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The Passionate Voice

2016 {the year of many firsts}… and the best is yet to come in 2017!

January 14, 2017 • Agriculture, Career, Lifestyle, Public Speaking, Social Media, Travel

While we’re 14 days into 2017, I couldn’t look back on 2016 more fondly as a year that I considered ‘the best year yet.’

Until this year….. more to come on that so read on!

I made a commitment last year to make 2016 ‘different’ in everything I did – personal, professional, my business, my hobbies AND my attitude. One of those differences that inevitably fell into my lap was embracing firsts, something I may not have been so open too in the past.

Embracing ‘firsts’ teaches you so much about yourself – what your capcity is for courage, strength, spontaneity, adventure, experiencing news things that you’re not use too or comfortable with and just how open you (and your attitude) are to welcoming firsts, in the first place!

I really tried to continue living by the motto I shared back in my 2015 Year in Review, “Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone.” Some firsts last year weren’t easy, but man did they feel good after they were done, knowing I had set my mind to doing them!

To reflect on what some of those ‘firsts’ were for me and others close to me, I thought I would highlight some of the memorable ‘firsts’ from last year (there were surely more but not enough time to capture everything!):

  • Travelling with my family on our first out-of-province trip to receive our second Holstein Canada Master Breeder award in Banff, Alberta
  • Horeseback riding in the Alberta mountains
  • Hiked a mountain (Tunnel Mountain in Banff)
  • Explored many new towns, cities and destinations in our very own Ontario including the Muskokas, Bayfield, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Lake of the Woods/Kenora and Bobcaygeon (home to the infamous Tragically Hip song!)
  • Worked with new clients both in and outside of agriculture – learning about new industries is fascinating (and what agriculture can learn from these industries is invaluable!)
  • My family started building their first robotic dairy barn, which will be completed this winter
  • Andrew and I took our boat through the Trent Severn Waterway liftlocks in my hometown of Hastings
  • I visited my first-ever cranberry and shrimp farms
  • Met so many new, amazing #girlbosses including Canada’s own Conquer Kit writer & speaker, Natalie MacNeil
  • Flew in a helicopter, experiencing the beautiful fall scenery of the Muskokas
  • Saw my mom featured on the cover of a national dairy magazine, The Progressive Dairyman (way to go, mom!)
  • Experienced many amazing new firsts at work as a Press Secretary, I feel so fortunate to do what I do in the industry I love
  • Saw the Northern Lights for the first time while visiting Manitoba last summer
  • ….. and the best “first” of 2016… Andrew and I found out we’re expecting a baby in 2017!

What I thought was the best year yet in 2016 is certainly going to be topped this year with the incredible gift that Andrew and I have been blessed with.

To be given the the gift of parenthood is going to be by far the greatest thing we’ve ever done come May, 2017 and we couldn’t be more ready (despite doing this ‘thing’ called parenthood for the first time!).

Let the countdown begin for the BEST ‘FIRST’ EVER coming up in 2017! 🙂

2015 Year in Review

Leave a Comment Agriculture, Career, Lifestyle, Public Speaking, Social Media, Travel 2016, 2016 Year in Review, 2017, Agriculture, Alberta, Baby, Banff, Blog452, Blogger, Blogging, Boating, Bobcaygeon, Business, Career, Change, Christina Crowley-Arklie, Communication, Conquer Kit, Cranberry, Cranberry Farming, Crovalley, Dairy, Dairy Barn, Discover Ontario, Explore, Fall, Family Farm, Farming, Firsts, Girl Boss, Hastings, Helicopter, Hiking, Hobbies, Holstein Canada, Horseback riding, Kenora, Lake of the Woods, Lifestyle, Liftlocks, magazine, Manitoba, Master Breeder, Muskokas, Natalie MacNeil, Northern Lights, Parenthood, Personal, Pregnancy, Press Secretary, Professional, Progressive Dairyman, Robot Dairy Barn, Shrimp, Shrimp Farming, Side Business, Side Hustle, Social Media, The Passionate Voice, Travel, Travelling, Trent Severn Waterway, Tunnel Mountain, Water, Year in Review

Food for Thought

July 21, 2016 • Food for Thought

Food for Thought

I finally found time this past weekend to take a read through my longer than usual list of blogs and articles waiting for my attention. That may be why this week’s round up of #FoodforThought may be  little longer than usual and include just a few more articles and reads I wanted to share with you all!

+I’ve been trying to get through this list of the 20 most popular TED talks of all time, some of which I watched years ago and have now re-watched to refresh myself with the content. I always find these interesting to listen too when I’m commuting on the bus or driving and listening to them as a podcast. I really love the whole concept of TED talks and how quick and easy they are to digest and learn key takeways from quickly. Now on to the goal of starring in my own TED talk one day 🙂

+ Hilary Clinton is hit with the tough question that women get often: “Why aren’t you smiling more?” One of my most loathed questions to be asked. Period.

+This read by Betty Ann Heggie, a personal mentor of mine who also came from the agriculture world was a great read for women about the ‘voice in our heads.’ It really couldn’t be more true about how sometimes, our main obstacle is truly ourselves. Sometimes how we interpret what is said in different scenarios is all because of the way our voice inside our head interprets things.

+Author and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg who wrote the popular ‘Lean In’ gave a commencement speech recently at a graduation at Berkeley that made its rounds on social media earlier this year. It really is a fantastic read that brings to the forefront, so many life lessons she learned that I wish I had heard at my commencement speech. Instead of the typical ‘fluff,’ she shared honest and raw lessons that since graduation, have personally impacted me as well. Some of her lines like “The question is not if some of these things will happen to you, they will” and “Finding gratitude and appreciation is key to resilience” really made me stop and think that while I’ve been through a lot with my family over the past few years, I continue to be grateful for everything we’ve been blessed with. Be appreciative of this fact and feel grateful for what you do have. A good daily reminder for anyone!

“The question is not if some of these things will happen to you, they will” – Sheryl Sandberg

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+ These 5 roadtrips recommended to take from Toronto are definitely on my summer bucket list! Andrew and I have already checked off the Bruce Pennisula three summers ago which was SO beautiful and so worth the drive. I say it often, but there are so many amazing places to explore in Ontario! On that note, these 17 breathtaking hikes to do in Ontario also look like so much fun! #DiscoverOntario

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Leave a Comment Food for Thought 2016, Business, Career, Christina Crowley-Arklie, Communication, Discover Ontario, Food for Thought, Hiking, Hilary Clinton, Inspiration, Leadership, Life Lessons, Ontario Travel, Passionate Voice, Sheryl Sandberg, TED, The Passionate Voice, Women, Women in Leadership, Words to Live By





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