Sharp Women Central Alberta | June 2021 by SharpWomen

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PHOTO CREDIT: INFINITY BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY VENUE: COBB’S BLOCK CENTRAL - SYLVAN LAKE MAKE-UP ARTISTRY: BRAYDI HOPPUS MAKE-UP ARTISTRY & SM BEAUTY BY SAMANTHA

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SHARPWOMEN

TEAM

RANCHELLE VAN BRYCE co-founder

DANIELLE KLOOSTER co-founder

RUBY COLE-ELLIS editor in chief

RACHELLE SCRASE director of photography

LUCI MORALES executive assistant

KELSEY EVANS administrative coordinator

RACHEL BRAUN assistant editor

THIS MONTH’S

GUEST CONTRIBUTORS

LYNN GAGNE business column

WANDA ROGERS finance column

PAULINE MELNYK leadership column

JENNIFER WILSON spirituality column

JANICE HRUSHKA food column

DESIREE STEWART livin’ your best life

TAMARA NOLIN KATHERINE LORANGER health & wellness column personal growth column

DR. MEGAN HARRIS relationships column

CARLA HOWATT professional development column

GRACE WONG great resources column

MELODY KLINK social media column

JENNETTE MILLER non profit column

letter from the editor

WRITTEN IN THE STARS JUNE 2021

Those of you who have followed my journey know I had a massive knee reconstruction last October. I have been in a wheelchair, walker, cane, and brace. In addition, I have been doing intensive rehab and physiotherapy everyday for the last 7 months. A few weeks ago, I had a doctor’s appointment I didn’t want to miss. If my progress was big enough in the last month, I could ditch my full length leg brace… the last stage in a long journey.

surgery a month ago. I forgot my pain killers and am in terrible pain. This is the worst day of my life” she said, sobbing. I could not believe it. Did she actually say she had knee surgery? Did she just say this was the worst day of her life?

I positioned my car bumper-to-bumper, extended a plastic tarp over the hoods, and gave her a boost. To my surprise, it worked! I then approached her window to say my goodbyes and before I knew it, she extended her arms and dropped something on my vest pocket. I knew it was cash. It definitely felt like more than one bill. “Oh no, please ma’am, don’t worry” I said, to which she said in a deep stern voice “Take it. It is written. It is The sky was blue and there seemed to be no one on the the Law. Receive it.” road. The ride was so peaceful. As I approached the city, all the lights were green. I parked, walked to the front I didn’t know what else to say. So, I didn’t say anything desk of the clinic, and looked at my watch. 9:59AM. I at all, and just smiled at her as she drove off. I was flushed and smiled at my wrist just to be distracted by a soaked wet, yet I felt so warm inside. I looked up at the “right his way, Ruby, Dr. Longino is ready for you”. sky, and just like that, it stopped raining. I took a deep breath and said out loud again with happy tears, “if it 5 minutes. That was it. My surgeon did a quick assessment is meant to be, it will”. and said, “You’re good to go. Feel free to leave the brace here if you want” he joked. Since that day three weeks ago, nothing has been the same, and quite frankly, I don’t think they ever As I walked away from the clinic to my car, I could not will. Things have unfolded in such a magical way. The believe it. I thought to myself “this is the best day awareness of “receiving” has been overwhelming, but ever!”. With a free morning, I decided to run errands in the truth is that it has always been there. I was just not town, including finally stopping at Cross Iron Mills mall open to it. The truth is that it is there for you too. It is to return a holiday gift I have been procrastinating to there for all of us. exchange for months. So my friends, grab that delicious Spicy Virgin Grapefruit As I left the mall, the rain started coming down. The big Margarita (yummy recipe inside) and say it with me: drops felt amazing in my skin and before I could realize “Take it. It is written. It is the Law. Receive it.” it… I was running. I felt so alive. I quickly hopped in my car and looked out the windshield as an apocalyptic With love, end-of-the-world storm started to unfold. I looked down at my watch and read “8:40AM”. I thought to myself, there is no way I will make it all the way to Downtown Calgary by 10:00AM without a massive speeding ticket! Regardless, I grabbed my purse and rushed to my car, took a deep breath, and said out loud “if it is meant to be, it will”.

I looked straight ahead and noticed a car far away at the end of the parking lot with its emergency lights on. Something told me to approach the car and check if everyone was okay. The windows were foggy but I could see an older lady inside, soaked wet, and crying. I drove as close as I could to ask her if I could help. “My car battery is dead, my phone is dead and I just had knee

Ruby Cole-Ellis Editor-in-Chief Instagram: @rubycoleellis Photo by Infinity Brand Photography

This Month’s Articles

6 FROM THE CEO RANCHELLE IN THE RAW 10 A DATE WITH DANIELLE THE 4 M’S OF COMMUNICATION 12 LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE EVERYTHING IS AWESOME 14 LEADERSHIP REAL LEADERSHIP 16 SPIRITUALITY THE POWER OF NATURE ON OUR SOULS 18 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TOO SKILLED FOR YOUR OWN GOOD 20 RELATIONSHIPS LONG DISTANCE I DO’S 22 PERSONAL GROWTH HOLDING SPACE FOR LIFE 24 HEALTH & WELLNESS THE FALSE VORTEX OF SOCIAL MEDIA HEALTH 26 BUSINESS 10 ESSENTIAL STEPS WHEN STARTING YOUR BUSINESS 28 GREAT RESOURCES HOW TO STAY ORGANIZED WITH YOUR EMAILS 32 FOOD SPICY GRAPEFRUIT VIRGIN MARGARITA 34 PRINTABLES VISION BOARD 36 FINANCE PICKING UP THE PIECES 38 YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR KJERYN DAVIS 42 FEATURE KELLY MCMILLAN 46 NON PROFIT RED DEER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 48 SOCIAL MEDIA YOUTH AND SOCIAL MEDIA 50 BUSINESS DIRECTORY

from the CEO

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are POWERFUL BEYOND MEASURE. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, FABULOUS?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all MEANT TO SHINE, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s IN EVERYONE. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are LIBERATED FROM OUR OWN FEAR, our presence automatically liberates others.

- Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”

I love this quote. It is something that I reflect upon more than once a year. As I was reflecting upon what I wanted to share in this month’s magazine, I started to think about what quotes I love and why. This quote immediately came to mind, so I printed it out and reflected upon it for a few days. This time, I felt differently about it. Here are my thoughts: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are POWERFUL BEYOND MEASURE” When I first read this quote so many years ago, I remember thinking: “YAH! That’s it!” It’s not that I feel inadequate but rather that I am fearful of being powerful beyond measure. Today as I reflect upon that, I know that is not true for me. My deepest fear has always been that I am not enough, that I am not lovable enough, pretty enough, smart enough… As I write this article, I am just starting to realize how POWERFUL I am. How powerful we all are. As I start to tap into this power, I have a feeling of peace wash over me as I realize that regardless of what is in store for me, I will continue to create peace, love, and joy in my life. I will continue to experience love, abundance and prosperity. My practice of living the Universal Laws has brought to be a peace that is beyond measure. “It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us” My aha moment when reading this was the total TRUTH behind this statement for me. You see, I had suppressed my ‘dark side’ for so many years. So of course, it didn’t frighten me as I didn’t even acknowledge that it existed. However, as I embrace ALL of me - the squishy parts, the fabulous side, the dark side, the child in me, the manipulator in me, the chameleon, the rebel, the black sheep, the rescuer and the OH-SO-MANY-MORE of me, I realized I also suppressed my “light”. You see, how you do one thing, is how you do everything. My need for control, for people to like me, for people’s approval led me to the suppression of both sides.

“We ask ourselves: ‘who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually: ‘who are you not to be?’ You are a child of God! Your playing small does not serve the world. In December of last year I asked myself “what would my life be like if I let go and decided to live a LIMITLESS life?” This kind of life requires that I allow both sides, light and dark to come together. It also requires that I accept that I am a child of God and to take a real hard look at myself and ask why I continue to play small. The answers were gut wrenching. What if… what if I do this thing and it fails? What if… people don’t like me, approve of me, make fun of me?! This is where my work continues. To love myself MORE THAN caring about other people’s opinions. “There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. I have done this… shrink so that other people would love me, approve of me. Whenever I was told that I was ‘intimidating or intense’ I would do my best to shrink so that people would be okay with who I was. I remember the week after my former husband and I separated and I was staring at him, wondering what the hell happened and I realized that I had ‘dimmed my light’ so that he would love me. I wanted him to love me so badly that I became not me, so he would be comfortable with himself. Perhaps you can relate? Who are you diminishing yourself for? “We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.” As I allowed these words to flow over me again, as I breathed deeply into them I was once again reminded that all of us have a purpose here on Earth and one of the reasons we don’t step INTO it is because we spend so much time comparing ourselves to others. Even when we start to explore our purpose we may think, I am not an Oprah, a Nelson Mandela, a Michelle Obama.. And we think that we need to stay small. Our purpose does not have to be a GRAND or GLOBAL purpose and when we compare ourselves to others’ we usually are on the losing end of the comparison. What would YOUR life be like if you just stepped into the glory of who you ARE, in this moment.

“And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Feel the significance of that? I did. If I allow myself to shine, at an unconscious level it allows others to show up in their light, in their brilliance. Although I don’t agree with that last sentence; I don’t think it automatically liberates others from their fears, what I would say is that it can lend courage to those who are ready to be liberated from their fears. Let me end this article by asking you, what fears are holding you back? What would your life look like if you had the courage to be who you wanted to be? To do what you want? Stay raw ladies. xo

a date with danielle

T H E 4 M ’S O F CO M M U N I CAT I O N by Danielle Klooster

As regular readers and members of the Sharp Women community will know, we had our flagship annual event in May, The SHARP Event. I can’t even begin to express how over-the-moon delighted and proud my cofounder Ranchelle and I are with how it all went. With several COVID-related pivots (COVITS?) to walk through, going from an in-person event to a hybrid in-person/ livestream to a complete livestream/online event, the team’s agility and commitment to putting on a stellar experience really shone through. Our gratitude knows no bounds.

