In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition for the people, businesses and organizations that help make our city great. The team at KamloopsBCNow.com is passionate about this community and the people that make it amazing. We want to show our friends, neighbours, family and colleagues that we notice them and the fabulous things that they do.
What is your name?
Melissa West
What do you always find yourself saying?
“Breathe!”; “Hydrate!”; “Trust the process”; “Have faith in your body’s ability to heal itself”; “Sometimes people need some guidance and/or an intervention to tap into their natural healing response”; “You are what you eat!”; “Everything in moderation!"
If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select and why?
Jack Canfield – I admire Jack for his achievements and approach to life – a perfect balance of success and philanthropy. I would be interested to learn how Jack balances day to day life with his phenomenal success.
If you were to receive any existing public award, what award would you like to win?
I would like to win the Canada Award for Excellence. This award recognizes Canadian businesses for excellence in applying the principles of ‘Total Quality Management’ to services provided as well as workplace environment.
If you could spend a day with any historical figure, who would you choose and why?
I would like to spend the day with Helena Rubinstein. It would be fascinating to observe her daily life and get inside the mind of such a successful business woman, pioneer and philanthropist. I think this would be a huge learning experience both personally and professionally.
Who inspires you?
I am inspired by people that struggle with adversity and overcome it - people that find a way to change from ‘victim’ to ‘victor’
What are three things on your bucket list?
1. Own a state of the art, environmentally sustainable home, on a beach, in a tropical paradise.
2. Develop a standardized protocol for chronic pain accessible to anyone.
3. Take six months and travel through Central America stopping only to help with volunteer projects and to spend time at every accessible sandy beach along the way.
If you had an enormous yacht, what would you name it?
“Never Give Up!”
If you could foresee a single day of your future in its entirety, what date would you select?
I would select a date five years from now so I could see if I should be doing anything different right now to change my future for the better.
What are you passionate about?
Health, wellness, fitness, and teaching.
What has been your favourite day of your life, up to this point?
When I taught 17 impoverished women from a developing country a skill that would potentially make them independently wealthy and I was able to witness their joy and excitement as they received their certificate of completion.
What has been your proudest accomplishment?
Renovating, designing and opening my own clinic.
Where is your favourite place to dine in Kamloops? What do yo like about it?
Hoodoos breakfast on the patio – breathtaking views, good quality food and a beautiful patio.
What is your favourite activity or event in Kamloops? Why?
Snowboarding at Sunpeaks – so many amazing tree trails, ideal snow conditions, and superb amenities. It’s all in our back yard and you never have to fight the crowds – we are so spoiled!
What is the name of your business/organization?
Change Your Pain Kamloops
What does your business/organization do?
Pain management, injury rehabilitation/prevention, motor vehicle accident recovery, return to work programs, fitness training, health coaching, stress/pain care coaching. We utilize registered massage therapists, kinesiolgists, yoga therapists, and fitness trainers to help you be healthy, fit and pain-free!
Where can people find you or your business online?
changeyourpainkamloops.com
How do people connect with you on Linkedin?
Search for Melissa West
Where can people find your business on Facebook?
Change Your Pain Kamloops
What is your Twitter account?
@ChangeYourPain
What is your mission?
Our mission: To help people find the most effective and efficient path to being healthy, fit, and pain-free by utilizing evidence-based assessments, treatment modalities, program development and coaching.
If you could achieve one thing within your field, what would it be?
Develop a mandatory lifestyle coaching program that could be implemented into the public school system starting at age seven and evolve each year until graduation.
Where do you want your business/organization to be in five years?
In five years, I want my business to be global – I want to reach people all over the world that need help finding their path to recovery and a better quality of life.
Who do you consider to be a forerunner within your field?
Neil Pearson – he is a physiotherapist, in Penticton, a pain educator, yoga therapist and has numerous other credentials in the pain care, education, and rehabilitation realm. Neil is at the forefront of the latest research on pain and he has been instrumental in making this research accessible to practitioners and patients on an international level.
What three qualities do you feel that your business/organization exemplifies?
Education, empowerment, and prevention.
What would you like to say to your employees/volunteers?
My business thrives based on the quality of the people that I work with and I couldn’t ask for a better team of people. I am so grateful to have a handful of the brightest, most dedicated, highly skilled and innovative employees and contractors working in the clinic. I want to thank my employees and contractors for helping to make the clinic into a thriving business as well as a welcoming, empowering, and encouraging environment – we will need a bigger waiting area soon for all the patients that want to hang out at the end of their sessions!
How does your business/organization impact the community?
We strive to be a useful resource for people with health and wellness issues by referring out to other practitioners in the community based on the patient’s needs. It is all about the patient having positive outcomes. If another business/practitioner in the community can provide a better outcome than we can, then we refer outside of the clinic. Our goal is to educate the community at large so we have teamed up with a couple physicians to present pain education seminars to their patients.
If you were trapped in an elevator with several wealthy investors from any field, which field would you want them to be experts in? What would say to them/talk about?
Healthcare Investors – I would ask them about the latest innovations in healthcare and where they see healthcare going in the next 10 years; also if they had any ideas on how to improve the efficacy of our current health care system.
If I could change one thing about Kamloops, it would be:
Winter: More snow on the mountains and less in the city!
What do you think makes Kamloops great?
The dry weather; long hot summers; stunning desert landscape; relatively low cost of living; sense of community; access to endless outdoor activities, and sports right out your back door!
My choice for the Kamloops In Focus spotlight is:
Arwen’s Apparel
Some general comments I would like to share are:
I am very glad that I chose to build my business in Kamloops. This city offers so much room for growth as a business professional. I hope that my services enhance my patient’s quality of life as much as living and working in Kamloops has enhanced my quality of life. Thanks Kamloops!
We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below, and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kamloops!
