FEATURE HOW DO I COOK THIS TURKEY?

HOW DO I COOK THIS TURKEY?

by Carla Howatt

Tamara Dabels is a gypsy with a homebody’s heart. While she moved around a lot for the first part of her life, she is emphatic that Fort Saskatchewan is home for her. Her father was in the navy, then moved to Winnipeg and joined CNR, then Saskatoon and when Tamara was 20 years old, she moved to Alberta. It was when she moved to the Fort when her youngest was nine months old that she knew she was going to settle down in one place.

The very first time she was visiting friends in the Fort, she went to the Santa Clause Parade and she was amazed at how people took care of each other. The atmosphere of the families and their support was incredible. When her son became upset at the first screech of the fire truck, those around them tried to distract him and reassure them that it was okay.

Tamara took on the role of executive director at the Fort Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce in 2017 and she now considers it her dream job. It is the fact that she is able to serve her community, the business owners in the city and as a result, the residents that makes working at the Chamber a perfect fit for her.

Road Less Travelled

It might surprise people to discover that she wasn’t even considering the Chamber back in 2017. In fact, she had given serious consideration to running for municipal office in Fort Saskatchewan. After attending the campaign college though, she realized it wasn’t quite the fit she had thought it might be. Then, the position of executive director came up and she jumped at the opportunity. Of course, even though it is her dream job, her role at the Chamber does come with its own sets of challenges. The hardest challenge is when Tamara can’t help those who come to her. In particular, there has been a steep learning curve during the pandemic. People come to the Chamber with all kinds of questions about things like the new health regulations and potential COVID grants. The Chamber is often learning about these very things at the same time as the government is making announcements.

In addition to the steep learning curve, the devastation the pandemic has wrought on small business is particularly difficult for Tamara “Sometimes, all I can do is listen and be a shoulder,” Tamara explains. “It’s so hard when there’s nothing I can do.” When people approach the Chamber, they are looking for answers and not having those answers or the solutions to their problems can be very heartbreaking for Tamara.

Chambers are a resource, and they get questions about many things, ranging from seniors housing or the name of the business that burned down 15 years ago. Sometimes though, the Chamber will receive a particularly interesting or amusing question such as

Lisette, Bryce Adams and family.

the time someone called up and asked for information on how to cook their turkey.

Limiting Beliefs

Tamara is quick to point out that she struggles on an almost daily basis with her confidence and imposter syndrome. In fact, an upcoming conference that the Fort Saskatchewan Chamber is hosting on June 24th came out of a recognition that we need to be able to use our voice, be kind to ourselves and one another and sometimes that voice just needs to take a long walk off a short pier.

We can either let those voices defeat us, or as Tamara points out, we can let those voices push us. Not the negative nasty voices, but the ones that help us recognize what we need. When her imposter syndrome kicks in and she is in a position of not having the skills or knowledge she needs, she will either find someone who can teach her what she needs to know, or she will find an expert to do it. She knows that not being an expert is hard, but that it isn’t possible to be an expert at everything and the lesson to learn is to know when to admit it and get help.

The Chambers are there not to be the experts in everything but to know who to put people in touch with who are the experts. “Somewhere along the way this year, I forgot that.’ Tamara reflects. “I thought I was supposed to be the expert. And that is an unrealistic expectation that caused me to “should” all over myself.” Those little voices can be persistent. They can be inside voices or outside. Fortunately, as the years go by the voices seem to become a bit quieter.

The lessons in business and life that she has learned have come from a life of serving. She spent the time she was home with her two children Logan and Samantha, serving on non-profit boards and then went on to work for primarily non-profits such as an Edmonton inner city housing society and St. Michael Health Group.

“I value kindness almost above everything else”

Life’s Purpose

Tamara wasn’t sure as she was growing up what she wanted to do for a career, but she is clear on her purpose. “I know that I’m here to serve. I’ve been a volunteer, or a caregiver my whole life but what that will look like when I grow up? I’ll let you know when I get there.” Tamara says with a chuckle.

As for what she would tell her 20-year-old self if she could right now? She says she wouldn’t tell her anything, but she would learn from that younger self. She would let her remind her that today she is limited by her own expectations. She would remind herself just how awesome and confident she was then and try to be that way again. “I left Saskatchewan to move to Alberta with $100 in my pocket,” she says. “Within five weeks I was moving out of my aunt’s house, it never occurred to me that it wouldn’t work out just that way.” In order to keep herself mentally and emotionally healthy, she is careful who she allows into her circle. “I have this amazing group around me that are all cheerleaders for each other, but we also laugh and have fun,” Tamara says. “I grow from the people I have around me.”