Top 40 Under 40 2025 - Avenue Calgary

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Jessica Villeneuve | Top 40 Under 40 2025

avenuecalgary — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 13:02:39 +0000

Photo by Jared Sych.

Age: 39

Occupation: Founder and CEO, Same Stars Wellness

For Jessica Villeneuve, massage therapy isn’t a luxury reserved for those with a good benefits package — it’s health care. In 2018, she founded Same Stars Wellness to deliver evidence-informed treatment to adult and pediatric patients with disabilities, serious illness or trauma, and to those in end-of-life care.

“We’re not a spa,” Villeneuve says. “We treat people with cancer, cerebral palsy and neurological disorders. And we build treatment plans around their actual lives.”

Villeneuve started Same Stars Wellness as a mobile clinic and as its sole therapist. Today, she has a staff of 15 who have provided massage and acupuncture treatments to more than 31,000 patients in Calgary, including more than 15,000 treatments for patients living with disabilities and more than 2,500 treatments for patients navigating cancer care.

In 2023, she opened an accessible brick-and-mortar clinic in Bridgeland.

Although Villeneuve trained to become a Registered Massage Therapist and Certified Pediatric Massage Therapist in B.C. and Ontario, where massage is a regulated health profession, this structure doesn’t exist in Alberta.

“Anyone here can call themselves a massage therapist. There are no standardized requirements. That puts people at risk,” she says.

In addition to advocating for licensing reform, she shares her expertise through Same Stars Academy, which has trained more than 500 massage therapists in Alberta in oncology, neurological care and palliative treatment.

Changing the way massage is delivered in Calgary comes from Villeneuve’s mission to help her patients get the care they deserve and from her own lived experience.

She suffers from chronic migraines, often experiencing more than 20 episodes a month. The severity of her neurological condition can cause vision loss, speech disruptions and pain so intense she sometimes has to work from a hospital bed.

“My head being a lemon makes me a better therapist,” says Villeneuve. “I’ve lived this. I know what it’s like to be dismissed. And I never want someone to feel that way on my watch.”

Thank yous
“So many people for helping be able to do what I do. It hasn’t been easy but it’s always been worth it! My husband Marco — thank you for believing in every goal I’ve ever set, and for always reminding me to eat, sleep, and take care of myself along the way; my mom — who has spent her life advocating for me, making sure I felt seen, supported and never alone. She’s the reason I found this path, and I try to carry even a fraction of her strength and heart into everything I do. To my dad, who taught me never to stay quiet and to always use my voice to push for better — just like he did, fiercely and with purpose; Jeff and Georgina — thank you for always cheering me on and supporting the clinic every step of the way; your belief in what we’re building means the world; to the entire Same Stars team — thank you for living our values every day, for believing in accessible, evidence-based care and for leading with your hearts in every interaction and every appointment; Shai — the clinic wouldn’t be what it is without you; most importantly, to Halsey June — you’re still little, but thank you for keeping mama on her toes and making everything more fun; life is infinitely better with you in it.”

Top 40 Under 40 2025

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Emily Varga | Top 40 Under 40 2025

Kendall Bistretzan — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 13:01:55 +0000

Photo by Jared Sych.

Age: 39

Occupation: Partner and Co-Founder, VML Family Law; Author

if anything proves that Emily Varga can and will have it all, it’s that she wrote a book after having her first child, while working as a lawyer and navigating her father’s terminal illness.

“I was racing to the finish line while he was in treatment, and he unfortunately passed away. But his last words to me were, ‘Write your bestseller.’”

And she’s still excelling in her roles as a family lawyer and bestselling author.

While working at a boutique firm in Calgary, Varga and co-worker Holly McCord Lonseth bonded over their shared ethos of child-focused family law. In 2023, they co-founded VML Family Law, one of the few all-female law firms in the city.

“People are coming to you at the lowest moments of their life, and, a lot of the time, the best interests of the children can be forgotten,” Varga explains. “We are always considering positive impacts on the families while we help them carve a path forward.”

Her experience in law was what led to the idea behind her first traditionally published novel, For She is Wrath, a retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo set in a fantasy world inspired by Pakistani history. Although her father had already passed when Varga started writing this particular novel, she initially started writing fantasy stories because he was a fan of the genre.

For She is Wrath became an international bestseller, was shortlisted for awards including the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the Peter’s Book Prize, and has helped raise the profile of the Calgary writing scene since its 2024 publication.

But, for Varga, the greatest victory is the impact on readers of seeing Pakistani characters in a fantasy novel.

“Growing up, books never featured people who look like me on the cover,” says Varga. “People need to see themselves in leadership positions and saving the world, because, when they feel empowered to enrich their communities and make positive changes, then everyone benefits.”

Thank yous
“My amazing family, including my mom, two wonderful kids and my incredibly supportive husband; my business partner, Holly McCord Lonseth, our team at VML Family law and my literary agent, Paige Terlip.”

Top 40 Under 40 2025

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Charlie Trafford | Top 40 Under 40 2025

Riley Fonger — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 13:01:33 +0000

Photo by Jared Sych.

Age: 33

Occupation: Former professional soccer player; Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Trafford Farms

Despite a 12-year pro soccer career — including three consecutive appearances with the Canadian national team — Charlie Trafford’s journey wasn’t easy. A late bloomer who also bounced back from a major knee surgery, Trafford credits his career to one thing: resilience.

“I came across hundreds of players with more talent and skill than me. But I never quit,” says Trafford.

In 2022, Trafford left Europe, where he was playing professionally, to join Cavalry FC, Calgary’s professional men’s soccer club. As co-captain, he led the team to finish first in the league during the regular season in 2023 and secured the club’s first Canadian Professional League (CPL) championship win in 2024.

