From Dance To Soap

My whole life, I knew I wanted to start my own business. Ever since I can remember, I was always dreaming up new business ideas and crafting new things. Though the business model always changed, two themes were continuously present, dance and handcrafted items. I knew I wanted to be my own boss and I wanted to work with my hands and somehow bring dance into the model.

I was a dancer for 22 years. My parents enrolled me in classical ballet when I was 3 years old. I quickly moved to the top of the class and by the time I was 9 years old, I was training with 13-year-olds, and getting top marks in my vocational exams. Dance was my life, my passion and my first love. It taught me discipline, leadership, and teamwork skills. Dance also gave me an escape from the world. When the music would start, everything would disappear. My body would tell a story and I felt free. When I danced, I was my truest self.

When I was 12, my father was laid off and lost his entire pension and savings, restricting our finances and cutting on spending. This included cutting on dance training which was rough. News got around and an angel donor saw my potential in dance and sponsored my training. This allowed me to train with the National Ballet School and The National Circus School. I was sure I would make a career as a performer and a dance teacher before I would follow my entrepreneurial dreams.

Unfortunately, my health had different ideas. While training at the circus school, I was diagnosed with epilepsy, bringing my circus career to a screeching halt. Not only was I struggling with neurological issues, I was also diagnosed with Ehler-Danlos Syndrome. A rare disorder that weakens the connective tissue causing fragile joints and skin. Along with the above conditions, I dealt with severe depression, which was later diagnosed as bipolar 1 disorder and a pituitary gland tumour.

At this point in my life, everything I had ever worked for was over. I could no longer do what I loved and worked so hard for because of something that was completely out of my control. I thought to myself: “If I known about these health issues prior to having dedicated everything I had to dance, I wouldn’t have tried so hard.” I had no choice but to re-evaluate my life.

Taking care of my health meant taking time off from everything to figure out where what to do with my life. I trained my entire life and missed out on numerous opportunities when I was growing up because I spent every moment I wasn't studying training to be a performer.

It took me seven years to get back on my feet, but I succeeded. I combined my passion for dance and my entrepreneurial drive to build something new and unique. I got my business degree and started a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to supporting dancers with funding and sponsorships through the sale of my handcrafted soaps and bath products. The Sunny Pineapple is the combination of my passion for dance and creative production.

From one dreamer to another, life is series of events. When times are good, they're incredible. But the true times of growth come from unfortunate events and difficult times. My misfortunes lead me to new opportunities and opened doors that I would have never seen if I hadn’t kept my head up, despite the obstacles I encountered. I am perfectly imperfect, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.