On the Road to Ottawa: The Journey of PHAM, Four Years In

As I write this, I’m en route from my home in Georgetown to Ottawa, Ontario—our nation’s capital.

There’s something symbolic about that journey.

Four years ago, in December 2022, I sat quietly at my computer and poured my heart into an application to Health Canada. It wasn’t polished or strategic—it was impassioned, honest, and deeply personal. It told the story of my health journey, my professional life, and a belief that had been growing louder in me for decades: we can do healthcare differently in this country.

That application shared how Wallis for Wellness grew from humble beginnings into an award-winning integrative health clinic over 30 years—serving more than 45,000 patients, earning an 80% physician referral rate, and, most importantly, creating a community of healthcare professionals who chose collaboration over silos.

We worked with one shared mission:
to put the person—the client, the patient at the centre of care.

To empower people through education, integrative health, and self-advocacy so they could truly become the CEO of their health.

That belief, self-leadership, agency, and giving people permission to trust their bodies has become one of the deepest passions of my life. Breathing belief into people when they don’t yet see their options. Helping them understand that they do have a say, and that small, intentional changes can shift the entire trajectory of their health and their lives.

Preventative health is not about waiting until something breaks.
It’s about listening sooner.
Leaning in.
Returning to the basics.

Our bodies are complex, intelligent systems. When we honour them, when we move our bodies, when we rest, when we nourish ourselves properly, when we surround ourselves with meaningful connection and community, and when we listen to the whispers before they become screams, extraordinary things can happen.

That is what I asked Health Canada to believe in with me.
That this next chapter of my career wouldn’t be about a clinic or a title but about a nationwide movement to change the legacy of healthcare in Canada.

Now let me be crystal clear: I am not pollyanna about this work.

Healthcare is complex. Change is hard. It takes individuals, businesses, healthcare professionals, municipalities, educational institutions (like TMU School of Medicine) and provincial and federal governments. But more than anything, it takes a societal shift, a new relationship with health, ownership, and responsibility.

And what I know to be true is this:
Small, micro-changes—when fuelled by purpose, passion, and community, create massive impact.

As I drive toward Ottawa in this fourth year of PHAM, I am humbled and deeply grateful.

What began as an idea is now being shaped and carried forward by 85+ healthcare professionals and counting, a wide variety of organizations who believe in this mission, and municipalities across Canada who are not only raising their hands but raising flags.

Across the country, cities and towns are hosting PHAM flag-raising ceremonies and formal declarations, powerful public symbols that they believe in this cause and are willing to elevate preventative health as a shared community responsibility. These moments matter. They signal leadership, alignment, and a collective willingness to do things differently.

Alongside this momentum, PHAM micro-movements continue to grow—initiatives like Stronger Through Midlife, Real Lives Touched by Addiction, and Mom and Baby Palooza—each meeting people where they are, at different stages of life, and offering education, connection, and hope.

These collective voices - healthcare professionals, community leaders, municipalities, organizations, and everyday people are what will change healthcare for generations to come.
That was always the goal, for my children, for future grandchildren, and for the communities we call home.

Every single person can make a difference:

• in their own life
• in the lives of others
• and in the health of our society and planet as a whole

And in my opinion, there has never been a more urgent moment in history to do this work.

We need to be kinder—to ourselves and to one another.
We need to look upstream, before crisis, before tragedy.
And we need to care for mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial well-being as interconnected pillars of health.

I am also incredibly proud that PHAM is committed not only to education but to giving back.

While this is a non-funded movement supported by sponsorships that allow us to host events and fuel micro-movements across the country, we believe deeply that giving back is good for our health.

Through our partnership with Global Coin Solutions, our foreign currency fundraising initiative has already raised over $4,000 for local, worthwhile charities and we are continuing to grow this impact. This is how we make meaningful differences in our local communities.

And one final distinction I want to be very clear about.

Preventative Health Awareness Month in February is an intense, free, national education and advocacy campaign, designed to spark awareness, ignite curiosity, and open conversations.

But when March 1st arrives, the PHAMonth becomes the PHAMovement.

Because real change does not happen in a single month.

Health is built through sustained action, ongoing education, connection, and support and that is why I am honoured and excited to share that after four years of hard work, the Become the CEO of Your Health Hub and Community will be launching very soon. Get on the wait list!

This Hub is designed to help people sustain momentum, to continue learning, connecting, and growing in their health year-round. It will provide access to trusted education, live webinars with healthcare professionals, and a practical workbook where individuals can track, reflect on, and communicate their behavioural changes with their healthcare team, because behaviour change is what ultimately drives health outcomes.

So let me say this clearly, as the Founder of PHAM:

This was never meant to be my movement.
It is, and always has been—our movement.

And together, we are changing what’s possible.

Join the PHAMily.
Buckle up.
And get ready for PHAM 2026.

Because it’s going to be epic and it’s epic because of you!

With purpose and gratitude,
Margaret Wallis-Duffy R.M.T., C.P.C.A.
Founder, Preventative Health Awareness Movement