Learning to Communicate Of course, there are always take-aways that we can use to learn and improve, and, for me, one key point was communication. Don’t get me wrong – I think the internal and external communications were fantastic. The team did everything in their power to think about who needed to know what, when, how and why. And, furthermore, in my years as both a consultant and leader in various organizations, whenever it comes time to sit down and talk about strategic planning and goal setting, without exception, the topic of communication comes up. It’s just one of those things that we all know needs to be front and center in our minds and that we can always do more and better.

The 4 Ms I am reminded of an excellent communications training tool I received from The Tamarack Institute some years ago. I have used this tool over the years in my communications and always found it very helpful in achieving clarity.

Before you communicate, you communications using this process:

plan

out

your

Message: What do you want the audience to know? What action do they need to take, and by when? Member: Who is the target/audience for this communication? Method: What means are you using for this communication? There are different ways you need to communicate depending on the platform. Is it an email? An advertisement? A social post? A podcast? Moment: When is the best time to convey this message? Besides just thinking about how far in advance to communicate with people about an event or activity, you should be aware that people read their emails at a certain time of day, and the same goes for social media, etc.

Who Needs What, Packaged How, for What Purpose? Taking a little time to plan out your communications can reduce misunderstandings, improve engagement, and go a long way to ensuring that your messages are clear and well-received. I like to sit back and ask myself the question: who needs what, packaged how, for what purpose? I’m interested to hear from you about communications tools and processes that you find effective in your business or work. Message me – bonus points if you use the 4 Ms!

living your best life

EVERYTHING IS AWESOME by Desiree Stewart

Have you ever run into a friend and when they asked, “How are you doing?” and you answered, “I’m doing great!” despite your heart feeling like it is being squeezed by an outside entity? Now, I am not advising that you tell every Tom, Dick, and Harry how you are feeling. Vulnerability is not meant for every person that crosses your path. What I am asking, though, is if you feel you are stuck in this world of false positivity. False positivity, otherwise known as toxic positivity, according to The Psychology Group, is defined to be “the excessive and ineffective overgeneralization of a happy, optimistic state across all situations. The process of toxic positivity results in the denial, minimization, and invalidation of the authentic human emotional experience.” We seem to have entered a period in time where it is believed that we must always be positive in order to be deemed healthy. That somehow, if we continually choose to be positive, the negative will just go away. But, in actuality, this is not true and can be extremely damaging in the long run.

Rigid Positivity “We are caught up in a rigid culture that values relentless positivity over emotional agility, true resilience, and thriving,” says Susan David, Ph.D., a psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and author of the book Emotional Agility. “And when we push aside difficult emotions in order to embrace false positivity, we lose our capacity to develop deep skills to help us deal with the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.”

The truth is, our emotions are neither positive or negative, rather, how we use or present those emotions are when they become a problem. If our anger causes us to yell at a loved one or throw items and destroy property, we are using those emotions in a negative manner. But having anger is not a bad emotion nor does it make you a bad person. Susan David, Ph.D. goes on to say “The conventional view of emotions as good or bad, positive or negative, is rigid. And rigidity in the face of complexity is toxic. We need greater levels of emotional agility for true resilience and thriving.” We have entered a

A Hard Year

period where it is believed that somehow, if we continually choose to be positive, the negative will just go away

Let’s be honest, the last year has been emotionally taxing on almost everyone. The constant level of change, stress, unknown, has put almost everyone on edge. To say that we have all been positive and everything is grand would be a boldfaced lie for most people. Having hope for the future is different than feeling positive in the moment. So how do we ensure we are feeling our emotions and being resilient as we travel through the difficulties? Perhaps sharing a bit about me would be helpful. I am a full-range-of-emotion person. I’ve tried to not be. I’ve been told many times I’m too emotional, too sensitive. Over time I have tried to hold back my emotions definitely not to show them and on occasion not to feel them. I can speak for myself and say that has

never worked well for me. At some point the emotions human emotions. It’s this that allows us to say, “What have become overwhelming and have ended up in a is my emotion telling me?” “Which action will bring me depressive episode or an explosion of feelings. Neither towards my values?” “Which will take me away from of those results have worked in my favour. There are my values?” Emotional agility is the ability to be with ways we can deal with the full realm your emotions with curiosity, compassion, of emotions, however. Talk therapy, and especially the courage to take valuesjournaling, art, music therapy, sports, connected steps.” and fitness… all of these can be ways to provide an emotional outlet in a And really, if we pretend that everything .…there are times positive way. is positive, everything is great, everything we can feel so is awesome, are we denying ourselves the A World of Injustice hopeful and there opportunity to truly learn from our emotions? Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art are times that Canadian author Jeff Brown talks of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive life knocks us to about anger and its requirement in a Approach to Living a Good Life, states that, world of injustice. “It’s time we raise our knees “Everything worthwhile in life is won through healthy anger back to the rafters of surmounting the associated negative acceptability and work together to experience. Any attempt to escape the clarify a way of expressing it that both negative, to avoid it or quash it or silence it, holds everyone safe AND allows us to honor its inherent only backfires. The avoidance of suffering is a form of wisdom. There is needless, regressive conflict, and there suffering. The avoidance of struggle is a struggle. The is healthy, necessary, forward-moving conflict. The distinction lies in our intentions. Anger is a sacred force, denial of failure is a failure. Hiding what is shameful is when it is honored authentically, without destruction. itself a form of shame.” In fact, I am certain that we will not create the world of divine possibility that many spiritual beings long for unless we get angry about the injustices that many of us face. The world improves when people express legitimate anger because it communicates a message that certain things that are happening are not acceptable. As we move towards a healthier collective vibration, appropriate anger shows us injustices that would not have even been noticed at earlier times. If we fully condemn healthy anger, we condemn ourselves to endure realities that don’t serve us. There is a place for healthy anger in an evolving world...”

One of the things I personally love about the Bible is that there are many examples of people lamenting to God. One of my favourites is King David, who writes in the Psalms about his despair and frustrations. And yet in the next psalm he is writing about his hope in God and his hope for his people. Isn’t this the true reflection of life? That there are times that we can feel so hopeful and there are times that life knocks us to our knees. Through all of that we can feel joy and happiness, but we must acknowledge all of the feelings that come. The importance, once again, is to learn how to manage those emotions that show up and not let those emotions manage us. When we see injustice, we should feel anger! How can that anger be used to promote positive change? When we feel sadness, we can learn how to be more empathetic towards others. According to Susan David, Ph.D., “The most agile, resilient individuals, teams, organizations, families, communities are built on an openness to the normal

Desiree is a HR professional with many years of experience within a diverse portfolio of employers and industries. Desiree completed a Master of Organizational Psychology in 2017, and is currently working on her Masters of Counselling Psychology. When not working full time and doing her schooling she is a mom to three wonderful teenage boys.

leadership

REAL LEADERSHIP by Pauline Melnyk

I struggled to write this month, not because I didn’t have something to share or give, but simply because I struggled with my leadership presence. I think we have all been there at one time or another. My worlds aligned as I have been wanting them to, and for a moment I thought… What did I ask for? When this happens, it’s important to realize that you are in a place to grow as a leader and as a human being. This is exactly what happened for me. You see, often when we are working as leaders, we feel like we are doing it alone, and that no one else understands the journey we are on, or how passionate we are about the work that we are doing. Do my employees care about the business as much as I care? Can I trust that they will show up and represent me, my brand? Then, the question hit me and I began to wonder, am I representing my brand? It hit me that this is where I needed to be truthful authentic and real. Being a leader is hard, and can be lonely for a solopreneur, director, CEO, or general manager. The reality is I am not alone nor lonely. I belong to many teams. Not defined along the traditional lines, I live my values and blur the bounds of collaboration.

I’m neither black nor white. Everything that I have been facilitating, hoping, designing, transforming is happening right in front of me, with me and for me. We all know that the leader is the one who steps up when there is a void, it may be the formal or informal or unexpected leader. The emergence of a true leader comes from simple acts such as seeing that someone might need support and reaching out. Taking responsibility in part for just owning your role or position. One of the responsibilities of the leader is to take our teams into the space where something can emerge that is greater than yourselves. Part of this requires really listening. Some of the work I have participated in at The Presencing Institute was around listening. The Presencing Institute, was founded in 2006 by MIT Sloan School of Management Senior Lecturer Otto Scharmer and colleagues to create an action research platform at the intersection of science, consciousness, and profound social and organizational change. As I worked with the team, we listened deeper in a practice of extending space and growth in order to be fully present. Another aspect of leadership is asking for and helping the team collaborate. When asking for collaboration,

each member of the team needs to add their voice and truly ask for what they need. This is where sometimes egos and agendas get in the way. As a leader, it’s important you don’t assume what it is the other person wants or needs. Start the conversation with ‘why,’ then step in and be curious and genuinely connect. Know that if I connect with you, there is a reason. Do the discovery, set an intention to deeply listen; get curious, ask questions and don’t make assumptions. As communication increases, judgement decreases. Simply lean in, particularly where your worlds involve diverse, and varied disciplines. My intent is always to help people feel included, be treated as an equal and fairly. Working virtually means we are all responsible for having a voice and a place at the table. Everyone is responsible for helping create that space, not just the leader. Leaders need to let their team speak. A great way to do this is to take three rocks (or pins or pens or whatever you have handy) and the only time you get to speak is if you give up one. That means you have only three questions to ask, so you better make each question count. Give your team space, then let them do the talking and help them focus. Extending patience and caring is not about graduating from the latest course in emotional intelligence or fierce conversations. It’s what you do every day, it’s the deep connection between your values and how you show up day in, and day out.

