PERSONAL GROWTH EMBRACING THE STEPS UP THE MOUNTAIN

EMBRACING THE STEPS UP THE MOUNTAIN

by Cindy Needham

I have always been fascinated by time, space and how we as humans fit in to it all. Right from going to the planetarium in grade school, I was hooked on learning about the sweet mysteries of life. Over the past 30 years I have been exploring the relationship between the mind, body and spirit. Throughout this time, I began to connect the dots and see the bigger picture. I started to see the precious and amazing gift that life is. I believe that we are here to experientially learn who we are. What seem like random events, are moments in time for you to experience yourself. It is how we choose to respond to these events, that makes a difference in the results we get in life and the lessons we learn.

Breast Cancer Mountain

Breast cancer is one of the most challenging events that I have faced so far in my life and that includes losing my mom, dad and granny at a fairly young age. Breast Cancer is an event in my life, that to this day, is still teaching me lessons about who I am. Let me share how this journey started for me… After my call back mammogram, I was told to sit and wait for an ultrasound. That was when my Spidey sense went off and I felt fear wash over me. I knew that my life was about to change. I knew that it was going to be a roller coaster of a ride, but I also knew it was just an event in my soul’s journey. Every time I felt my body prickle with fear, I reminded myself that I couldn’t change the situation, only how I chose to respond to it. The moment the radiation tech called my name, I decided to stand tall, embrace my inner warrior and stare fear in the eye. A couple of weeks later when I heard my diagnosis, I pictured beating breast cancer as climbing the hardest mountain I have ever hiked. I knew that with one step at a time I would get to the top. I was ready to conquer cancer.

One Step at a Time

One step at a time is needed to get through a lot of dark, challenging moments in life. One step at a time helps you see, understand and accept what is in front of you, so you can respond to the challenge from a place of empowerment instead of fear. One step at a time helped me understand the rough terrain I was on. I couldn’t change that I was going through breast cancer, but I could choose to stay connected to my inner warrior and bring the light to snuff out the darkness of fear.

through and through. My body was fatigued and battered, yet at the same time my spirit felt strong. I learned how all of the work I had done over the past 3 decades made a profound difference on my mindset. Even though breast cancer was challenging me in every way possible, I still felt in control because I was handling the chaos from a state of empowerment.

After getting to the top, I realized quickly, cancer wasn’t the straight up and down mountain like I pictured. Dealing with the fallout from the surgery, chemo, radiation and hormone therapy was a crazy and intense mountain range all on its own.

Me 2.0

I chose to embrace the craziness by calling myself Cindy 2.0. I was the same, yet different and I was determined to figure out how this new version of myself was going to work. What I quickly learned, was the faith and mindset that got me through

treatment was going to be the same mindset that gets me through this entire journey. I couldn’t change the mountain I was standing on I could only choose how I wanted to respond to it.

Life sure does challenge us, and if we choose to, it will also expand us in amazing and unexpected ways. I would never have thought that going through breast cancer would lead me to my life’s purpose. Yet, it has.

Remember, how you respond to the events in your life shape who you are and determine the results you get!

Cindy Needham is the Founder of Thrive the Climb ~ Staying empowered through breast cancer and Author of The Pink Mountain ~ How to stay positive through breast cancer from diagnosis, to treatment & beyond.

THE JOY IS IN THE DOING…

by Deborrah Hughes-Gahr

Eighteen years ago, at my very first pottery class, my teacher told me that the joy is in the doing. I didn’t know what she meant at the time as I was probably sitting at the wheel trying to get a fast-spinning ball of clay back under control! She also told me it would take a couple years of focused effort, many hours of practice, determination, patience and persistence to get to the “joy.” The first time I saw a pottery studio was a Christmas Sale at the Camrose Community Pottery Guild. After touring the studio, and saw the beautiful pots and wheels, I signed up for classes starting the following January. I was intrigued, it looked like a great opportunity to have some fun over that winter.

