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By Juanita Metzger
 

When Sara Kafashan lost her job as a mental well-being facilitator due to COVID-19 cuts, she knew 2020 was going to be a year of unknowns. She had only recently graduated with a PhD in Applied Social Psychology in 2017 and was considered a fairly young professional in the field.

“I think losing my job allowed me the space to start thinking about the new world that we're heading into right now, post-COVID,” Sara reflected. She evaluated what she learned in her position and began to think about ways she could continue with the work she loved.

She designed and delivered well-being workshops for university students ages 18 – 30, that was rooted in the research of positive psychology and neuroscience, anti-oppression, diversity and inclusion. She also led a team that designed mental well-being and resilience training for all first-year undergraduate students.

Sara took her academic and research training “that usually sits in places that are inaccessible” and translated it into “training programs, workshops and webinars that can actually impact people’s lives.”

But every time she conducted the workshops, she heard the same feedback from students: “ ‘How come I didn’t get this in school? Where was this information when I was being bullied in junior high?’… which really got me thinking,” Sara said.

The other reality Sara faced is that “the spaces of wellness and mental health are disproportionately Eurocentric, and accessibility is a huge issue.” As a person of colour and an immigrant to Canada, she didn’t see many people like her, or her diverse students, represented within the field.

Sara began to explore the idea of starting her own business in order to “recreate and reinvent” mental health education “for people who look like me and for people who are on the margins….because mental health is for all,” she said.

“But really, I have zero business training, you know, I’m all heart!” 

Sara joined the Start My Business Bootcamp at the Laurier Women Entrepreneurship Centre (WEC) to explore if starting a business could be for her. She wanted to understand different business models and the logistics of setting up and operating a business. “I really loved learning about social enterprise, [a model] that could be more in line with social justice, which is what drives my work.”

Sara is also working to become a trained therapist. She has visions for a shared community practice with diverse professionals where mental health education, training and one-to-one counselling would be accessible to Black, Indigenous, People of Colour and marginalized populations. “Accessibility is a huge passion for me that drives me in this work,” Sara said.

“It’s very daunting to think about starting a business alone,” Sara admits, but the community of women she met through WEC and the business knowledge she gained is a boost to propel her through the unknowns and toward her goals.

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Juanita Metzger is a freelance writer specializing in hyperlocal community features, profiles and travel. She also owns and operates Stroll Walking Tours based in Kitchener, Ontario. 

The Women Entrepreneurship Centre (WEC), as part of the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University, is dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs of every age, stage and culture to achieve their business dreams. We believe in fostering leadership. We believe that everyone deserves an equal shot at success. We believe in connecting you with the right people, skills and support to make it happen.