Entrepreneur Profile: Mallory Becker and Jill Palmer

The idea for Pine Integrated Health Centre was started over coffee by two mothers navigating the health system, in search of resources for their own mental and physical well-being. When they had trouble finding what they needed, they built it instead.

Mallory Becker and Jill Palmer co-founded Pine Health a year after that initial meeting, in May 2019, after their vision for opening a multidisciplinary health center for women and families came to life, and they “haven’t looked back since.”

“Our philosophy has been around what we felt we needed and what our kids needed and then creating that within our business.” 

Mallory, a registered psychologist was busy with her private practice, LifeWise Counselling and Jill, a licensed physiotherapist at Bounce Back Physical Therapy. The pair essentially merged their professions to create Pine Health, adding other disciplines like massage, nutrition, lactation consulting, and acupuncture. The centre also includes a studio for exercise classes, yoga, and Pilates, and hosts workshops and group offerings.

Providing specialized support to women through pregnancy, postpartum and parenthood, Pine Health is a hub of skilled health professionals offering accessible care in one location.

“Women don't just have to endure things like incontinence or prolapse or psychological issues or infertility issues — they don't have to endure them in silence. Now, it's getting the awareness out there and having a specialty place to get that.”

Mallory and Jill were nominated as a part of the 2020 AWE Awards. “We were so thrilled when we heard that we were nominated. We have two hats: our health specialties and then as business owners. It is really great to be seen in the business world.”

As entrepreneurs, the pair agree: “We're still really fresh in this. We look at the metrics of the business and things are growing financially, but we always take the pulse internally — are people happy? What are they saying? We've really loved developing relationships with people over the last year.”

Initially worried about attracting professionals to work with them, Mallory and Jill have nearly tripled their team at Pine within the last year. Their newest “baby” is a division called Pine Cone Health, which focuses on providing services for children like child psychology, speech-language pathology, and pediatric physiotherapy. Pine Cone offers resources for parents with workshops, nutrition advice, and small group meet-ups.

“One of the biggest ones that just makes us so happy is when we hear about ourselves in the community and that is so important not only as a business but as clinicians.”

As a small business, the pandemic has brought about some changes, but Mallory and Jill have been committed to providing good quality, evidence-based information from their healthcare providers. Though Pine has always offered telehealth services, they’ve seen a big interest in the last few months. “We've become really good at working with people using technology — it helps to meet people where they are at.” 

On their Facebook page, they offer free videos from their practitioners, including Pilates, maternal mental health, and birth preparation. Pine also offers a private Facebook group for moms and are hoping to offer online classes soon.

Some advice from Mallory and Jill for other women: “Stress plus rest equals growth so making sure that if you're working really hard on something — in business or at home — that you have scheduled rejuvenation or rest time.”

“Women are often the last people to take care of themselves, your health is so important and then this expands to women being successful in their careers — whether they're entrepreneurs or not. Often we hide in the background supporting everyone else. It is important for you to take care of yourself inside and out.”

Entrepreneur Feature: Lorephil Aguinaldo

AWE Awards nominees are recognized for their resilience, innovation, and leadership in their communities. Though we’ve had to postpone our 2020 AWE Awards celebration, we’ve taken this opportunity to talk to nominees, exploring their journeys and the challenges they’ve overcome to build successful businesses in Alberta.

Lorephil Aguinaldo founded her residential and commercial cleaning company, CanaJan Inc., in 2016. It’s hard to imagine that five years prior to her business’ launch, she didn’t speak any English and had limited financial resources. 

“When I was 16, it was my dream to come here. I am a visionary woman. I have very big dreams.”

In 2011, Lorephil came as a foreign worker from the Philippines and began working as a shift supervisor in a restaurant. When she left her home, she left behind her two children; her daughter was two years old at the time, and her son, who she was still breastfeeding, was only 11 months old.

 “I was always crying and homesick — that affected me a lot.” At the suggestion of a friend, she began cleaning houses as a second job. It was something to keep her mind occupied.

“While I was cleaning houses, I was imagining that my kids were here with me and they're sitting on the couch and we're laughing and hugging each other. It helped with my anxiety and homesickness. It was really hard as a mom to be apart from your kids.” 

Lorephil was separated from her family for four years. “My only focus at that time was to get my family.”

A regular client was the one who inspired her to turn cleaning into a full-time business. He saw the potential she had and encouraged her to go out on her own. Not knowing where to start, he provided mentorship and guidance for her along the way.

“He referred me and asked me to do some networking. At that time, I was really shy, and it was hard for me to communicate — it’s hard for others to understand me. But I embrace it!” she says, laughing. 

As an immigrant entrepreneur, Lorephil had to overcome many challenges, starting with learning  English. She attended English classes and studied hard. She also had the challenge of finding the financing she needed to open her business, but she says that is all part of the journey.