In 2025, he helped Cavalry FC win a match against Mexican team Pumas UNAM, the first time a CPL team has won a game in the international Concacaf Champions Cup. After three impactful seasons, he retired on March 25, 2025, but still remains actively involved in the sport. He’s part of the ownership group of Calgary Wild FC, Calgary’s first professional women’s soccer club, and co-founder of Carefest, an annual charity soccer match that helps support KidSport Alberta.

Off the pitch, Trafford co-founded Trafford Farms with his sister, Sya, in 2023, with the goal of supplying high-quality, nutritious food to the community. Launched from a converted shipping container to grow specialty mushrooms, the company has since expanded into a 60,000-square-foot facility. In 2024, Trafford Farms acquired Deepwater Farms, which produces greens, expanding its vision for local and sustainable agriculture.

Today, Trafford Farms supplies nearly 100 restaurants and 100 grocery stores across Alberta, is projected to surpass $1 million in sales, and has signed a letter of intent with Sobeys for Western Canadian distribution.

“We want to try to help change the food system in Canada,” says Trafford. “I think it’s going to become harder to protect ourselves and have food security. We need to be able to produce locally.”

Thank yous
“My business partner and little sister Sya; my supportive, loving motivating wife who puts up with me and our crazy dreams; my incredible family Tom, Danuta, Sam, Ash and kids; everyone who’s supported us, Tommy Wheeldon Jr. and the Cavalry organization, Paul Shumlich, our investors and all the incredible suppliers and restaurants in Alberta who support local!”

Top 40 Under 40 2025

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Alexandra Daignault Sangster | Top 40 Under 40 2025

avenuecalgary — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 13:01:02 +0000

Photo by Steve Collins.

Age: 32

Occupation: Founder and CEO, Sarjesa Inc.

In 2017, Alexandra Daignault Sangster had no idea that Sarjesa, a class project she developed at Mount Royal University, would turn into a fully fledged tea-making enterprise.

Today, Sarjesa Inc. operates a 4,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in south Calgary, equipped with nine tea bag machines. In addition to Sarjesa, the tea brand, the facility manufactures for client brands and sells to independent retailers and customers across North America, all while supporting disadvantaged women.

In 2023, Sarjesa developed and started implementing a sourcing framework that measures — through supplier surveys and interviews — whether women at the farm level are participating in and benefiting from ingredient purchases. The framework guides Sarjesa’s long-term partnerships with ethical producers, and directly impacts how Sarjesa formulates, packages and manufactures every product in its facility.

“It didn’t even occur to me to start a business that wouldn’t be impacting the women and the communities that we work with, just because it’s been so ingrained in me that you take care of others,” says Sangster.

Sarjesa is run by a majority-women team from diverse backgrounds, and Sangster says the company’s team reflects its lived values. Sarjesa partners with local farmers and all Sarjesa tea blends have at least one component that is either Alberta-grown or sourced elsewhere in Canada.

In 2024, Sangster acquired Buzzd Nutrition, a brand of dairy-free coffee creamers. She has transformed the company by developing new formulas and earning key food safety and natural health product certifications that meet Canadian and U.S. regulations. As her business scales, Sangster insists that the choice shouldn’t be between good business and doing good.

“We can grow things other than canola; we can build our own food systems,” she says. “It doesn’t mean we have to do it all, but there are specific things that we can do really, really well.”

Thank yous
“My nan, my family, my partner, my team, my friends, my mentors, Mount Royal University, Trico Charitable Foundation and every person who believed in this.”

Top 40 Under 40 2025

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Katie Samoil | Top 40 Under 40 2025

Olivia Piché — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 13:00:36 +0000

Photo by Jared Sych.

Age: 39

Occupation: Registered Nurse

To think of astronauts and critical patients as similar populations with comparable needs may seem a little out of this world, but Katie Samoil knows the two have a lot in common.

Samoil is a registered nurse in the emergency department at the Foothills Medical Centre. She teaches advanced critical-care nursing at Mount Royal University and facilitates mass-casualty simulations across North America.

She is also an internationally recognized aerospace physiology expert, studying the impacts of space flight on the body and exploring the intersection of clinical care and astronaut physiology. Both include working in high-functioning team environments often under intense pressure. There are also physiological similarities between patients on extensive bedrest and astronauts returning from a mission.

Samoil’s research in aerospace first took flight when she attended the International Space University in France in 2013 in the department of human performance in space. Since then, she has helped design curricula for astronaut training and become an associate fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association — one of the largest, most-representative professional organizations in aerospace medicine and human performance — and one of only two Canadians on the Aerospace Medical Association Scientific Program Committee. Samoil is also working on a PhD at Simon Fraser’s Aerospace Physiology Lab, exploring astronaut physiology. She does all of this while still continuing to practice as a registered nurse.

Samoil’s background in nursing is unique to the aerospace industry and, as she shares her knowledge across departments and associations, she enriches the work being done to improve both fields of care. Samoil says the key to her success is her lifelong commitment to collaboration.

“I first wrote a mission statement when I was 19; it was to be a collaborator and to elevate community through strong collaboration,” she says. “I still stand by that.”

Thank yous
“My parents for their continual support of my endeavours no matter how wild they may have felt they were; my nieces and nephew for the space art for my walls and always asking the best questions; my extended family for being a part of my foundation, showing me resilience, always leaning in and reminding me of where we come from; my friends, for being my chosen family, thank you for walking this life alongside me. Sean, the core of our home, a willing participant in all of my adventures, no matter how wild, designing amazing itineraries, helping strategize to make my ideas come together, and being the greatest confidant, sounding board, and partner I could ask for.”

Top 40 Under 40 2025