Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Arnold. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sarah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

I wouldn’t necessarily say this was my job but it definitely was something that has molded me into a huge part of my why and who I am at this moment. .My journey into health and wellness started from my figure skating career. Before founding Humanity Wellness I skated for Team Canada at the International Level in Ice Dance. My journey in skating forced me to take risks, being vulnerable and persevering through stress times.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

How I got into the industry was through my skating career. I was working with wonderful athletes on and off the ice when I retired the first time from sport. When I was working with these athletes off the ice I felt that I needed more knowledge and more tools in order for injury prevention and rehabilitation. These young athletes spend many hours on the ice. During my own training as a skater, I was lucky to have been sponsored at the Kitchener Waterloo School of Skating which introduced me into the world of pilates. This completely changed my thought process on movement and exercise.

Slowing down my movements and allowing the body to move more efficiently and effectively with more control allowed me to use smaller stability muscles which eventually eliminated my lower back pain. This low back pain was chronic from the age of 15 and I truly believed it was something that was normal during that time. So I decided to receive my pilates training in Mat and Reformer as my love for pilates is strong and I’m forever grateful to have had the opportunity to learn and feel the benefits of pilates. I brought pilates into the rink and started teaching the skaters off ice pilates for their strength and stability. Even though this helped when a skater was injured I felt I didn’t have the tools at the time to troubleshoot for example their knee pain. I didn’t have enough knowledge of the musculoskeletal system to know if the pain was caused by ankle instability, weak glute muscles, core instability and thats what lead me into moving out west and attending massage therapy school.

Once I completed massage therapy school I was asked to compete in skating again. This allowed me to finish skating on my own terms which I think is very important as an athlete. Having the knowledge I gained since retirement of movement and wellness , going to school and competing at an older age I really had a new appreciation for the body and its nervous system. My goal eventually was to create a space for everyone in a calming environment. Training 6-8 hours in a sports setting the last place I personally wanted to be was a gym. I wanted to create a safe space for athletes to come, relax their nervous system, and connect with their bodies in a different way but still including the importance of self care. As I stepped more out of the skating community and worked with the general public and all the wonderful weekend warriors I realized that everyone needs a place to land. Everyone needs a safe space. This was the start of Humanity Wellness.

At Humanity Wellness we focus on restoring, replenishing and reviving our clients in a warm and welcoming space. Looking for a space took many years and a pandemic to happen. I looked for 4 years post retirement actively and everyplace I saw felt too cold or too clinical for my vision. Once the pandemic happened a lot of start up companies ended up moving virtual and I found this little gem of a space in Yaletown. Heading into the clinic is a journey in itself. The elevator makes you feel you are in Europe , the carpet is old as if it could be found in a 1950’s retro home but I secretly love the contrast of the building and inside Humanity Wellness. It was really important for me to find a clinic space that had character and history. The building was built in 1910 and creates this wonderful warmth and cozy vibe as if you’re walking into your friends home.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Being a small business owner comes with many hurdles. Navigating break in’s , learning to delegate, learning to hire the right team, learning about social media. This was something outside of my own craft that I had to learn with many other things. For me at the beginning I didn’t have the finances to have someone build a website, design the clinic, market the clinic. Since I didn’t have financial help I had to really focus my time after treating in order to delegate time to doing a lot of these tasks myself. It was a lot of very long days but I’m happy I had to do things this way as I could really say I put my heart and soul into the practice.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Being a nice human. having empathy , listening to patients and keeping a consistent schedule.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.humanitywellness.ca
• Instagram: @humanitywellness
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humanitywellness/
• Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/sarah-arnold-24b35bb9
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8nWAcELc8GeofXnOLFmyBg
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.ca/biz/humanity-wellness-vancouver
• Other: Tik Tok : https://www.tiktok.com/@humanitywellness

Image Credits
Lenora E. Photography www.lenoraede.com @lenoraede_photo