Dana Martin

The Journey of Revival by Martin and Co.

When your truth and desires of your heart begin to unfold clearly from the deepest realm of your soul, you simply cannot deny that voice within. As cliché as it may sound, the concept of what starts as a whisper will eventually become a slap in the face if you don’t awaken to those signs and whispers; that has at least always been true for me!

Hello, Atelier community, I’m Dana Martin, Co-Founder of Revival by Martin and Co: reclaimed wood watches with a cause, which aims to make the world a better place one watch at a time! I had the opportunity to be a vendor at this year’s Toronto signature event, and I’m excited to share my background into how I evolved from being a health care provider and professional photographer to starting a unique watch company alongside my husband. When I reflect on the path that has brought me to where I am now, it’s the bread crumbs I’ve followed that have shaped me in realizing my life’s purpose

This path has led me to many countries including Bolivia, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Dominican, to name a few. It has lead me to multiple degrees including Hon. Kinesiology, Religious studies and graduate school to become a registered Physiotherapist. 

 My path is one of servitude and connection, a desire to meet and help people facilitate healing. 

At a very young age, my single mother introduced me to travel and the minute we could afford a plane ticket, we’d spontaneously hop on a plane just the two of us. This early exposure to witnessing the world at large has shaped my worldview, life goals, and dedication to servitude.

During my first long-stay trip to Bolivia, my commitment towards helping women and children expanded tremendously and was likely one of my greatest life lessons. Previous to this trip, I’d seen poverty and observed homelessness, but during this trip, I FELT it. I vowed then and there to only eat what the children at the orphanage ate and drank and followed the same hygienic practices they did. With this experience, I really began to cultivate empathy and deep gratitude for the opportunities and advantages my Canadian lifestyle offered me. Once you FEEL, LIVE and BREATHE it first hand, there is no turning back. My heart continually explodes with visions of the person I want to become in order to contribute to helping ease these unnecessary burdens. 

I have one million more things I could say to shine light into my career and lifestyle choices, however for brevity and simplicity, it really can be summed up in a few words:

I do this because I have always vowed to myself that I will never become complacent, that I will always strive to lead by example, and for a plethora of reasons that move me to make an impact on the world.

DANA MARTIN

I am driven by love, responsibility for becoming the best version of myself so that I can better serve others, especially my four children (10 and under) and my sweet baby on the way. Every day I meditate, pray and make a commitment to show up for others and to be at their service. I love my family, life situation and my careers and I cannot for a minute imagine not having the opportunity of this lifestyle due to lack of health care access, or having to walk miles and miles to fetch disease-ridden water to give to my children knowing it could make them ill or even die.

I believe that there is definitely a high vibration of conscious awakening happening in our present world. Revival by Martin & Co. is simply one tangible tool I can use to help raise awareness of the power in our purchases and our responsibility to the environment, as well as to our inner purpose to awaken to some “clarity” of thought and purpose within ourselves. Revival by Martin & Co. is also our family’s vessel to help contribute to the incredible work both WaterAid Canada and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) are doing daily to help others life their life. 

I do this because I have always vowed to myself that I will never become complacent, that I will always strive to lead by example, and for a plethora of reasons that move me to make an impact on the world.

Every 90 seconds a child in Africa dies due to water-related diseases. It is the number one cause of death in children under the age of five. Water unites us, it sustains us, and connects us biologically and physically… without it we would cease to exist.

I try to live my life, like a current of water; it flows, falls, ebbs, veers, rushes… but most of all it bends, to adapt and it always finds a way.

The people I have met and lived with – who have next to nothing – have this enchanted ability to draw their joy and happiness from within themselves and they focus on the connections they have with each other.

I have learned so much from them and the truth about happiness – it resides from within.

It takes a community and I am so grateful for the opportunity to have been a vendor at The Atelier and to be able to witness and be a part of the community being cultivated.

Dana Martin Visit Website

Dana is co-founder of Revival by Martin and Co. She has degrees in Kinesiology, Religious studies and has also completed her education to become a registered Physiotherapist.