Tell Us Your Story. What motivated you to start your business? Why are you passionate about what you do?

Feel Good was born in the year of the pandemic. Whilst many other fitness business went online or closed their doors for good. We decided to start Feel Good by taking our workouts outdoors and IRL. I (Oll) originally worked for Tight Club Athletics, an amazing community fitness studio that unfortunately closed due to the pandemic. Feel Good was created as a direct result of this, so we could continue and build on a wonderful community. Carrying the "torch" for creating an inclusive space and making exercise accessible and welcoming. Our aim has always been to create community and boost mental health through exercise and human connection. We knew that an online platform wasn't going to give people what they needed, so we braved snow, rain, and minus temperatures to bring in person, socially distanced workouts to the people of Vancouver 5x a week. We are passionate about helping people to stay happy through tough times (whether that be globally or personally), our aim is to be a community resource that brings people together, to connect, sweat, reduce stress and enhance lives. Helping people who struggle with depression and anxiety (over 50% of the population) to overcome their tough times, is why we do what we do. We not only offer Group and Personal Training, we have been exploring the world of hot / cold therapy and now run an Sauna and Ice bath experience called the Good Sauna. We are also exploring the use of alternative medicines and how to help people with the nutrition and gut health. All things that can be managed to make people Feel Good Everyday.

Describe and demonstrate, including metrics, your community support. How do you support and uplift your community, and how do they show that support in return? Minimum 25 words, maximum 2500 characters.

300 people use our facility every week. Since the origin of Feel Good we've had an 800% marginal increase in clients that are apart of our community. Our growth over the past two years confirms that our purpose resonates with our community, and that what we're doing works for them. We support our community in multiple ways, first by making exercise accessible for all abilities, body shapes and genders. Inclusivity is at the top of our values. Second, by creating a space for people to boost their mental health, while connecting with like minded people. Many friendships have developed within our community, our vision has come to life. Third, is checking in. At the beginning of every class we ask a check in question (ice breaker), this can be anything from: choosing between a beach or a mountain, or stating your dream job. This loosens everyones up and forms an instant connection between everyone in the class. The community supports us by continually showing up and contributing to our business. Monetarily with buying memberships and passes, but also with their eagerness to be involved in our community. Offering to help with events, pitching ideas and showing up with great attitudes.

Why do you deserve to win the Business Impact award?

Our business by its very nature is centred around creating a lasting impact in our community. From day 1 we have striven to enhance peoples lives on a daily basis. Giving them a safe, encouraging space to move their body, boost confidence in themselves, reduce stress and connect with new people. One of our key goals is to make inclusivity common place in society. Whether you feel marginalized because of gender, ethnic background or physical attributes. Here at Feel Good, we break down barriers and create a place where anyone can be themselves. Many of our clients attribute their on going happiness by integrating our training and event experiences into their lives. Feel Good is about celebration, we celebrate the wins both small and large and create an experience for our members to celebrate everyday.

Tell Us About Your Culture. How are you creating a sustainable and healthy workplace where everyone feels welcome? Provide examples of leadership you show in interactions with clients, vendors, contractors, staff and others.

Our workplace culture mirrors the culture we create for our clients: inclusive, supportive, and centred around community. We treat all staff, vendors and contractors as our friends. In fact a lot of our vendors have become such because of a connection formed outside of the business. Mental health and overall well being at the forefront of what we do, we provide all staff with a free membership. This way they can not only communicate what we're about, but also keep up their well being so they can show up for themselves and the community. Communication is key, we lead by allowing our stakeholders to communicate their needs to find out the best way we can help them flourish. We check in on a regular basis, we create attainable goals and we include people in the fun events we create. We run quarterly 4 week challenges which are aimed at cultivating community. We encourage our employees to create events based on their interests so they can share them with a new audience. This can be totally unrelated to exercise. For Example a board games night or a discussion on goal setting. We believe life is about balance and host social events outside of the gym setting, such as trivia nights, sports days, and retreats to name a few. We are currently planning an educational bike packing trip with one of our clients who wants to share their passion for cycling with their new friends at Feel Good.

Why do you think you should win the Premier’s People’s Choice Award?

We should win the Premier's People's Choice Award because our fundamental purpose is to support the community around us so they can feel their best both mentally and physically. We're always trying to find new ways to support our community and winning the Premier's People's Choice Award will allow us to not only spread the Feel Good message but also help to enhance what we offer. We would use the prize funds to invest back into the business and provide better services, facilities and to reach more people.