Collision Conf 2023 – See You There?

Next week, Toronto’s biggest tech conference is back! Collision Conf is like the ‘Olympics of Tech’ and brings together people and companies redefining the tech industry. Nelson and I were there each day last year and it was so much fun (see blog post here!). We even filmed a couple of Cast of Creators episodes in the glass podcast booth. Including one with Raine Maida from Our Lady Peace! Trending Topics to Watch I chatted with the Collision Conf team this week to see what sessions and topics are trending: There are some big-name speakers (see here) and I’m looking forward to hearing from Geoffery Hinton, the founder of artificial intelligence. Early registration is open this weekend at the Union Station UP Express platform and then onsite at Beanfiend Centre from Monday to Thursday. I’m planning to get my badge this weekend to avoid the chaos. I’ll be at the opening party on Monday night and then at the conference each day. I look forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new people. My experience last year was so great I left feeling excited, inspired, and with a few new friends! If you’ll be there LMK, download Hvr to leave a comment on my blog!

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Big Bang Baby

She was ready for a change! Went back to Hair by Beni in Yorkville and got a little trim. I have had bangs so many times in my life and I was happy when he said ‘let’s cut your fringe’. I have seriously never loved my hair more. The mirrors and lighting in this salon are next level. Also, the title of this post is a song by Stone Temple Pilots. The chokehold this song and Scott Weiland had on me as a teenager! I loved his dance moves, the green pants, everything. The cutest thing about me showing up at Saon Jie on this fine Saturday morning was that Beni and I were wearing the same bright yellow! It was so adorable, love him! We met up later that night at Do West aka Dundas West Fest and had the best time.

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Trying New Things: Vettä Nordic Spa

The other weekend we drove up to the cottage to visit the parents’. It’s been ages since we’d been up North. On the way home we stopped at Veta Nordic Spa for a little R&R. We also stopped by Currie’s Music in Gravenhurst, my fav vintage shop in the area. They have a fab curated selection of vintage finds in the back of the music shop. This yellow number had my name on it but was much too big. Almost got this cute prom dress! It’s always fun to try things on even if you dobn’t end up buying them. Our experience at Vetta Spa was very nice. 100% would visit again. It’s very quiet. You can’t use your phone. There is a bar and 2 restaurants. The cold plunge pool was about 7 degrees which was warm for a seasoned dipper like me but still, it was nice. All you need to show up wth is yourself and bathing suit. You get a robe wen you register in and can rent slides. If you have sandals I would recommend bringing them. Look forward to going back, probably in the winter!

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Sweet Summertime Sets

In the winter I was really all about wearing jumpsuits. So much that my friend Raymi asked if I was a janitor bc I wore them so often. LOL! See Raymi’s blog here. In warm temps, one of my absolute fav things to wear is summertime sets. They’re the best! I have so many different ones and I can’t wait to wear them all. Posted this cute one in my Stories yesterday and it’s been ages since I got so many DMs about an outfit. If you want to match me you can buy it here. In other news, have been going to the gym and mixing up workouts with more yoga. Still running a few times a week. It’s almost getting too hot to run later than 8 am now! I love it. Today I walked High Park for an hour at 7 am. Got a delivery from my friends at Smartwater yesterday, roof top fridge is stocked! I feel this alkaline water is the best water and I will drink all of it in no time. TY Smartwater Canada! Do you use Slack for work? I thought this was quite cute. I love how Slack has a lil’ sense of humor. Remember you’ll never be younger than you are right now so make the most of it! Have a great day! Wear sunscreen.

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Planting A Herb Garden w/ ChatGPT

Today was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, and I decided to get my hands dirty and plant a herb garden. I’ve been super excited to breathe some life into this raised bed container we had previously used to grow cannabis. She’s got a green thumb! I saw something on the internet recently that said you should plant certain things together and wanted to make sure I did it right. Sooooo, we called upon our trusty friend ChatGPT to see which herbs should be planted together. 🤓 We put in the exact size of the container and the different herbs, then asked which should be planted together for optimal growing. In less than the time it would take to Google, I knew exactly what to do: oregano and basil beside each other, chives and cilantro together, and peppers to separate the dill. It even had instructions as to which herbs preferred more sun. It was such a therapeutic experience getting my hands into the soil. The fragrance of these herbs as I planted them was divine. I look forward to more rooftop BBQs and adding fresh herbs to our meals. Cheers to new adventures in gardening and tastier meals!