Art as Therapy

While I’m not an expert on art as therapy, I know the joy of creating and daily art habits have gotten me through some pretty rough times over the years. The art doesn’t have to be judged, doesn’t have to be shared, it’s just important to do it! Humans of all ages like to make stuff and creating art, baking, writing, sewing, gardening, painting and all other activities that engage your hands, heart and mind, is very good for you. I’ve taught adult beginner pottery for three years, and I’ve seen and experienced how creating art relieves stress, builds confidence, refreshes and brings value to each day. Students come to class tired from the workday and immediately get caught up in the enthusiasm of the others. They sleep better after class, are happier and more productive the next day. Don’t get me wrong, pottery is hard to do! Not rocket science hard, but hard in a way that tests your patience and determination, it’s frustrating like nothing else and one of the first lessons I learned was to be patient with myself and give myself a chance to learn something completely new. There were a million questions, many spectacular failures, mud everywhere and a lot of laughter. Before long I was hooked, each frustrating failure was a tiny step forward, and success was thrilling. I grinned like a little kid when I finally managed to make my first small bowl. I told my Mom I was learning pottery, she said, “Oh good, you’ll learn patience.” and then we both laughed. Some class nights I was asking myself what on earth I was doing and how badly did I want to do this? Maybe I should have signed up for under water

I’m very lucky and grateful that I’ve learned from some of the best teachers in Alberta. They lit the spark, gave me the chance to build important skills and develop the mindset I have. They encouraged me, showed me “how to” a million times then allowed me to play and figure it out. Meanwhile I’ve also learned a few things about myself: I love to teach and empower, and I don’t ever give up. I’m still working on the patience. I’ll always consider myself to be a learning student, as that’s important to be able to grow and develop. I love to make useful, functional work like plates, bowls and cups then experiment with decorating and carry those ideas over to decorative pieces like water fountains and sculpture. I ask myself “ what if…” a lot and there’s nothing better than opening a fresh bag of clay, breathing deep and enjoying the smell of endless possibilities! I’m hoping I can soon get back to my clay community and teaching, I miss my people! I love the quiet calm of my home studio but also miss the group dynamics and contagious energy of the classroom. I hope everyone takes their self-care in a new direction and starts a little art project, just for themselves, just for fun and to find the joy that is in the doing.

basket weaving instead? But persistence is key and 18 years later, I’m still having fun creating, exploring, and discovering.

The Benefits

Part of the benefits of the arts to our mental health is also the community aspect. For me, there’s just something about the clay community; like-minded people who have mastered the same challenges I have. The majority of adult beginners learn pottery

18 years of making pottery to bring function and beauty to your home. Handmade pottery is her passion, let me help you with the perfect gift for every occasion- for you or for that special loved one.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

by Tara Boothby

Many business owners build a company not only so they can provide a service for the community, but also because they want to build a team. Leading a team is hugely rewarding and can be a win/win experience for all, just as providing a quality service to the community is rewarding.

However, the combination of running a business and leading a team puts the pressure on and over the years these demands will require you to evaluate your own character. It takes a lot of character to be an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is not built on intuition alone.

You may have heard it said that success may be gained but legacy is earned. People will say “there are no short cuts to the top”, which may not be completely true. Having a legacy in your company is only achieved by focusing in and building your own character. Legacy and longevity start with you as the leader.

When you own and lead your business, it can be difficult to strategize how to focus your professional development. It may help to consider how the topic you are learning builds into your own life first, before you see impact on your business and leadership. Good professional development is authentically embodied so that you can authentically apply it.

Professional development and character go hand in hand. As you seek out good learning opportunities, you will grow your character, and as you rely on your own character you will choose better and better learning events. What a lovely balance!

Here are four quick character focused evaluation tips for when you consider how to approach making a decision on your next professional development option:

1. Is this something you are PASSIONATE about? Let’s be serious, not every business training is going to get your heart racing, but every training can evoke a sense of passion for what this topic will transform in you and your company.

2. Does this opportunity align with your company’s PURPOSE? There are many amazing opportunities, but purpose takes priority. Casting your professional development net too wide can weigh you down, and distract you from the efficiency of building a purpose focused company.

