Lisa Ward

Lisa Ward

Job Description

The Flourishing Space is just like the name says- a space to flourish. We are all about personal growth and being our best selves here! I provide guidance and coaching to kids, teens and adults who need extra support with their mental health, relationship with food and their bodies, confidence and overall living a positive life. I provide a safe space for individuals to express themselves, learn more about themselves, and find the beauty in them that I get to see. I also host many workshops and summer camps throughout schools, sports teams and dance studios. I’m also a dance educator, choreographer and competition judge, so being able to work with so many young individuals and watch them grow into the amazing humans they are is the best!

Relevant School Subjects

Business

Areas Of Expertise

Medical & Health

Career Story

For starters, my path was certainly not linear. It took me a while to find my way, and I’m proud of the journey that I was on. After high school, I decided to follow my friends and go to college. Mainly because I felt as though that was the most obvious choice. I ended up leaving my business program, and switching into Health, Wellness and Fitness. I learned a lot in this program, but discovered the timing wasn’t right for me. I took some time off of school, and pursued my passion for dance. I began working professionally throughout the GTA, and gained a lot of experience and exposure in the industry. Alongside this, I started teaching and choreographing for local studios. I loved it, and still love it! 2 years later, I decided to go back to college and take a one-year Business & Entrepreneurship course. This is the first time I really felt like I found my place within a school setting, and I graduated with honours. The year after this, I took a leap and opened a dance studio in Oakville with my former business partner. We had a highly successful, competitive and award-winning studio. The work, time, effort, and everything in between was no joke. During this time, I was struggling immensely with my mental health, but pushed those feelings towards the back burner as work came first to me. After 3 years of owning the studio, I decided to exit my partnership as I found I was not happy and did not want to pursue this for the rest of my life. This was not an easy decision by any means, and it did not come lightly. Although it was the hardest decision I’ve had to make career wise, it is the best thing I could have done. After this, I spent time focusing on myself, getting my physical and mental health back to where it deserved to be. I was working with my own life/recovery coach to guide me on this journey. And in 2019, I founded The Flourishing Space. The Flourishing Space actually started out as a podcast where I was able to share my own journey through my eating disorder, anxiety and overall mental health. I then decided to take the next step and went to school online to receive my certification in General Life Coaching, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Coaching and Intuitive Eating Disorder Recovery Coaching. From there, I began offering 1-1 coaching to clients, and we have continued to grow from there. Now in 2023, The Flourishing Space has grown into an incredible community. I have the honour of working with so many wonderful clients who become family to me. I am able to honour my craft of dance and teach throughout various studios, choreograph, judge competitions and use my knowledge as a coach to bring the mental health side of things into the dance space. I participate in many speaking seminars, events throughout the community, dance studio intensives and even creating my own dance intensive called Flourish, which involves both dance and mental health. We are only growing, and I can’t wait to see where we take this next!