Tania Parker
Physiotherapist, Clinic owner
Website / Facebook / Instagram
Since the age of 16, I have been dreaming of having a center where people would come to heal and improve their health. I became a physiotherapist because I was interested in physical activity and the non-pharmaceutical approach to healing and rehabilitation. I later became a certified yoga teacher and developed a passion for understanding and treating chronic pain. I left the public system to open my own physiotherapy clinic, Synergi Physio. My mission is to help people gain the tools necessary to increase their health, manage their pain, and increase their quality of life, all while having fun! This is my best crack at helping our healthcare system. I believe the solution to our healthcare crisis is in its name: more health and more care.
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What are you most proud of professionally? And who or why?
I am a physiotherapist that worked most of my career in the public system. I am an innovator and was frustrated with the reactive aspects of the healthcare system and the lack of proactive initiatives. I chose to leave the security of a full time job to open my own private practice which included my values and proven approaches to treating chronic pain. Mindfulness is a huge part of my life and it has allowed me to envision my future and what I see as the future of healthcare. Courage has allowed me to face challenges, to constantly reach outside of my comfort zone, and to achieve my goals. I am very proud of my personal growth and my growth as a professional and an entrepreneur.
What’s your vision for Atlantic Canada in 10 years? What’s our biggest opportunity now?
I feel that Atlantic Canada has so much to offer in terms of nature. I live here to be close to the water, close to nature, to have a life that is slower paced than in larger cities. The pandemic is forcing us to review our lives and decide what we want to continue and what we want to let go. Living in Atlantic Canada allows us to live a balanced work-family life. As many have moved to online platforms for work and working from home, distance from large centers is no longer a barrier. As more entrepreneurs pivot to adapt to the “new normal”, we will see more collaboration and more support for Atlantic Canadian businesses.
Our biggest opportunity now is to let women rise in positions of power and become leaders in building a new future: A future with more compassion, more collaboration, and more sustainability. Women are being called to establish balance in leadership, power and wealth.
What was your greatest stage of growth? What made it a shift for you?
My word for 2019 was "grow". It was the year I developed my business plan, the year I opened the doors to my physiotherapy clinic, and the year I faced most of my fears. The shift happened when I started to trust myself more. I became aware of my fears and strong enough to face them.
What’s your favourite or most read book or podcast? Now or at each of your greatest stages of growth?
I designed my business plan around the principles of the book: The 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey. He talks about aligning your goals with your purpose and your values and building steps towards that vision. Habit 6 is "synergize": where small things come together to build something bigger. My business name is Synergi Physio; and my motto is Moving Forward Together. I want to build a community of people who have developed healthy habits, moved out of the cycle of chronic pain and regain a life worth living.
What’s your deepest learning from this past year? How did/will you apply it?
Trust the process. I learned to keep the vision but to modify the path. With COVID-19, I had to close my clinic for 2 months, after only being in business for 6 months. I had planned to hire an assistant. We decided to go ahead and continue with our plan to grow as a team. We modified our approach to include virtual health care, and we developed a website, started writing blogs and building an email list. Today our clinic is open and I am happy to have the extra help of an assistant. We also have our online community and online services to compliment our practice. This allows us to grow as a business to reach more people.
Who’s inspired you, directly or indirectly? How have they inspired you?
My kids, Jackson and Ben, inspire me to be the best version of myself every day. I am honest with them when things are scaring me and they are my biggest fans when I face my fears. I want them to know that I dared to be the change I want to see. I want them to see that I put myself out there when it would have been easier to follow the crowd. I want them to know that sometimes in life you fall down, but you always need to get back up.
What would you have done differently?
My path has not been perfect, but I trust the process. I believe we all have things to learn along the way and the obstacles are what make us grow. I am still learning and my business is not perfect, but I continue to do my best to make this world a better place on a daily basis.
What are the principles you live by?
My vision for healthcare is health and care. These are the principles I live by. I take care of my physical health with exercise and healthy eating. I take care of my mental, emotional and spiritual health with yoga, meditation and daily mindfulness practices. I strongly believe the solution to healthcare is more "health" and more "care".
How have you recovered from fractured professional relationships? What uncomfortable truths have you learned about yourself in those experiences?
I have been in situations of misunderstanding and poor communication. I have learned to continue to live my truth by being loyal to myself, to my values and to my mission.
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Physiotherapist, entrepreneur, clinic owner, passionate about chronic pain, mother, outdoor enthusiast, yoga teacher, healer, dreamer, rebel, authentic, leader, passionate about health and self-care