- I spent two days this week in Toronto and I was reminded of how much I love the hustle and bustle of the city. Of course, its easier to say that when I’m not working there full-time but there really is something so intoxicating – the energy, the ideas, the inspiration.
- I’m crushing hard on these high back dining room chairs for the cottage.
- Adding some Italian Ruscus greenery in the house this week has made so much of a difference, reminding me on the coldest days that spring will one day (soon) be here :S
- I devoured this series after seeing all the Golden Globe wins and hype for the show. Let’s just say, its some captivating TV that is hard to stop watching.
- Still trying to figure out what your goals are for 2018 or how you’re going to execute on them? I watched this video by the motivating thought leader Robin Sharma, whose message “Until you personally believe that you can achieve a goal, you won’t even start the process of making it happen” so resonated with me.
- I am a huge font fan.. I seriously fan girl over beautiful fonts that I stumble upon on blogs and the internet. This ‘Pretty Pen’ font was one I recently found that I am absolutely love.
- A few days at home on the farm this past weekend led to a night of some of the best conversation and drinks (rye of course!) with the fam. We joked that at 3am, you can solve a lot of the world’s problems (or at least have fun TRYING to solve them :P). There is truly nothing better than family. They’re your people.. and they just get you.
The Sunday 7
Inspired by Interior designer and blogger Shea McGee at Studio McGee, I’ve followed suit and started my own ‘Sunday 7’ series here on the blog. Shea was the keynote at the Blog Podium conference I attended in Toronto this past September. This series can be a fun a way to capture all of the random work + play items-articles-happenings-design inspiration-photos-thoughts that spark my interest.
Hope you enjoy!
- Loving this DIY calligraphy wrapping paper that may look ah-mazing all year round, not just under the Christmas tree.
- If you are in need of some of the cutest cards and prints, check out local Ontario gal Sarah’s Etsy shop, ‘Sweet Simplicity Paper Co.’
- I ordered matching beanies for Blake and I from Muskoka Baby, a Muskoka mom making handmade and fashionable baby products and accessories!
- If you haven’t yet read about 94-year old tweeter Harry Leslie Smith, do yourself a favour and read this fascinating article about him.
- My family and I visited the Toronto Christmas Market for the first time together this weekend, in the well-known distillery district. What a beautiful way to celebrate Christmas and take in the historic buildings in a beautiful setting. Oh and it was my first time trying mulled wine (so good!). I’ll be trying my hand at making mulled wine over the holidays with this recipe.
- We are heading west this week to visit the in-laws in Manitoba for Christmas. You’ll be able to find me in the quiet countryside, cozied up with a new good read and browsing (for hours) in my favourite little shop, Pineridge Hollow.
- The first major snowfall this weekend at home on the farm was so peaceful and calming. You could tell even Duke our farm dog enjoyed the new blanket of snow. I was able to write a blog post about this welcomed ‘quietness’ that the snow brings, I’ll be sharing next week!
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Holding Ourselves Back
I am a proud woman working in the agriculture-food sector. It is an industry that has perhaps been viewed as more of a “boys only club” but women have and continue to play an important role in the industry, especially with many women-led initiatives like Ag Women’s Network getting the attention they so deserve.
I am proud to have been raised by two strong parents who taught me I could do anything I dreamed of. Watching my mom on my family’s dairy farm, working alongside my dad in the barn, and seeing how my dad treated her as an equal, was very empowering.
And because of this, I am proud to now be married to a man who appreciates a strong woman who is just as strong-willed, has just as strong of a work ethic, and can have an opinion just as much as he does. Andrew is the one who pushes me to be better and pursue my business endeavors including this one at The Passionate Voice.
Because I was also the oldest of four kids, I spent most of my days in the dairy barn with my dad and my brothers rather than spending time in the kitchen. To be honest, I still love it down at the barn with the cows more than being in the kitchen. This doesn’t mean I don’t love cooking or baking or keeping my house clean though. I love doing all of those.. and if you ask my husband, I am a pretty decent baker and cook (thanks to my mom who can milk cows AND is wonderful at cooking/baking!).
I am proud to be part of so many wonderful organizations outside of my day-to-day job that include committees/boards that are a mix of men and women and who celebrate strong women. There are also committees I belong too or events I attend that I’m proud to be associated with including Ag Women’s Network, Lean in Canada and Women of Influence. I love what these events and committees stand for but sometimes I do laugh at the fact that while we talk about ‘equality’ and being treated ‘fairly’ by men, that we don’t laugh at ourselves for having ‘women only’ events.
