The Passionate Voice

The excitement of not knowing what’s ahead

• Career, Lifestyle

To say the last 48 hours has felt surreal would be an understatement.

As of Friday, I began maternity leave to begin my {next} exciting life adventure… motherhood. Baby A hasn’t arrived just yet but knowing any day now, life could change because of his/her impending arrival, is an incredible feeling. Scary yes, but exciting none the less.

Where’s the manual I keep asking? Well, there isn’t one. And that is the whole point to becoming a parent. There is no one size fits all – what works for someone may not work for another. Its something I’ve tried to embrace this entire pregnancy, especially being a woman in business.

I have to say, the feeling of not having control from here on in is … well, liberating.

Adjusting to the smallest things – only having to charge and check one phone, not two; not having an impending schedule and calendar of meetings/briefings; getting use to not being needed in a work capacity; and ensuring I have what is needed to keep a human being alive once we are headed home from the hospital is again, scary but so liberating.

For those of us in business who like to be strategic about every move we make (so pretty much every millennial.. we all know we don’t like surprises!), it is exciting to not know what is in store for us. This baby has all the control now and I’ll (try) to be ready for whenever it wants to make its arrival into this amazing world.

Until then, I’m trying to wrap my mind around spending less time behind a computer to adapt to my soon-to-be-new reality of changing diapers. Here’s to hoping Baby A gives us a few days to nest so we can get ready for this next crazy, awesome adventure ahead of parenthood.

Signed,

{soon-to-be} #MamaBoss

Food for Thought [volume 6]

• Food for Thought

+ With more women working full time than men, this article about selling to women is something that all companies and people in communications should be reading to tweak how they approach selling their products or services because there ARE stark differences in how to sell to women in the language that is used, and the visuals that attract women shoppers and decision makers.

+”GMO’s” could be one of those words that was one of the most popular words of 2016. It seemed to be a word that appeared everywhere this year in food marketing. The myths that exist out there are astounding and many foodie bloggers and food enthusiasts are jumping on the anti-GMO bandwagon without knowing the real facts. Twitter enthusiast Yvette known as Science Babe had her article on the 10 Bullsh*t arguments against GMOs published in Cosmopolitan.. take a read and make sure to share with friends!

+ A good reminder for those who are beginning to blog or are considering jumping into the online world and want to find their ‘thing.’ Their message “You Can’t Stand Out Until You Stand Up” is so true! Get going!

+I’m sure many millennials who read this article can relate to the idea of ‘chasing your dreams’ or ‘following your passions’ but what if you woke up one day like Jennifer did and asked yourself, ‘what are you ACTUALLY trying to follow?’

+Even though the US Election has come and gone, I love reading the aftermath and post-wraps of what people thought each campaign did right and wrong. Advertisers in the US are reflecting on how they collect data to reflect the consumers that is the American people considering the outcome of the November 8th election results. Fascinating stuff!

+Another read that could relate to the outcome we recently saw with the US election, this article discusses what role the media plays in the timely debate of the CEO gender gap. Findings from a small sample of media coverage found that the way in which CEOs are covered often has a direct impact on their success in office.

+This explains why I feel so relaxed and happy when I listen to music while working away on emails/blogging/project work etc. Let the feel-good neurotransmitters out!

+I recently tweeted (& slightly tweaked) the lyrics to a famous #JayZ line that say “I got 99 problems.. and negativity ain’t one of them.” Fellow blogger Jen shared this article from the Globe and Mail that speaks to the serious impacts that complaining and negativity has on your brain. Loved the line in the article, when comparing complaining to second-hand smoking, “If a person were smoking, would you sit there all afternoon inhaling the second-hand smoke?”

+Want to see a cool visual that shows you what a day in the life of an American looks like then check out this simulation of what a 1000 people’s day looks like. Its interesting to see what activities that Americans (and most likely us as Canadians) do more so than others.. sleep, eat, work, drink, repeat anyone?

Holding Ourselves Back

• Agriculture, Career, Communication, Inspiration, Leadership, Lifestyle, Making a Difference

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. 

“Sometimes the only thing holding women back.. is ourselves” – The Passionate Voice

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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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Start Putting Your Sh*t Out to the World

• Career, Communication, Food for Thought, Inspiration, Leadership, Lifestyle, Making a Difference, Public Speaking, Social Media

Through the personal work I do with my platform The Passionate Voice, I’ve always worked to help others, both personal and businesses, to harness their voice through social media work and in-person communications training. Helping them to learn how they can speak up, be heard and make impact in whatever industry they are in.

