Lisa Messina, The Messina Movement; Mike Stacey and Lindsay Maynard, fox Grove; John Lott and Jen Cook, H2O Getaways;
You need passion (and grit) to really excel in business. Sometimes all you need to transform your life is to find something you’re really passionate about and focus on it. These local entrepreneurs have all made major career shifts to start businesses that reflect who they are
Mike Stacey and Lindsay Maynard,
Fox Grove
What if your dream job combined working outdoors to keep you happy plus a whole lot of bicycling to keep you fit?
Mike Stacey, a former CBC journalist, drafted a plan for his own business years ago. He and his wife, Lindsay Maynard, an artist who works at OCAD University, moved from Toronto to Cobourg to enjoy quieter living with their two girls. Mike decided it was the perfect opportunity to launch his own venture, capitalizing on his love of nature and trees. Fox Grove is an eco lawn care company that offers emission-free services (and quieter, battery powered equipment). While Lindsay does the administration, Mike pulls the equipment trailer behind his bike.
Next up, he plans to charge the batteries for his yard tools with solar panels.
Lisa Messina,
The Messina Movement
It takes energy and fortitude to perform eight shows a week! Lisa Messina started dancing at a Woodbridge arts school when she was two and grew up competing across North America. “I was a dancing robot,” she says of her childhood passion. She later studied musical theatre at Sheridan College and went on to star as Anne at the Charlottetown Festival’s Anne of Green Gables, and Peter in Peter Pan, among other credits. But stress and recurring injuries took a toll. She changed careers to help herself and others heal – ultimately leading to a new life in Bloomfield.
Her home studio, the Messina Movement, is where she guides people through meditation, yoga and other therapies, virtually and in person. “I love that I can watch people come back to a sense of who they truly are.”
John Lott and Jen Cook,
H2O Getaways
Jen Cook and John Lott love a challenge!
The veteran boaters spent 10 years living in Toronto aboard their large power boat Marlan. It was more spacious than the first house they’d renovated in the city’s east end – and less complicated to redesign than the old firehall they transformed into a residence.
They know firsthand the ins and outs of turning a boat into a dream home on the water. So when their livelihood in the theatre collapsed with the pandemic lockdown, they decided to create a boutique houseboat rental experience, H2O Getaways. Their guests travel from Lock 1 in Trenton towards Peterborough along the scenic Trent-Severn Waterway, working as a team to navigate the wind and the water.
As Cook says, “It’s the perfect combination of adventure, comfort and relaxation.”
Story by:
Karen Hawthorne
