Take your lifestyle to work

Dana Tippe of MediChair Kootenay Boundary (formerly MediChair Cranbrook) recently received an Influential Women in Business award from Kootenay Business magazine. She and her partner, David Stokes, own and operate the health equipment stores in both Cranbrook and Castlegar, B.C.

Tippe said they wanted a business that would contribute to the community. She had done accounting work for the previous owners of the Cranbrook MediChair outlet, and when they decided to sell, Tippe and Stokes thought this would be a good fit.

KB: Do you know why you were nominated for this award?
Tippe: No—but I’m grateful to be thought of as influential! I had a good example to follow from early on—my mother used to wake up singing—I heard her every morning. She was a very influential woman in my life.

KB: How do you feel about receiving this recognition?
Tippe: I’m very happy to get the award, of course, but I look at this business as a lifestyle much more than a job. I think it’s best to work at something that you’re passionate about, because then it doesn’t feel like work. The people I work with are my second family—if they don’t want a hug, they’d better warn me, because otherwise they’re going to get one at some point.

KB: What do you think it takes to be a woman of influence?
Tippe: I think that women are natural relationship-builders, and we take more risks in that area. When we bring that into our businesses, it makes for a higher quality connection with our clients and colleagues. I like this quote from Caroline Myss: “Nothing is impossible for you when you have faith in yourself and your purpose.”