We had the good fortune of connecting with Tanys Coughlan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tanys, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I had spent 20 years in home health care starting in the field and
working up to management. I was working a lot of hours and ended up in
burnout twice. I knew it was time for a change. I found the Ontario
Self-Employment Benefit program and I applied and after a lengthy
selection process was accepted to the program. I had to decide at that
time whether to use my Human Resources Certification or my Reiki Master
Certification for my business. I went with the HR Consultancy business
first because many were telling me it was more main stream. I opened
Twillow Consulting in June 2015. By the end of the 8 month program,
sales had started to come in but it was a long sales cycle and I needed
to add something so by the end of 2015 I had decided to open a Reiki
practice in 2016 with the idea I would expand in the future. This was
the start of the Twillow Lifestyle Community.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started the Twillow Lifestyle Community, to bring healing to clients
and to bring a like-minded community together. I’ve spent over 20 years
in the home healthcare field, first as a home support worker, right out
of university where I received a Bachelor of Social Science and worked
my way up to management. I had been taking Human Resources and Applied
Management certificates throughout my time in home care and received my
Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) Designation. I entered the
Ontario Self Employment Benefit (OSEB) Program and started a Human
Resources consulting company, Twillow Consulting. It was a long sales
cycle with business-to-business sales so, I decided to use my other
designation of Reiki Master Teacher, to start a second business; a
business to consumer enterprise. I started a reiki practice, the Twillow
Lifestyle Community (TLC). I started learning new healing modalities and
using them with my Reiki clients; my client base grew.
In 2020, when COVID hit, I was unable to continue to see clients in my
home so I had to pivot and find another way to do business. I started to
do more distance energy healing and my clients started to book again. I
started to look at other ways to meet new clients and their changing
needs through online networking.

I had been teaching Reiki for a few years by this time and decided to
take special training to able to do the Reiki classes online. In the
fall of 2020, I had a few people ask me to mentor them for the healing
practice. I decided to start the Twillow Lifestyle Academy (TLA), in
January 2021. I developed a program and started to teach. The TLC/TLA
started taking on new teachers and practitioners in 2021 as individual
contractors. The TLC now has 2 other practitioners, one from Ottawa and
another from the United States (US) and 6 other teachers from Canada and
the US. The TLC practitioners offer a variety of services from a variety
of healing modalities to coaching. The TLA offers a range of classes and
programs that include meditation, energy healing, crystal and essential
oil use, yoga, Celtic Shamanism, metaphysics and more. The teachers and
practitioners all have their own businesses and practices but
collaborate to create a community.

“We are stronger together” is a guiding philosophy.

There is a trend for classes to be recorded and become evergreen classes
however this approached does not allow for the teacher and student to
interact in real-time. This is why the Twillow Lifestyle Academy has
maintained live online classes. They want to ensure the best learning
experience and outcomes for their students and be able to evaluate
student progress in real-time.

The TLC regularly requests feedback from their client to ensure they are
maintaining a high standard of quality. I regularly follow up with the
clients following their sessions, to ensure the quality of the products
and services they have received. I continually requests ideas for new
classes, programs and products to offer, from our regular students as well as researching the newest trends in the holistic and metaphysical

fields. The TLC practitioners and teachers are continuously learning new
skills and abilities to be able to better service their clients and
students.

The Twillow Lifestyle Community sells crystals and metaphysical supplies
and have been doing this in person for a number of years. They are
currently in the process of starting an online store, Twillow Treasures
in order to be in tune with the current shift to online sales.

There is a big trend towards creating and maintaining community
connections so the TLC has launched their Twillow Lifestyle Community
Membership page where they offer, monthly e-books, meditation
recordings, card readings, resources and exclusive offers and events
just for members.

The multidisciplinary approach is important in the current market so the
TLC has curated a multidisciplinary team of practitioners and teachers
that are all working together to provide their clients with well-rounded
programs and a cross referral approach to the others in the community.
This encourages collaboration over competition within the community.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are so many beautiful parts of Ottawa. It depends what time of
year it is. In the spring, hanging out at the Tulip Festive around Dow’s
Lake can be beautiful place for a picnic or a stroll. In the summer,
there are beaches and many parks and green spaces to walk and explore
like Mooney’s Bay Park and Beach or the Arboretum at the Experimental
Farm. Perhaps you enjoy being by the water on a warm day? Watch the Hogs
Back Falls or take a stroll or a boat ride down the canal. When the
weather is poor, why not take in some amazing theatre or music at the
National Arts Centre or go to one of Ottawa’s many museums or galleries.
If it’s shopping with a unique flair you are looking for try the
downtown Byward market, Sparks Street, the Glebe area, the outlet mall
or the many shopping centres. There are so many amazing restaurants and
eateries for every budget and taste.

Culturally, Ottawa is full of diverse events that cater to many
different interests, like yoga and kirtan on the beach, or indigenous
festivals. There are festivals and events for every culture throughout
the year.

The week should also include some of the live music venues like the
Rainbow Bistro or even the Heart and Crown Irish Pubs.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a shout out to my family and friends who have supported
me on this entrepreneurial journey and who put up with my long hours.

I also want to thank our Twillow Lifestyle Community/Academy
practitioners and teachers. I am so honoured to have you all as
colleagues and friends.

I would also like to thank all of my clients and students, without them

I wouldn’t be able to continue to serve others the way I do.

I am honoured and grateful for you all. Much love!

Website: www.twillowlifestyle.ca

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twillowlifestyle/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyscoughlan/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TwillowLC

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twillowlifestyle

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TwillowLifestyleCommunity

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.