Jon Stojan
Five years ago, Pamela Cowan embarked on a journey to fix entrepreneurial burnout. That pursuit – what started as a heart-driven mission – blossomed beyond her imagination, leading to the founding of Build Resilience International Institute, Leaders Resilience Toolkit, and Business Innovation Playground, a comprehensive app, website, and community currently launching. Across all her ventures, Pamela leverages her expertise as an innovation strategist and neuroplastician, fusing cutting-edge technology with the intricacies of the human brain.
Now, a catalyst of change illuminating the path to effective leadership and workspace harmony, Pamela’s entrepreneurial journey started in her early 20s, before the era of the Internet took over. This young, ambitious woman was running a 5-division business with nothing but a business card, a phone, and a vehicle – all from the comfort of her cozy living room. At 22, when Pamela implemented the Internet into her systems, she was struggling with the new dynamic, the long time it would take for data to load, and the nuances of the then-emerging technology. These challenges took her down the path of doubts and confusion, resulting in Pamela’s first entrepreneurial burnout.
While running that enterprise, Pamela also became a mother of four within less than four years. Inspired by her family’s happiness, she and her husband moved to the countryside, closing the business due to logistic reasons stemming from the distance. On a mission to find her next venture, Pamela delved into her inner self to identify her calling—leaving a positive impact on the world.
At that moment, two pillars were igniting Pamela’s decisions: her heart’s desire to improve the world and her mindful ethos of ‘Every decision is a financial decision.’ Following her heart, she entered the education landscape as a university professor, and in the fourth-largest school system in Canada for over a decade as a tenured consultant for human performance and workplace design. Around that time, she also ventured into the corporate realm, which – for over ten years – has been like a merry-go-round, with Pamela hoping in and out of the corporate carousel.
More than a lucrative career, working with corporations shaped Pamela’s perspective on the landscape, illuminating a striking void in the industry—SMEs struggle with cohesive brand identities, solid missions, and inspiring visions. “We all know that startups often fail. That’s because they don’t know how to carve the pathway to prosperity. They’ve never been taught what the right tools for business optimization are and how to implement them,” she explains.
To fill that gap and help SMEs identify their objectives and curate outcome-driven strategies, Pamela established the Build Resilience International Institute. There, inspired by the untapped power of neuroscience, she helps businesses hone their leadership skills by utilizing the full potential of the brain. “It’s all about working the way we are wired. We are meant to use our brains fully,” she adds. “If executives’ mindsets change, their leadership presence will too. My mission is to spark that change and help them grow.”
Committed to constant innovation and streamlining processes, Pamela, under the Institute’s umbrella, developed The Leader’s Resilience Toolkit App. Within that platform, available on IOS and Android, entrepreneurs can access expert guidance, navigate challenges with resilience, and turn moments of darkness into opportunities for growth. To further enhance her impact, Pamela leveraged cutting-edge SaaS technology and the ability to mastermind, creating Business Innovation Playground, an AI-powered service designed to bring business leaders together and innovate.
Pamela’s journey is abundant in rewarding milestones that stand as a testament to her passion and expertise, such as Gateway to Success: Productivity2Profts Summit. The three-day event, co-hosted by Pamela and attended by diverse experts, coaches, authors, and leaders, opened a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs and thought leaders to network with like-minded personas, gain access to a treasure trove of productivity secrets, and learn how to transform motivation into profits.
Reflecting on her professional and personal journey, Pamela alludes to the philosophy of MIIH—‘Make Interesting Ideas Happen’. “That’s exactly what I do every day. I look at the world as a system, and my mind automatically wonders: How can I enhance the system? Even humans can be enhanced. The winning recipe lies in the powerful fusion of neuroscience, technology, and innovation,” shares Pamela. “We all have a unique combination of thoughts, values, and skills that wire our brains in a unique way. When we learn how to harness that true essence of the mind, we will be able to solve the important problems that we don’t have time to solve and – more importantly – solve the problems we are wired to solve.”
Looking to the future, Pamela and Business Innovation Playground will continue to shape lives, businesses, and careers, while building a robust and supportive community by publishing their books Work The Way You Are Wired, Gateway to Success: Productivity Profits and Roadmap to Build Resilience in late 2024.