Trish Stratus: It's Stratus-fying Being on Top

Being passionate about what you do is the key to having success in both your career and your business.

It comes down to knowing what you want, knowing how to obtain it and strategizing your game plan. Former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Diva Trish Stratus knows all about being successful, as she was dubbed the recipient of the Top Choice Award for Top Business Woman of the Year for 2010.

“It’s hard for me to think of my yoga business as a business (because) it’s something I love,” says Stratus. “The thing I tell people, (is) to go for what you’re passionate about because at the end of the day, to go to work every day and to love what you do, it’s a fantastic thing ... it’s Stratus-fying!”

After opening shop April 26, 2008, nearly three years later, Stratusphere Yoga Studio - a 5200 sq. ft multi-disciplinary yoga centre and Canada’s largest eco-friendly yoga studio - has become a popular place for yogis and those beginning to make yoga a part of their lives. Her drive to introduce yoga to everyone she can is one of the things that has helped her get to the top.

For those unfamiliar with yoga, it dates back to more than 5,000 years. It’s about promoting an overall increased sense of physical and mental well-being. It also detoxifies the body, relieves tension, and reduces stress.

As a role model in the fitness industry promoting health and wellness, the seven-time former WWE champion pulled herself out of the ring and started a new chapter of her life, but this time on a yoga mat.

It was through her experience as a sports entertainer for the WWE, a company known for their excellent marketing innovation and success, that Stratus has been able to grow and nurture her yoga studio allowing it to completely flourish.

“This (award) means a lot, you know, it’s funny because yoga and the business of what I do is something that I’m passionate about and something that I’ve been doing for my entire life,” says Stratus. “I don’t go to work thinking I’m going to work, it’s something I love to do and winning this award -  (is) bringing me closer to my goal, which is to get the whole world to do yoga.”

Yoga was introduced to Stratus in 2005 after she was injured while wrestling - she had a herniated disc in her back and traditional physiotherapy wasn’t working. Once she started doing yoga, her back was completely healed so much so that she went back to wrestling and finished her career for a few more years with no back pain.

It was after she retired that she and long-time friend, Janette Lynn, also a yoga aficionado, decided to open up what they call a ‘one stop yoga shop.’ The rest, as they say, is history.