Pauline is a Certified Coach, Culture Guardian & Facilitator of Change for Individuals, Teams, Group Organizations and her community at Melnyk Consultancy.

spirituality

THE POWER OF NATURE ON OUR SOULS by Jennifer Wilson

Life has a way of keeping most of us very busy, even through a pandemic. While we may have put some activities, events or regular occurrences on hold, most of us have filled that space with other tasks or commitments; some by choice, others perhaps not. We are still leading busy lives; they just look a little different. We have shifted schedules and pivoted priorities. We are juggling more things now than we may ever have in the past. Our different worlds and environments seem to overlap, many of us have lost our boundaries between work and home and our relationships are stretched.

Finding Our Way However, through all the chaos, stress and anxiety, it’s still important that we are all able to find a way to have balance in the wellness aspects and spaces in our lives. Our physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social wellness elements are as important now as they even have been. Finding a way to balance them in our currently unbalanced world, is our task. We all need a place to breathe, to find peace, to let go of the worries of the day or life and just be within ourselves. While finding this time for self-reflection and appreciation isn’t always easy, it’s always rewarding, refreshing and gives us a sense of renewal and purpose. One of the easiest ways to achieve this can be as simple as stepping outside and into nature.

Nature’s Answer Our minds, bodies, and souls need nature. They crave it. Research shows us that just being in nature helps to reduce fear, stress and anxiety. Being in nature can help to reduce our blood pressure, heart rate and decrease tension. Nature does wonders for our minds and our souls. Getting out in nature allows us to hit reset, and there are days when we need to hit that button. Hitting reset doesn’t mean we are starting anything over or giving anything up. It doesn’t mean we are abandoning, ignoring or quitting anything, although that might be an outcome or positive realization once we do. To hit reset means that we take time for ourselves, to focus on what matters most to us. It means that we get away for a while, even just mentally, to gain a new perspective and help renew our passion, energy and strength. Getting outside and into nature has no limits. It has no requirements, no minimum age and no cost. Immersing ourselves into nature can be as simple as going out the door and into our backyards, front porches or even onto the soccer field behind where we live. Once out into nature our challenge is simple, but something we don’t do nearly enough of. Once outside, find a bench or place to sit, or walk, stroll or meander through the landscape. Take a breath. A deep breath. Clear our heads and leave

volunteering and fundraising. The lists are endless, and while we do our best to prioritize, sometimes it becomes very overwhelming, which is why every so often it’s important we reset. What inspires us? Truly, madly and deeply inspires us? Whatever it is, and wherever that leads us often happens when we are at our best selves. In order to do that we need to find a way to achieve peace in our multiple dimensions of wellness. Nature can give that to us. It infiltrates us, it feeds us, it gives what we need and asks only for our love and respect in return. Do what your body and soul needs. Get outside, breathe and discover your inner-self and inner-strength.

our connections and commitments at home in order to reflect. Watch the sky and the wind through the trees; listen to the birds and rustlings of nature. Reset. Feel the warmth of the sunshine beating down on our face, or the crispness of the cold air as the snow falls from above. Rejuvenate. Feel. Be. We can’t be afraid to expand our minds. We can’t be afraid to breathe. We need it and we deserve it.

The Road Back When we return to “life”, it’s important to ask ourselves how we felt before we went out, and how we feel now? What did we discover about ourselves as we engaged our inner spirit? How did we positively influence our minds because we allowed nature into our soul? What did we learn and discover because we were brave enough to breathe? After this reflection, we may find we have a new outlook or new priority hierarchy on all we do; or perhaps not, but we will have a renewed sense and desire for what we value most. Nature is healing. It offers no judgement, only empathy and compassion. Nature regenerates us. It invigorates us. Nature is powerful. It’s something to be respected, protected and enjoyed. Living a busy lifestyle has definitely become more of a norm in society these days, even through these challenging times. We are accumulating more stress than we ever have in our lifetime. Our way of life has changed, at least for the moment. We are connected to everyone and everything and are constantly multitasking in order to get just a few things done on our endless lists of “things to do”. We are trying to make ends meet, doing all we can for our aging and isolated parents, helping our kids with homework,

Jennifer Wilson works for Strathcona County’s Recreation, Parks and Culture Department. She is a wellness-minded individual in all aspects of her life and passionate about community health and wellness. She enjoys all-seasons adventuring in a variety of activities with her family, especially mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, outdoor skating and cross-country skiing.

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professional development

TOO SKILLED FOR YOUR OWN GOOD by Carla Howatt

Sometimes you can do more harm than good by your training choices. That’s right, sometimes you can take training in a topic or skill that will, in the long term, cause you problems. Too many times people make their decisions on professional development around things that make them feel comfortable or things they feel confident in learning. Like many things in life, staying in your comfort zone can be the least safe place. Debbie is an entrepreneur, who works from home and is a one-person show. She feels she can’t afford an assistant or to hire out any of her tasks. When it comes time to take some professional development, she gravitates to things she knows she will be good at or that will help her accomplish some of the tasks she thinks she can’t afford to delegate to someone else. Instead of figuring out what will take her forward in her business or advance her skills and strengths, she takes courses or workshops that will fill in some of the gaps or teach her how to do jobs other people should be doing. Debbie has taken courses on website development, social media marketing, design, bookkeeping and even how to create a click-funnel. She’s actually keeping herself small by spending her time learning how to do these things and doing them herself. Now, at first glance, you might think that learning tasks or skills that will save you money would be a good investment of your professional development dollars, wouldn’t you? As an entrepreneur, there are so many things you need to do that you can’t possibly be good at all of them. As a start-up or a small business, it should save some valuable dollars if you can do them yourself. Let’s see if this is true by going back to Debbie. Getting up at seven in the morning, she is sitting at her

desk by eight. She starts every day by making a list of things she wants to accomplish. On a typical day, her task list might look like this: • • • • • • •

Make updates to website and troubleshoot existing issue with links Start working on a click-funnel landing page Set up new group and page on Facebook Create video for social media Edit video Design ad for promotion on Canva Do bookkeeping

Usually, Debbie doesn’t complete her to-do list. She carries what she hasn’t done over to the next day and adds more. This list of tasks is recycled, things are added, and Debbie works hard. She is convinced she has it together and she is making her business work. But have you noticed that there are a few things missing from her list? These are things that never seem to make it on the list, and they are usually the things she doesn’t like to do but that are vital. When is Debbie working on growing her business? Where are the tasks that show what her business is actually about? Is she a web developer? A social media marketer? Maybe a videographer? Nope. She is a freelance writer. She has hopes of one day having contract writers working for her so she can scale her work. She has taken just enough professional development in areas outside of her core work and mission and outside of growing her business that she spends very little time actually doing the work of her business. She has no time to attend networking events or make sales calls. She certainly has no time to go away for a couple days and plan strategically about how she intends to get to the point in her business that she dreams.

Debbie is a prime example of someone who has taken professional development that is actually hindering the growth of her business. If she continues at this rate, she will never have time to grow her business to where she wants because she is too busy doing tasks she shouldn’t be doing. Many people may be thinking that it is all well and good to say this, but when you don’t have the money, you don’t have the money. This rationalization only holds up so far. If you add up the cost of all the courses and workshops, it is often not much less than if you had someone just do it for you. In today’s technologically advanced workplace, there are many affordable options available. There are several online sites that match up people who have skills with those who need that work done. If you would rather not use that approach, investigate local schools – both high school and post-secondary - to see if they have classes in the areas you need. Students who are just learning may be interested in helping you out for a reasonable price. Maybe post something on Facebook or throw your request out to your network to see if they know anyone in your budget who can help.

Chapter lead for SHARP Women Heartland, Carla Howatt is a communications professional with more than 20 years experience. Currently she owns a publishing company and she is also an author and a recovering politician.

So, make sure that you are not spending your time and money learning tasks that someone else can do while you do the important work of growing your business and living the life you have chosen to its fullest.

SOME ONLINE SOURCES: www.fiverr.com www.freelancer.com www.upwork.com www.virtualemployee.com

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relationships

LONG DISTANCE I DO’S

b y D r. M e g a n H a r r i s

My husband Trevor and I have a unique relationship in that he lives and works in Ottawa and I live and work in Edmonton. We have been together for 23 years and married for 13. Our relationship hasn’t been easy all the time, but somehow, we have been resilient and found ways to enjoy the best of “both worlds”.

After graduating as a chiropractor, I moved back to Edmonton to be establish a home base for us here in Alberta. We had accepted that I would be unable to pick up my practice and move every two years when postings came up and that Trevor would be unable to remain stationary.

What We Do

Trevor and I originally met while we were in university. He was a Royal Military College Officer Cadet, and • I was university of Guelph science student visiting a friend who was attending Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. We weren’t a couple during our university time but developed a solid friendship •

In the Beginning When Trevor graduated from RMC, he was posted to the army base in Western Canada. When I finished my undergraduate degree, I decided to move to Alberta to participate in some spinal research at university of Calgary. I knew I wanted to be a chiropractor and I wanted to ensure that my application stood out. The only person I knew in Alberta was Trevor, but he was in Edmonton and I was in Calgary. I spent the 1998 fall semester enrolled in a few extra courses at the University of Calgary while volunteering in a spinal research lab. We visited each other back and forth when I first moved to Alberta and started seeing each other right away.

