It’s not every day you meet someone who has been so successful she has been able to semi-retire at age 33.
And it’s somewhat surprising that she’s generously willing to share insights into her success with others.
Barbara Brigidear exudes a quiet confidence that is startling in someone still young. After she agreed to be interviewed, we met this week at the Ledge coffee shop downtown.
She arrived smiling broadly and ordered a green tea, which she even attempted to buy, although the interview had been arranged at my invitation. She was gracious right from the start of our conversation, answering every question directly and thoughtfully as she drank her tea.
Born and raised in Watrous, Sask. (population 2,000), Brigidear was the second of four children. Her dad was a school board superintendent and her mother a teacher-turned-small business owner who named their children based on the alphabet. Anthony, Barbara, Carolyn, Doug. A, B, C, D.
Barbara Brigidear was independent from an early age, but also disciplined. “We had a lot of structure in our lives because there were four of us. Discipline and structure. I work well with that,” she reflected.
During her summers off from studying kinesiology at University of Saskatchewan, Brigidear planted trees in northern B.C. and northern Alberta.
“It’s terrible,” she said. “The first night out there, I was in my tent and it started to snow. I was so cold.”
Other days, she endured air thick with bugs and heavy downpours. But every summer, she returned to tree planting, “because it paid so well.”
“If you worked hard, you could make really good money,” she said. “I like jobs where the harder you work, the more you get paid for it. Now I do nothing. Life is good.”
But in between there have been other tough jobs that demanded and developed her discipline and leadership skills and led her to success.
In Saskatoon, Brigidear joined the military, which paid for her degree in dentistry. She then worked on the base in Borden, Ont. for four years, as agreed so the military would cover the cost of her dental studies.
She had originally intended to pursue physiotherapy, but when she was not accepted into the program, a friend had suggested dentistry.
“It was definitely not a childhood dream, but it’s something that has worked out well for me.”
Brigidear then worked as a dentist in Duncan, B.C. before buying a practice in Pemberton and buying a share of another practice in Squamish. Entrepreneurship seemed a natural step based on her mother’s success as a small business owner.
“My mom is an inspiration for me, a great role model,” she said. “There were no limits – of course I could start my own business.”
She has also drawn on her discipline and leadership abilities learned through the military. Brigidear worked six days a week to be successful.
But she also made solid business decisions, especially in buying the practice in Pemberton, which Vancouver people consider the hinterlands despite being not far from Whistler.
And she had learned effective management. When I ask about her success in business, she is clear about how she made it happen.
“Be willing to work hard to achieve your goals. Learn from your mistakes and never stop learning; that is the surefire way to fast-track success in any field.
“Work hard and put a good team around you. Providing a good service is important. You have to make people happy.”
You can make people happy in a dentist’s chair? I am skeptical.
“It’s a tough one because your tooth only feels pain,” she acknowledged.
She has no regrets about choosing dentistry, however. “I’m glad I did it. It has got me to here and I only have to work part-time.”
At age 33, Brigidear is already semi-retired as a dentist. She’s a young professional married to a computer programmer, Jeff Desroches, who works from home for an Ontario company; they have lived in Squamish for five years.
“We came here for the people, the young professionals,” she explained, adding they also enjoy the mountain biking, cross-country skiing and competitive sports. They stopped in Squamish en route to Whistler and noticed “a lot of people here who are 30-something… with a bike on their vehicle.”
It was a lifestyle decision they were able to make early based on success in their 20s.
She has worked hard at everything she has pursued to date, including finishing an Ironman, which she accomplished this year after 10 months of training and no prior experience in marathons or distance cycling or swimming. She reaches her goals step by step; for the Ironman, she raced in shorter-length triathlons all spring so that she entered the Whistler Ironman competition prepared – and she succeeded.
“If you want to do something, you have to go for it. You have to work hard. It’s not always fun, but… it’s fulfilling.”
She always dedicates herself to any goal. “When I do things, I try to do them to the best of my ability. I am fairly competitive.”
Brigidear also places emphasis on leadership and management. She said it’s important to “build a team, respect people who would work for you and with you, and give them a fulfilling and meaningful job… to give people different avenues to enjoy their job and feel appreciated.”
Now, at age 33, she is already enjoying the results of her labours and works only part-time after selling her practices. “I’m really enjoying the Squamish lifestyle,” she concludes, putting down her cup of tea. She talks about her plans to travel to Hawaii to surf -- and to South America as well. She is now pursuing a new passion: learning to trade stocks and futures.
She plans to stay in Squamish for a long time.
“I have no plans to leave any time soon. Where would we go? Nothing really compares to here right now.”
Coffee with Christine is a new regular column about local people by Squamish Chief Editor Christine Endicott.
