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What’s life without taking a few risks? That’s why she and Drouillard jumped at the chance when the op-
portunity arose to take over the former smoothie bar in the front
It’s a question that strikes a chord with local entrepreneur Emily section of Nature’s Vibe, Modo Yoga’s next-door neighbour, earlier
Dwornikiewicz, co-owner of Modo Yoga and No Udder Ice Cream in this year.
downtown Cambridge.
Both Dwornikiewicz and Drouillard are dairy sensitive and came up
Now celebrating its eighth year, Dwornikiewicz and her mother, with the idea to offer vegan ice cream instead of selling smoothies
Wendy, became co-owners of Modo Yoga (formerly Moksha Yoga) after tapping into products provided by local suppliers.
seven years ago after becoming business partners with studio She says it took 30 days from the inception of the idea for No Udder
founder Christine Grant, and haven’t looked back since.
Ice Cream to open its doors last June. It was open until September,
“I’m deeply inspired by other female entrepreneurs,” says Dworni- but pints of the ice cream are available at Nature’s Vibe.
kiewicz, seated in the studio’s bright lobby that faces Ainslie Street “It was crazy and a whirlwind,” says Dwornikiewicz, adding some
North. “And the number of female entrepreneurs we have in this negative publicity on social media early on after one dairy-based
area is so amazing.” product wound up briefly on the menu actually paid off. She says at
least 400 people lined up for ice cream the first day they opened.
She credits her mother, who has more than 30 years of experience
in the fitness industry, with inspiring her to enter the business world “No Udder is really a passion project for us which makes it really
nine years ago while still a university student toying with the idea of neat,” she says. “We’re very passionate about the idea of having
becoming a teacher. families come to the downtown and getting some ice cream and
strolling around.”
“At the time, I was unsure of
what to do with my life as a ca- Community involvement is big with
reer and wasn’t feeling overly in- Dwornikiewicz and Modo Yoga.
spired by the degree I was study-
ing,” says Dwornikiewicz. “My “I’ve had the great opportunity to
mom planted the seed of taking help support and give back to the
the Modo Yoga teacher training community through our donation-
together.” based classes on Friday evenings as
well as through our annual Yoga in
That training led to the forma- the Park fundraiser,” she says.
tion of a successful partnership
with Grant and the studio - part Held last July at Dickson Park, the
of a worldwide network of more event raised $1,420 for The Coping
than 80 studios - has become Centre in Cambridge which pro-
a popular downtown destina- vides bereavement support.
tion with both men and women
offering a growing variety of “It’s so amazing and the event is
classes seven days a week. It was completely supported by the com-
rebranded in November as Modo Yoga as part of a company-wide munity.”
movement. Dwornikiewicz says Cambridge is at a pivotal time, especially for
women in business.
The name may have changed but Dwornikiewicz’s commitment to
the downtown has only strengthened. Not only does she live within “As females, I think we tend to not believe in our own visions or
walking distance of the studio and the neighbouring ice cream ven- abilities,” she says, before offering some of advice of her own.
ture she opened this past summer with fiancé Darren Drouillard, “Never let get doubt get in your way. The sky’s the limit and life is
Dwornikiewicz also sits on the board of the Downtown Cambridge all about taking risks and giving it a go.”
Business Improvement Area.
Dwornikiewicz also says surrounding herself with positive people
“I’m very involved in the downtown Galt core of business owners,” has been a key to her success.
she says. “The downtown has so much robust life.”
“My mom is the most optimistic person I know,” she says. “And any-
Dwornikiewicz understands the negative perception some may have time I come up with a crazy idea she’s always the first to be there
the downtown referring to the issues surrounding homelessness with an enthusiastic response.”
and need for affordable housing but believes there are solutions.
“It’s all part of a being in a community. There are some people who
are struggling but shying away from coming to the core doesn’t sup-
port anything,” she says. “The downtown core is so much more, I
truly wouldn’t do business anywhere else.”

www.cambridgechamber.com 25
Winter 2019