The Women Who Changed My Life
- Mar 8
- 3 min read
A Reflection on International Women’s Day
Today marks International Women’s Day, a moment recognized around the world to celebrate the strength, resilience, leadership, and impact of women in our communities.
For many people, it is a day to recognize mothers, daughters, colleagues, and leaders. For me, it is also a moment to reflect on a journey that spans more than twenty-five years of entrepreneurship, growth, learning, and resilience.
Building businesses—particularly in healthcare and wellness—is never a straight path. It comes with challenges, uncertainty, and moments where belief becomes the most valuable currency you have. Looking back on the past two decades of building medical health centres and developing The Queens Health Centre and Queens Med Spa, I can say with absolute certainty that two women changed the course of my life.
The Power of Belief
Entrepreneurship often requires a leap of faith. Sometimes that faith must come from others when you are still learning how to believe in yourself.
My wife Lisa has been the foundation of that belief.
Throughout the years, through every challenge and every moment of uncertainty, she never stepped away. She saw something in me long before I fully understood it myself. She encouraged the vision, supported the long hours, and stood beside me through the risks that come with building something meaningful from the ground up.
Her belief helped create the space for me to grow—not only as a business owner, but as a person. When people talk about success, they often speak about strategy, timing, or opportunity.
But behind many successful journeys is someone who quietly believes in you when the road isn’t clear.
Lisa has been that person in my life.
Trust That Builds Something Bigger
The second woman who profoundly changed my journey is my dearest friend and business partner, Dr. Kogan.
When we began building what would eventually become The Queens Health Centre, it required more than a business idea. It required trust, collaboration, and a shared vision for healthcare that placed patients and community first.
Dr. Kogan trusted my knowledge, my work ethic, and the vision of building something unique—an environment where medical care, wellness, and preventative health could exist under one roof.
Without that partnership, the Queens Health Centre as it exists today simply would not be here.
Together, we created a model that continues to evolve—one that brings together physicians, healthcare professionals, pharmacy services, wellness therapies, and advanced medical aesthetic treatments to serve our community in a holistic way.
The Broader Impact of Women in Healthcare and Leadership
My personal story is only a small reflection of a much larger truth.
Women continue to shape healthcare, lead innovation, support families, strengthen communities, and drive meaningful change across every sector of society.
Within our own centres, I see this every day.
From physicians and nurses to pharmacists, therapists, medical aestheticians, and administrators—women form the backbone of compassionate, patient-centered care. Their dedication, expertise, and empathy are what transform clinics into communities of healing.
In wellness and anti-aging medicine especially, women are often the leaders pushing forward new approaches that integrate science, preventative health, and mental well-being.
Their influence extends far beyond the workplace. It touches families, neighborhoods, and entire communities.
A Moment of Gratitude
International Women’s Day reminds us to pause and recognize the people who shape our journeys.
For me, it is a moment of deep gratitude—for a wife who believed in me when belief mattered most, and for a business partner whose trust allowed a vision to become reality.
It is also a reminder that progress, innovation, and community are often built on collaboration and support.
Behind many great ideas are women who inspire them, strengthen them, and help bring them to life.
Looking Forward
As The Queens Health Centre and Queens Med Spa continue to grow, our mission remains grounded in the same principles that helped build it: trust, care, and a commitment to improving the health and well-being of our community.
On this International Women’s Day, we celebrate the women who lead, who support, who innovate, and who inspire.
And we thank the women who change lives—often in ways far greater than they realize.
In Health,
Antonio Leal
The Queens Med Spa
238 Barrie Street
Thornton, Ontario
L0L 2N0
705 250-9544
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