Speaking | United Nations IWD 2016 & Planet 50-50

This past weekend I was joined by mum and my sister for an event with the United Nations Association of Canada where I spoke on a panel for IWD 2016. Although International Women’s Day was on March 8th, we celebrated the economic, political, cultural, and social achievements of women in an afternoon at the Fairmont Royal York. Visiting the Royal York was always so iconic growing up and to be speaking there as a grown up felt pretty neat. Having my family there made it even more special. The first question I answered from the stage was about inspiration and I proudly shared things mum taught me and a quote from her. [symple_testimonial by=”” fade_in=”false”]Just because you don’t have money, doesn’t mean you can’t compete, you just have to be more creative. – Judith Stewart, my mum[/symple_testimonial]

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This Is My Life | I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.

I’ve kinda neglected my blog the last week… Posts have been few and far between but I’ve still been active on all the socials. Over the last 10 days I won a Canadian Screen Award as an innovator in social & digital media (Voice Pioneer), I spoke at a conference in Edmonton where my name trended in Canada (ahhh!), spoke at the United Nations of Canada International Women’s Day event, and was a director on a TV commercial. So, safe to say lots has been happening! I’m happy and healthy and wanted to let you know, in case you’ve not peeped my daily Snapchat stories (follow here ?), read tweets, or seen posts on Instagram. I’m hustling hard to make 2016 the best year ever! So far, it’s been amazing. These flowers were on set yesterday and now they’re brightening my home office and filling it with a springy scent. I’ve FINALLY organized the spare room to have an office that’s tidy, with a great work station, and bright light. I’ve been spending more time at the 1188 offices since January but I’m planning to spend more time working from home and the cottage for the next few months. Title of this post is a quote by Arthur Rubenstein and it really resonated with me today because although i’ve slightly neglected my blog the last two weeks, I’ve been showing my life extreme love and appreciation. Each day I’ve put my head and heart into my work and feel like the universe is rewarding me with gratitude and more of what I truly want. On the day of Canadian Academy of Film & Television’s #AcademySocial Awards I had a complimentary psychic reading with Angel Morgan at the Spoke Club. I’ve not really been into that type of things but with…

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IWD 2016 – Women @ Work Managing Career, Family & Legacy

Yesterday I was feeling pretty overwhelmed. I know we all have those days. I’ve been working on something with my speaker agent, prepping for a keynote in Edmonton, and then there’s a mounting email, and social updates. Sometimes I feel like I just need to shut down and take a break, I wonder how the heck I’m gonna do it all?! That’s usually when I ring mum and she talks me through, reminding me not to give up, and how hard I’ve worked to get here. She reminds me I’m probably tired, and maybe hungry. For this, I’m grateful. I call her almost everyday with something, so today on International Women’s Day, I’m especially thankful. When I got off the phone with mum the other night I arrived at the Rotman School of Business at U of T for a special presentation with TD, their 10 Lessons: Women @ Work Report. I was happy to see my friend & fellow social entrepreneur Gracie’s smiling face and we sat down together, all ears. Tweets from the night can be found at #YourStoryYourFuture. Excited to attend @TD_Canada's Women @ Work talk tonight with my girl @casiestewart! WERK! #yourstoryyourfuture pic.twitter.com/ZBtplnt3h1 — Gracie Carroll (@GracieCarroll) March 7, 2016 TD partnered with University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management to release a joint report that uncovers insights about how women across the country perceive the challenges and opportunities in advancing professionally. Career, relationships, family, finances, it’s hard (and often stressful) to manage this stuff all at the same time. I don’t have my own kids yet but there’s challenges with a blended family, we’ve got a sassy 8yr old 50% of the time, and Sean and I are both entrepreneurs, managing very different businesses. Learning about the challenges of other women in professional careers, really…

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Events | Towards Tomorrow w/ Toyota