We try to see each other once per month. During the pandemic this hasn’t often been possible, but we do our best to schedule regular visits We aim to speak every day; whether it’s sending a quick text or having a short evening phone call

•

We make an effort to show genuine interest in each other’s careers. I have learned the military rank structure and he now loves getting “adjusted”

•

We provide each other with a ton of independence and space. We know we must openly trust and have made a deal that if one of us is no longer invested in staying in our marriage, that we will be upfront and honest with each other about our intentions

We talk often about what our future together will look like – especially after our life of dedication to our individual careers. We have both been extremely focused on our professional careers but we both are interested in making the transition back to enjoying After four months of long distance, I decided to more time together. move to Edmonton to be closer to Trevor. The minute I arrived in Edmonton, Trevor unexpectedly received notice that he’d be leaving as soon as possible on a three-month army course in Gagetown, New Brunswick. It appeared that being in the same place just wasn’t meant to be for us.

Making a Decision Trevor returned to Edmonton in May 1999, just in time for the announcement of his next military posting to an army unit in Vancouver. At the same time, I received exciting news that I had been accepted to Chiropractic College in Toronto. Just like that, Trevor would be heading West for his next military posting and I would be heading East to start my Chiropractic education. We talked about the potential impact that the years of distance could have on the success of our relationship but because we were young and in love, we decided we were going to give long distance a serious shot.

An Edmonton chiropractor since graduating in 2003 from Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 2003, Dr. Megan is the founder of the Chiropractic Wellness Studio which opened in 2008.

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personal growth

HOLDING SPACE FOR LIFE

3 STEPS TO NAVIGATE LIFE’S COMPLEXITIES by Katherine Loranger

On top of the latest rounds of lockdowns, life is bringing some pretty heavy content right now to a lot of people I know. Either they, or someone they know is navigating a life-threatening health diagnosis and ensuing treatment. Some of them have suddenly and unexpectedly lost someone close to them through death or divorce. Some are navigating the uncertainty of running a business during a global pandemic and the potentially devastating financial implications for them and their family. Some are coming face to face with the reality of the quality, or lack thereof, of their most important relationships now that they can’t avoid each other in the day-to-day busyness of running their lives. And some are choosing to dig deep and consciously excavate, unearth and repattern long ago planted seeds of unworthiness, comparison, or other limiting beliefs. Choosing to lean into this time of “the great pause” and to take time to design their next becoming. Choosing to dream and to create and to do the corresponding work.

An Opportunity What this brings to mind for me, is that all of this provides us with an opportunity. An opportunity to hold space for life. In therapeutic terms holding space for someone means being physically, mentally and emotionally present

for them. Giving them your unconditional presence and positive regard. Suspending judgement and the desire to ‘fix’ anything and allowing them to fully feel whatever emotion or experience they’re in, knowing that they are far more than their experience in that moment. Holding space for yourself is how you do that for yourself. Treating yourself with kindness, care, selfcompassion, and non-judgement. Allowing yourself to be present for whatever you’re going through, giving yourself an opportunity to lean in and reflect on what’s going on and to develop a deeper understanding of yourself. Holding the truth that you are more than this experience. More than this circumstance.

Holding Space for Life Holding space for life though, what does that mean? This is something that came to me in a recent coaching call with a client. Sometimes life brings heavy content. Content that’s part of the human experience that we’ll all have at some point in time. Holding space for life means that in those challenging experiences we hold space for life to show up exactly as it is. Without judgement, without trying to fix it, without trying to run from or avoid it. We just allow life to show up. Messy, and imperfect, and sometimes devastating and shitty. And in holding space, we allow it to be all that, and more. In holding space for life, we choose to come from a both / and energy rather than an either / or energy.

Life can be both messy and beautiful, joyful and devastating, vibrant and full of decay. In holding space for life, we can soften into knowing that this too shall pass, and we open to the beauty that still exists. I’m reminded of the Taoist story of the farmer and the stallion that is attributed to Alan Watts. ~ Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors came around to commiserate. They said, “We are so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.” The farmer said, “Maybe.” The next day the horse came back bringing seven wild horses with it, and in the evening, everybody came back and said, “Oh, isn’t that lucky. What a great turn of events. You now have eight horses!” The farmer again said, “Maybe.” The following day his son tried to break one of the horses, and while riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbors then said, “Oh dear, that’s too bad,” and the farmer responded, “Maybe.” The next day the conscription officers came around to conscript people into the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg. Again, all the neighbors came around and said, “Isn’t that great!” Again, he said, “Maybe.” ~ Alan Watts

2. Shift or expand your focus. This is really about expanding your awareness and knowing that life is much more than what you’re going through right now. This is not dismissing the challenging condition but its shifting to that both/and perspective. Expanding your focus helps to bring balance to the experience and opens your mind to the possibility that there may be some good here for you. 3. Allow yourself to feel the feelings and emotions but don’t set up camp there. Too often we can get stuck in the feelings and while it is so important to honor and hold space for our feelings and emotions to emerge, we don’t want to get caught in a downward spiral. So, try an experiment of giving yourself a set time to honor your feelings and emotions, feel them and then when you’ve finished your appointment consciously shift your focus and your state. You can always schedule multiple times to express and release those emotions and by putting boundaries around them it can help to keep you from living in a state of overwhelm and allow you to keep moving forward with your life. As you hold space for your life and the lives of those around you, remember that everyone, including you, is doing the best they can in any moment. Sometimes we are more resourced than others and so my invitation to you is to lean into compassion for yourself and for those around you. You’ve got this and I believe in you.

Life is complicated and messy and it’s very difficult to ultimately know what the outcome of any situation will be because we still don’t have the full story. Holding space for life allows us to hold the knowing of the fullness, the complexity, and that what we are currently experiencing may have an unexpected positive outcome.

Three Ways So, if life is bringing you challenging content here are three steps you can use right now to hold space for life. 1. Notice what you’re noticing. Pay attention to where you’re focusing. Just like the farmer and the stallion we don’t know if it’s going to be a good thing or a bad thing. Granted, things can feel pretty bad in the moment and this is not to dismiss that sometimes it really does suck. But what you focus on you will find more of, and it will actually start to direct your reticular activating system (the part of the brain whose job it is to mediate our overall levels of consciousness) to find more of what you don’t want and more of what’s not working.

Katherine specializes in helping heart-centered entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, business owners and dreamers build their dreams, accelerate their results and create richer, more fulfilling lives. She holds an M.Ed in Counselling, and is an NLP practitioner, and is certified as a life mastery consultant.

| 23

health & wellness

THE FALSE VORTEX OF SOCIAL MEDIA HEALTH b y Ta m a r a N o l i n

In these trying times that currently have our mental state in a constant cycle of peaks and valleys, the tendency for some has been to have difficulty summoning the motivation to engage or participate in their physical wellbeing. Given the stresses of our surroundings over the past year, it’s been quite the shift in not only finding ways to be active but finding the motivation. Given that we had switched much of our visual stimulus to online or on a screen, there was much to soak in with regards to social media fitness apps, food plans, health groups, and workout clothing advertisements. Because of that, patterns emerged that affected our ability to adapt and keep active in a more constructive and mindful way.

Picture Perfect For many, the pressures that come with being bombarded with what seems like a perfect picture of health or fitness on every platform imaginable doesn’t always lead to a motivating feeling. Much of what we see perpetuates an incredibly false, filtered, or highly exaggerated standard of positivity. It feeds us a narrative that can seem unattainable. How do we combat being motivated in a False Vortex of Health? This has been the consistent feeling among many of my clients, and others as we look to keep ourselves uplifted with more activity at home

Realistic Goal Setting Currently, the idea of goal setting seems daunting as we have so much on our minds. Much like we would make lists for smaller things, being active in making lists for our wellbeing doesn’t have to be an all or none thing. Nor does it have to be grandiose. In my many years working with clients, the smaller steps are always the most successful and the easiest to add to. It’s tangible and realistic for where you are at, now. Nothing feels better than something tangible and doable for the good of yourself, for yourself. For example, week one you break every day into sections of four topics to accomplish what you know deep down would bring you a few steps closer to better health

Contribution, Elimination, Congratulation, Evaluation Contribution. Before you start your day, write down and promise yourself to include three servings of veggies in your day, and switch to very small treat during lunch time when you are more likely to use those calories versus at night. Then add a goal to go for a 20 min walk with your favorite playlist. Zoom call a friend for a small workout and add five things to a list of things to get done or hire a trainer to see you at least once a week, so you have scheduled time. Some of us even do

online training. You would be surprised at how even 20 minutes make the mind feel engaged and open to reevaluation. That’s exactly what health and fitness is to one’s life, a contribution. Elimination. Now improve your success by honestly recognizing the things that block your goals. Reduce Netflix, make the kids a snack plate instead of a bigger meal to save you time, cut back the scrolling on social media for what you know to be useless time-wasting activities (pull yourself away, it’s not helping you), or simply call a friend on speaker phone to vent while you walk. Just do. Congratulations. Add yourself to a fitness or health group that you can participate in sharing your small steps. The responses you will get are well worth the small effort to participate. You will find others will give you a boost of additional activity, or a partner just to bounce ideas off. Have a friend keep a calendar for you, and vice versa to color in the day that you each accomplished. Congratulate the small attempts as well and recognize you started the goal. Evaluation. For every good thing you are including, remember there will be something that will get easier over time, as it’s never a punishment. This is where forgiveness and evaluating what’s realistic is key. Build onto the things that you make happen for your day. What’s realistic often may not be what you see reflected on social media as the norm. Add on to what worked the first time and allow yourself

flexible expectations. In an era of instant outcomes, quick fixes, and the false expectations shared on social platforms, we forget that it’s not necessarily the norm and it never shows the viewer a complete picture. Finding people that share your wants and needs to be successful is incredibly uplifting. Join several as it will keep you a little busier with the reminders of people trying to make changes like you are. Motivation is not merely an action you need or feel. You have to create it, like you would a recipe. It’s a choice of what ingredients you add to make your outcome something you would like to achieve daily. Our days are not like we used to know, and it is getting easier to have stress lead the way. Health and fitness don’t have to come in packets of 90 min for five times a week, but 20 minutes twice daily, or 10 minutes four times daily. When we change the pattern of negative energy, and negative health habits even for 10 min, you are more likely to go on to another 10 more listening to your favorite songs or a great podcast, thinking of your day, or remembering a place you once visited. The feeling of accomplishment is most infectious and as long as it serves you in a direction that is both realistic and allows forgiveness, you will look forward to more, rather than look back. Impacting change through perseverance, Strength in motion, Tamara Nolin

Did I get more veggies in, drink more water? …yes. Did I do 20 min for a walk? …no I did 10. GREAT! DO IT AGAIN!

