The Passionate Voice

The Sunday 7

• Lifestyle, Travel

Oh, Sunday’s. 

1. We saw Nelly this past week. Like the rapper. Who say ‘Hot in Here.’ Yes, it was epic. Like circa 2004 epicness that made my high school-University self sing WAY too loud. It was the best $45 I’ve spent in a while. It reminded me how we need more of those random nights out with friends that turn out to be the best nights.

2. I have a day in Toronto planned for some work-related things and meet-ups.. a day in the big city sans babe is what my heart needs right now.

3. This tote has my heart swooning. I’m just wondering if it’s big enough to hold all of my stuff.. and Blake’s stuff :S

4. Now that Spring may be here (the last two weekends have been sunny and made me hopeful here in Guelph!), I’m wondering where the Instagram spring stickers are now?!! Come on #Instagram!

5. If we’re talking about Spring, a good ol’ ‘Spring clean’ of the house is necessary. I found this handy list of one item you can do each day for a month to get your place clean super helpful.

6. A place we forget to clean that we use daily? Our smartphones. I used this list to give the iphone a good clean tonight!

7. Talk about a fun-filled week, we celebrated the upcoming nuptials of my girl Mac at The Fancy Design Co with a girls night out. It was wildly fun, I wouldn’t expect anything else from our group of friends. A night out with the gals celebrating one of the best people I know was SO needed after a week of Blake being sick with a cold. We had dinner at Gilt in Kitchener and oh yum, was that menu amazing.

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Processing Random Thoughts

• Career, Lifestyle

I’ve found this week to be draining for some odd reason. I alluded to this yesterday on Instagram.

I’m not sure if its the lingering hangover from Daylight Savings time or a flurry of ideas that are sitting in my brain. Regardless, that aching feeling of wanting to get the ideas out is enervating. I shared the photo of paint splatter as a way to try and capture what I {think} my brain looks like on the inside right now. I was glad to hear from other on instagram who could relate.

And so, to find a solution, I figured I would share some of these random thoughts. The thoughts that are swirling around in my head. Expect some blog posts to come from these:

Positivity. This is the basis to the world functioning better. There can’t be enough of it in the world and I’ll admit, some days, the realist in me sets in more than the optimist. I’m not sure if research supports this (send me any papers you find if it does!!) but am I wrong in saying that millennial’s seem more positive than baby boomers (cue the tomato throwing now, I’ll duck). It is so refreshing (regardless of age) when you sit down at a table and have a meeting or conversation and sharing of ideas when it is all positive. Positivity, or the lack there of sometimes, is why I sometimes question if more millennials are not pursuing careers in the sector I work in, Agriculture. So many thoughts on these two ideas – millennials being more positive and positivity within the sector I work in and how millennials view it.

Millennials. In keeping on this same topic, I am one. A millennial. I talk about them a lot here on the ol’ blog. And they seem to be a conversation starter. Scratch that, its all people have been talking about for the last 5 years or so, since it became apparent that we as a generation weren’t going away. When people recognized that we’re going to leave a profound impact on this world and not to mention, we have surpassed baby boomers as the largest generation now. Well, at least in the US according to this article. Millennials seems to be at the forefront of many of the conversations within my social circles and network recently for some reason. Especially when it comes to career conversations. Things like the role of millenials on Boards; what millennials value that differs from baby boomers; and is the workplace ready to evolve to these values. Either way, I have lots to say from my experience (both professionally and personally) so look forward to blog posts upcoming!

Motherhood. Is it OK to feel that you want to go back to work earlier than expected once you realize your baby can now breathe, eat and sleep on his own and perhaps doesn’t need you like he use too? Blake’s crawling away from me tells me that he is going to be just fine come May (his first birthday). Also child care, why doesn’t anyone talk about the beast that is finding child care? :S

Personal Brand. Ok, one more millennial thought. It seems that every millennial has or wants too establish their own personal brand along with maintaining their role/jobs within a company in their 9 to 5 job. This can be done, but with a bit of sacrifice on the millennials part and the company depending on expectations. Where previous workers/generation were so loyal to their company’s brand, are workplaces ready for this millennial “selfishness” as I’ve heard it called? And even more, are workplaces OK with millennial’s side hustles perhaps taking the spotlight away from the work millennial’s do in their 9-5’s?!

Creativity overload. As a creative entrepreneur, how do my fellow CE’s quiet your thoughts? How do you stop, or should I say, harness, the creative ideas waterfall that can come on the most random days? Do you write everything down on paper and pen? Put it in your iPhone notebook? How do you orgnaiz the thoughts? How do you tell your brain right at bedtime to stop thinking and put the ideas to rest? Literally. I would love to hear your tips!

Productivity. I am almost done this book and it is hands down, one of the best books I’ve read in a while. An easy, simple yet thought-provoking read, it has calmed my mind as a women but also fueled my motivation to want to do better, but in a more efficient way. Grab your copy, you won’t be disappointed!