This week I ventured out to Square One is Mississauga. I hadn’t been there in YEARS, man that place has really changed! Toyota invited me to check out their pop-up inside the old Target store that’s directed at millennials like me with a love for tech & digital. Yesterday the story was featured in Marketing Magazine and Strategy online with me in VR as the lead photo. Huzzah! The event is spearheaded by Desperado and Saatchi & Saatchi Canada. Scroll for my experience & see some stuff I made ?. Toyota’s ‘Towards Tomorrow’ opens this weekend during mall hours and is around till the end of May. Fresh out of the oven! our VR game for Toyota gets a write up from @StrategyOnline https://t.co/4eu8kSVBPH #vr — Globacore Inc. (@globacore) March 3, 2016 Being an artistic individual, I was feelin’ the digital paint/graffiti wall. My creation features pink wheels and rooftop gardens, because why not? I’d love to see customizable car colours and more gardens in the future. Toyota is looking attract next gen of car buyers by giving us tech-focused experiences and a place to interact with cars outside the dealership. “ Inside the space you’ll find the iM (read my review), Rav4 Hybrid, Prius C, the 4th-gen Prius, and a slew few tech showcases like VR driving with Samsung Gear VR, digital painting (love this), a selfie station (see top photo??) all with sharing capabilities for social & email. If you’re keen to get behind the wheel, you can test drive the vehicles on display and a couple other models outside. Test driving is always fun because you can really get a feel for the car and whether it is the right car for you, trying out different models and testing them to see whether they are worth purchasing…

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Speaking | International Women’s Day Panel at United Nations Toronto

Excited to announce I’m speaking at the annual United Nations Association in Canada event for International Women’s Day. I’ve invited my mum, my favourite teacher from grade 8, and my sister will be there too. I’d love to see some more familiar faces! Bring your mum, your bff, your BF, or come solo and hang out with us. The event is at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel on Saturday, March 19, 2016 from 12- 4:30 pm.  My panel is about Women and Entrepreneurialism. The discussion will be led by other female entrepreneurs including Jacquila Rose, Melissa Macher, Morgan Toombs, and singer/songwriter Domanique Grant (who will also be performing). About The Event: Step Up for Parity: The Global Pledge towards planet 50-50 The United Nations Association of Canada, Toronto region invites you to the annual International Women’s Day event. The event will feature a series of panel discussions that will focus on the significant contributions that women have made in the economic, political, cultural and social sectors. The first panel will highlight non-profit organizations with key note speakers from North York Women’s Shelter, Plan Canada and White Ribbon, who will explain what they are doing to promote women’s rights.  The second panel will have a discussion on female leaders in the workforce, and the third panel will cover women and entrepreneurialism with a discussion led by entrepreneurs such as, Jacquila Rose, Melissa Macher and Casie Stewart.

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Travel | Treehouse Glamping in Ontario w/ Glamping Hub

My first trip of the year wasn’t to a sunny destination, it was up north to a tiny little solar-powered treehouse north of Toronto. Glamping Hub invited me to stay at a destination of my choice, so naturally I picked a cool one. Glamping Hub is home to some of the coolest non-traditional camping spots around the world. They’ve got luxury camping available in tree houses, yurts, tipis, camper vans, safari and fancy tents. I’m hoping to explore a few more of their destinations in South/Central Ontario. Here’s my first Glamping Hub experience!  [symple_divider style=”solid” margin_top=”5″ margin_bottom=”5″]

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Travel | Made it to Detroit for NAIAS 2016 w/ Ford

Good morning! Well, yesterday was QUITE A DAY. Broke my record for longest airport stay (18HRS) also had my first ever airport shower (in the Air Canada Lounge). I’m now in Detroit, MI for the North American International Auto show. Staying at the Westin and had a great sleep, their beds are AHHHmazing! Today is a jam packed day of media things at Cobo Hall in the convention centre. This is my third trip to the show and I’m looking forward to seeing new car technology, concept cars, and what Ford is launching for the year.   Follow along on Snapchat (casiestewart) & Twitter  (@casiestewart) for all kinds of up to the minute shenanigans and me making the most of every moment.  

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Are You There Fitness? It’s Me, Casie.

I’m loving this warmer winter. Yes, a temperature around freezing in Canada is a warm winter! The last two years have been insanely cold, blaming them for my lack of motivation to do anything but Netflix and chill w/ takeout and sit on the couch. Ok, let’s be real with the excuses, I blame myself for being lazy. After a few ups and downs with my health this year combined with early 30s kicking in, I’m looking fitness right in the face. HEY FITNESS, REMEMBER ME? I was always one of the smallest in school, dance, cheerleading, tae kwon do, skating. I was thin through college and university and didn’t really exercise much or regularly. I turned 30 three years ago and all those “it’ll catch up with you” people I rolled my eyes at, yeah, they were right. If you’d like to look into options for you in order to keep fit and healthy, you may want to look firstly at this Shepherd’s Code review and see if the book may help you in finding your new fit and healthy side again. So, I’ve found a yoga studio in my hood to test out and I’ve worked out the past 5 days. I decided to get a jump on the whole New Years fitness thing by starting a week early. It’s January 2nd and I’m feeling good. I’ve eaten great food the last week and haven’t had any alcohol. Maybe it’s just me but my face feels less puffy and I’ve been sleeping better. Drinking has been a big part of my life the last ten years and I need to cool it. It’s time. ???? Digging the Nike app with a trainer that’s been reminding me of the next workout. I get why those people who run all…