Tamara has served Strathcona County, Edmonton and Fort Saskatchewan for well over a decade. She has competed at the provincial level in the Alberta Body Building Association and currently owns Real Body Wellness. She focuses on eliminating time wasting protocols and emphasizing proper biomechanics with an attention to postural needs. Find her on Facebook

| 25

business

10 ES S EN T I A L S T EP S W H EN S TA RT I N G YO U R B U S I N ES S b y Ly n n G a g n e

One of my favorite things about teaching business to university students is hearing about their ideas. It’s why my business – my passion – is about helping small, local business owners succeed, from building the foundation to growing success years into their business. As a certified professional bookkeeper, I built a successful bookkeeping firm from just myself to over 15 employees. I know exactly what it’s like to start from nothing and maintain a profitable business. I’ll admit, in the beginning there was a lot I was too embarrassed to ask other business owners. When I finally found out the answers, I was then a little mad. My accountant didn’t tell me what valuable write-offs I was missing. The registries office didn’t educate me what would happen when I incorporated incorrectly. My lawyer made no apologies for charging me money to fix the contracts that I did wrong when I tried to do my own to save money. It was frustrating. And expensive. At this stage of my career, I spend most of my energy coaching other business owners and helping them see the flags that they should be aware of. This is my top 10 things that you should consider when you start your business. 1. Decide on your business type. Will you be a sole proprietor, or incorporated? There are different tax rules, write off methods and implications, deciding on the route you take. There may potentially be a cost to switch types later. Taking the time to understand the correct business type for your needs is extremely important! Some people assume that going into business

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means a trip down to registries to incorporate. I literally cringe when I hear someone say “I went and incorporated my business!” knowing that they are better being a sole proprietor than incorporated. The minute you incorporate, you set yourself up for accounting and tax fees that are $2000+ per year. It’s an expensive jump from a sole proprietor, who would typically pay between $250 and $500. 2. Register your company properly (if you are incorporated). “Properly” depends on your industry. In some cases, you may need a lawyer to help with the registration process. Some people confuse registering a trade name with registering a business, when in fact, that’s a different step altogether. When you incorporate, your company will declare shares, ownership, and directors. Sometimes this can be a very important step, so make sure you understand it before you incorporate. 3. If you have a partner, do a USA. USA stands for Unanimous Partnership Agreement. Think of it as the business equivalent of a prenuptial agreement. You and your partner lay out what will happen in the event of this, that, or the other, how you will get paid, what each is responsible for, who is liable if this happens, what are the no-nos, and the like. Regardless of who your partner is, or partners, a USA is a must-do. Don’t even think twice about it. The only downside is in not having one – and we’re talking a possibly nightmarish legal downside. 4. Register a trade name. When you do a trade name, your company just has a “public name”

that people will know you. For example, my company is incorporated, but my trade name is Learn Bookkeeping Canada. You can have as many different trade names as you wish. 5. Open a business bank account. Keeping business and personal expenses separate seems like a nobrainer, but it’s often easier said than done. I dealt with mixed receipts from my bookkeeping clients all the time. It is more expensive for bookkeeping, it causes more chaos when it comes to tax time. And the worst, in my opinion, is if CRA audits you. It’s a nightmare when you have your business and personal income and expenses in one bank account. 6. Designate a personal credit card for business use only and keep it that way. Typically, a bank is unlikely to approve you for a business credit card for two years. If you have very good personal credit, your bank may issue a business credit card sooner, securing your personal credit against it. Most business owners, whether incorporated or a sole proprietor, use a separate credit card in their name as their dedicated business card. Just like your bank account, keeping it separate is important! 7. Decide on invoicing software. Some that I lovelove-love: Freshbooks, Invoices to go, and 17Hats.

9. Doing the books yourself. I am the first person to say that a very small business (solopreneur) can do their own books. However, if you don’t take the time to get some education, then this one is a hard pass. I have dozens of case studies where a customer did their own books and missed out on very important pieces of information, making it so that they either paid more taxes or they didn’t get as large a refund. If you do the books yourself and you don’t get education on the “how”, I guarantee you are doing it wrong. Make sure you get some good advice or education on how to do your own books. A word of caution: don’t wait for tax time to talk to a bookkeeper. 10. Stay organized, especially with receipts. There is nothing costlier, from the bookkeeper’s perspective, than a client who comes in disorganized. It will cost you more to have that mess of receipts sorted. If it’s tax season, you’re one of hundreds of clients and therefore, probably just another number. Your tax person will do their best to get you in order but expect more taxes and a higher bookkeeping bill. The more organized you are.....the smaller your tax bill will likely be.

I personally use 17Hats for my consulting. It also does contracts and quotes. In many cases, customers feel that their bookkeeping software is the same as their invoicing software. This is not the case! You don’t have to use your bookkeeping software the same as your invoicing software. In fact, in some cases, your bookkeeper may prefer that you don’t do that. Have a chat with your bookkeeper and make some good decisions about the software you use. 8. Don’t be an ostrich Many think that the bookkeeping and taxes are an “end of the year” task. Not so! There is so much to learn and doing it during tax season is the worst time to do it. There are three basic rules to saving money throughout the year. a) Save your receipts b) Do your bookkeeping every month c) Review your money. Putting your head in the sand doesn’t make it go away, but it will almost always make it worse.

Lynn of BWize Consulting & Training is a certified professional bookkeeper who spent more than 30 years running different businesses, including owning a professional bookkeeping firm with more than 300 clients over a period of ten years. She built her company around providing tools to small business owners so they can keep more money in their pocket.

great resources

HOW TO STAY ORGANIZED WITH YOUR EMAILS by Grace Wong It’s that dreaded feeling of turning on your phone or logging into your computer and seeing the inevitable: a full inbox. Emails from colleagues who need answers now, supervisors who need answers yesterday, assorted ads, spam and your friend’s photos from her trip to Las Vegas (well, pre‐pandemic, in any event). What can you with this onslaught of incoming email so that it’s not overwhelming? Try these steps to get your inbox organized and keep it that way. 1) Organizing as a daily task. Make organizing your inbox a part of your routine, like lunch, a coffee break or a daily report to your boss. It’s something you schedule into your day, not something you squeeze in at the last minute. This can be accomplished by: a. Start by purging anything you no longer need. Delete anything that’s not relevant anymore (as long as you’re sure you won’t need it later). And hit “report spam” on any spam.

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b. Archive emails you’re not ready to delete just yet. If you’re finished with an email but you’re not sure if you’ll need it later, hit “archive” or move it to an archive folder specifically for that purpose. Chances are pretty good you won’t need it later, but it’ll save you a ton of time searching for stuff if you do. c. Delete newsletters and other “for free reading” emails if they’ve been sitting in your inbox for more than a week. It’s tempting to hold on to these because the topic interests you, but odds are if you haven’t read it within seven days, you likely won’t. d. Unsubscribe from promotional emails you don’t need or want anymore. Only subscribe to emails you truly want to see in your inbox everyday. If you’re deleting without reading, maybe it’s time to change your subscription preferences. And if you’ve subscribed to get a 10% off coupon, get the coupon, then unsubscribe.

e. If you need to forward an email to someone, do it right away, then delete it! There’s no need to keep it in your inbox when it’s not your responsibility. 2) Commit to a filing system that’s flexible. Your online filing system should consist of folders you create within your email system. Think of it this way: you have a filing cabinet with all your important papers, with labelled hanging files. Now think of your email in the same manner. Whatever you choose to do, it should be able to grow with your needs. a. Set up as many folders as you need. Everyone’s inbox patterns differ, based on who they are and what they do. Someone who works out of the home and travels frequently is going to have different needs than a home based business working out of their basement. Personally speaking, this is what my folders looks like and no, it’s by no means perfect. b. Set up filters, so emails go straight to the folder they belong in. Filter things so they automatically go to the appropriate folder – or to the trash – so they aren’t bunging up your inbox or distracting you. c. Create multiple inboxes to further prioritize your emails. Create inboxes for tasks that – for example – can be done immediately, need follow up or can wait until later. 3) Keep those files clean and tidy. Schedule a weekly or monthly review of those files and eliminate those that are no longer useful. This is very similar to moving paperwork from one paper tray to another to consolidate them. a. Keep things from piling up by checking your email throughout the day. Use your downtime to your advantage – it’s the perfect time to check your email. b. If you’d rather not be the type that’s attached to your inbox at the hip, set up a designated time, or a few designated times, to check your email each day. c. Immediately respond to anything requiring only a minute of your time; if you want to take things a little more seriously, try the OHIO method – Only Handle It Once.

Use the one-minute rule – if something takes a minute or less to accomplish, try doing it right away rather than waiting until later. Using the OHIO method means reading an email, digesting it’s contents, figuring out how to handle it and then handling it immediately. It can save you time by keeping you from forgetting stuff or wasting time re-reading emails. d. Flag things you can’t get around to right away and set up a system for eventually handling them. This generally means starring the emails in your inbox so it catches your attention later on. It’ll serve as a reminder that something needs to be dealt with. e. Try to respond to business emails within 24 hours and emails from family and friends within 72 hours.

