Lakeside Wellness Therapy Affiliates

04/27/2026

This morning I attended a drop in fitness class run by the City of Toronto’s amazing TO-All Access pass. Now that I am 60 years old, I qualify for the reduced cost access pass!

This affordable program helps to keep local seniors healthy and connected.

I really like that classes are listed online and no registration is required to attend. Instructors are pleasant and uplifting. Classes such as strength and conditioning remind me of old style aerobics from the 1990’s.

I will also keep my LA fitness membership that I purchased during COVID. It offers different options like machines, personal trainers, and squash courts.

This community recreation center gym is the exact location where I learned the Irish jig 50 years ago when I was 10 years old! Back then, community centre classes were also easily accessible to kids.

I am grateful that the city has maintained our public buildings and programs afforded and in very good shape!

There should be no wonder why I stay in the city and communities that “feel” most like home. It’s good to live in Toronto!

Wellness is what wellness does. It’s important to stay active and keep moving!

04/24/2026

Join Lisa and James on the evening of Tuesday May 5th to learn the facts about transitioning to semi-retirement. This FREE event will address your questions about how and when to plan for retirement!

This session is particularly suited for people in their late 40’s and 50’s who have worked for many years, have been diligent about saving, and enjoy relatively good health.

There is growing medical evidence of general and specific health benefits to scaling back work at just the right time!

Creating space for more “living” more and working less has an immediate impact on stress levels and improved mental health.

Figuring out what the “right time” is for you may be tough on your own. This session will help to give you the facts about how and when to make a Fresh Start!

James is a seasoned financial planner with expertise in retirement! Lisa and her husband have worked with James on a personal basis for years and trust his advice!

Lisa is a seasoned mental health and wellness therapist and coach who has worked in counselling services for close to forty years! She offers specialized services for high achievers and professionals working in a variety of corporate and public sector roles. Lisa has offers a unique blend of evidence-based mental health interventions and strategic self-promotion coaching services for Pros! Her niche continues to include mature clients requesting a discrete, confidential, and expert space to analyze and strategize personal and professional decisions.

Lisa chose early retirement at 55 years old. She launched a part-time private clinical and consulting practice that continues to engage and excite her.

Lisa believes that people with pensionable earnings are less vulnerable to financial risks than younger entrepreneurs without personal financial security and stability.

Lisa grew her business without any outside financial support or loans. Her unique business plan has demonstrated the possibility to create additional monthly income by monetizing skills needed in the real world. Her business survived Covid, paid back CRA covid rental support to small business owners in the GTA, and remains debt-free.

Come and learn more!

04/23/2026

This morning I attended the annual OMERS breakfast. It is an amazing AGM event where the CEO and president present to members in person and virtually. There are thousands of OMERS members across Ontario working in civil sector roles.

After 27 years as a social worker in education, I opted to take early retirement leaving %35 of my pension behind. OMERS made this possible with things like a bridge payment and AVC’s.

This possibility allowed me to devote more time on my private practice and my personal life.

Semi-retirement is a real option for people who have contributed to a pension for years and feel a need to grow in a new direction!

A fresh start at 55 years and beyond is possible. Considering how to monetize your skills is an exciting venture for junior seniors.

Approaching a small business like a hobby is also amazing when you are financially stable and somehow made all the right moves along the way.

My work with women and men over 50 is so meaningful, as many people begin to reconsider life-work balance in a new light.

Leaving a career for a new one is a scary yet exciting transition! You may wish to learn more about your financial and emotional readiness for this type of change.

James Cockfield and I will be presenting another seminar for people with savings to review when or if the time is right to plan a change on May 5th.

Held at the BMO branch in the beaches, Lakeside Wellness Therapy is happy with to invite James to help us better understand the financial risks of any to living more and working less!

DM me or email for more information on this event as it requires registration.

04/23/2026

The diet in Greece allowed me to continue my commitment to a brain-warrior diet! Like most travellers, I did over indulge and as such came home with five additional pounds.

The experience was well worth this temporary weight gain and it inspires me to get back on track with my regular routine.

Wellness strategies are flexible yet consistent. They work when what you do is easily integrated into your daily habits without much effort. Activities like walking daily at a moderate clip, restricting portion sizes of food and drink to reasonable limits, and focusing on nutrient dense food sources are all key fundamental strategies that work over the long term.

I was diagnosed as “obese” at 10 years old. I have managed to sustain a health weight and BMI for close to 30 years now with some weight gain during menopause and through CoVid.

Wellness requires healthy and flexible mindset. If you struggle and battle with yourself and self-image, then you might wish to work with someone like me.

