08/10/2026
I recently looked at the incredible amount of work I have accomplished with Irèni Movement Arts from a Project Mangement and CEO perspective, between 2019-2025 . This analysis does not include the list of classes, workshops, retreats and Programs I created- that will be in another post 😉
Role & Objective: As Founder and Wellness Entrepreneur of Ireni Movement Arts, I established and led a wellness and community engagement program comprising several component projects that I independently initiated and managed over six years (May 2019 – June 2025), serving more than 1,000 participants, clients, and community stakeholders across Peterborough, Ontario, and Costa Rica. My objective was to build and sustain a community-rooted wellness business by managing each component project — studio classes, international retreats, artistic residency work, and organizational wellness contracts — with its own scope, budget, timeline, and stakeholder group, while coordinating them collectively to advance the organization's overall mission and sustainability.
Contributions: I initiated each component project by defining scope, objectives, and success criteria in consultation with participants, funders, and partner organizations, then developed full project plans covering scheduling, resource allocation, budgeting, quality, and risk management. Component projects included: studio- and online-based women's wellness programs and workshops (2019–2025, launched 4–6 times annually); two international wellness retreats in Costa Rica (January 2020 and February 2023), requiring multi-day itinerary planning, travel logistics, and on-site risk management; a contracted community wellness program for the New Canadians Centre and the Brain Injury Association (2023), funded in part by a Yoga Alliance International Teaching for Equity Award and adapted for accessibility and inclusion; a therapeutic movement and wellness program developed for AON Retirement Residences (September 2021 – May 2025), serving approximately 100 senior residents annually, including enriched-care participants; and choreography and performance projects delivered as Artist in Residence with Public Energy Performing Arts/Theatre on King (2020–2021, 2024), coordinated from initiation through live performance ex*****on, including site-specific outdoor performances during COVID-19. Across the program, I collaborated, contracted, and led cross-functional teams, including administrative staff, artists, technicians, producers, and venue and studio owners, coordinating schedules and deliverables to ensure timely ex*****on of each project. I developed and administered operating budgets and pricing models, and authored funding applications and grant proposals to secure external financing. I monitored project timelines, budgets, and outcomes throughout, maintaining administrative records, financial tracking tools, and reporting materials to support closeout and program reporting, and managed stakeholder communications and marketing using Microsoft 365, Zoom, Canva, and a GoDaddy-hosted website.
Outcomes: The component projects achieved consistent year-over-year growth and sustained participation of more than 1,000 individuals over six years. I secured funding through multiple successful grant applications, including the Ontario Arts Council Chalmers Professional Development Award (2024) and Electric City Culture Council Grants to Individual Artists (2021–2022, 2024). Both Costa Rica retreats were completed on schedule and within budget with strong participant satisfaction. The AON wellness project sustained resident engagement across four years of continuous delivery, while the Artist in Residence projects engaged audiences and stakeholders across Peterborough. The New Canadians Centre and Brain Injury Association contract was completed successfully within its defined timeline. Collectively, this experience represents approximately 73 months of continuous program and project leadership (May 2019 – June 2025) — end-to-end initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing — applied repeatedly across a diverse, coordinated project portfolio. 🙏🏼
While simultaneously creating content, marketing, administering registration, preparing the studio and venues, teaching, choreographing and performing, as a single mother and pedestrian walking from location to location. 💪