It can be tempting to ignore emails when you are swamped, but if you can’t respond in a meaningful fashion within the time frame you’ve set for yourself, maybe it’s better to fire off an email along the lines of, “I’m sorry I can’t deal with this right now, but I promise I’ll give it my full attention next week/month/whenever.” 4)Friends don’t let friends have their work email addresses.

All these things said, obsessing about keeping your inbox at zero daily can be a time and energy drain. Just keep up with organizational habits that you can create that are sustainable and don’t worry too much about it. Remember, the point of keeping your inbox organized is to save time by making things easier to find and stay on top of. Hopefully, these simple tips will help in this regard.

As much as you might love seeing the latest cute baby pictures from your BFF, don’t give her your work email. Doing so links her email with yours and suddenly you’ll find your inbox filled with diaper coupons and breastfeeding articles. 5) Deal with your inbox first thing and last thing of the day. While in an ideal world, you’ll be checking your email at certain junctures of the day, emptying your inbox as your first order of business and the last task of the day should be a minimum. It clears the path for the day’s activities, helps prepare a to‐do list for tomorrow and provides a sense of accomplishment at both ends of the day.

With 23-years-experience in computer and mobile device repairs, Grace Wong has owned Apex Computer & Mobile Repairs for five years. She lives and works in Sherwood Park with her husband and 16-year-old son who she adores to the moon and back.

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finance

P I C KI N G U P T H E P I E C ES

by Wanda Rogers

One of the biggest financial impacts to a woman’s financial security is a sudden change in circumstances, often a divorce or separation. This article is not going to talk about the legal ramifications or rights, I am no lawyer. No. I am one of those women who lost it all because of a sudden change of circumstances. What I want to walk you through in this piece is how to pick up the crumbled bits of yourself and to build yourself up again.

I had small children at the time, and they were used to having lots of activities and fun events in their life, I did not want them impacted. So, I made a game out of it. We had $25 a month for fun, and we had to do something one day a week. I scoured Facebook events for free family events, we went to the library, we chased rainbows one day all over the countryside. We went to the river swimming. It was one of the most fun years we have ever had.

Day One: Shock, pain, fear. I remember day one. I took a selfie of myself in that most immensely painful moment so I would NEVER forget it. I looked around at my life and made a promise to myself that I would never be in this position again.

What did not go well?

What I did that worked. I sat down and wrote out ALL my financial obligations, no matter how minute. I cancelled everything that was not necessary. I called ALL my lenders and told them I needed some grace. I wrote down all the money I had, savings, checking accounts, retirement. I kept notes of everything I did, I knew my mind was not working clearly. I then did something that was incredibly hard, I asked for help. I connected with some people in my support network of friends and family, and I was put in touch with a program through our local church called Faith In Deed. They helped me with an urgent financial need of paying some utility bills and then provided me and my children with food for the next 9 months while I got my feet under me. This is something that many churches have available.

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Well big banks do not purport to have much flexibility. I was a longtime client of one of the big banks and held multiple products with them. I had connected with them to ask for grace, to ask for relief. They gave me a small amount initially; they skipped one mortgage payment. What they do not tell you is that they have many more stronger programs available for people that cannot make their bills. Keep pushing and asking for what you need, tell them when it will not work. I had a longer-term problem though. I had gone from a double income in multiple six figures to my single income which was still good but not enough to pay all the bills. What happened was the bank did not take care of me like a valued customer. I was treated as an inconvenience and not helped. I ultimately made the incredibly hard decision to file for consumer protection and filed a consumer proposal. At the time it was one of the most painful, pride destroying decisions of my life. Today I am so grateful for the relief it offered me.

Once the proposal was granted my situation got much easier. My next step was to increase my income as much as possible. I held Garage sales, sold on Facebook marketplace, and picked up side gigs inspecting gas stations and doing mystery shopping. I set up goals to challenge myself to earn additional income to build up an emergency savings account. I charted out miscellaneous expenses I would have to pay during the year and set up sinking accounts for them. I budgeted down to zero every single month. Quite honestly the biggest thing I did for myself was I told myself how proud of myself I was as I crawled out of that place. I filled myself with positive affirmations of how good it felt to have money in savings, I reminded myself that I did it, no one else, it was me. I worked so hard during that time, somedays I did not know what end was up.

My take away? Document everything, have a conversation with the bank? Write it down. Agreed to certain terms; get it in writing. Tell your bank that if they do not help you that you will go bankrupt. If they do not listen, do it if it is right for your situation. Do not hesitate. The faster you start rebuilding the faster it will get better. Make the tough decisions and do the hard work to make it better. Get $1000 into a savings account and do not touch it unless the world blows up again. Downsize as much as you can, it will be painful but that will pass. Find ways to cut costs in your budget, buy from discount places for your food, meal prep, take care of your own esthetic needs. I was chicken to make some of the hard decisions because of the immense grief I was experiencing. Now I regret not doing some things sooner.

sufficient and proud of yourself. It is always an equation, make more money or reduce expenses. If you cannot get the expenses off, you will need to use whatever method there is even if it is hard, ie. bankruptcy. It will not magically get any better unfortunately. I heard this somewhere once “Embrace the suck.” It will not always suck. But it will at the start. Dream up that magical new life and what it will be like. Then make it happen. Wanda Rogers has spent 11 years in Human Resources Management and now calls Airdrie home after many years in Northern Alberta. She lives with her two sons, crazy cat, Siberian Husky and ex husband with whom she co-habitats to raise their children and they all give her all she needs to write about.

How is life now? I am in my own place that I rent, a lovely 3-bedroom home, I have a good job, I have savings, my kids have education savings accounts, I donate money every month to Faith in Deed and I do NOT worry about money anymore. Every single dollar I earn has a job and I am so proud of them. I am still paying the credit proposal; I have a couple of years left unless I come into some money to pay it off. My credit has increased 200 points while in the proposal. Life is smoother than it was before. I worked through some emotional baggage I had around money and using it as well. Money is a tool for me now. It does not scare me anymore; I have a plan. I am proud of myself.

How to get here? Make the hard decisions. Grieve them. Work on yourself every day. Ask for help. Take steps to become self-

young entrepreneur

KJERYN DAVIS: Chasing Her Dreams by Carla Howatt

Being in Kjeryn Davis’ presence is to feel as though you have been pulled into a warm embrace of positive energy. Whether she is talking about her business or her family, the joy she experiences from the life she has created radiates from her. Creating her life was intentional and came from discovering the things that made her jump out of bed in the morning. Growing up in the fourth generation of her family to live in Camrose, Alberta, she knew everyone in town, and they knew her. While comforting, she knew if she wanted to date anyone besides her second cousin, she would need to move.

Doing What She Should Prior to being a business owner, she was successful in a finance position. The money was good, but she knew she wasn’t working in her area of passion. However, she was a single mom to a three-year-old child, and she had to be careful about the decisions made; it wasn’t just all about her any longer. She realized the job she was most happy in was bartending. She enjoyed the people, and it came naturally for her. She realized she had internalized some of the stereotype’s society has around people who

waitress or bartend past a certain age. She wondered how a service position would define her. As a single mother, she felt she had something to prove and that to do that, she needed to be a professional. She went into finance because she thought that was what she had to do. After returning to the field, she quickly realized she wanted to not only serve people in a restaurant or bar, but she wanted to own it. It was then that she decided she would open a bar.

A Dream Come True As she explored what she would need to do in order to make her new dream a reality, she discovered that banks wouldn’t give money unless it was an existing business, a franchise, or unless she had a lot of collateral. Not one to let that stop her, she sat down and wrote what she categorizes as a kick-ass business plan. She focused in on the typical arguments and concerns investors might have and explained why she would succeed. Then, she set out to raise the money herself. She sold five per cent shares to two different people and is proud that she has paid them dividends on their investment.

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The most freeing place to be is when you have nothing to lose

Seven years and three Sylvan Lake restaurants - Does, Bukz and Bukwildz - later, she is thriving and loving what she is doing. She credits her success to her mindset. “There are enough people out there that will tell you how you will fail,” Kjeryn explains. “So, you need to be your biggest champion in your own mind.” She goes on to say that she would recommend cutting anyone out of your life that is negative. “You will have enough thoughts around how you could fail you don’t need others telling you that.”

Quieting the Voices People will always be prepared to tell you why you will fail, and you may even battle those internal voices yourself. For Kjeryn, she deals with those voices by quickly and ruthlessly putting them in their place. “… you need to reaffirm for yourself every time…” she talks about a time when she bought the restaurant next door to hers. The voices in her head started questioning her decision, and she began to think “Oh Kjeryn, you can’t do two restaurants!” she recounts. “I’m like ‘stop it! Yes, you can!” and every time she would begin to go down the “what if this” or “what if that” road, she would tell herself to stop it.

Owning three restaurants in Sylvan Lake is not the end of the road for this positive woman. She sees a time, probably about five years down the road, when she has a succession plan in place, she is a mentor in the restaurant world, and a consultant. A keen interest in municipal and provincial politics may even see her running a campaign. Whatever Kjeryn decides to pursue, there is no doubt that she will make it happen and do so with a smile on her face.

She is diligent in discarding and disregarding the negative thoughts because she believes that, unfortunately, it is very rare that people pursue their dreams. It is rare that they push themselves and that is because of the fear and negativity around the “What ifs”. Instead, they should be focusing on their dreams and positivity. It is easy to be negative and it takes work to be positive. “The most freeing place to be is when you have nothing to lose,” Kjeryn explains. “What’s the worst that can happen to you? You literally have nothing to lose.” So why does she work so hard for this success? The answer is and will always be, her family. Her husband stays at home with their two young babies, and she wants to make them proud. She wants to be a role model to her children about what is possible if you have the right mindset. She also wants to set that example for others by having a positive impact through showing others and her now 13 year-old daughter that she is not a victim of her circumstances.