“My biggest achievement is becoming well-known in Canada — and my Filipino community is proud of what I have done. I started with no money. I achieved all my dreams without money, just a passion and drive. That's the only investment that I had.”

Lorephil was pleasantly surprised when she found out a client of hers had nominated her for an AWE award. “I'm very close with my clients. They're usually the one pushing me to do something.”

In sharing her advice to other women looking to take the leap into entrepreneurship, she says, “For me, everything is possible. If you dream big, you can achieve it. I grew up in a family that has lots of limiting beliefs — I surpassed those limiting beliefs. You should explore more and see that there are lots of opportunities and I trust that.”

Right now, she is focused on spending more time on networking and spreading the word about CanaJan Inc, which has been expanding into the greater Edmonton area. 

Lorephil and her family were reunited in 2015. She says the sacrifices she had to make were worth the pay off: “They are my "big why," the reason why I keep going and never quit no matter what happens. I didn’t quit for the first four years I came here. I said, ‘This is for my family, that's why I need to do this.’”

Entrepreneur Feature: Shani Gwin

AWE Awards nominees are recognized for their resilience, innovation, and leadership in their communities. Though we’ve had to postpone our 2020 AWE Awards celebration, we’ve taken this opportunity to talk to nominees, exploring their journeys and the challenges they’ve overcome to build successful businesses in Alberta.

Shani Gwin keeps her heritage close and her family closer. She is a sixth generation Métis woman dedicated to elevating Indigenous voices in her community, which is what led her to start her own communications company, Gwin Communications, in 2016. 

Shani lives a block from her childhood home, in between her parents’ homes, who separated when she was in grade two. They have instilled in her a desire to help others, with both of her parents having been involved in the Indigenous community throughout their lives. 

“I have these amazing role models and I knew I needed to give back.”

Before starting her company, she worked with the City of Edmonton in the Indigenous Relations office. Shani provided support to First Nations communities, which is how she met Chief Tony Alexis of Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation. As they got to know each other, Chief Alexis began encouraging her that her skill set was needed in the Indigenous community. 

“I always had this thought of running my own business.” She considered her options and asked herself, “Could I actually make a go of this? Should I be working for Indigenous organizations and helping them navigate the media and helping them tell the stories that are never told?”

Her mind was made up when she was presented with a full-time contract opportunity she couldn't turn down. What she had started as a side gig officially became her career. 

As a mother to her nine-year-old daughter and two-year-old son, Shani says the challenges of owning her own business while managing a family can be overwhelming, especially during these unprecedented times.“These are things that women, specifically, who are business owners struggle with — these unsung pieces of motherhood.” 

As a small business owner, Shani says that each project she takes on feels like an achievement. “It’s amazing that people trust me and are happy with the work.”

Some of Shani’s career highlights include working with the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation and helping to position Chief Alexis as a key contact for media inquiries on Indigenous issues and statements. “His successes are my successes because I feel like I have a small role in helping him shape that sort of media presence and that relationship.” 

Shani has been working with the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund for a few years, and last October, the organization flew Shani out to Toronto to attend Secret Path live. The immersive multimedia show brought together artists to tell the story of Chanie Wenjack and the painful legacy of Canada’s residential school system. “It was an emotional evening.” Shani helped coordinate all marketing and promotions leading up to the event. 

As an AWE Award nominee, Shani says being recognized makes her proud of herself and the other women involved: “I'm so honoured to be a part of that growing list of women. It makes me emotional!”

“It's really important to acknowledge and recognize women and the amount of time and effort that they spend on making their dreams come true. I do believe it is so much harder for us to realize these dreams of ours.”

Shani has been able to find support from many women in her life, including her elders, her sisters, mother and her late grandmother. “I have a daughter who I learn from everyday — she's a huge motivator behind my success. I’m going to show her that she can do whatever she sets her little heart to.”

This year, Shani hired her first summer student, a First Nations woman from Ontario, which she says is “part of the dream;” having Indigenous women working together and supporting each other. 

“I know there are more challenges for Indigenous women, especially, to take that next step.” Shani says having that support is integral and encourages anyone looking for advice, or just wanting to talk, to reach out to her. You can connect with Shani and learn more here.

Entrepreneur Feature: Banyk Chia

AWE Awards nominees are recognized for their resilience, innovation, and leadership in their communities. Though we’ve had to postpone our 2020 AWE Awards celebration, we’ve taken this opportunity to talk to nominees, exploring their journeys and the challenges they’ve overcome to build successful businesses in Alberta.

Banyk Chia is the CEO of Alternative Legal Service Firm Inc. (ALSF), a bilingual firm with a team of paralegals, but she prefers the term “legal agents.” ALSF provides assistance in self-representation before the Alberta Provincial Court and organizations like the Alberta Human Rights Commission. Her firm also assists clients with legal drafting, family mediation, commissioning of oaths and immigration consulting services. 