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The Sunday 7

• Lifestyle, Travel

  1. After spending the last 7 days in 25+ degree heat in Jamaica, to say I’m ready for spring is an understatement. I’m just thankful after returning today that we didn’t have to dig ourselves out from under snow. Our recent getaway was the reason why I was quiet on social media and boy did it feel good to disconnect. It reminded me that I can function in my own head, away from all the distractions. And when I chose to use my phone or laptop, it was on *my* terms. Such a liberating feeling! I’ll be sharing more about our trip on instagram this coming week 🙂
  2. The only way I’m curing my Caribbean hangover tonight is by watching the Oscars. I love me some red carpet fashion & awards #Oscars90
  3. Back to spring being around the corner, daylight savings time is this coming weekend AND the other sign that spring is close by? All the maple syrup festivals across Ontario are starting to take place including my local hometown Warkworth Maple Syrup Festival this weekend. Can’t wait!
  4. It was the best feeling changing my laptop desktop wallpaper calendar to March. Here are some cute ideas for your desktop wallpaper here, here and here.
  5. While on holidays, I finished  Joe Biden’s book, “Promise Me, Dad.” What a gut wrenching, page turning read it was – so good! I’m now re-reading Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why” which I have already dog-eared so many pages.
  6. The only other thing that made coming back from Jamaica somewhat bearable? Getting my Spring issue of Magnolia Journal in the mail… oh, and a Big Mac 😛
  7. And just to make my travelling heart feel a bit better about getting back from a much-needed trip like Jamaica? My mind is already wandering, thinking about possibly planning a solo spring trip to somewhere like New York, Chicago or Montreal. Seems like a lot with a young babe but I’m feeling so inspired by travelling #Wanderlust

Why ‘STEM’ Should Be ‘STEAM’

• Agriculture, Career

Today marks Agriculture Day in Canada.

I’m not sure how many Canadians knew this day was being celebrated by people like myself – a dairy farmer’s daughter whose passion for agriculture and communications (with politics thrown in there) led to an agricultural communications role working in provincial politics at Queen’s Park.

Agriculture is an industry I really love working in.  

According to my Instagram poll late tonight, which includes a mixed audience of both those in and outside of agriculture, thankfully 67% (or 130 respondents) knew it was #CdnAgDay.

Whether you knew it was Ag Day or not, or work in agriculture or not, we all have one major thing in common – something we can relate too – and that is food.

The other thing we can all most certainly relate too, is having a job.

We all need food to eat and most of us have a job or aspire to have a job. So there, we at have at least two things in common now to continue this productive conversation.

On a day like today, in some instances, it feels like we in agriculture across Canada are a passionate group of people….. who preach to the choir.

It is on days like today, I am reminded of how our industry needs to position ourselves in a way that catches the attention of the 98% of Canadians who do not come from a farm or know anything about agriculture-food.

We need to sell our agri-food industry in a way that is cool and makes young graduates and people WANT to come work with us, much like how the STEM movement has captured the attention of many soon-to-be high school graduates and young career professionals.

Its why I think the movement around STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) should actually be called STEAM, with the ‘A’ proudly standing for Agriculture.

I am fascinated by the conversation around STEM-related careers. Even here in Canada, we have made it a trendy topic, promoting STEM jobs to Canadian youth. Our Canadian government even launched a campaign in 2017 to encourage young women to choose science. Bravo!

In a fast-paced digital society that is becoming more of a knowledge-based economy, attracting top talent to our agri-food sector will be imperative to fill the more the more than 100,000+ jobs we are going to need to fill in the next decade.

The crazy part? The demand for students with an agriculture-related degree far outweighs the supply of graduates! Just read this University of Guelph report that states “there are 4 jobs for every OAC graduate entering Ontario’s food and agriculture sector.”

In all the excitement discussing STEM, we’re missing a critical industry that continues to push the envelope in innovation. Agriculture.

An industry that really, in some instances, combines science, technology, engineering and math ALL in one. Agriculture and food combines practical know-how, research and application to create things that we use every day and perhaps take for granted. Things like environmentally-friendly coffee pods, the Yukon Gold potato and for some Canadian dairy farmers, an app for their smartphone that helps farmers monitor and treat ketosis in their dairy cows. How cool is this?!

[Side note, people maybe don’t even realize just how tech-savvy farmers really are and how actively they use their smartphone to do business and participate on social media! If you’re looking for some examples, just ask me for some savvy farmers and agri-food professionals, I’d be happy to share]

These examples above are just a few that showcase leading-edge technology, research and innovation that takes place every day in our Canadian agri-food industry that consumers and industry benefits from. Examples that combine science, technology, engineering, math and agriculture to produce some pretty awesome results.

Agriculture has even embraced the conversation around the much-needed role of more women in our sector. Groups like Ag Women’s Network in Ontario and Saskatchewan Women in Ag, have created a positive atmosphere to promote more women getting involved in agriculture and food. In fact, in the 2016 Canadian Census, the proportion of women who are farm operators increased to 27.8%, for the first time in 15 years! Its been a breathe of fresh air to see this movement take off.. and its a movement that is here to stay.

