Caitlin Durning of Meraki Media Management is a delightful wealth of Instagram knowledge.

She loves all things Instagram and connecting with people around the world. She sees the massive potential of Instagram and wants others to see the same.

She shares with us: How to show up on Instagram - even if you're nervous, How to build relationships, and How to pitch your offers. 

She is motivated to work hard and play hard. She wants you to be able to grow your business, and have time to enjoy the rest of your life. 

She is on Instagram @meraki_media_management

Our human brains are so powerful. They’re designed to constantly scan the environment to warn us of danger. For some though this means our brains see ANY potential new thing as a danger and sound the alarm. Instead of saying: “Hey, that looks risky”, our brains say: “Don’t do that. You'll look ridiculous. Everyone will laugh. Who do you think you are?” Our brains know our weak spots that make us back away from trying new things. They are like helicopter parents - well meaning but in the end make us timid and afraid. One way to combat this unhelpful commentary is to give our hard working brains something productive to do - ask it questions to answer in order to shift the focus: “How can I see this task as an experiment? When have I done courageous acts in my past? What is possible for my future if I'm willing to fail publicly?” I decided to ask myself 23 Questions - Vogue Style. “What are you most proud of? What superhero do you identify with? Are you divorced? When do you write? What would you say to someone in a creative slump?” I surprised myself with my answers!! Enjoy!

My prescription for turning 2020 around? Take Massive Action, Make Decisions & Invest in Yourself. Committing to taking MASSIVE ACTION means learning how to deal with the emotions that come up like self doubt, worry, and embarrassment! MAKING QUICK DECISIONS 📊will teach you to trust you’ve got your own back. There really isn’t a “right” decision to make. INVESTING IN YOURSELF 💰shifts your energy toward the future possibilities. Choose to bet on yourself. Being in business is not just a series of steps to reach your goals. It's not about hustle til you drop. Or powering through.There's a lot of feelings and doubts to wade through. Don't worry. I've got your back. Join Business Reboot Bootcamp starting November 10 for 6 weeks of goal setting, taking actions and making decisions - along with getting our heads on straight, dealing with our feelings and worries, and hanging out with other great women in biz.

Tracy Koga has big plans for I Like Hue Productions. After years as a TV host and producer for Shaw TV, Tracy boldly began her own Online Video content site called “Hue”. She hosts a weekly show that features a panel of local business owners, activists and thought leaders who discuss the issues of the day (currently on Facebook Live Tuesdays at 11:30 am CT). Tracy is a true Manitoban, born and raised in Winnipeg, and is committed to telling the stories of people not often heard in mainstream media. She talks with Linda about her passion for shining a spotlight on mental health issues and racism. Listen in to today’s episode to hear about her plans to create a new local talk show - you could be one of her first guests!

Yvonne Bayer-Cheung shares her business gold on this week's recording of the podcast. In addition to teaching Zumba dance at Yvonne's fitness in her solopreneur life, and being part of Za Pizza Bistro with her brother, she is also a Business Advisor at Women's Enterprise Centre of Manitoba. She encourages women in business to take action, don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis, be optimistic, and pivot to the virtual world when possible right now. The message she'd give to her younger self when she was opening Palatal restaurants with her entrepreneur mom in Winnipeg is: You can do it!! 

The following 9 lessons are based on what I wished I had learned as a teenager lying in bed and avoiding taking on challenges, risks, and hard work. Failure is part of life. Take on Challenges where you have to fail over and over is the path to success. Feelings are sensations in the body and are normal to feel. Discomfort is where growth happens. You can admit to being wrong, be wrong, and get it wrong - and learn. Life is hard and unfair - and beautiful and easy. Hard work is more important than brains, talents and being nice - but it still does not mean you’re entitled to getting what you want. Feeling fear is part of taking risks - lean into it. Be vulnerably courageous and risk telling the truth. (Note: I did take many unfortunate challenges with my hair. I regret nothing.)

Talking to different women as I run my networking challenge has shown me that thoughts about our appearance hold us back when it comes to networking and putting ourselves out there. We tell ourselves: “I’m too fat to network. If I go to that event, people will think: if she can’t control her weight, how can she run a business,” or “I’m too old to network. People will think: if she’s so smart, how come she didn’t start this business years ago.” Black women, people of colour, and Indigenous women have added inner dialogues when it comes to body image and race about how welcome they feel to walk into networking spaces. These thoughts keep us sitting on the couch - forever planning our business, but not moving forward to take action. By becoming aware that the constant negative chatter in our heads are thoughts - actually just sentences in our brains - that did not originate with us and are not true, will begin to set us free. Learning how to change those thoughts so we feel motivated, proud, and energized is crucial to taking the actions to get us the results we want. This episode is for all of us who’ve felt: “I’m too fat to…” And my desire to make sure we never believe that thought again. 

Justine McDonald founded Goals Chasers to help women reach their goals and achieve what they want in life. When transitioning back into her corporate marketing career from being at home with her kids left her feeling overwhelmed, Justine got coaching, began meeting her own goals, and never looked back. Justine decided to start her own business to help other women get what they want. She created a system and structure to help navigate life as a busy working Moms or a woman with a corporate career. She offers individual coaching, online courses, and a 12 Month Day Planner called: Mama’s Got Goals - filled with everything you need to get back on track and accomplish your dreams. Enjoy today’s episode as Justine talks us through giving ourselves permission to prioritize our plans, stop doing what we think we “should”, and listen to our own hearts.

Marla Barr is a dynamic Health and Wellness Coach. She’s taught yoga, nutrition, and even worked with Deepak Chopra. Her podcast Your Wellness Journey is filled with information, ideas, and stories to help you live your life with vitality, enthusiasm, and energy. In today’s podcast, she takes us on a journey to understand our Ayurvedic body types, and how we can use this knowledge to become even better entrepreneurs: knowing when our best time of day is to be productive, who we should have on our teams, what time of year we shine in - even what kind of pictures we should hang on our office walls! It was a pleasure and delight to interview her. Marla can be reached at https://marlabarr.com

As host and producer of Start Podcast, Margaux interviews founders of Prairie based start up companies and explores what it’s really like to start a business in the Canadian Prairies. She’s passionate about her community and believes in giving back her time and energy to various boards. She’s also the Program Director with Tech Manitoba and is a proud champion of promoting parity for women in tech, and province-wide digital literacy initiatives. Since Covid-19 has highlighted the systemic differences in access to technology, she is encouraging all of us to donate our used computer equipment to Computers for School at 18 Terracon Place to be refurbished to ensure newcomers, Indigenous communities, and people in rural and Northern Manitoba have access to technology. Margaux shares her love of podcasting, meeting new people through the podcast, and giving back to her community in this insightful and motivating episode.