Banyk, whose first language is French, came to Canada in 2014 from Cameroon with a background as a lawyer. “When I arrived, I was full of ambition of becoming a lawyer [in Canada]. I wasn't aware of all the challenges I would have to face. I didn't know where to start.”

After doing some research, she discovered she would have to take seven exams to practice law in Canada. The Federation of Law Societies of Canada gave her five years to complete her accreditation. In that time, she knew she needed two things: to learn English, and to find a job.

While getting settled in her new home, she saw an ad on TV for a legal assistant program with CDI college. She soon enrolled in the one-year program, and was confident she could find work with a law firm and start her path to becoming a lawyer once again. 

“Things didn't happen the way I wanted and that is life!” After graduating as a legal assistant, Banyk was unable to find a job. “It was a challenge. No one wanted to hire me. That's when I started to get depressed.”

She applied to countless law firms. She didn’t have any connections and she knew nothing about networking. Banyk kept applying online and getting nowhere. She did that for three years. 

By the end of 2017, her husband was growing concerned, and asked her what she wanted to do. “I refused to give up on my dream.” She knew she needed legal experience, even if it was unpaid. She began volunteering within the Alberta court system. 

“That's how I found it was possible to be a legal agent and run your own business as a paralegal. I thought, ‘If I create my own organization of legal agents, I will have the experience of the legal system and I will have money to prepare my career as a lawyer.’ ”

That’s exactly what she did.

In 2018, Banyk incorporated her organization. “I'm so happy! It was the best choice in my life! But I still had challenges; I had to run an organization. As an immigrant, I didn't know how to make it happen. I had no connections.” She didn’t let that stop her. Banyk attended business classes for many months in order to learn how to set up her own firm.

Her journey to owning her own business wasn’t an easy one. Banyk’s inspiring resilience kept her on track: “I wanted to give up. You have to fight harder — triple time — just to reach your dream.” With limited English, no connections, and no knowledge of the Alberta court system, Banyk has done her fair share of fighting for her dream, and she hopes other immigrant entrepreneurs, especially women, are inspired by her journey. 

“The biggest challenge as an immigrant was credibility. Being an entrepreneur is a challenge; being an immigrant entrepreneur is more challenging because you have no connections. You need to build that credibility. You need to believe in yourself.”

Banyk is now continuing her studies to practice as a lawyer and hopes to start her own law firm. She has been nominated for the AWE Awards (2020) and the Afro-Canadian Best Entrepreneur (2019). She’s received this year’s award for Best Immigrant Entrepreneur from the Economic Development Council in Alberta.

Entrepreneur Feature: Janessa Marshall

AWE Awards nominees are recognized for their resilience, innovation, and leadership in their communities. Though we’ve had to postpone our 2020 AWE Awards celebration, we’ve taken this opportunity to talk to nominees and highlight how they’ve adapted their businesses to weather the pandemic. This month, we interviewed Janessa Marshall, entrepreneur and owner of Red Deer’s The Forum.

The Forum can be considered a physical fitness centre, but owner Janessa Marshall explains that it is so much more than that. Established in 2016, The Forum is dedicated to helping people find their best versions of themselves while prioritizing movement. Its mission revolves around community and lifelong education, with people coming together to share knowledge, passion, and play. 

Janessa’s passion began as she started looking for ways to find more joy in life and pursue what is interesting, valuable, and exciting. 

“I kept coming back to movement. The concept was: what if there was more possible with our bodies than we give ourselves credit for? The more I took training, the more I started to see that maybe there could be something else.”

Throughout this venture, Janessa sought to reach out to her community and ask, ‘What do you have to share?’ Creating synergies between vocational certifications and lived experience, The Forum allows for a collective of shared passions and social connection. When the pandemic hit, it became clear that this community could grow into something beyond in-person experiences.

“We asked ourselves, ‘What is the core of what we do and why do we do it?’ That's not confined to a space. When we converted online, we were committed to continue providing the foundational skills, the development, the routine, and the structure that people are seeking. We're just doing it online now. People meet with us one-on-one through video conferencing and other mediums. We chat about how people are doing, where we need help, where we need more support, and how we can show up more for each other. We also offer online group classes in an extensive schedule.”

That isn’t to say that the transition was easy. Converting to online distribution involved building a completely new website that could accommodate members logging in and accessing content that was normally provided in a live setting. Since then, the process has involved listening to community members and asking questions like: What’s working well? What could be better? What are you struggling with? Then, they can continue to tweak the system in order to accommodate those needs.

As for maintaining her own wellbeing, Janessa emphasizes the importance of connecting with other people and the simple necessity of being outside. 