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Trying New Things: Toronto Marathon!

Last weekend I ran 5k in the Toronto Marathon! It was my first race and the first time in about 2 years that I’d run that far! About a month ago, my BFF Sarah mentioned she was doing the half marathon and I decided to sign up for the 5k. Before the race I was by myself and sure sure where or when to line up in the corrals. I saw this tiny blonde woman with big glasses ask “is this where we line up?”, I replied, “I don’t know I was wondering!” Next, she popped right through the metal barrier and started walking to where everyone was lining up. In her words “if we’re not supposed to be here, they’ll let us know“. Her energy and attitude really helped to lift my spirits before the race. Thank you, Kelly, I hope to meet you again! I kept a steady pace for the entire race and when I came to the finish line, I was ready to keep going! Next time I’ll do a 10K and then in spring 2023 I’ll sign up for the half marathon. The vibes were so high that I stuck around to watch Sarah cross the finish line for the half marathon. It was such an exciting moment to watch her run past! In a surprising twist, I came in the TOP 20 for my category! I’m feeling more motivated than ever to keep training! You truly never know what you can accomplish until you try! Here’s to more adventures & new things!

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Another Trip Around the Sun

Today is my birthday! I woke up and went for a run in the sun. I feel better than I have in a long time. I’m happy, healthy, and excited to see what the next year will bring. Growing older is such a gift and I intend to continue celebrating each day! Tonight I’ll be attending my fav class at the gym, eating a healthy dinner, and going to bed early. Cheers to another trip around the sun, HBD to me!

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CN Tower Climb: 1,776 Steps in 21.5 Mins!

This weekend I did the CN Tower climb for the World Wildlife Foundation! I made it to the top of the tower in 21.5 minutes. It was hard but I was really determined to beat my last time of 23 minutes. Some of the fastest times I saw were around the 14-15 minute mark, the fastest of the whole climb was 11 minutes. I don’t know how that is humanly possible! They must have run the whole way, 2 steps at a time! I probably could have done it a little faster if I wasn’t out late the night before but oh well! 🍻 Happy with my results and tbh idk if I’ll ever do it again. Twice is enough for me! Overall, proud of myself for doing it. Thought I would be sore the next day but I was totally fine. Running has clearly paid off! My next big fitness activity is the Toronto Marathon on Mother’s Day in May (I’m doing the 5k!). 😁 In other news, check this out! I had a shoot a couple of months back for my gym, The Body Engineers, and I’m on the poster for the new challenge that starts this week. If you’re interested, sign up here. In the last challenge, I came in 2nd place out of the whole gym and was the only woman in the top 3. 🎉 She’s a fitness girly now!

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Being Yourself is Exhilarating

On Saturday, April 1 at 10 am, Sean and I hopped in the car, drove to Budapest Park, and went in the lake with 20+ people. SO FUN! The cold dip was hosted by my friend Meghan Yuri Young x Soho House Toronto x Othership. The water was cold (obviously) but the sun was shining and the sand felt warm on my feet. We started with breathwork led by an Othership Guide, did 2 min in the lake, then had coffee and hung out at the beach. On the way there, I got a notification from the Co-Star app that said ‘Being yourself is exhilarating”, what perfect timing! I’ve been leaning into trying new things and honestly, it’s so much fun. When we got home I walked over to Lucky Tiger Vintage at Lansdowne for their first-ever bin sale. I waited about 45 mins but it was totally worth it. Everything was $5-20 and I came home with a huge bag of goodies. 🤗 10/10, a fabulous day!

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Spring is Nature’s Party!

Went for a run this morning for the first time in 2 weeks. I was going out pretty consistently in the first two months of the year then kinda fell off my game in March. Good thing is, you don’t need to wait for a certain day to start again, there’s no time like today. Thankfully it was less cold than recent temps and the sun was out. Spring is nature’s party! So happy we made it through winter and it will be Taurus season soon. I’m starting a new challenge with my gym in April and am ready to give it my best. I was in a challenge for the first 6 weeks of the year and came in 2nd place, and was the only woman in the top 3. 😁 Have been going to more yoga classes lately and overall feel pretty good. Looking forward to warmer termps, gardening, and flowers in bloom. 💐

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Bend when you can, snap when you have to.