3. When you achieve the goal of this professional development, will you feel PROUD of yourself? Feeling good about yourself as a leader is important. If you do not feel motivated to celebrate the success of completing it then why are you doing it?

4. Do you see the PLEASURE in this option? Maybe attending the training gives you a good feeling, or even causes your shoulders to drop and a smile to spread across your face. Maybe it gives you vision of future “YES!” moments for your company. Either way, choosing professional development that feels good for you will increase your learning capacity, as well as increase the likelihood of you applying what you have learned.

So now there is only one question remaining: What is your next professional development venture?

Tara Boothby is a Registered Psychologist and one of the Owners of Sojourn Psychology.

FIVE WAYS TO KEEP YOUR BUSINESS BOOKKEEPING CURRENT

by Lynn Gagne

Congratulations small business owner! You’re one of the elite 4,153,095 people in business in Canada! According to Stats Canada, this is the number of companies reporting business income in 2018. Alberta places number four on the list of provinces with the most businesses, only outdone by Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia. Kudos!

If you think about it, this is actually a lot considering the population of Canada hovers around 37,700,000 people. People choose to go into business for all types of reasons. From the promise of financial or personal freedom to wanting to change the world for the better, businesspeople come in all shapes and sizes. What is the one common thing they have in common?

Bookkeeping!

No matter what your business is or how you start, at some point you have to do bookkeeping. Some do as little as possible with bookkeeping to get by: they’re far too busy or it seems far too complicated. For others, they want every single write off available to them to pay less taxes. Whatever the reason, and however much they choose to do or not do, the impact of mistakes made today will be felt tomorrow.

First, let’s define “being in business”. You are “in business” when you report money on your tax return that you charged directly to the end consumer. When you make money without a direct employer taking deductions off your paycheque, you are considered to be “in business”. Every business owner has some right to take deductions standard employees don’t have. You can use your company in ways that benefit your ability to make money. Or you can just claim the money and not use it. Either way, the needs all boil down to a tax return in the end. You can choose to pay more tax, or less tax, depending how much effort you want to put into the equation. Not everyone is a numbers person. Canada Revenue Agency has rules and rules. There is no mandatory “How to be in business” course you must take before you decide to form a business, but the CRA fully expects you to know the rules regardless.

Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult

After more 20 years as a Certified Professional Bookkeeper, I’m always surprised by how difficult bookkeeping can seem to many business owners. So surprised, in fact, that I decided to build my career on educating business owners on keeping their books, rather than just doing it for them. Here are five particularly important things you can do to show success in your bookkeeping for your business.

1. Find out the rules of the game. It isn’t enough to make money. You also need to find out what rules you will be playing by and how much money it will cost you in taxes. It is SO worth a sit down with a

professional bookkeeper or accountant and have the conversation about two critical things: one, how you will pay yourself and, two, what are the tax implications of your business. 2. Find your CEO time. A fantastic business coach that I used to work with gave me a piece of advice I still follow to this day: find your CEO time. When are you managing your business? This could be creating budgets. It could be doing your bookkeeping. Remember that every business needs cash flow, so factor in managing your cash flow into your CEO time. This could be an hour each week, but probably should be more like four hours a week. This is a critical step if your motivating factor is to make money. What gets managed gets measured. 3. Don’t be an ostrich. One of the most critical mistakes business owners make is that they wait for tax season to find out what they should have done all year long. This is just costly to them for all sorts of reasons, including having to pay a professional for hours of work fixing mistakes that could have been identified much sooner.

4. An accountant is not just an accountant. A bookkeeper is not just a bookkeeper. They are your finance team and responsible for your financial wellbeing. They are not created equal. In fact, if you gave five bookkeepers your books, you would have five different results. If you gave five accountants your tax returns, you would have five different amounts owing. All bookkeeping and accounting is somewhat subjective and based upon the skills, knowledge and experience of that person. Find someone you trust, who has the right accreditation, and someone you “gel” with as a person. 5. Stay caught up and have a bookkeeping system. I don’t care what your system is, whether it is electronic, on paper, or just sorted regularly, you should have a system. Making an effort to be caught up on your records and receipts, and I guarantee you’ll pay more attention and have better results. Bookkeeping doesn’t have to be difficult. Since it controls the amount of money you’re making, it should be a priority for you and not on the back burner. Take time to incorporate these simple steps. They can make a world of difference and keep more money in your pocket.

