What a fantastic career conversation!

Chats like this completely nurture my soul, and here are some key takeaways from today's episode:

You know the feeling of confidence, when your body just stands taller, and you feel invincible? That’s the idea behind Strut 4 Success.

Confident and capable to navigate the twists and turns of a career. Careers are not necessarily linear – not everyone navigates towards a career occupation like a doctor, engineer, lawyer etc.

It's not about comparing yourself or your career to other people. It's about having conversations and connecting with others and yourself. It's trying things out, respecting your magic, listening to your journey and being open. Being open to evolution and transformation, and different ways of doing things.

Remember the chat with Diana Montgomery where we learned about the 3 ps - purpose, plan and pivot.

What's next for Anna?

Whatever it is, she is along for the ride, and is deliciously excited. :)

Resources:

HOME (strut4success.com)

(1) Anna Gordon | LinkedIn

Home - Project Neutral

Talk Tools Training

(2) Breanna Pizzuto | LinkedIn

HOME - canfitpro

Zumba - Classes, Instructor Trainings, and Apparel

Big thanks to Dan Kizner for sharing his journey from selling exotic cars to providing exceptional doggy daycare and boarding to his many canine charges and their pet parents.

During our chat Dan spoke about his desire to try to marry his passion with his livelihood, and how he was able to create a 12-year career selling Ferraris and getting a master class in what true success means to him.

He identified early on that he wanted a healthy work/life balance, something that people never talked about when he started his career. He knew his priorities and build his personal and professional life around them.

Dan defines what happiness means to him, and why running around with dogs instead of selling Ferraris is just as meaningful and important to him.

Spend a day with Dan and learn how he uses his understanding and knowledge of dogs to create a wonderful experience for both the dogs and the people who love them.

Much appreciate his time and his thoughtful words.

Links:

http://www.bunkerhillkennel.com/

Dan Kizner on LinkedIn - Daniel Kizner | LinkedIn

A big thank you to Sharon for hanging out with us on the playground today. During our chat, we learned how she joined an organization straight out of school and worked her way up to the position of executive director of a community centre serving 60,000 people.

She loved this experience and created a family-atmosphere in the workplace. But as can happen in life, one person came and essentially destroyed everything that Sharon had built throughout her career.

Remember the theme of the last episode? Purpose, plan and pivot.

Today's magical words:

1) Leadership - it is innate. You can hone it, but it is something that is naturally there.

2) Believing in yourself.

3) Creating confidence/inspiring loyalty/demonstrating dedication.

4) Reliability - people believing in you.

5) The importance of communication.

6) People trusted her/she is relatable.

7) She sees the goodness in people.

8) She is authentic and genuine.

9) She has a strong belief in helping others.

10) Building community is essential to her, and she knows how to do it.

11) She has always been intentional in making a difference - no matter how young she was or how small the act.

Life is short - do what you can to help others and make a difference.

We need to develop our own careers, and not follow everyone else's. You do you. :)

Resources mentioned in this episode:

One Hub - Home - ONE Hub (onehubottawa.ca)

OCISO - OCISO

Hunt-Club Riverside Park Community Centre - Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre | City of Ottawa

LinkedIn profile - (6) Sharon Moore | LinkedIn

A huge thank you to Diana Montgomery for such a fabulous Career Connection chat. Talk about informative and helpful!

Here are the resources mentioned in the episode:

Diana (Peglar) Montgomery

| LinkedIn

Career Development Practitioner Program (Postgraduate) C406 | George Brown College

Toronto Metropolitan University Home - Toronto Metropolitan University (torontomu.ca)

Home | Canadian Armed Forces

14 Wing Greenwood - Royal Canadian Air Force - Canada.ca CFMWS | MFRC |

Greenwood | CFMWS

You’ve Got It – Bruce Springsteen

I absolutely loved this chat with Diana, and here are some gems she shared with us:

• Be where you are in the moment. Learn as much as you can from the role you are in.
• Create your own luck, be open to opportunities.
• Look towards the future, be present in the moment.
• Recognize when you are being called towards something.
• Network.
• Ask for informational interviews.
• Volunteer.
• See what things are like.
• Tailor your resume.
• Say yes. Take career inventories. Personality tests. Assessments. Everything you do will bring you closer to your goal. Do the work – it will be worth it.

Remember, it’s all about figuring out your purpose, planning your life around that, and being able to pivot when you need to.

It’s also about surrounding yourself with fantastic people!

Please say hi at [email protected] – I would love to hear from you!

Thanks so much for spending your time with me on the playground!

In today's episode I had a wonderful Career Connector chat with Rabbi Morais of Temple Anshe Hesed – People of Loving Kindness (anshehesederie.org).

