Roland Semprie turns a passion for helping others into a lifestyle empire

3 December 2010 No Comments

BY: Kenai Andrews

As a kid growing up in Toronto, Roland Semprie was super hyperactive. Teachers didn’t know what to do with him. “They thought I had some kind of mental deficiency,” says Semprie. “But never tell that to a black woman about her kid, or she’ll go off on you.” It turns out that frequent park visits were all the doctor ordered so the young Semprie could expend all that bound-up energy. “I was genetically hardwired to be active,” says Semprie.

With two brothers and a sister, the Toronto born dynamo was brought up by strict Trinidadian parents, both with careers in the Toronto police force. The Semprie household was always bursting with an energy that had a lasting effect on his future.

“It’s always great to have someone point you in the right direction and believe in what you can do,” says Semprie. Of course, he is referring to his parents — and also his grade school basketball coach, Tom Sheedy. “Had he not said, ‘Go to a school that’s going to challenge you both athletically and academically, not a school that all your friends are going to,’ I wouldn’t be on the path I am today.”

As expected, Semprie excelled in sports. In high school he did track and volleyball and received offers to play basketball in the US. Although he never made it to the big leagues, at the University of Toronto he had a chance to play in the NBA Summer Pro League’s Toronto Raptors mini-camp. And what he took away from his playing days is the mantra he still lives by today.

“The way you do anything is the way you do everything,” says Semprie. “But the thing about sports is that you learn teamwork; you learn how to be competitive; you learn discipline, integrity, respect — all the things you need in business. I’ve always said that athletes make the best business people because they can easily transfer those skills into the business world.”

He fluctuated from wanting to become a doctor to a dentist to a lawyer. But deep down all he ever wanted to do was to heal people. “I always knew I wanted to be in fitness and healthcare, because in university I was always training other students and athletes.”

But with so many choices and as many directions, Semprie embarked on a very pragmatic curriculum, including shiatsu, acupuncture, laser therapy and cranial massage. It became evident that he was headed for a career in holistic health.

With his studies behind him and a unique and freshly cultivated professional philosophy, the sports buff was soon to become a certified fitness guru. And in just a few years, the risk-taking entrepreneur opened his own fitness studio, Roland Semprie Rosedale. Today, when Hollywood A-listers come to town, they pay big bucks for a Semprie workout. Who does he count among his devotees? Kanye? Halle Berry? Oprah? We’ll never know — Semprie won’t divulge. His celebrity client list is confidential.

But for his local devotees, Semprie is the celebrity. Says makeup artist Estee Levine, “Roland pushes you to give 110 per cent and he accepts no less. Because of him, working out has become a beneficial addiction. This past year I was on anti-depressants, blood pressure pills and sleeping pills. Roland put me on a plan and within one month, I was off everything.”

Semprie can also be seen on his wellness wave outside of his gym in front of TV cameras. “He is a determined trainer, who makes you feel like his total attention is on you,” says Christine Diakos, co-host of Slice TV’s Three Takes, a show about women that Semprie guests on. (He was also the fitness and nutrition expert on Slice’s Re-Vamped.) “He is tough without being overwhelming; he instinctively knows what your limitations are and he will push you to be better than you ever thought you could be.”

It doesn’t hurt that the former model is also very easy on the eyes. But clearly his appeal is more than skin deep. “Roland has guided me to believe that I can achieve anything and everything that I set my mind to,” says former Flare and Chatelaine beauty editor Miriam Gee.

Despite his success, and two book projects in the works, he continues to look onward and upward, careful not to rest on his laurels. “Entrepreneurs drive business and provide the opportunities and direction for other people to take risks,” says Semprie. “Canada was founded on risk. Every country was founded on risk. My philosophy is to go big or go home.”

- For more information go to rolandsemprie.com