July 29, 2010 – January 29, 2011

The Journey So Far

July 2010

Big Beautiful Wellness™ is born

Place: On a dock, by the water, at Smoothwater Retreat ~ Temagami, Ontario

Time of birth: middle of the night

Wardrobe: Nightgown and flipflops

August 2010

• Register the business
• Trademark the name
• Purchase the websites
• Hire the webdesigner (Brilliant:  http://webyourmind.net – Sophia)
• Create a vision, plan, philosophy
• Meet Tiina Veer through Facebook
• Pick the Sunflower as OUR FLOWER:  “The Biggest, Most Beautiful Flower in the Bunch!”
• Plan a launch party
• Find suppliers
• Start a little Facebook page
• Launch a cute little website

 September 2010

• Had my first television appearance for Big Beautiful Wellness™ on Daytime Toronto (with Luba Goy!)
• Had National (Canadian) Coverage in Sun Media – FULL PAGE about Big Beautiful Wellness™
• Set up a Meetup.com group – Big Beautiful Wellness (of course!)
• Celebrated with Super Successful, unforgetable Launch Party
• Found SUPER SUPPORTER in Laura Adams – A. Nash Travel who provided trips, hotel visits, dinner DONATIONS for the launch party! SO GRATEFUL for Laura. (http://www.anashtravel.com/)
• Made a Dozen Plus Size womens Bucket List wish come true.. Modelling (couldn’t have happened without Stefanie and Gina @ SexyPlus Clothing and Maximum Woman)
• Discovered Belly Dancing is a Plus Size natural! (Joharah @ Bellyup you are amazing!)
• Was inspired by Opera Singer, Ramona Carmelly
• Meet Debbie Anderson – Art Therapist (specialty in Self Image Issues)

October – December 2010

• Launch and Cancel first Big Beautiful Wellness™ retreat
• Launch and Cancel several city Big Beautiful Wellness™  workshops – (retreat and workshops all cancelled due to lack of enrollment)
• Lost all deposits and motivation several times
• Began Planning Yoga for Round Bodies Retreat – May 2011 (visit the Ecology Centre in Orangeville and realize it is the perfect place for us)
• Begin discussions with The S.W.A.P. Team to have Plus Size Clothing Swap
• Began planning  Big Beautiful Wellness™ Mexican Trip – 2012
• Begin scouting out Plus Size Positive Businesses and Services in Canada
• Met and Inspired by Moira Sutton
• Astonished and discouraged by almost complete lack of support from the businesses that get all of our business
• Watch Facebook numbers grow steadily and KNOW that this is right
• Realize cute little website is insufficient and hire webdesigner to start all over
• Launch New and Improved www.bigbeautifulwellness.com
• Watch the registrations slowly grow on the new website
• Tape a One Hour Special, through Cogeco TV, on Big Beautiful Wellness™ for release in February 2011.
• Watching / hearing Plus Size women make life changing decisions about the health, weight and self esteem
• Cry often.

January 2011

• Start exploring other ways of spreading the Big Beautiful Wellness™ word
• Began looking for celebrity support
• Began looking for corporate support / promotion / bonuses / discounts for the registered members of www.bigbeautifulwellness.com
• Discovered Althea’s Body Ideas! Toronto Classes for Plus Size (and SUPERSIZE) Women.. WOW.. Thank you Althea <3
• Realizing the power of Thousands of Plus Size Women saying
  “We are Beautiful, We are Strong.” When we walk and talk this message, really, truly BELIEVE it, we can change how we treat ourselves, our families and the world. Then, we can expect the World to begin to treat us differently.
• Met Hundreds of Plus Size women on the same road to Strong Self Esteem, Good and Vibrant Health, Positivity and an Active Lifestyle  THRILLED at the variety and challenge!!
• Hit 1,500 members on Facebook – on our 6 month Anniversary. Yup, this morning I cried.  

Liz McCallum

Founder: Big Beautiful Wellness™

THANK YOU SO MUCH

 FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Here are some of the people who have helped make this happen…

http://www.thethomasyaccatogroup.ca/

http://www.smoothwater.com/

http://www.webyourmind.net

http://halcyonhealth.ca/workshops/yoga-for-round-bodies/

http://sexyplusclothing.com/

http://www.maximumwoman.com/

http://www.anashtravel.com/

http://www.debbieandersonarttherapy.com/page19/page19.html

http://theswapteam.org/

http://www.successbreakthrough.com/about.php

http://www.bellyup.ca/

http://www.altheasbodyideas.com/page.aspx?menu=90&app=303&cat1=719&tp=2&lk=no