We met when he was our rabbi at Jewish Life Happens Here - Temple Israel Reform Judaism Congregation (templeisraelottawa.ca)

He spoke about the vibrant Jewish community in Cuba Community in Cuba - World Jewish Congress, and the different characteristics a rabbi should possess - Ask the Rabbis // What Makes Someone a “Real” Rabbi? (momentmag.com)

With much gratitude for a really interesting chat!

Looking forward to next week's mystery guest - please join me on the playground! :)

Episode 9 Network to get work with Jarrod Goldsmith

Talk about valuable information! Thank you to Jarrod for sharing such helpful resources:

(2) Jarrod Goldsmith | LinkedIn

On YouTube –

eSAX Virtual Events Platform - eSAX

Sax Appeal – Canada’s Premier Saxophone Ensemble

eSAX Networking - YouTube

The Making of Sax Appeal Ottawa - Behind the Music (a short documentary) - YouTube

Sax Appeal Ottawa | Ottawa ON | Facebook

Jarrod Goldsmith (@jarrodgoldsmithentrepreneur) | Instagram

Sax Appeal Ottawa (@saxappealottawa) | Instagram

eSAX Virtual Events (@esaxnetworking) | Instagram

Helpful career advice (for entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs alike):

Follow your passion.

Be authentic.

Develop your brand.

Network to get work.

Find your tribe, build your community.

Connect meaningfully with others.

Make a difference.

Thanks so much for joining us on the playground. :)

On today's episode I had the pleasure of chatting with Lisa Manwell, a friend and former colleague about her career journey from community services to real estate agent.

You can connect with Lisa on LinkedIn at (4) Lisa Manwell | LinkedIn . She mentioned OREA - OREA - Ontario Real Estate Association

Lisa and I chatted about her path from high school to real estate agent, with extensive experiences in social services in between the two.

We agree that the struggle is real for young people (and quite honestly, people of all ages), and we spoke about the importance of co-op programs at college and the value of finding your people.

She shared her experiences and the surprising benefits of an unexpected detour. Everything starts with a thought, and with an interest in real estate, she laid the foundation for the next step in her career journey.

Lisa spoke of the importance of relationship building and the power of connection and the growth that occurs when you able to step out of your comfort zone.

What's next for Lisa? Lots of great opportunities, possibilities and potential at this next stage of her life. :)

A big shout out to Algonquin College for being an amazing educational institution that has changed the lives of so many people over the years.

Speaking of connections, I am really looking forward to next week's Career Connection with a wonderful mystery guest.

Here's to jumping into the future together!

In today’s episode I had a great Career Connector chat with Connie Yuan, Strategic Programs and Project Officer with the City of Ottawa.

She spoke about the challenges she faced in high school, her decision to move to Canada, studying at all three English post-secondary institutions in Ottawa, the gratitude she feels towards everyone who has helped her throughout her career and ultimately the importance of life-long learning when creating her career and life.

What’s next for Connie? Being open to whatever may come her way and using the knowledge and skills she has developed throughout her career to continue to always do her best.

In next week’s Career Connector chat, I will be speaking with a real estate agent who is all about building relationships based on always being authentic, genuine and her very kind self.

Have a fabulous week! See you next time when we will jump into the future together. 😊

Links to different people and institutions mentioned in the episode:

Connie Yuan, MBA, PMP, PRINCE2, ITIL | LinkedIn

About Carleton

Algonquin College

Executive MBA - Telfer School of Management (uottawa.ca)

On today's episode I had the pleasure of chatting with Sue MacGregor, a friend and former colleague about her transition to full-time entrepreneur.

You can connect with Sue on LinkedIn at Sue MacGregor | LinkedIn and visit her website at Textual art wood decor – Crafting Owl Co.

Sue and I talked about choosing college rather than university as well the importance of having a mentor and the impact of having an effective guidance counsellor at high school.

She shared her career from her first job after graduating from college, and the decision to motivate her as she moved from opportunity to opportunity throughout her career.

If I may, I would like to mention the significance and often good luck at losing one's job. Years ago, when I lost my job at the paper company, my boyfriend wished me mazel tov. Congratulations!?! I was dumbfounded. How could this be a good thing?

Trust me, it WAS. :)

Sue also talked about listening to the clues that give her joy (yes, we talked about the value of Marie Kondoing one's life) and choosing to go all in on her hobby to start her own business.

We ended the chat talking about what's next for her and sharing appreciation for our friendship which we both value very much.

Looking forward to my next Career Connection with one of the nicest people you could ever meet.

Here's to jumping into the future together!

In today's episode, I chatted with Marg Miedema, Director of Philanthropy and National Partners with Canadian Blood Services.

You can connect with Marg on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/marg-miedema-00a37329 and visit the Canadian Blood Services website - Financial donations to Canadian Blood Services - to learn more about the amazing things Marg and her team are doing to help save lives and make the world a better place.

Remember, blood...it's in you to give!