Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and raised in Stonewall, Manitoba, she was exposed to professional wrestling by her father.[5] During high school, she and a friend briefly trained at a local school, but quit after one session when the school wanted them to have a match.[5] She later attended University of Manitoba, where she majored in film studies.[4] After graduation, she worked on a few film sets,[6] but decided to resume her childhood interest in professional wrestling after hearing of Eddie Guerrero's death[5] and attended Scott D'Amore's school in Windsor, Ontario in May 2007, where she was taught by Tyson Dux and Johnny Devine, as well as D'Amore.