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

TO YOUR SPIRITUAL HEALTH!

By Monique MacDonald

I have a thing for spirits. No, not the haunting type. Although, the ones that I am referring to, if abused, could come back to haunt you in more ways than one.

If you guessed that I am writing about spirits of the alcoholic variety, you are correct. My personal favourite is Cognac. On a cold wintery night, sitting by a fireplace, there is absolutely nothing better than a smooth and velvety XO French Cognac to caress and warm the deepest corners of one’s soul. My husband begs to differ, he feels that a smokey amber single malt Scotch reaches further into his soul’s corners. I think he is biased seeing that he is of MacDonald “Highlander” descent. With Saint Patrick’s Day just around the corner, the spirits inspired me to write about, well… spirits.

What qualifies an alcohol as a spirit?

To be categorized as a spirit, an alcoholic liquid or mash must go through a distillation process. This process ends up fortifying it more. The end result of this, is a distilled liquid made up of ethyl alcohol and water. It differs from wine and beer in that it is not fermented. Some spirits though, are produced from distilled wines, such as brandies. My favourite, Cognac, can only be qualified as such if it comes from the Cognac region in Southwestern France. After it is distilled, it is blended and aged. The great Cognac houses, such as Hennessy and Courvoisier, have tasting committees of welltrained people taste the distilled spirits before they are blended to ensure the highest of qualities. I what I wouldn’t pay to be one of these people.

Who created the first spirits?

It is believed that Middle Eastern alchemists trying to create various medical concoctions were the first to perfect distillation. They would collect the vapors rising from the alcoholic liquid during the distillation process and called these “spirits”. Even today, moderate consumption of spirits is believed to possibly offer some health benefits. My go-to reference for all things related to the relationship between food, drink and health, the Mayo Clinic, states that “Moderate alcohol consumption may provide some health benefits, such as:

• Reducing your risk of developing and dying of heart disease • Possibly reducing your risk of ischemic stroke (when the arteries to your brain become narrowed or blocked, causing severely reduced blood flow) • Possibly reducing your risk of diabetes

While moderate alcohol use may offer some health benefits, heavy drinking — including binge drinking — has no health benefits.” (Oct. 26, 2019)

Which alcohols are spirits?

There are six recognized types of distilled spirits liquors: Brandy (Cognac, Armagnac, grappa, kirsch), gin, rum, tequila (includes little sister mescal), vodka, and whiskey (Bourbon, rye, Scotch). A seventh spirit, bitters, though not alcoholic, is often included when talking about these as they are an important part of any respectable bar. Think of all the delicious gin and tonic offerings! In the Heartland, I found three local distilleries that you can visit or purchase from curbside: Hawke Prohibition Distilleries (Sherwood Park) The Fort Distillery (Fort Saskatchewan) Elk Island Spirits Co. (Sherwood Park) In the Edmonton area there is: Hansen, Strathcona Spirits, Rig Hand (Leduc), and Black Diamond (St Albert), just to name a few. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the majority of Hawke Prohibition Distilleries’ and The Fort Distillery’s staff are women, including The Fort Distillery’s distiller, Julia Le. They both shared below their favourite Saint Patrick’s Day cocktail recipes for you to enjoy. And, as an added BONUS, Hawke Prohibition will give anyone who comes to the distillery 10% off for mentioning SHARP Women. Have a delicious Saint Paddy’s Day and please drink responsibly. Sláinte! Monique MacDonald is a local culinary events organizer and food afficionado. She was one of the organizers of the Gluten Free Cravings Festival in Strathcona County, as well as Northern Bites Culinary Tours in Edmonton. She is presently the Culinary Events Coordinator for Silver Skate Festival and curator of its Celebrate Edmonton bags.