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feature

KELLY MCMILLAN:

HELPING OTHERS THROUGH THE LOVE OF COFFEE by Rachel Braun

How wonderful would it be to know your morning coffee is making the world a little bit better? This month, I was privileged to hear Kelly McMillan’s story, and all about her work and passion to change the world, one cup of coffee at a time.

Renaissance Woman Kelly was born in Brandon, Manitoba. In her youth, she recalls being both a daredevil and a creative. Kelly recalls, “Until I was 12, I wanted to be a jockey. I was obsessed with horses and racing. After high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to be. I loved art but I didn’t even know what media to specialize in, I just wanted to make things. I ended up working in the mountains for a couple of years at a chalet. I would go home during the winter months and work out there in the summer. By the time I was 20 years old, I had saved quite a bit of money and decided I wanted to open a retro clothing store back in Manitoba. I’ve always loved old things and treasure hunting in second-hand and antique shops”. Kelly’s store, The Rusty Circle, was open for two years. In the end, she chose to close it in response to changes to the downtown core. After 10 years working in retail, Kelly once again heard the call to cultivate her skills in making things that impacted the space around her. Kelly shares, “I still wanted to be making something. I visited our local college and went through all the trades. I took an industrial metal fabrication course. Half of it was welding, half was machining… Walking into the class was really intimidating, but the instructor was so supportive of me. I was the only girl and was a few years older than most of the guys. Once I got my confidence

up, I did really well and was at the top of the class. It was very precise work with lots of measuring and details. It was a good fit for me”. By the end of her first year, Kelly had achieved her first level in both trades, and decided to seek apprenticeship as a machinist. Four years later, she got her ticket and moved to Winnipeg to work at an aerospace company. Kelly’s journey to Central Alberta started when she met her partner, Ronald. Kelly recalls, “Ronald and I met in Brandon. He’s Colombian and he came to Canada on a work visa”. Soon, Ronald began his schooling and training to become an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. Kelly shared, “Once Ronald completed his first levels, he applied for jobs across Canada and got hired at the Red Deer Airport. We did the long-distance thing for about three years. He’d be home for a few months and then go back to Alberta. Eventually, we decided to start a family and that happened right away. I quit my job, and we moved to Sylvan. Now, seven years later, it’s me, Ronald, our two boys, and a great big dog”. On weekends, you can often find Kelly driving across Central Alberta working as a marriage commissioner. Kelly described, “Shortly after we moved to Sylvan

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Lake, I wanted to make some extra money. I also love people, and this seemed like a perfect fit. I had to do a big interview with a panel and a mock wedding. It was intense!”

Discovering White Frog Today, you may know Kelly through the White Frog Café, a boutique, take-out only café and storefront nestled in the Stone House, a heritage site in Sylvan Lake. Like the Stone House, the story of White Frog goes back generations. Kelly describes, “White Frog all happened because of Ronald. When we moved to Sylvan Lake over 7 years ago, we didn’t have any land in Colombia at the time. Ronald grew up on the family farm with his cousins, and his family is still there. One day, Ronald’s brother decided to give him a hectare of this land as part of the family inheritance. We asked, what could we do with the land that would help his family? Well, we could plant something that we could employ them to harvest and maintain. Coffee was the natural thing. We hired Ronald’s brother and cousins to grow the coffee from seed. They grow to about 6-8 inches tall, and then they are put in holes. We hired enough people to plant 5,000 of them. For the first 2-3 years, we were mainly focused on making sure the plants could survive”. While Ronald was focused on the farm in Colombia, Kelly was busy learning how to import the coffee to Canada. “We knew we wanted to import the coffee into Canada, but we didn’t know how complicated it would be,” Kelly shares. “Between us, Ronald’s job was harder, because it was only recently that Colombia opened up its laws to allow farmers to export their goods. For a long time, they had to sell everything to the government who would export goods themselves. It sounds well and

good, but often, farmers don’t have the knowledge or resources to figure everything out. With Ronald being here, he was able to study and get his credentials to import and export everything”. Once all the required logistics were in place, it was time to create their company. Kelly reminisced, “We had a hard time deciding on a name. Ronald wanted something in Spanish, and I wanted something in English. Out of nowhere, Ronald’s brother sent us a picture of a tiny little white frog on one of the coffee leaves. From that moment, we were the White Frog Café”. Even with the English name, there was a brief period of being lost in translation. “For us, café meant coffee, but everyone was asking, ‘so where’s your café?’. There was a bit of confusion at first”, Kelly laughs. Just six months ago, Kelly and Ronald’s café came to life in the Stone House. “Once we saw the Stone House was for sale, we worked everything out so we could renovate the Stone House while keeping our own home. We’ve been open for four months now. We still sell our coffee to Safeway, Sobeys, and Amazon.ca, but now we have a take-out café and a storefront, and it’s going so well”.

Bridging Histories and Communities

“No matter who walks through our doors, we try to tell the stories of what we do and where we are,” Kelly shares. “White Frog started with the purpose of helping people. We give back a portion of the proceeds and lead community projects. You can imagine, in Colombia, they might not have the tools or resources, just a shovel and a pickaxe, but they are such hardworking and kind people. We are so lucky and so privileged to be living in Canada. For Ronald especially, he feels so lucky to

have a home, a business, and cars. He’s always trying to help people with tools, equipment, education, and community support”. White Frog’s impact goes beyond a great cup of coffee. Kelly described, “We recently did a bit of math. We buy beans based on quality and we pay farmers based on quality. If farmers sell their beans to a coffee board, it’s just a flat rate (and peanuts). In the end, farmers make about 56% more selling to us than what they would get selling to a coffee board. It’s great for the farmers and good for us, too, but it can sometimes be difficult as a business. Here, anyone can buy beans for so much less. Our beans are more expensive because we are supporting the farmers. We hope we can get the beans moving more in the future. Back in Colombia, everyone that knows Ronald asks, ‘will you buy my coffee?’, but because we are so new, we can’t afford to buy everyone’s coffee yet”. Kelly’s storytelling isn’t limited just to coffee. Kelly actively seeks to promote the history and legacy of the Stone House in downtown Sylvan Lake. With conversational ease and passionate knowledge-sharing, Kelly described some of the history of the Stone House. It was founded in 1913, the same year as when Sylvan was established. “It’s like an icon for Sylvan Lake,” Kelly describes. “I almost feel like 1913 Days are just for us. This year, we are doing coffee tastings and our little guys are going to offer a lemonade stand out front. The man who built it was from France. He was an avid trapper and would eat anything – like, anything! He lived into old age and sold the house to a family in Sylvan with nine children. The house is small (600 square feet), so you can imagine what the space would be like with a family of nine kids! In 1980, the house was condemned because of the wiring, so the nine children fundraised to redo the wiring and save the house. Just a month ago, there was an elderly lady standing outside the building and I asked if she wanted to come in. She shared, ‘oh, I’ve been in, it’s my family’s home’. I was so thrilled to meet her. Her mom was the oldest of the nine children. Her mom is still alive and still lives in Red Deer. I hope she can come by one day and see how we have restored the property”.

“Just watch” When Kelly thinks back on her journey from fashion, to machining, to coffee, she characterizes the time as empowering. Kelly shares, “I know that I am up for anything. I’ve always been a bit of a dare devil. If someone tells me I can’t do something, I’ll say, ‘oh, you just watch!’ As a kid, I always loved getting to the top of things or going the fastest. Now, doing different things is fun for me. With coffee, there’s been lots to learn. It’s almost like wine. There are varieties, grading systems, tasting notes, and traditions to take care of the plants.

Everything on our Colombian farm is all natural. Now, the next step is learning how to roast. It’s its own craft. Things can go wrong in seconds! You must keep smelling, looking at the colour, and listening to the cracks in the beans. Once you get it to where you want, you have to cool everything down in just the right way. Learning how to operate the roaster will be really fun”. Kelly is in the process of getting their roaster approved by the Canadian Standards Association. For now, you can view it in the Stone House. “People come in and look at it all the time, which we love. We want to educate people on the coffee growing and roasting process”, Kelly states. When Kelly thinks about the future, she thinks both locally and globally. Kelly shares, “In ten years, I hope we still have the Stone House, and are connecting our Sylvan community to coffee around the world. I would love to take White Frog to a place where we are visiting other countries and purchasing coffee like we do in Colombia – in a way that supports and meets the needs of farmers – in places like Ethiopia or Hawaii”.

What does it mean to live your life on point? “Trying to be true to myself”, Kelly shares with a pause. “It’s tough to answer. The last few years have been wonderful, but also difficult. You can imagine being at home, often alone, with two boys… I always try to keep what’s important in the forefront. Family is #1 and I try to balance it with helping other people”.

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non profit

Making a Difference with Music by Jennette Miller

Founded in 1987, the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra (RDSO) is a classic Albertan story of hard work and determination. Initially a semi-professional orchestra, the dedication and perseverance of our volunteers, board members, staff, and musicians over many years has seen RDSO grow to become Central Alberta’s only professional performing arts organization! We now have a core group of 28 professional musicians annually performing seven Main Series concerts under the artistic guidance of Music Director Claude Lapalme.

