LEADERS IN FRAME WITH AMANDA OVAICI
- imherewithmag
- 6 hours ago
- 5 min read
CO-FOUNDER OF OP LAWYERS AND CO-FOUNDER OF FUCK UP NIGHTS YYC
Leaders In Frame brings together a curated group of women in business, and women in film shaping Alberta’s community landscape.
OUR MAY AND SECOND COVER STAR OF THE LEADERS OF FRAME INITIATIVE IS AMANDA OVAICI
Photography by Mory Peterson of Afterlight Studio
Issue 21-22 Creative Director Roxanne Molnar
Cinematography by Andres Alejandro Galarza
Amanda Ovaici: Calgary’s Heartfelt Community Leader and Legal Advocate, Living Life with Resilience and Purpose
Amanda Ovaici is a proud mother to a beautiful girl, and her family is the driving force behind everything she does. Her love for her daughter and her commitment to her family serve as her foundation, inspiring her to live with purpose, resilience, and compassion.
For Amanda, family is everything, an anchor that grounds her amid life’s challenges and triumphs. Her deep appreciation for connection, love, and community fuels her dedication not only as a mother but also as a trusted resource, advocate, and leader in Calgary. Amanda’s journey began over 15 years ago in the beauty and distribution industry, where she built her entrepreneurial foundation. She created new product lines, managed diverse teams, and expanded her reach across international markets through strategic negotiations and participation in trade shows and the development of strategic partnerships worldwide. These years of entrepreneurship cultivated her leadership, resilience, and ability to manage complex projects skills she now channels into her legal and community work. Her early career taught her the importance of perseverance, innovation, and building authentic relationships, values she carries into every aspect of her life today. Driven by a desire to make a deeper impact, Amanda transitioned her career into the legal.
She earned her law degree from the University of Southampton, bringing her diverse background and entrepreneurial spirit into a new dimension of advocacy and service. Her legal journey was motivated by a passion for justice, compassion, and helping others navigate life's most challenging moments. She became a co-founder of OP Lawyers LLP, a trusted Calgary-based law firm specializing in family, employment, and civil litigation. As a dedicated founding partner, Amanda leads with heart and integrity, guiding clients through difficult legal battles with a personalized touch. Her leadership emphasizes advocacy, empathy, and a firm commitment to justice, making her a formidable and compassionate legal advocate.
Beyond her legal career, Amanda actively contributes to Calgary’s vibrant entrepreneurial and social fabric. She co-founded FuckUp Nights YYC, an impactful movement that promotes resilience by encouraging open conversations about failure and growth. She also co-founded Café Alchemist, a community space that fosters connection, creativity, and renewal and has been , recognized as a staple venue in Calgary with multiple awards and recognitions from Avenue Magazine’s, Culinaire Magazine and the Calgary Herald. These initiatives speak to her passion, shared with her partners, for bringing people together through a mutual love of culinary exploration and meaningful connection.
Amanda and her partners recently completed a successful exit with the sale of Café Alchemist and are already turning their focus toward their next passion-driven venture. Her dedication extends beyond her ventures Amanda is a member of the Calgary Inner City Builders Association’s Board of Directors, where she advocates for policies that promote sustainable economic growth and address critical issues like housing.
One of her clients, Ms. Talbot, beautifully captures Amanda’s character: “Amanda is everything you could hope for in a lawyer genuine, easy to talk to, and incredibly down to earth. After working with two previous lawyers who didn’t believe in my fiancé or what he was fighting for, Amanda was a breath of fresh air.
While others stuck to the status quo, she stepped in when no one else would. She took the time to truly understand our situation, and her extensive legal knowledge gave us the clarity and confidence we desperately needed. Amanda stuck with us through the thick of it, never backing down and always fighting for what was right. She genuinely cares, listens, and relates in a way that’s rare to find in this field. Amanda is the reason, our child can finally just be a child free from the stress, confusion, and weight they never should’ve had to carry. For the first time in a long time, we can finally breathe easy. If you’re looking for someone who will actually stand by you and fight with both heart and skill, Amanda is the lawyer you want in your corner. We are beyond grateful for her support and dedication.”
As a mother to a girl, Amanda’s life is infused with profound purpose and love. Her family remains her highest priority, and she believes that genuine leadership begins at home through small acts of care, connection, and vulnerability. Navigating the joys and sleepless nights of motherhood, she exemplifies resilience, strength, and hope. She draws inspiration from her daughter daily, recognizing that her journey as a parent enriches her ability to serve, lead, and uplift others.
Her adventurous spirit skydiving, globetrotting, embracing new experiences mirrors her belief that life is a gift meant to be lived fully and authentically. She approaches each day with fearlessness and an open heart, continuously seeking growth and new horizons.
Amanda’s story is one of relentless dedication, compassion, and unwavering hope. Her leadership is not confined to her legal victories or entrepreneurial successes; it is rooted in her genuine desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. She embodies the spirit of resilience, advocacy, and service—an authentic beacon of strength and integrity in Calgary and beyond.
Notably, when asked how she “balances it all,” Amanda challenges the very premise of balance. Rather than striving for equilibrium, she sees life as a continual pursuit of evolving goals both personally and professionally while pushing herself forward each day with intention and discipline. Although her legal background has instilled in her a healthy caution, particularly when advising entrepreneurs about the importance of choosing business partners wisely, given how easily the wrong alliance can undermine a venture, Amanda speaks with pride about the partnerships she has cultivated.
She firmly believes in the adage, “If you want to go fast, go alone. “ If you want to go far, go together.” She credits much of her success to the exceptional partners who stand beside her, the teams they have built collectively, her supportive husband, Meysam Ovaici, who steadies and strengthens her when demands are high, and her daughter, who inspires her not only to achieve more, but to pause, be
present, and savor the moments that matter most.
Her journey reminds us that true leadership combines love, purpose, and perseverance. Amanda Ovaici’s life exemplifies how one can balance professional achievement with deep personal values living proof that a life driven by purpose and family can inspire others to believe in their own resilience and potential.
She continues to serve as a trusted resource, advocate, and role model empowering others to succeed and live authentically, with heart and courage.
Photography by Mory Peterson of Afterlight Studio
Creative Director Roxanne Molnar
Cinematography by Andres Alejandro Galarza
FuckUp Nights is a speaker series and a networking event where entrepreneurs share the stresses and challenges of their journey, openly embrace failures, and celebrate the valuable lessons learned along the way.
We love bragging about our successes, but what about those glorious failures that paved the way there?
The global movement of “FuckUp Nights” celebrates just that – our professional failures. Hosted in 92 countries worldwide and 318 cities, FuckUp Nights brings together local business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders to share their tales of failure. In a world filled with challenges and professional setbacks, FuckUp Nights Calgary seeks to change the stigma around failure and inspire Calgarians throughout their entrepreneurial and personal journeys.
Hear from some of Calgary's top entrepreneurs as they share their story of a time when a business deal went sour, a product got recalled, or life took a turn for the worse.
Join the FuckUp Nights Calgary community on April 30, 2026 for drinks, laughs and some fucked up FAILURES!
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