I am proud to have many strong women friends and mentors who come from not only agriculture, but from many other industries and places both rural and urban. Having a variety of friends and mentors from various backgrounds creates a wonderfully diverse network that you can rely on at any time. This doesn’t mean that I don’t have incredible male mentors and friends. I look up to my dad who, just like my mom, helped instill in me such powerful skills that I am so thankful to have as a woman.
What has become more and more apparent for me as I get further in my career, meet more women, address the much talked about ‘glass ceiling’ and soon enter motherhood come May, is that while we talk about breaking through this ceiling and wanting to be treated as equals, perhaps we as women need to self reflect first and realize that sometimes the only thing holding women are back… is ourselves.
I’ve never felt like I have been held back for being a woman. If I didn’t speak up, its not because they didn’t let me, its because I chose not too. If I didn’t come across seriously enough, it wasn’t anyone else’s fault but mine. I think realizing this has been extremely powerful for me as a woman. I’ve never looked at myself any differently than my male counterparts which has helped me be bolder and more confident in what I want to say and what I want to do and accomplish.
Women are often held back because we hold ourselves back. Instead of wondering why men aren’t inviting us to the table, invite yourself and sit at the head table, not at the side/back of the room as Sheryl Sandberg offered the same sentiment in her book, Lean In. Don’t offer to take notes if that is what is expected of you. If you aren’t asked for your opinion, speak up anyways. Think you have a valuable idea? Self promote like men do. Don’t think that its ‘shameless’ self promotion. It’s self promotion. Period. There is a lot to learn from our male counterparts. Yes, countries like Canada and the US haven’t even elected a female Prime Minister or President yet but we’re making huge strides to get there. I have faith that in my lifetime, we’ll see it happen.
The reality is, is that men and women are different and sometimes yes, there are different expectations asked of women. We are asked to be tough yet sweet. Motherly yet stern. Be as good in the boardroom as we are in the kitchen. All while say raising kids and/or dealing with pregnancy. There are a roller coaster of emotions that women face that men don’t. But it doesn’t mean that women can’t have everything (and more!) that men do.
Women, we need to speak up more. We need to be more confident in our abilities.We need to be loud and proud and in a well-articulated and well-constructed way. We can garner the respect of our peers, both male and female. We can balance it all as long as we set our own personal boundaries as to what “balance” means to each of us individually without judgement. Yes we face challenges, but we can’t forget that men face challenges too. And most importantly, we all have opportunities available to us.
Women have all the talent in the world. We just have to make sure, that above all else, the only person who isn’t holding us back.. is ourselves. Have the confidence to be the person you want to be and make the change you want to see. Have it all… and then more.
Happy International Women’s Day, friends! #IWD2017
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I have Rural Ontario to Thank
Working in Toronto and coming from rural Ontario proves there are stark differences between the two landscapes but that at the end of the day, we all live in one province. I love seeing someones face when I’m working in the city and I tell them I was raised on a dairy farm or come from a small town. I’m not sure if they are expecting me to look a certain way or talk a certain way but I always enjoy seeing the look of surprise on their face. It is a cool feeling knowing I may have changed their perception or expectations of what they may have thought someone from rural Ontario looks like.
A typical follow up question they also ask is where I got my passion for agriculture for what I do both personally and professionally. While I blogged about this years ago when I first started this Passionate Voice platform, my answer always comes back to my days in the country, growing up on my parents dairy farm. But it was also my parents encouragement of trying new things and dreaming big that now has me working in downtown Toronto. Yes, there are some days I would feel more ‘in my element’ being back at home or in the country (cows really don’t talk back which is awesome!) but there is an opportunity that presents itself in Toronto that feeds my hunger for ‘challenging the status quo’ everyday in what I do to help promote Ontario’s agriculture sector for the amazing industry it is and the impact it has here at home in Ontario.
My appetite for communication, connecting with people, wanting to make a difference, and providing inspiration for other young professionals proudly came from my upbringing. I have Rural Ontario to thank along with my parents and family for my continued drive each and every day.
It is why this platform The Passionate Voice was born and why I love helping others tell their story through social media and public speaking training.
If by chance, you are a country-born reader enjoying this post, make sure to take the time to enjoy Ontario Agriculture Week this week across the province, which is being celebrated from October 5th to 11th.
And a side note to end this post, I personally took the above photo of a wheat field overlooking my family’s dairy farm and the Trent River this past July before the wheat was harvested.
This view will never get old!