Life as an Orchestra in a Pandemic To say that the past 15 months of life in a pandemic have been a trying time for everyone would be a vast understatement, however, it’s been crippling for performing arts organizations that are built on gathering the community together. Since the spring of 2020, public health restrictions have limited even recorded performances to small groups of musicians. Thanks to the flexibility of Maestro Lapalme, musicians, videographers, and audio production crews, a series of digital concerts has been produced and is available to view online for free! 1. RDSO’s first-ever online performance, Quintessentially Schubert, features RDSO musicians and guest pianist, Tong Wang for Schubert’s famous Trout Quintet. 2. Music from the Land is a family-friendly musical journey with Cree singer-songwriter Walter

MacDonald White Bear and RDSO trumpet player Samantha Whelan Kotkas. This cross-cultural experience explores how music is inspired by the natural world in both Classical and Indigenous musical traditions. 3. Our most recent digital endeavour, Behind the Red Door for String Quartet, is Albertan through and through! An artistic depiction of ‘life at home,’ the first recorded performance of Calgary composer Arthur Bachmann’s piece seems customized for pandemic audiences.

RDSO in the Community The impact that music, especially live music, has on people is truly profound, and we’ve become more and more aware of this during the past year. Research published since the pandemic has shown that our relationship to music is more than just mere enjoyment: music activates brain circuitry that affects empathy, trust and cooperation, gives us a sense of belonging and a place within our culture, and literally makes us feel better by releasing those feel-good chemicals in the brain. According to one poll of over 2000 adults, 81.5% of adults stated that music helped them cope with the loneliness of the pandemic.

The belief in music’s profound effect on wellbeing has been a central tenet of RDSO’s strategic planning in recent years, translating into community programs that strive to enrich our central Alberta community: •

Open Dress Rehearsal: Free access to RDSO’s Main Series concert dress rehearsals to see how a performance comes together.

•

Music for Mental Health: Complimentary concert tickets provided in partnership with local community service agencies to promote the inclusion of vulnerable people and improved mental health.

•

Seats for Students: Free seating for elementary, middle, secondary and post-secondary students to each of RDSO’s Main Series concerts.

•

Symphony @ the Snell: A free music education program in partnership with Red Deer Public Library, providing opportunities for students and seniors to enjoy high quality, creatively programmed, and nationally recognized symphonic music.

•

Community Concerts: Free, family-friendly, publiclyaccessible performances produced and delivered by RDSO. (Our first Community Concert was part of the cultural programming at the 2019 Canada Winter Games!)

•

Music + Explorers: An after-school music enrichment program aimed at fostering better citizens by making a difference through music - primarily among economically disadvantaged elementary students.

Now that an uncertain and difficult year without live concerts (not to mention without ticket revenue!) is behind us, RDSO is looking forward to once again performing symphonic concerts in a post-pandemic Central Alberta! Each season, we try to program a bit of something for everyone: from our holiday favourites that sell out each December, to the legends of the past like Bach and Beethoven, to heroes of big-screen movie magic like John Williams and Danny Elfman - we play it all! And best of all, RDSO prides itself on featuring local and Canadian artists and composers throughout each season to showcase a selection of music as diverse as the people in our community. We invite you to join us for some world-class live music when life gets back to normal, and to follow us on social media or subscribe to our mailing list. A cultural institution built by the community, RDSO will continue to rely on community support, donations, advocacy, and volunteerism - we hope that you will help us ignite passion for arts and culture in Central Alberta! Red Deer Symphony Orchestra is a registered charity and nonprofit governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. If you would like to find out more about RDSO, its community programs and concerts, or become involved in the organization. Contact Jennette Miller at info@rdso.ca. RDSO’s online series of concerts can be accessed at www.rdso.ca.

Perhaps the most unique of our programs is Choir Kids! Introduced in 1998 by Claude Lapalme as the first of its kind in Canada, this program allows children’s choirs the opportunity to rehearse and perform two pieces of choice, personally orchestrated by Maestro Lapalme with a professional ensemble. The majority of these programs have been paused due to the pandemic’s public health restrictions and venue closures, but we look forward to resuming this important work when safe to do so.

RDSO’s Road Ahead

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social media

Youth and Social Media by Melody Klink

Currently, 3.8 billion of us access social media every single day. Whaaat?! Social media is quite simply any digital tool that allows its users to create and share content, including thoughts and ideas, with members of the public who often share interests. Social media has literally transformed the way we live with the ability to share opinions, photos, and events in real time, and to do so relatively uncensored.

When is Early too Early? Why wouldn’t kids want a glimpse into the possibilities social media can provide? Social media can be a huge part of a youth’s creative and social life. It can allow them to connect and stay connected with each other, maintain friendships, share interests, and even explore their identity. In addition to the benefits of social media also come valid concerns and consequences, too. So, when is it too early for kids to have social media? This can be a tricky question; social media can present a new set of challenges for adolescents. The legal age requirement for most social media platforms is 13, however determining if your child is ready for social media can often, and should, pose a lot more questions than just chronological age. It is especially important that kids have adequate social and emotional skills to cope with the demands that social media can bring.

Start the Conversation As a mother of two young daughters as well as an avid user of social media personally and professionally, I fully intend to start the conversation around social media early. I encounter and often discuss a variety of topics with youth in my line of work, and I have realized that even if kids are not on social media, kids are online from an early age and use many different websites. Kids are being informed about social media apps from their friends, peers, older siblings, or influencers, but not from their parents. I feel it is important to take an active role

in encouraging conversations early. Ask questions to identify why they want to join social media, ask what both a positive and a negative online experience might look like to them, discuss appropriate avenues they could or would turn to if a situation feels compromised, uncomfortable or unsafe. Inform your child that what is shared on the internet is never private. Prompt them to be mindful of how they interact with others and how they can positively represent themselves in a public forum. I also believe it is vitally important for kids to know that the things that are either said or happen online affect how individuals feel offline. I believe it’s important for them to take that into consideration with the actions that they take online. Encourage them to understand accountability and being (potentially in part) accountable for how someone may feel.

Ever Changing Platforms

A Source of Great Resources

Social media platforms are always growing and forever changing. It is important to make yourself familiar with any platform your child may be using regularly. Be sure to monitor their behavior and presence online, ensure they understand the possible risks and the benefits of social media.

There are a great deal of excellent resources available for educating parents regarding what to consider before sitting down to talk to your child about the pros and cons of being on social media, expanding on areas to consider as you decide if your child is ready for online interaction and all that it encompasses. There are also great resources available for kids, too. Joe’s Social Media is a phenomenal local resource, a social media agency based in Lacombe, Alberta that speaks to kids about social media and mental health.

As parents and role models, let us ensure that we practice positive social media interactions as we are assisting our children to foster responsible, rewarding and often inspiring social media interactions as well. Lead by example, this may include limiting our own time spent on social media and online.

Knowledge gives us the power to make good decisions. Most importantly, feeling confident in the choices that we make helps us make the best and safest decisions for us and those that we love. Melody is a wife, mother of two daughters, and the creator of Inspiring Virtues, housing a variety of supportive and educational workshops, programs and services for youth, individuals and families.

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HEALTH STORE Natural Health Solutions Dawn Wickberg (403) 887-5655

www.naturalsolutions.health

WOMEN’S FASHION Side Street Fashion & Accessories Elsie Anctil (403) 341-4343 www.sidestreetfashion.com

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Pendragon Solutions Ltd. Kirsten Duncan (403) 392-0576 www.pendragonsolutions.com

BUSINESS LAWYER Warren Sinclair LLP Monica L Niederle - Barrister & Solicitor (403) 343-3320

HOME WATCH & CONCIERGE SERVICES Urban Errands Inc. Sheri MacLeod (403) 891-4939 www.urbanerrands.ca

CAR REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE Calridge Automotive Repair Patrick Calon (587) 802-5515 FIND US ON FACEBOOK

BUSINESS SUPPORT Business Link Maureen Easton 1-800-272-9675 https://businesslink.ca

LEADERSHIP COACHING Be the Anchor Ltd. Kari Lotzien (403) 506-9636 www.betheanchor.ca

SIGNAGE & DIGITAL PRINTING Quest Signs & Decals Inc. Ranjit or Tanya Mullakady 403-346-1011 www.questsigns.ca

MASTER LASH TECHNICIAN Solorzano Spa Cafe & Wine Bar Ana Solorzano (403) 596-9492 www.solorzanospa.ca

MAKE-UP ARTISTRY Bombshell Beauty Dymond Dei (587) 877-1915 FIND US ON FACEBOOK

PSYCHOLOGY & OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY FOR CHILDREN & TEENS To the Stars Occupational Therapy and Wellness Centre Kari Lotzien 403) 786-0006 www.tothestars.ca

www.warrensinclair.com/team/monica-niederle/

SHARP WOMEN www.sharpwomen.ca

Sharp Women Central Alberta | June 2021

Articles inside

SOCIAL MEDIA YOUTH AND SOCIAL MEDIA

NON PROFIT RED DEER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

FEATURE KELLY MCMILLAN

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR KJERYN DAVIS

GREAT RESOURCES HOW TO STAY ORGANIZED WITH YOUR EMAILS

FINANCE PICKING UP THE PIECES

FOOD SPICY GRAPEFRUIT VIRGIN MARGARITA

BUSINESS 10 ESSENTIAL STEPS WHEN STARTING YOUR BUSINESS

HEALTH & WELLNESS THE FALSE VORTEX OF SOCIAL MEDIA HEALTH

LEADERSHIP REAL LEADERSHIP

LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE EVERYTHING IS AWESOME

PERSONAL GROWTH HOLDING SPACE FOR LIFE

RELATIONSHIPS LONG DISTANCE I DO’S

SPIRITUALITY THE POWER OF NATURE ON OUR SOULS

FROM THE CEO RANCHELLE IN THE RAW

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TOO SKILLED FOR YOUR OWN GOOD

A DATE WITH DANIELLE THE 4 M’S OF COMMUNICATION