For a long time, pushing through can look like success, until it doesn’t.

The warning signs rarely arrive all at once. They begin as whispers: a few more migraines, a racing heart, anxiety that doesn’t quite make sense, a body that won’t settle down.

Those whispers — and what happens when they’re ignored — became the focus of a candid conversation Wednesday morning at Southern Italian-inspired restaurant Cantina Gia in the Glebe.

A group of Ottawa businesswomen gathered for the latest edition of Boost, an intimate networking series created a few years ago by Melissa Reeves, COO of architecture and design firm Linebox Studio.

She hosted the two-hour event with her director of operations, Lindsey Suprunchuk.

Like every Boost gathering, the morning also shone a light on a local cause. Guests heard from Harmony House’s director of development and communications, Francesca Davila, about the organization’s work supporting women and their children escaping abusive relationships.

Francesca Davila, director of development and communications at Harmony House, was invited to talk at the Boost gathering about the work the organization does to help women and their children rebuild their lives after abuse through transitional housing and support programs. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Rather than trading strategies for getting ahead, the discussion explored a different question: Can women build successful careers without sacrificing their health?

“We often come together in rooms like this and talk about what we need to do to be successful,” Reeves told the audience. “We talk about the hustle. But we don’t often talk about what it costs.”

For years, professional coach and consultant Emilie Wilcox had done what so many high achievers do. She worked long hours, stayed active, pushed through discomfort and assumed the next challenge could be overcome with enough determination.

Then her body stopped cooperating.

What began as stiffness in her neck and shoulders got worse. Anxiety surfaced in places where she’d always felt safe. During Labour Day weekend in 2024, she collapsed in crippling pain and eventually ended up in the hospital.

With few answers from doctors, she was still unable to sit or stand for more than a couple of minutes at a time six months later. “I realized I had to figure out what was going on,” she said. “I was too young for this to be my life.”

That search led her to explore the science of the nervous system and chronic pain.

Looking back, she believes years spent operating in a constant state of stress had finally caught up with her. “I’d been living in fight-or-flight mode for so long,” she said. “My nervous system just said, ‘Stop.'”

She spent more than a year focused on her rehabilitation. “And now I’m here,” she said to applause.

As Wilcox shared her experience publicly, others began reaching out to her with stories of their own. “That’s when I realized the power of telling the story, of having the conversations about the challenges that maybe people don’t see.”

From left, psychotherapist Christine Harrison, business coach Emilie Wilcox and Linebox Studio COO Melissa Reeves, founder of the Boost series, discussed the topic of “Health, hustle, and how we really show up” during a businesswomen event held at Cantina Gia restaurant on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Wilcox’s story inspired Reeves to open up about her own long-time struggle with a chronic neurological condition that causes severe migraines. “I’ve never spoken about it publicly,” said Reeves.

Early in her career in Toronto’s investment industry, Reeves routinely worked 40-, 50- and 60-hour weeks while enduring 12 to 14 migraine days each month. She kept herself “medicated to the max” to push through before eventually recognizing the toll it had taken on her health.

“It was a ‘no excuses’ environment,” she said of the workplace culture at the time.

Reeves said she’s learned over the years how to better manage her condition, but her migraines — which occur a few times each month — are still debilitating when they strike.

“When Emilie started sharing her story, it made me feel more comfortable sharing mine.”

That openness was exactly why Reeves and Suprunchuk hosted their event. “We all go to different networking events but don’t always get a chance to connect in a meaningful way,” said Reeves, who’s chair of the Ottawa Community Housing Foundation board and just finished her four-year term on the board of the Ottawa Board of Trade.

Business and community leader Melissa Reeves, COO of Linebox Studio, created the Boost series to bring together women over good coffee and food in beautiful spaces, where conversations go beyond small talk. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Christine Harrison, founder of Focus Forward Health, is a “hustler by nature”. The registered psychotherapist and former pro athlete specializes in women’s health.

Harrison and Davila are also finalists for one of this year’s Businesswoman of the Year Awards presented by the Women’s Business Network.

Harrison said one pattern appears again and again with her clients. “We’re really good at doing more,” she said. “We do ‘more’ really, really well.”

The problem, she explained, isn’t ambition. “Hustle is not a badge of honour,” she said. “It’s your choice. If you want to hustle and it feels good to you, do it on your terms.”

Instead of viewing success and well-being as opposing forces, Harrison encouraged women to redefine success in a way that allows room for both. “You can do everything,” she said. “Just not all at once.”

From left, psychotherapist Christine Harrison, business coach Emilie Wilcox and Linebox Studio COO Melissa Reeves, founder of the Boost series, discussed the topic of “Health, hustle, and how we really show up” during a businesswomen event held at Cantina Gia restaurant on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Burnout rarely arrives all at once, Harrison said. “It’s not going to show up screaming. It shows up with the whispers of physiological symptoms.”

Those whispers can take many forms, from disrupted sleep and digestive issues to anxiety, irritability, weight gain and losing interest in things that once brought joy. “The first thing I ask people about is sleep,” she said.

Instead of waiting for their bodies to force them to stop, Harrison encouraged the audience to create small moments throughout the day that tell the nervous system it’s safe.

Sometimes that means stepping outside for a walk without turning it into another performance metric. Sometimes it’s breathwork. Sometimes it’s simply allowing yourself to rest without feeling guilty. She also emphasized the importance of strength training as women age.

Harrison said our nervous systems evolved to protect our prehistoric ancestors from immediate danger, but our biology hasn’t kept pace with modern life. “Our brains still think we’re running from tigers.”

Said Harrison: “Hustle is not a badge of honour, but I’m not a big fan of the shaming of the hustle. If you want to hustle because it feels good to you, do it on your terms. Sit in your power. Make the rules. Decide what your hustle is.”

Perhaps the greatest lesson learned that morning wasn’t about slowing down. It was about paying attention before the whispers become louder, because sometimes the best thing a person can do isn’t to push through. It’s to listen.

Women at different stages of their careers gathered at Cantina Gia restaurant for the latest Boost event hosted by Melissa Reeves and Lindsey Suprunchuk of Linebox Studio. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Priya Bhaloo, CEO at TAG HR, and Krista Killingsworth, general manager of construction at Powertek, attended the Boost event held at Cantina Gia restaurant in the Glebe. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Ashley-Ann Lawrie, CEO of Free Form Fitness, Elizabeth Kilvert, former owner of The Unrefined Olive, and Jennifer McGahan, co-owner of Showroom Furniture + Lighting in Stittsville, attended the Boost event held at Cantina Gia restaurant in the Glebe. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Noor Fatima, risk consultant with BDO Canada, and award-winning businesswoman Carley Schelck, CEO of Urban Element, attended the Boost event held at Cantina Gia restaurant in the Glebe. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Lindsey Suprunchuk, director of operations at Linebox Studio and co-host of the Boost event, with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation’s Madison Tackaberry, special events and donor engagement officer; Lindsay Firestone, vice-president of corporate engagement and events; and Olivia Grebe, community outreach officer. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Risk-management consultant Carmen Abela, who also sits on the board of The Ottawa Mission and chairs the board of The Royal’s charitable foundation, participated in the discussion on “Health, hustle, and how we really show up” during an all-women event held at Cantina Gia restaurant on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips

This article is made possible through sponsorship from Star Motors, WEALTH (WCPD), Syntax Strategic, RBC, Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties, ExecHealth, Altis Recruitment, Bell Canada, First Avenue Investment Counsel, Welch LLP, Brazeau Seller Law and Prime Benefits Group.

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