Canadian agriculture and food needs more savvy individuals to help us in our sector.

Enthusiast individuals and young graduates who can help us grow food; create sustainable and sound food policy; get food from farmers to processors; work in trade so more Canadian-grown food can be exported around the world to address food security; get food from processors to consumers; communicate agriculture’s message to the masses; and market food more effectively so it eventually ends up on consumer’s plates.

I know why this gap most likely exists in attracting top talent.

Its because we don’t make our sector attractive enough or ‘sexy’ enough to market it and attract young graduates from non-farming backgrounds.

Much like the picture above of me in front of Queen’s Park, when you think of agriculture and food related jobs, you probably don’t picture someone like myself. This is the game-changer of our industry – you don’t have to look like the stereotypical farmer with the straw hat and pitch fork in hand to work in agriculture and food. And you certainly don’t need to come from a farm to work in agriculture and food.

Gone are the days where these stereotypes exists. Or at least, they should be by now. Its 2018.

We in the agri-food sector are savvy, sophisticated and passionate people who believe in what we do. Everyone along the value chain is playing a role to ensure the highest-quality, safest products are delivered 365 days a year to Canadian consumers and consumers around the world. For many of us, agriculture and food isn’t just an industry we work in but a lifestyle we enjoy 365 days of the year. Not many industries can say this.

It is time we embrace the STEM movement and begin to promote STEAM.

This way, many needs are addressed – those of our agri-food industry who needs top, innovative talent; those of young millennial graduates looking for exciting new careers in an already tight job market; and those of our Canadian consumers who continue to need/want the best food possible.

Its a win-win for all. Now let’s get out there and promote STEAM!#MakingAgriFoodCool

13 Ways to Maintain Personal Infrastructure

• Career, Lifestyle

We are 37 days in to 2018. Have you been able to keep your New Years Resolutions or goals, that you so keenly set back on Jan 1? Yea, its hard eh? We all have the best of intentions but once reality sets in, its hard to get out of our already-established routines.

I shared my 5 goals for 2018 in my first ever podcast. I’m happy to report that I at least kept the first one – take vitamins for 30 days – which I did successfully in January. Great goal right?! lol I keep telling myself its the small things! ha Now I can focus on my other 4 goals for 2018 😛

A majority of us hop aboard the ‘new year, new me’ train at the beginning of January. But by the second month in, most of that enthusiasm and willingness to hold ourselves accountable to new goals goes out the window. We tell ourselves, “At least we tried, right?”

One thing I’ve personally been trying to hold myself too, is a system that holds me accountable to executing both my personal to-do’s and professional goals, all in one place, in an organized (less chaotic) way.

Its what I’ve been calling ‘personal infrastructure.’ Its what systems, tools, resources, apps, etc I’ve put in place to help me execute my goals as best as possible. Take a look at the 13 ways I’m trying to maintain this personal infrastructure:

  1. Planner/Organizer – I shared a list of planners to use last year; this is the weekly planner I chose to use for 2018. I am a list-makin’ machine, there really is nothing better than crossing off your to-do’s once you get them done!
  2. Cozi calendar app – I recently discovered and downloaded this app to help manage one consistent calendar, so both Andrew and I can use and update all of our important dates in one place.
  3. Feedly – there are a lot of well-written and inspiring blogs out there. The Feedly platform allows me to read them all in one organized place.
  4. Pocket – I blame the overabundance of articles that I find on Twitter as to why I always have a million tabs open. I fixed this by downloading this app to easily store and read these articles at a later time.
  5. *To Read* inbox rule – I subscribe to newsletters that can sometimes fill up the ol’ inbox. I created a rule within my personal email inbox that automatically puts all of those newsletter subscriptions into a ‘To Read’ folder when they arrive. You can set up any number of rules so all of your emails come in and are sorted in advance of opening up your inbox #genius
  6. Evernote – I have this on my laptop to help organize random chicken scratch ideas and my writing.
  7. Tweetdeck – this platform is what I use to execute tweets on Twitter if I have planned content to send out in advance.
  8. Planoly-  this monthly subscription app allows me to organize and execute my Instagram feed.
  9. VSCO – the app I use to edit photos for social media.
  10. Canva – I have this website both as an app on my phone and open and readily available on my laptop, which I use to create images for my blog and social media.
  11. Unsplash and Pexels – two great websites to source free stock images when necessary (remember to give credit where credit is due!)
  12. The Bullet – my morning daily eBlast read to keep up-to-date with all the latest news, and all conveniently in one place!
  13. Notes in iphone- if everything else fails, writing down notes on my iphone has been a saving grace.

Hope you find some (or all!) of these ideas and tips valuable in helping to maintain your own personal infrastructure, whatever that may look like!