Day 1: Social Distancing

It’s not often that I have nothing to say. I’m not sure how to handle everything that’s going on. It’s hard to believe this is happening.

Please wash your hands (image via sarashakeel on IG)

I feel like hitting pause on everything because our health is really what matters. How can life continue in any normal way? But things do continue like payments and deadlines. It’s hard to take a break when you need to monitor the situation. You know you should look away but you can’t because it’s right here affecting everything you do. On the computer, in your email, on social media, tv, every time you go to the fridge and think about your food.

I should do something to make myself feel better. I haven’t gone to the gym in a couple of days and I don’t want to lose my mojo. I finally got it going after a struggle up fitness hill. Today I made a nice curry and cooked some of our favourites. Did a face mask and a hair mask but it didn’t take away the knot of anxiety in my chest.

Last winter I spent a lot of time at home because of my injury and the insane amount of ice outside. Since then, I really benefitted from the work I did around the house during that time. I completely moved my room around so I had a nice workspace, organized my closet, sorted every bin, reorganized the cupboards, spice drawer. It gave me sanity in a time where I felt I couldn’t go anywhere and I didn’t feel like myself. It was hard but I made it through and learned a lot about myself in the process.

I’ve been trying not to touch my face if I’m outside and it’s really hard to not touch your face. I wish I had started this practise years ago because I know it’s smart. I still have nerve damage on the right side of my face so I get little pains where I want to itch it. It drives me crazy. Probably makes me look crazy too.

We all know that we need to stay at home. Our patience preparedness, work, finances, relationships, mental health, everything is stressed. I don’t have anything to say other than I am here, on the other side of this screen inside at my house too.

Sending you love through the internet,

Preston High School: Welcome to the Future

Today I spoke to Preston High School’s grade 10 and 11 students. I was invited to talk about my career, taking a unique path, and the changing world of work. I graduated from PHS in the year 2000 and most of the kids in the group were born 2000-2002. Crazy! Where did the time go?!

Back in 2000, wifi was getting popular, I’m pretty sure I had a Nokia phone, and a job at Blackberry seemed like a great career move. The world has changed so much since then and speaking at PHS today made me really proud to be part of the growing social media world.

Going Back in Time

I first learned about marketing at PHS and it lead me to a three-year Business Marketing diploma program at Conestoga before heading to Australia for university.

Bondi Beach, Australia 2004

I always a passion for marketing and entrepreneurship, I loved marketing because it allowed me to be creative in business. While at uni, I started an online diary to keep my friends & family informed of what I was up to using MSN Spaces. This was even before I discovered MySpace. I was my first step into having my own place on the internet.

When I came back from school, I wanted to work in fashion. I met someone on my flight from LA to Toronto who connected me with one of his clients. I was home from school for two weeks before moving to Toronto to sublet a room in a house with 5 students. I took over the room from someone I met at school in Australia. 

The skills in learned in marketing have carried me through my career and helped me to be a leader in a new industry as it developed. Creativity in business has helped me navigate situations where I didn’t really know exactly what I was doing. I’d never been a Community Manager or worked at a TV station before I started working at MuchMusic and had never worked at an agency before taking a role as a Social Media Director at Community.

Working at Much, 299 Queen Street, Toronto

The school hasn’t changed much and it was nice to share my thoughts with the students. I did a walk around before school started to peek into old classrooms and see the lockers. Such a flashback to see the stage where I spent so many hours rehearsing and performing.

My photo is still up in the PHS Hall of Fame and I’m grateful for their support!

South Western Ontario Road Trip!

This week I’m making my way from Toronto to Cambridge, then to Leamington, Ontario visiting my family along the way. I’m really excited to visit my dad’s new house. He’s lived there for 2 years and I’ve never been! Leamington is the most southern point in Ontario, on the same latitude as Northern California, with a slightly warmer climate than Toronto. The last time I saw dad was in the summer when he came to the city in his hot rod. I’m looking forward to hanging out tomorrow and exploring the area.

Ford Canada lent me a 2020 Ford Edge for the week. This vehicle is a great compact SUV, it’s good on gas, has a great system, and I’m in love with the heated steering wheel. I’ll share a more thorough review of the car after my trip this week.

2020 Ford Edge

I drove around the city quite a bit this past weekend visiting my sister, hanging with friends, and helping a friend move some new furniture.

Today I’m going to my hometown (Cambridge, ON) to spend some time with mum. I can’t wait to see the house renovations and spend the night in my childhood home. It’s always an adventure at home, especially going through my old stuff in the basement.

It takes about 4 hours to get to dad’s from Toronto so I’ve downloaded Jessica Simpson’s ‘Open Book‘ on Audible and I can’t wait to listen. I’ll also catch up on The Papaya Podcast and listen to my favs on Spotify.

I love road trips and being in the car by myself. The last time I took a long solo drive was in New Zealand two years ago. It’s a great way to clear your head and get some perspective. I’m hoping to come back with a few new ideas and some inspo. I am also looking forward to my parent’s home cooking! ?

Here’s to a great week!

Beat Winter SAD: Sweat!

Since making exercise part of my life over the last few months, I’ve started to crave the feeling I get from working out. Each night I lay out my gym stuff and look forward to going each morning. I wrote a bit about my fitness journey here and once I started to see results, it motivated me to keep going.

I’m committed to not letting this winter give me seasonal affective disorder like last year, I never want to get that way again. I’m sure there will be sad days here and there (there deff are), but I know I can fight it with fitness.

Today’s tip to beat Winter SAD is to SWEAT. Find a class, get a YouTube video going, download Nike Training club, dance, or jump around.

Do something to get yourself moving, create endorphins, get your brain high on body moment.

My Fav Apps & Fitness Resources

I like the NTC app for exercises and the NRC app for running. I often do Yoga with Adrienne on Youtube or find workouts on Pinterest. There are so many free resources available online if you don’t have a gym membership.

If you are in GTA and want a workout buddy to try a class, ask me anytime! I love hanging with friends and movement makes us all feel good.

You got this, we can beat winter SAD!

byMINISTRY Enlightened Dining Club

I recently attended a new kind of dinner with amazing food that was infused with cannabis (THC & CBD). The entire experience was highly curated to take us on a journey through incredible food and unique experience.

The team at byMINISTRY aims to show how cannabis can be integrated into life through food & drink, culture, and wellness. They’re taking your plant-forward lifestyle to a higher place and I am here for it.

The Experience

Sean and I arrived to be greeted with a non-infused temperance cocktail as there was no alcohol on site. Before each course, the chef (Ted Corrado) walked us through what we were about to eat and if it contained CBD or THC. It was nice to learn about the food before eating it, including how the mushrooms were foraged or fish arrived at our plates.

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