I’ve been going to yoga again since the start of January and it’s made a difference in my life. I love yoga; moving, stretching, bending, breathing. It sounds so simple but they call it a practice for a reason, you have to work at it. For years, I had class 4x a week with Sandy, and it changed my life. Part of my ‘Trying New Things’ this year includes going to more fitness classes at different places. I signed up for a free month of ClassPass this month to experience new places. I went to Mosiac Yoga today and I was kinda nervous for a few minutes before leaving the house but once I got outside I was fine. It was great, I already booked another class. Join me for free here. I used to have a really hard time being still, alone with my thoughts, resisting the urge to move. In 2019 I wrote a post called ‘It takes Practice” where I talked about learning how to be still, slow down. Looking back, I’m so glad I started to make changes before the pandemic. It would have been harder otherwise. Seeing the person I was in old blog posts makes me prouder of the person I am now. It’s hard to grow & change, but so worth it when you come out the other side. This is a quote from the end of that post from 2019: “If you’re feeling stressed or holding something inside, let it go. Write it on a piece of paper and throw it in the fire. There is no sense carrying it with you for another day, week, or year. Free up that space in yourself to fill it with something that makes you happy, with sunshine.” CASIE STEWART, 2018 ‘ It Takes Practice‘ The…

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Event: Sustainable Fashion & The Circular Economy

Have plans for the day after Valentine’s? On Wednesday next week, I’m moderating a panel that brings the fashion industry together to talk about the value of goods in the circular economy. It’s been a lil’ while since I was on stage at a live event! 🤗 The event is hosted by Zane Aburaneh (founder of ZANE on Queen) and it takes place at George Brown College at 6:30 pm. There will be an interactive Q&A about how to improve sustainability in fashion by working within a circular economy. The focus is looking at how we can maintain the value of goods through restoration and regeneration. Zane will be introducing his latest venture, Gluu, a web-based platform restoring the chain of production for after-purchase care, with skilled craftspeople in your local area to restore jewelry, leather goods, and fine artifacts. There’s a great group of panelists who are all leaders in the Canadian fashion industry: A couple of fun facts, I’ve known Zane since high school and the last time Amanda and I were on stage together, she was the panel moderator. It’s gonna be a great night. If you’re in the city and interested to join us, RSVP here. It’s free!

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Art Show: The Great Wall of Love

Earlier this month, I painted two small canvasses that will be part of an art show in support of CAMH that opens next week & runs until the end of February. On Valentine’s Day 2023 studio IDFK will launch an art exhibition called “showURheart”, a mass collaboration artwork that’s made up of hundreds of individual small pieces to create a ” Great Wall of Love“. Each canvas will be included in a silent auction with 50% of the proceeds to CAMH. Here’s a little peek at my two canvases while I was working on them. If you want to see MY final artwork or the rest of the paintings, you’ll have to pop by Studio IDFK next week at 190 McCaul St. The exhibition will run from February 14 to 28, 2023

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Trying New Things: Pottery

This month I started a 7-week pottery course at ArtScape Youngplace w/ Toronto Potters. I’ve spent a few hours once a week learning hand-building and how to make things on the wheel. I’ve wanted to try pottery since I was a kid, probably since I saw GHOST w/ Demi Moore & Patrick Swayze. 😊 Before class, I thought it would be a nice relaxing experience to make some pottery, and do something creative away from screens. I quite enjoyed the first class and building things by hand. In the second class, we learned how to use the wheel. It’s harder than I thought! In class three I made a bowl, it took almost the whole class. Learning new things can be challenging but I like it. I feel like I’m using a new part of my brain. Pottery is frustrating, the smallest movement or too much pressure can ruin your creation. It’s a lesson in patience and staying calm. 🙏 You’re also using different muscles and strengths, felt it in my arms after our first class on the wheel. I keep seeing inspo everywhere I go, from Chapters to small shops, and the farmers market. I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to make, your guess is as good as mine. 😝 My course was covered by my work as ‘Creative Development’ so I’m hoping to make something cool I can show them. May the Ghost of Patrick Swayzee guide me in my next class. I could use the help!

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