“Getting outside, being outdoors, is a must-do for me everyday. Usually when we go to work, we go grab coffee, we go do this or that, and we're outside for a cumulative two hours or more. In this situation, when you have to intentionally do it, it's hard! But we need it. And then, connection with people. Intentionally reaching out to people to connect and having that vital human interaction.”

The foundation of The Forum comes from supporting people in movement, which is why they’ve expanded their offerings to include free access to live classes online for everyone, everywhere. Additionally, they have free offerings for frontline healthcare professionals, including unlimited access to live classes and recordings of those classes.

“Frontline healthcare workers are showing up so much right now for us, that we wanted to be able to give back and say ‘We see you. We want to show up for you, too’. We wanted to make sure that when they wanted or needed that workout, when they needed that time for themselves, that it was available at whatever time of day.”

And finally, as our province begins its phased reopening, Janessa underlines that her current aim is concentrating on the now and how they can serve their community today. Further building out this online platform, The Forum can expand beyond a physical space while continuing to offer clients the flexibility they’ve been enjoying with an at-home offering.

At the end of the day, her ultimate goal is to remind people that they are worthy. When schedules are busy, when life brings so much uncertainty, and when others need our support, it is absolutely necessary to prioritize our own wellbeing. 

“We are worth spending the time on ourselves. It's in times like these that we downgrade our own worth and say, ‘I'm just going to show up, I have so many people I have to support, I have to show up for them. I don't have time. I don't have energy.’ And those are the moments that we really need to show up for ourselves, so that we have the ability to be there for everyone else. Especially as women, we show up for our family, we show up for our friends, we show up for our business, for all of these things we show up, but we always put ourselves last. And if we can't get up, who's going to show up for everyone else?”

To learn more about what other AWE Awards nominees are doing to adapt to the new business environment click here. 

Entrepreneur Feature: Mary Coghlan-Tibbetts

Last week, AWE asked the 2020 AWE Awards nominees to share how the pandemic is changing the way they do business. We sat down (virtually) with Mary, owner of Funky Petals North Edmonton, to discuss how her business has adapted to continue operating in a world where “business as usual” is no longer an option.

Mary Coghlan-Tibbetts was at her local grocery store a few weeks ago when she saw something that didn’t sit well with her.

“There was a customer who was acting very rude to one of the ladies working behind the counter. I was like, ‘Seriously?’ These workers don’t get to just go home like everybody else.”

After going home and thinking about it, she quickly moved into action, sending flower arrangements to all the workers at the store.

“We did up 20 arrangements, as well as some single flowers. And then we went and gave them to everyone who works at the Sobeys by my house, just to say thank you for being awesome.”

Around the same time, Mary was making the difficult decision to close her business to the public. She had been contemplating it for about a week before deciding that closing was the best thing to do for her customers’ safety, as well as her own.

As of March 17th, Funky Petals has moved to contactless free delivery and curbside pickup. Getting the logistics in place was relatively easy given that they were already set up for delivery and online orders. The harder part? Making sure people know that although they are not physically open, they are still open for business.

“The first step was social media—lots of social media to get the word out and to let people know. I do videos on Facebook and Instagram. We have signs up all over the shop.”

The move to no-contact service also requires some extra communication.

“The process is very different. We always call people when we deliver to make sure they’re going to be home. Now we have to walk them through what we’re going to be doing. The driver will show up: he’ll ring your doorbell, put your order on your step, step six feet away to make sure you get the flowers, and once you receive the flowers, he’s going to leave.”

She also recommends finding ways to interact with your customers, even if it has to be virtually. For instance, two weeks ago, she offered a virtual class on how to make a personal terrarium.

“I don’t sleep a lot. I came up with this idea at midnight. I put the packages together with everything they would need, and we delivered it all out to the participants for free.”

Mary plans to do more of these virtual classes for people to learn about plants and flower arrangements.

“It’s just about interaction again. You’ve got to make sure that you’re interacting with people even if you can’t touch them, or hug them, or go out with them. As long as you still get to talk to people and see people, I just think it helps a little bit more.”

She also isn’t the only one in her industry looking to reach out to the community. When Funky Petals Fort Saskatchewan reached out to her to suggest donating flowers, she said yes immediately.

“We joined forces with Superior Floral and Funky Petals Fort Saskatchewan to donate flowers to the ladies staying at WIN House and Compassion House. They are already going through so much that the added stress of our new reality is overwhelming.”

Throughout it all, Mary is focused on staying positive and bringing joy to others. In a time of social distancing, flower delivery still has the ability to feel personal.  

“Here’s the thing – flowers aren’t necessarily an essential service. They’re not. But they do spread joy, and love, and cheer.”

To learn more about what other AWE Awards nominees are doing to adapt to the new restrictions click here.