We profile 12 North Shore notables across the region.
Dawn TARDIF
Dawn Tardif started working when she was 15. She took a job at Gingiss Formalwear; moved on to management at the then-popular clothing chain The Limited; and then worked at the locally iconic Yolanda’s bridal shop.
As she worked her way up the ladder in the world of fashion retail, however, Tardif knew what she really wanted was to start her own business. And she wanted to focus less on the outer trappings of beauty and, instead, delve a little deeper. The result was BodiScience Wellness Center & Spa, opened in 1990 and still thriving today.
“I have never been the person who is so concerned with the exterior,” Tardif says. “If I am feeling happy, healthy, and balanced and at peace, I am then going to radiate that. To me, that’s beauty.”
BodiScience offers treatments based on the philosophy that skincare is about more than superficial beauty. The skin is a vital organ that reflects the state of internal systems and energies. Therefore, skincare must address emotional and mental wellbeing as well. The principles of Ayurvedic medicine—a traditional Indian form of natural medicine that centers on balancing mind, body, spirit, and the environment—have always been central to Tardif ’s work. She has studied extensively in both Ayurvedic practices and conventional medicine.
“All of our modalities are based on the mind-body connection and neuroscience,” she says.
When the business first started, this kind of holistic approach was not widely appreciated, Tardif says. Though her true focus was on overall wellness, and she has always offered Ayurvedic treatments, she made the practical decisions to put the word spa in her business name and offered some of the expected services, like manicures.
“We put the name ‘spa’ in there so I could get into people’s minds and hearts,” she says.
Today, BodiScience’s pioneering approach to wellness and skincare has more traction, allowing the business to really come into its own. And she intends to help spread the philosophy even further: She will soon be launching a program to train others in the field in BodiScience theories and techniques.
“Now that it’s more talked about, now that it’s more well received, we are able to step up as the leader in the industry,” she says. “We have now stepped into our authentic selves.”
Amy LATIMER
When you think of power players at the TD Garden in Boston, you might think of Bruins center, Patrice Bergeron, or Jason Tatum tearing up the parquet for the Celtics. Behind the scenes, Amy Latimer, president of TD Garden and chief development officer of its parent company, Delaware North, is calling the shots. Starting as part of the inaugural executive team at the TD Garden in 1995, she rose through the ranks and was named president of the arena in 2012. Latimer led a $70 million renovation
