Trish’s journey started in the City of Harare, Zimbabwe where she was born. Her fearlessness in pursuing challenges led her to college in the United States where she graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University with a Pre-Med Biology Degree and from the University of Central Oklahoma with a Clinical Laboratory Science degree. She further trained in Medical Microbiology and Embryology where she worked in the field for 10 years.
Her journey was not always rosy. As the 6th of 7 girls, Trish’s parents did their best to raise their children. The family faced financial hardship over the years which led to intermittent homelessness during Trish’s elementary school years. These tough years played a crucial role in making Trish the person she is today. She learned to study hard, work hard and not let anything pull her down. With her Mom and Dad as her biggest role models, Trish knew there was no obstacle she could not overcome.
Since migrating to Coquitlam, Trish, her husband Alex and their daughter Alexandra, have been residents of the municipality except for a brief period where they lived in Port Coquitlam. Trish’s volunteerism in Canada began at Pacific Immigrant Resources Society where she taught English to new immigrants. Trish also facilitated “Parenting in Canada” workshops for Family Services of Greater Vancouver (FSGV). Trish is no stranger when it comes to volunteering. Her involvement within different communities, started in her birth country of Zimbabwe, continued in the United States and now right here in the City of Coquitlam. She believes that the best gift one can give is the gift of service.
A successful entrepreneur, Trish has been recognized for her businesses and work in the Greater Vancouver area. In 2012, she started Vancouver Tumblebus, a gym on wheels filled with fun equipment such as a zipline, monkey bars, balance beam, trampoline, rings, rock climbing wall and more, all in a converted school bus. She operated this company until the end of 2017. She is also the licensing owner of Gymbus Entertainment, Co-founder of Tri-Cities Women’s Collaborative Hub Society, and managing partner of Ubuntu StratEdge, a performance enabling company that acts as an impetus in unlocking the human and company potential by integrating culture, diversity, leadership and business strategies.
A hardworking and strong believer in community involvement, Trish is committed to public service and is involved in many community initiatives. She sits on several boards such as The Coquitlam Foundation, Tri-City Transition Society, Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce, Coquitlam Tennis Club to mention a few.
Trish’s passion lies in empowering women and youth. She truly believes that when women and youth are empowered, the whole society benefits. She, therefore, puts a lot of effort and focuses on leadership training for women as well as mentoring youth locally, and in Africa. Trish’s happy place is when she champions for social change. She believes that power is not in the knowledge we have but in sharing it with others. An avid sports enthusiast, she spends the rest of her free time with her daughter and husband on the tennis court, at the golf course or exploring new hiking trails.
Trish has strong leadership skills and she believes in the 3c’s – Communication, Collaboration, and Connections. She has the unique ability to build both business and personal relationships and leveraging these for the benefit of everyone involved.
Trish’s mantra for success is seeing challenges as opportunities and not barriers. It is this belief, resilience and insatiable desire to serve that she attributes her accomplishments to. She has won numerous awards including 2017 RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant and is a recipient of Canada 150 Sesquicentennial pin for leadership and community service.
Coinciding with her 50th birthday on June 20, Trish will be making a big announcement. Stay tuned…….
