Who’s Who: Mia Lockhart: Mamma Mia!

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Love your body, trust your core, feel your power
Mike Butler

This Who’s Who was a year in the making. It’s always nice to have some great people on the backburner for articles, and I’ve been so excited to get to this point of the year to introduce and promote this fabulous Valley resident. This strong, fierce, and beyond friendly business owner is a shining example of community light and inspiration. I am so proud to tell you about Mia Lockhart!

Mia was born and raised on the west coast just outside Vancouver, and fell in love with an easterner first and then followed him here and fell in love with the east coast soon after. “I’ve been here over 20 years now,” she says, “and it definitely feels like home. After high school I took mechanical engineering, mostly proving that I could do it, but soon, after starting a family young, I decided massage therapy was a better fit for my hands and heart. My husband Steve and I have loved raising our four kids here in the Annapolis Valley and now that they’re starting to leave the nest, we know “the Valley” will always be home to them.” In knowing Mia for the time I have, she is such an incredible mom, and never minces words about how much her family means to her.

Mia has worked as an RMT here in the Annapolis Valley for the past 20 years in different locations, and in the past 5 years has specialized her training in matrix repatterning and neurofascial release—techniques she is very passionate about because it has really helped her ability to help her clients get better, long-lasting results, especially with underlying pain and concussion symptoms.

“In 2017 I was also moved by a mission in my heart to help girls and women with body image,” Mia says. “I feel too much human potential is lost in body shame, too many people hold back from doing and sharing because of the bully they face in the mirror each morning. I started a non-profit called Girls on Boards, with the goal of helping girls 8-18 learn to love their bodies, trust their core, and feel their power through learning to paddle board and stand on water, followed by vulnerable, open conversations about body love and finding ways to feel good in our bodies. We’ve expanded to snowboarding and skateboarding programs now as well, all of these solo board sports are challenging, non-competitive, and so rewarding because they get you out of your head, into your body, and are so fun to learn and do in a group of supportive and encouraging girls and women.”

Girls on Boards is now drifting (get it?) into their fifth summer! They’ve grown with the expansion of new leaders (they have 35 now across Canada, Australia, and the UK), and have already taken 500+ Nova Scotian girls 8-18 on their sponsored paddles. The program generates funds by offering paddling tours in the Annapolis Valley and they’ll be offering these trips again this summer so follow them online to keep posted and get out on the water and help support their programs. Follow Girls on Boards at Instagram: instagram.com/girlsonboards.co/, Facebook: facebook.com/moregirlsonboards or visit the website, girlsonboards.co.

Mia opened a new massage therapy and concussion clinic in downtown Wolfville called High Tide Wellness in September 2020 with the goal of providing results-focused treatments and professional, safe care. High Tide Wellness now has four massage therapists and a counsellor working out of their location and even during the challenges of Covid-19, they’ve been able to help locals heal and maintain physical health during this challenging time.

“I love how supportive the people of the Annapolis Valley are to their local businesses,” Mia continues. “I’ve been privileged to really witness what it feels like to be supported when you’re nervous and starting a new business, when you’re reaching out with new services, ideas, changes and you’re in a really vulnerable place and then the community comes out in full force to lift you up and encourage you. I know this is different than other places I have lived and I really appreciate it. As far as the other thing I love about this place, it’s the land. I’ve had so many wonderful outdoor recreation experiences here, be it paddling, playing soccer, hiking, or trail running groups or solo meanders through the woods, the land is healing and access is amazing.”

The future looks bright and wonderful for this community light. With Girls on Boards growing and evolving along with her work at High Tide Wellness, Mia shows no signs of slowing down. In this sometimes very crazy world, to know we have strong, community-minded, and ambitious role models for women (and men!) like Mia, it makes the low days feel brighter and better.

Get in touch with Mia, so she can get in touch (get it?) with you at High Tide Wellness: hightidewellness.ca

Photo courtesy of Mike Butler.

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