Five Years of One Heart | Gratitude, Growth, and What Comes Next
Tiawna LaMontagne
May marks five years since I started One Heart Training.
It’s strange how five years can feel like both a blink and a lifetime at the same time.
When I first began this business, I had a vision. I knew I wanted to bring safety training and mental health education into communities in a way that felt real, human, and accessible. I knew I wanted people to leave a session feeling more confident than when they walked in. I knew I wanted to make an impact.
But I don’t think I fully understood how much I would be changed in the process.
There is something humbling about building a business from the ground up in your own community. You start with goals, plans, and spreadsheets—but what you end up with are relationships, stories, trust, and a whole lot of unexpected growth.
And above all else, gratitude.
To the people who made this possible
Yes, I am a solo-entrepreneur, and I am very proud of that, but One Heart Training has never been built alone.
To my long-term clients—many of you who were there in the very beginning—thank you for trusting me when this was just an idea. You gave me a chance, and then you came back again. And again. That kind of trust is something I will never take for granted.
To the businesses, schools, organizations, and community partners I have had the privilege of working with across Saskatchewan—thank you for opening your doors to me. Thank you for prioritizing safety, mental health education, and learning that is practical and real.
Some of the most meaningful work I’ve done has come from collaborations with workplaces, rural communities, and local organizations who care deeply about their people. Whether it’s a small team training or a large group session, every space matters.
To every referral, every recommendation, every “you should call her”—you are the reason this business grew the way it did. So much of my work has come from word of mouth, and that is something I will always be proud of.
Most of all, to those who have helped guide One Heart Training along the way—whether in marketing, accounting, or general business advice—I am deeply grateful. As a one-woman business, every phone call, meeting, conversation, piece of guidance, and moment of time shared has truly mattered. Your support has helped shape this journey more than you know. You know who you are—thank you.
Recognition that still feels a little surreal
This year brought two moments of recognition that I will carry with me for a long time.
Receiving the YWCA Women of Distinction – Enriching Education Award was an incredible honour. Being recognized alongside so many inspiring women in this community was overwhelming in the best way. The YWCA does more than host an awards night—they create space for women to feel seen, valued, and celebrated, and I am deeply grateful to have been part of it.
I was also honoured to receive the Regina 25 Grower Award, which recognizes growth, contribution, and impact within our city. To be included in that group of recipients is something I don’t take lightly. It’s a reminder that consistent, community-focused work does matter.
What I didn’t expect five years ago
When I started One Heart Training, I thought a lot about impact. I didn’t think as much about what it would feel like to stay in it.
To show up year after year.
To keep teaching the same core message, but to new faces, new groups, new communities.
To carry both the weight and the privilege of being invited into people’s workplaces and communities, their learning spaces, and sometimes their hardest conversations.
What I didn’t expect was how much I would love it.
I still wake up every morning genuinely grateful that this is what I get to do. That hasn’t changed.
I often say, ‘I am not happy with how I got here in losing Joel—but I am thankful for the path it created’. It was the hardest and lowest part of my life, and it changed the direction of my life in a way I never would have chosen, but also in a way that led me here.
I have the opportunity to share Joel’s memory every day through this work. Through conversations about safety, mental health, awareness, and compassion. Through the way I show up in rooms where people are learning how to protect and support one another.
That matters to me more than I can put into words.
Looking ahead
Five years in, I don’t feel like I’ve “arrived” anywhere.
If anything, I feel more curious than ever about what One Heart can become.
I want to continue expanding training opportunities. I want to keep bringing mental health and safety education into rural communities, workplaces, and organizations that might not always have easy access to it. I want to keep building programs that feel relevant, practical, and real.
And I want to keep showing up in a way that honours the reason this all started in the first place.
Thank you
To every client, partner, organization, and community member who has supported One Heart Training over the past five years—thank you.
To the people who took a chance on a new business.
To the people who referred me when I was still building.
To the people who continue to book training year after year.
To the people who care about this work as much as I do.
Thank you.
This business has always been about more than training. It’s about people. It’s about connection. It’s about prevention. It’s about care.
And after five years, that hasn’t changed.
If anything, it’s only grown stronger.
Here’s to what’s next.