A perfect example of this is Ag Women’s Network. There are so many fellow women in agriculture/food and fellow bloggers and social media users who are putting themselves out there about the topics and issues that matter most to them. Its also an incredible personal development forum to learn from each other. I recently challenged these same women to blog (or start blogging!) with me in the personal #Blog452 challenge I’ve set for myself this year. One month in to 2017 and I’m happy to say, I’ve blogged every week!

I realize putting yourself out there to the online world takes confidence and guts.. and some would shy away from this. I also realize that there are a lot of ‘fence sitters’ who are watching others around them do what they wished they themselves would or could do. This isn’t a bad place to be in though so all the ‘fence sitters’ reading this, take this as your “call to action” post 🙂

Have you thought of starting a blog but held off, time after time, because you were worried what others would think or weren’t sure how to get easily started?

Have you been in a meeting and wanted to say something but feared what others would think and so you refrained from sharing your thoughts?

Have you wanted to give a talk at the front of a room but feared what the crowd may think of you and/or how you would be able to present in front of an audience?

Putting yourself out there to the rest of the world is not easy. Once you begin speaking your mind and showcasing your passion or what your good at on a platform, it is an outlet to be quickly judged by others. Not everyone can do it nor are you ever really ‘ready’ for what follows once you finally do put yourself out there for the rest of the world to judge.

Putting yourself out there doesn’t necessarily mean big, elaborate gestures. It can be the smallest, most simple step. It can be finally putting up your hand at a meeting and saying something. It could be sending that email to the person you’ve always wanted to contact with. Joining a committee, board or team after thinking about it joining. It could mean FINALLY starting that blog/website to showcase your talents and what your good at in hopes that one day you’ll be recognized for those talents or to positively make a difference.

“Putting yourself out there doesn’t necessarily mean big, elaborate gestures.” #PassionateVoice

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Putting yourself out there is never easy. But it is SO worth it once you do. Trust me, this is something I’ve struggled with in doing my work at The Passionate Voice. These posts don’t just write themselves… and many of my posts have sat in draft form until this year when I committed to 2017’s #Blog452Challenge.

But I promise, just go ahead and test the waters and you’ll see what I mean.

Really, what’s the worse thing that could happen….. besides crappy tweets from people or hearing crickets because you don’t think anyone is reading? In all seriousness, what really is the worse thing that could happen? 

If anything, as I’ve personally learned, you’ll be mad at yourself that you didn’t put your sh*t out there SOONER.

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Food for Thought [volume 5]

• Food for Thought

As we’re starting off 2017, here are some inspiring articles to keep you motivated and get you thinking about how to do this year differently, or do things the same way [if you’ve already mastered this thing called life :)]:

+ Fellow #GirlBoss blogger Bianca Bass shares her 8 ‘personal commandments’ she follows every new year. She also refers to a new year as a ‘canvas’ which I absolutely love. 

+ Think you need a more honest wake-up call about the new year and how to get out of your ‘rut?’ This Thought Catalogue article really makes you have a ‘look in the mirror’ moment as to whether YOU are the reason YOU are holding yourself back. I’m keeping this article bookmarked for future reference and check in whenever I need to remind myself that I am my only obstacle. And then on a more lighter note, this Thought Catalogue article gives you 7 things to hope for this 2017.

+ One other #GirlBoss who I have followed for years is Desire Map (and Canadian!) author/speaker Danielle Laporte. Not familiar with her or her work? Read more about who she is to understand how she came to be to kick some serious a$$ in the self/personal development world. I am (finally!) reading her book, ‘The Desire Map.“

+ Need further inspiration about how to start your 2017 off right?! Start with WHY you want to create that resolution in the first place as the motivating factor, which is the main lesson shared in this Success podcast. 

+ I follow local well-known #Guelph CEO of Danby, Jim Estill on Twitter and reading this Toronto Life piece about Estill’s efforts in bringing 50 Syrian refugee families to Guelph was simply inspiring. Loved what he did for these families and for our community by leading by example.

+ I couldn’t be more proud of the conversation taking place around the movement of women involved in agriculture across Canada. Fellow social media enthusiast and agriculture advocate (and Ag Women’s Network member!) Amanda Brodhagen did an awesome job in highlighting the movement in this CBC piece that was shared virtually before Christmas.

+ With it only days away from US President Barack Obama’s last day in office, and as a speechwriter myself, I loved reading about the reflections of his meticulously-crafted words by Obama’s speechwriters themselves.