Ingredients: 1.5 oz baby-X-vodka 1 large kiwi, sliced and skin removed 1 tbsp sugar cucumber tonic water ice

Instructions:

Add sliced kiwi into a martini shaker and sprinkle the sugar over it. Muddle the kiwi and sugar to release the juices and color from the fruit. Add baby-X-vodka and ice and shake vigorously to combine all the ingredients. Strain the contents of the shaker and pour into the cocktail glass. Top with a splash of cucumber tonic water. Garnish with a kiwi wheel on the side of the glass.

Gimlet (The Fort Distilleries)

Ingredients 2 1/2 oz - premium citrus gin 1/2 oz - fresh lime juice 1/2 oz - simple syrup, equal parts sugar and water

Instructions:

1. Add gin, lime and simple syrup to a shaker with ice, shake for 30 seconds 2. Strain into a cocktail glass or a glass with ice 3. Garnish with a lime wheel

GO WEST YOUNG WOMAN!

by Carla Howatt

Intelligent and articulate young woman from Newfoundland leaves her eastern province with only her two degrees and three suitcases. She books a one-way ticket to Edmonton, Alberta and arrives in search of a career.

Like many before her, Lindsay Morey, the editor at Sherwood Park News, had gone west to seek her fortune.

Before she made the decision to leave everything behind for an uncertain future, Lindsay lived in Corner Brook, NL. An only child, she fell in love with journalism while participating in a co-op program in high school. During this three-month program, she was able to shadow all the morning show reporters and learn the basics.

Lindsay went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical and Ancient Studies and French. This unusual focus found her abroad for three semesters; France, Italy and Greece. After this, she went on to take a one-year Bachelor, Journalism through University of King’s College. So why Edmonton? Was it a carefully researched decision? No, it was pretty random actually. She had a cousin who lived there and a place to stay when she arrived.

While she was still in the east, she had applied to work in Leduc but unfortunately didn’t get the job. Coincidentally, they still had her resume on file and reached out to her once she was in Edmonton to see if she wanted a contract job to work in Wetaskiwin. Unsure where the town of Wetaskiwin was located, Lindsay none-the-less quickly accepted the offer. Her response when that contract was up and they asked her if she was interested in being a reporter in Fort Saskatchewan was the same – she didn’t know where it was, but she was willing. Living in Sherwood Park at first, she eventually moved to Fort Saskatchewan and spent almost five years as a reporter and eventually the editor of the Fort Saskatchewan Record.

I did the typical east coast thing, couldn’t find a job with two degrees… decided to book a one-way ticket to Alberta with no job lined up.

Time in the Fort

Her years in Fort Saskatchewan were full of weekends at the ice rink and at various events. “Once you’re dedicated to a community,” Lindsay explains. “You want to do the best you can to tell its story and preserve history and unearth the oddities that are happening.” After about three years as a reporter, Lindsay took the leap and accepted the editor position. She is straight forward about her reasons for making the decision “I got to the point where I didn’t want to take any orders from men anymore,” Lindsay says. “And I knew I could do a better job.” She was confident that she had the dedication and the experience behind her. She knew what it would take, and she was willing to put in the time and hard work necessary. Lindsay fell in love with journalism for a few reasons, but mainly because of the variety. It isn’t a repetitive job with the same tasks done over and over again and you spend all your days at a desk. It was this love of change and the desire for a challenge that prompted her, in December of 2018, to apply for the position of editor for the Sherwood Park News. “I knew I could be the Sherwood Park editor better

than anyone in the region because I knew exactly what was happening here.” This confidence in her abilities is evident when you hear her speak about her career but it is tempered with an understanding of how people perceive her. “… people think I’m younger than I am,” Lindsay explains. “They don’t give me credit for the years of experience I have.” She chuckles when she explains that at 32 years old, she still gets asked for identification when buying alcohol. In fact, Lindsay views her age as more of a barrier than being a woman in the business. With the exception of the odd person asking her out during an interview, she doesn’t think being a woman has made her work more difficult.

