For women entrepreneurs, ambition often comes with an expectation of constant availability. There is always another decision to make, a customer who needs attention, or an opportunity that feels too important to pass up. But when building a successful business comes at the expense of personal wellbeing, it’s worth asking whether our definition of success needs to change.

Suzanne Trusdale, Vice-President at TELUS Health, understands that pressure firsthand. Before moving into corporate leadership, she ran her own business, an experience that shaped her approach to serving customers and taught her the importance of resilience. It also gave her an early appreciation for the personal demands of entrepreneurship and the need to protect her own health.

As TELUS Health supports this year’s Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards, we spoke with Suzanne about the lessons that have stayed with her, the expectations women entrepreneurs should feel empowered to challenge, and why taking care of yourself is one of the most important investments you can make in your business.

1. You started your career as an entrepreneur before moving into corporate leadership. What did running your own business teach you that you still draw on today?

Running my own business was my most profound classroom; it provided a level of education that you simply cannot find in a textbook. Above all, it taught me the true meaning of grit. When you are the founder, there is no one to hand the problem to. You are the final stop, which means you learn how to be resourceful, resilient, and relentless in the face of adversity.

This experience also ingrained in me a customer-first obsession. I learned very quickly that the only way to sustain a business is to solve a real, tangible problem for a real person. Today, in corporate leadership, I still apply that entrepreneurial lens to everything I do. I constantly challenge my teams to look past the internal processes and ask, “Are we actually making the customer’s life better?”

Finally, it taught me the non-negotiable necessity of self-care. I learned the hard way that you cannot pour from an empty cup, and that maintaining your own wellbeing is a critical business strategy for long-term success.

2. There’s a growing conversation about the personal cost of ambition, particularly for women who are building businesses. Have we reached a point where we need to rethink what entrepreneurial success looks like?

We absolutely have. For too long, we have romanticized hustle culture, the idea that success is directly proportional to the amount of sleep you sacrifice or the personal boundaries you break.

While there is something admirable about the drive to strive and build a legacy, we must distinguish between healthy ambition and unsustainable sacrifice. It is one thing to work hard and push boundaries; it is quite another to do so at the expense of your physical health and mental wellbeing.

If the cost of your success is your health, the price is too high.

I believe we are moving toward a more mature definition of success, one where we measure achievement not just by revenue or scale, but by sustainability. True success is building a thriving business while remaining a healthy, present human being.

3. Women entrepreneurs are often balancing enormous demands on their time. From your perspective at TELUS Health, what are we overlooking when it comes to supporting their health and wellbeing?

In the health and wellness space, we often focus on providing the tools for health, including apps, screenings, and clinical access, but we frequently overlook the cultural permission to prioritize time.

Women entrepreneurs often operate as the “Chief Everything Officer,” balancing the growth of their company with the emotional and operational needs of their families and teams.

The biggest barrier to wellbeing for these women isn’t usually a lack of resources; it is the internalized guilt associated with stepping away from the work.

We need to shift the conversation so that prioritizing one’s own health is no longer viewed as a luxury or a distraction, but as a core leadership competency. Supporting women’s health means helping them create the mental space and time to actually use those health services.

4. You’ve spent years advocating for women in business. If you could change one thing about the environment in which women entrepreneurs operate today, what would it be?

If I could change one thing, it would be the expectation of constant availability.

There is an unspoken pressure on women to be “on” at all hours to prove their commitment, their competence, and their dedication to their venture. I would love to see an environment where the ability to say “no” is recognized as a sign of strength and strategic focus rather than a lack of ambition.

I want to empower the next generation of women to stick to their values and protect their boundaries without fear of judgment.

When a leader has the courage to prioritize their wellbeing and say no to the non-essential, they bring a higher quality of energy and decision-making to the things that matter most.

5. As we prepare to celebrate this year’s Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards, whose approach to leadership or entrepreneurship has challenged your own thinking, and what did you learn from them?

My perspective on leadership has been shaped by a blend of personal and professional influences. I first learned about resilience and strength from the women in my own family, particularly my mother, who modelled a quiet, steady determination long before I entered the business world.

Professionally, I have been challenged by the fellow leaders, both women and men, I’ve had the privilege to work alongside. I am most inspired by those who give their absolute all to their vision, yet remain committed to partnership and collaborative growth.

They taught me that the most effective leaders are those who are comfortable admitting they don’t have all the answers, but are relentlessly committed to learning, growing, and delivering.

From them, I learned that the most powerful leadership style is one that balances an uncompromising drive for excellence with humility and openness.

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