Diving more deeply into what you think about yourself and why, the negative assumptions you hold about yourself that hinder your health, and identifying those people who reinforce negative views about you will help you to reshape your mindset towards health and wellness.

04/19/2026

For our last day in Greece, we enjoyed a half day tour of the acropolis and its museum. We learned a lot about this ancient culture and the importance of weaving stories and myths into the everyday.

The tale of Athena and Poseidon was especially interesting as in the end, the city chose a woman to protect the city!

The ancients believed that Athena’s gift of the olive tree had a more practical relevance to the people of the time. The olive tree produced olives, oil and wood that all could be used in so many ways. Poseidon only offered the sea, which did offer shelter from others BUT could not really be harvested for much else.

The acropolis translates as the edge of the city and continues to be the most important part of Greece for all citizens.

It was not hard to understand why they chose that particular location to honour the gods, as it sits well above the city with every corner in site.

Finely pressed olive oils continue to provide one of the healthiest sources of fat for the human body. Using it generously on fresh vegetables, especially tomatoes and cheese reminds us about the intuitive knowledge about health practices in ancient cultures - many of which have stood the test of time.

The Mediterranean diet has been identified as the most impactful on physical and mental wellbeing even to this day.

So many women have struggled with the view that “fats” render us fat, when the reality is much different than that simplistic argument.

I have noticed less fruit and fresh vegetables here, especially at breakfast, which in turn has calmed my otherwise overactive carbohydrate fermentation experiences of regular bloating and belching.

Good health lessons to learn as I return home to embrace my junior-senior years! Starting this next decade in my 60’s will challenge me even further to better understand my own body and to develop heal to habits that work best for me!

There truly is no one size fits all method to health and wellbeing. Learning to read your own physical cues and to attune your habits to what works best for you is key to feeling well!

04/17/2026

Tonight we enthusiastically enjoyed plant and fish bas e protein foods like fava beans and squid. After days of eggs for breakfast, traditional Greek meals like fava dip with pita grilled calamari and homemade moussaka were truly refreshing. Paired with local house wine, eating healthy after a day of touring perfectly satisfies hungry travellers!

04/16/2026

Greece offers many options to sustain a brain healthy diet while on vacation. The yogurt, feta cheese, fish and meat dishes help to fuel a body on vacation that requires energy to keep up! This is especially important for people over 50 years old whose body is truly beginning to experience the aches and pains of normative ageing. Enjoy all the “good’” food that counties have to offer even when you are away. Weight gain, if any is not permanent and will return to your regular range once you return home. Enjoying my 60th birthday abroad this year! Lisa Romano-Dwyer PhD

04/13/2026

Relaxing by the seaside is an amazing way to unwind and enjoy all the beauty that nature has to offer. Highly suggested for those who can schedule healthy breaks. for pros Lisa Romano-Dwyer PhD Mykonos Guide

03/27/2026

Pleased to share my presentation on Becoming a brain warrior: Protecting what matters! This free event summarized the hopeful neuropsychiatric impacts of daily health practices including talk-based counselling therapies in “changing” the brain and mind.

Accepting the proven benefits of daily health habits like exercise, social interaction with uplifting people, and diet in improving your mood, mental agility, and function increases hope for ageing well over the long term.

Becoming a “brain warrior” means that you engage in daily health practices proven to protect and improve brain function. Regular consumption of nutrient dense foods, daily exercise, engaging in positive social relationships, and learning something “new” for at least 15 minutes each day all have significant impacts on brain function by changing your brain each day.

This presentation hopes to inspire you to make changes that have been shown to protect and change your brain and mind for the better!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

03/05/2026

Dr. Amen coined the term “brain warrior”. His neuropsychiatric perspectives and medical treatments are truly inspiring.

I am happy to provide a Free Online Talk on Becoming a Brain Warrior.

Centralizing human brain health in your daily routines and practices supports healthy ageing.

03/03/2026

Take time to see my more than one minute wellness moment: https://youtu.be/YiLuobHqusE?si=tKwBj8Wqk6-4ddMO

It’s a good time to assess how well you navigate your social! #

Happy social work week!

Be Well

03/03/2026

How do you feel after venturing back out into the world with other people, familiar or strange? The necessary yet extreme restrictions created by COVID truly impacted most people. You may still find some residual evidences that you are not quite the person you were prior to COVID. This short video speaks to the importance of checking-in with yourself to gauge how you are feeling when you navigate your social. 😊

This video highlights the importance of acknowledging the impacts of COVID on your mental health and wellness. Some residual cues that you are not yet recove...