Challenges

One thing about her position as the editor of a newspaper that she feels makes her job harder is how editors are sometimes treated by the community they are trying to serve. She uses the last provincial election as an example. “I received many death threats,” she explains. “No one goes into reporting to be slandered and to not feel safe in their own community.” Elections can be difficult for a newspaper as they work to achieve fairness and balance in their content, and it falls on the editor’s shoulders to make sure that happens. Another challenge is determining what stories are actually important to the community. A lot of people approach her with what they think is an important story and she has to make the decision as to whether it is something worth taking scarce reporter time and column width to cover. On a personal level, struggling with work/life balance is something Lindsay finds it difficult. “In larger areas… the Edmonton Journal newsroom… there is more support than in community news,” she explains. “For example, I was up at 10 last night doing an interview.” The news business has a different rhythm and cycle than most others; at the end of December, when most people are taking some time off, Lyndsay is working hard on the year in review. “I haven’t been home to see my family in Newfoundland since I became an editor” When talking about how she manages to find balance, Lindsay jokingly says that wine is how she copes. In reality, coping includes spending as much time in the mountains or near water. Being in nature helps her feel closer to her home province. Feeling at home is important to her as she still struggles with not feeling like an outsider in Alberta. Her long hours have made being a true part of her community more difficult as she feels like she is always on the job. So, what does the future hold for this transplanted easterner? “If I get the itch and want to do something new, if I need to be challenged, I will want to take the next step – to a bigger market.”

REGISTER HERE

A RELATIONSHIP WITH SUCCESS

by Wanda Rogers

Lessons Learned

If you are planning on spending time chatting with Stacey Lozinski, be prepared to smile. And laugh. It’s hardly surprising that people find her so uplifting as ever since she was a young girl, she dreamed of a career that would allow her to help and take care of people. With a passion for building relationships and finding ways to make people successful, her positive demeanor shines through. clearly a part of the reason for the success of her relationships. After 30 years of bringing her people skills to the media industry, she is now geared to make an impact as the executive vice president of Catalyst Communications.

Publishing World

Early on in her career she was encouraged in the publishing industry when she was working in what she thought was her dream career as an executive assistant to the executive vice-president of Western Canada for Sun Media. She wasn’t sure what he saw when he told her he saw her in publishing, but time would prove him right. Her next role was as an account executive for the Sherwood Park/ Strathcona County News. Not only was she responsible for driving a sales culture in her team but she also assisted the publisher. She rose in the ranks at the newspaper and soon, just as Craig had predicted, she was the publisher overseeing three community newspapers and a budget of $5 million. Six years later, her career took another twist and she found herself working with Postmedia as the director of strategy and insights for the Western Region. She used her grit and skills of working on creating strong relationships to work into her final role with Postmedia as the National Director, Special Features.

Stacey looks back at her career with an appreciation for the lessons she learned working with great mentors. She’s worked under both men and women leaders over the years and has seen the positive direction that women in leadership is taking. “As women we need to build each other up” she says, remembering how things were when she first started. She had her fair share of learning how to not compare herself with others and ignore the small inner voice of uncertainty that tell us lies. She’s seen how women have in the past struggled with being overly assertive and in some cases aggressive to build their careers. She’s been adamant of maintaining positivity throughout the ups and downs of life, always ready to pivot and take on new challenges. She wisely used the time working with these leaders to hone her skills and learn from their strengths and weaknesses.

