Michelle Davies: ‘I do need to sometimes take off my work hat’

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Michelle Davies, 35, global community director at Vancouver-based Lululemon Athletica, manages the company's athlete programs.

I always wanted to work in a professional sport. I grew up with one channel, CBC, and the only thing we had on TV was Hockey Night in Canada or a major sporting event. So I looked at the world through activity. I played every sport and watched pro sports. I remember the 1988 Olympics [in Calgary] and remember thinking it was the coolest thing ever. It left an imprint on me.

I remember being 12 years old and telling my dad that I want to work for the [Vancouver] Canucks one day. He turned around and said, 'Okay, what are you going to do to get there?' I grew up in a small town [Salmon Arm, B.C.], five hours away from Vancouver, on a tiny farm. It could have been easy for him to say that I should focus on something else a little less fantastical. I was such a tomboy but I got my dream job [in 2005] working for them in marketing and events.

I oversee our athletes' program at Lululemon. I manage how we work with athletes globally and how we show up as a brand at large-scale sporting events, such as the Olympics. We work with 80 elite ambassadors, who are pro athletes. We support them with yoga, technical products and events. We tell stories about them.

It's all community building. I went to Rio twice last year to find a house for us to rent for the Olympics, and met with some of the athletes as well as some incredible yoga teachers. We don't just roll in and land somewhere; we always want to build relationships. So whether I'm on a scouting mission for the Olympics or travelling to the event like Pan Am to connect with athletes, or going to South by Southwest [SXSW music and film festival], I'm on the road a lot. On average, I'm probably on the road 10 days out of every month. I'll be gone for all of August in Rio.

The very best place I went to for Lululemon was Sochi [for the2014 Winter Olympics]. I don't believe I would have ever gotten to Russia if it wasn't for my job and I fell in love with the country, the culture and the people.

The best part of the job is the people. I'm constantly meeting incredible people who are genuinely elevating the world. One example is [alpine skier] Josh Dueck. He's a Paralympic athlete, and one of our elite ambassadors. He's one of those people that the better you get to know, the better you feel. From a husband, to father to athlete, I'm blown away by him.

The hard part is that it's easy to make work my life. That's on me. I have to learn to make space for me away from work sometime. When you love something so much, it's easy to allow it to become your whole life. It can be easy to work 24/7 and I do need to sometimes take off my work hat.

'When did you know and when did you do something about it?' That's the really good advice that I still use to this day. It came from my former boss, Nancy Richardson [now the chief marketing officer at Clearly Contacts]. It's important to trust your gut and not sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff.

Professional sports right now are in a good place. There are so many more opportunities for women in all parts of professional sports and it's encouraging to see female athletes going after their goals, like [snowboarder and Lululemon ambassador] Leanne Pelosi. I feel women are supporting each other rather than competing with each other. I feel the general vibration is that we are lifting each other up rather that getting past each other.

As told to Leah Eichler. This interview has been edited and condensed.