogilvie
Physiotherapist
Karen has lived and built strong relationships in Squamish for 15 years. Before Squamish, she developed an invaluable understanding of private practice in diverse rural communities across Northern BC. Karen is excited to bring all she’s learned in private practice to grow AKO Health alongside Donna.
In the early days of her career, Karen worked with the spinal cord team at GF Strong Rehabilitation Center which gave her the opportunity to gain understanding in spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation.
Karen began to develop a passion for problem solving that involved seeing the bigger picture -- the body as a whole. She found this systems approach helped her create optimum strategies for better function.
Getting to know community members who care about their health has inspired Karen to share her understanding of how to improve the way our bodies move.
Karen spends nearly all her free time outdoors, and can often be found with her husband, friends and family riding a bike, paddling or skiing. And because she believes in maintaining a strong and resilient mind and body for herself too, you can also find her strength training, practicing yoga, gardening, playing with her dog or reading in her hammock.
Kat Smyth
Registered Acupuncturist
Katherine moved west from Ontario to BC in 2003. And, ten years later moved to Squamish with two adorable Boxer fur babies. In 2016, and 2017, she was voted Best Natural Health Practitioner in “The Best of Squamish” reader’s choice awards.
Katherine is passionate about finding solutions for her clients. She holds special interests in pain management, injury rehabilitation and prevention, sport medicine and performance, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynecology, fertility, hormone balancing, chronic disease, immune disorders and stress management.
Education has been a strong focus in many disciplines for Katherine and her career. While she has 13 years as a personal trainer under her belt, and studied Health Sciences at SFU, she has also completed:
Acupuncturist License with CTCMA in 2013
Dip. Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine
B.Sc. Osteopathy
Dip. Counselling
Animal rescue and all things Boxer fill Katherine’s free time alongside sports of all kinds, including hiking, mountain biking, paddle boarding, volleyball, hockey, baseball and Muay Thai kickboxing.
Margaret Bacon
Registered Massage Therapist
Margaret’s works from a foundation of respect for the body’s innate capacity to heal and the processes that support it. She uses a heart centred approach and the skill of massage therapy to care for people of all ages and states of health.
Margaret became an RMT in 2009 and has continued to gain knowledge with training in myofascial release, visceral manipulation, craniosacral therapy, as a doula and in yoga. This allows her to meet the healthcare needs with her clients on an individual basis.
Caring for people in the childbearing year holds a special place in Margaret’s practice. She has offered birth support as a doula since 2001. She has vast experience attending births and doing postnatal visits and enjoys sharing labour positions, offering advanced breast/chest care, stretches and exercises to support you through this time.
Whenever Margaret works her intention is to reduce the overall stress load that is affecting your capacity to engage in life, support your body’s adaptation to your current situation and minimize symptoms as they emerge in response to functional challenges.
Making a home in Squamish is a unique privilege allowing daily immersion in water, woods or mountains depending on the mood of mother nature (aka the weather). This lifestyle informs how Margaret works and fills her with joy and gratitude. Margaret has spent years living off grid and has the imprint of the wild child at heart. She has a deep passion for inviting folks to come home to themselves through embodiment practices.