Stacey’s daughters: Payton & Paige

Authentic Teamwork

though and credits her parents for giving her the bravery to live life to its When Stacy had a chance to lead her own team, she remembered her early days and how it was tough as a parent, and quite frankly as a human being, to work in a strict, regimented workplace. She operated her team with the understanding that family came first and if you need time to take care of them, take it. Maybe she was too I love to champion businesses. fullest. Nowadays, while in the midst of a global pandemic, she misses the dinners out at Sorrentino’s with girlfriends. But she says she has discovered the power of living in the now; spending time breathing, taking relaxing baths and not stressing about having everything planned out. lenient, she reflects now, but the job got done and people were happy. The Positive Side of Life It is this authentic way of being within the Her sister and her have a Wednesday afternoon workforce that makes Stacey so unique. Where date at three each week via Facetime; they are many women struggle with being themselves, reading books together and having an absolute Stacey is unapologetically true to herself. blast. Stacey realizes that the time she is spending with her sister wouldn’t have happened if not for She seems to intuitively understand that when COVID and she is enjoying the ability to live in the in the workforce, none of us leave the rest of our now and not worry about tomorrow or yesterday.world at home. What is important to us at home is important to us and work and that includes She pushed herself into different careers after the family. In fact, she knew firsthand how tough it media business started going digital. One she was for parents as she had started her family is most proud of is working with the nonprofit during her career. She has two daughters, Payton that hosted Orange Shirt Program, a program for and Paige, who are setting off into lives of their the reconciliation and recognition of indigenous own. She wants her daughters to know as they peoples and the horrific things they suffered in step out into the world that they should try their residential schools. She worked with stakeholders hardest and put their best effort forward. She to host two large events in Alberta that saw record wants them to experience being rewarded for numbers of people participating. She was able to working hard. She also reminds them to fess up form great relationships and learn so much from when you make a mistake and have the courage the elders she worked with. to learn from those mistakes. Now she’s come full circle. Working with Catalyst Stacey went through her share of heartbreaks, Communications as vice president, she is back at first navigating a divorce and then sadly the her roots of doing what she wanted to do when sudden passing of her father and her mother she set out in her working career; Helping people. not long after. She doesn’t regret the hard times She is focusing on small businesses and nonprofits

in Strathcona County to make sure they have top notch marketing solutions to further their business and reach. Part of the way she helps businesses is by utilizing her huge network of contacts that she’s developed over the years. In addition to the life lessons that she brings to the business table, her finely tuned intuition about how to best interact with various stakeholders is second to none. Her big smile, positive spirit and keen intellect stand out as key ingredients in her relationships and her success.

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 childrenand they all give her all she needs to write about.

LEADERSHIP PRESENCE

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 strong advocate for changing the behaviours, symbols and systems that create respectful and inclusive workplaces. Her goal is to create balance, wellness and finding a path forward for her clients through mentoring, coaching, issues management, collaboration, communications and professional advice Pauline Melnyk CMP CPHR PCC

Vegreville Visual Artists (VVA) is a non-profit organization with 21 paid members. The organization was formed in 2014, with the mission to promote visual art in Vegreville and to encourage and support local visual artists. An ongoing goal is to become a destination for tourists interested in local visual art and to become a hub for artists of all abilities and aspirations. Artists in the group work with acrylic, watercolour, oil, pastel, pencil drawings, fabric, glass, and pottery. As an ongoing goal for the group, workshops are organized to encourage and support the growth of artists in their artwork. VVA has become well known in the community, as a result of the shows, sales, workshops, classes, and art series they organize annually. VVA member artists have been commissioned to do various artwork in Vegreville such as the St Joseph Hospital mural, the Tourism Booth Door, murals for the nonprofit VALID’s board room, Sunshine Club and have also made photo boards for the Corn Maze and Christmas Light up. Canada150 provided a chance for VVA to paint shovel “heads”, with provincial flowers. These can be seen in the Rotary Park in Vegreville. community-based approach and encourage respect of each tradition through education, participation and celebration.

VVA has organized and incorporated St Joseph Hospital “In House” Gallery, Vegreville Centennial Library Gallery and the Vegreville Dental Center Gallery. These galleries display local artwork on a rotational basis. vVVA has worked closely with the Vegreville Tourism Board. In 2019, an art walk was staged in various businesses throughout the town. Last year, due to Covid, the ArtWalk 2020, was a walk about town to 16 art posts, each painted with 36 small images. Maps were given put at the Visitor Information center. All members participated by painting the images. Last year, with the Covid restrictions, VVA launched the initiative “Veg Rocks” where small rocks were painted by members initially, with pictures or messages and placed throughout the town. This proved to be a huge success, as it encouraged families to take walks during the lock down, look for

rocks and replace them for others to find. Families began painting their own and hiding them. VVA will continue to seek opportunities that will further enhance visual art in the community. It is a rewarding experience for all to see the reaction and interaction of visitors and patrons, as they respond to artwork at shows or in the public area.

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