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First Canadian Palce Donates $25k to Community Food Centres

Yesterday I joined friends & colleagues at FCP for the cheque presentation where they delivered $25k to Regent Prk Comminity Food Centres. Last week the new food terrace st FCP matched 10% of sales as a way to give back.   Nice to see Daniel who JUST got married (to Julio of course). Congrats!

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Checking Out The New Terrace at First Canadian Place

Last week I stopped by First Canadian Place in the Toronto financial district to check out the new food terrace. Years ago I used to work in the area, it seems so long ago… Jetting out the door at 7:30am in a full business suit, heels, briefcase, and Windows Thinkpad, to make a daily 8am status meeting. I was a corporate recruiter specializing in tech, PMP Certified Project Managers, java & php developers. I forgot how fast everyone walks down walks down there, suits, pencil skirts, and lunch buddies everywhere. It was neat taking a stroll down memory lane and seeing the changes. The new elevated food court brings fresh design and a modern touch to FCP. There’s a great outdoor patio when the weather is warm and great food that’s well priced. That area can be expensive!   I picked up a few of my favs from Maman including their lasagne and a couple delicious cookies. This @mamantoronto is brining ☀️ to my day! TY @FirstCanadianPl, new #fcpfoodterrace is ! pic.twitter.com/zlV4K9IuiS — C∆SIE STEW∆RT (@casiestewart) November 27, 2015 One of the reasons to check out the First Canadian Place Food Terrace this week is they are donating 10% of sales to Community Food Centres Canada. With partners across Canada, CFCC brings people together to grow, cook, share and advocate for good food. Something awesome BESIDES FOOD at the new terrace is THERE ARE OUTLETS EVERYWHERE. It was near impossible to find a place to work on my blog at lunch back when I worked there. These little red booths are a hot spot (with outlets), perfect for catching up with a friend or catching a few private minutes alone in your busy day.  There’s more dining options being added to the terrace including Greenhouse Juice Co. and Five Guys burgers. Currently, you’ll find  Maman Toronto, The Cactus Club, Amaya Express, Jimmy the Greek, Maxim, Ruby Thai,Tim Horton’s, Pumpernickel’s, Mucho Burrito, Mr. Sub…

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This Is My Life | Cyberbullying

Putting yourself out there on the internet or *IRL takes a lot of courage. Having a blog opens you up for all kinds of criticism, haterade, or anonymous comments. My world, the one I’ve created online, is pretty positive, but I’ve had my share of cyberbullying. It’s important to fight back against trolls, for example you could use an instagram story viewer app to save any abusive posts so that you can use them as evidence against them. It’s also important to learn how you can avoid being exposed to this kind of harassment and Telus has an award winning Canadian program about how to protect you and your family online. They offer online info and offline info like in-person training sessions for business customers and their fams. Thanks for this @TELUS! #TelusWise pic.twitter.com/uIpjxQArfZ — CASiE STEWART (@casiestewart) August 20, 2015 Telus is one of my longest standing relationships and this program is one of the reasons I love them. Not to mention the owl for this campaign. I like owls. I’ve had more than one stalker over the years and had to contact the police several times about something internet related. I don’t share this stuff often because it’s hard to talk about. There’s also SO MUCH sad/bad news out there I want this to be a happy place for you when you’re having a bad day or want a cheer up. The things about bullying is it can stay with you forever. It’s hard to forget the way they made you feel. A couple of years ago a ‘friend’ had been commenting mean things under an alias for months. It was really hurtful, the things she said were spiteful, stuff only someone who knew me would say to be mean. I did some investigating and finally tracked the…

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Spring in November, Isn’t it Lovely?

I am seriously loving this weather! I went for a bike ride this morning to get a coffee. I’ve been a bit slack on blog posts this week as I’m seriously prepping for a TEDx talk this weekend.  I’ve been giving myself a little goals of doing some work and then rewarding myself with a coffee or with lunch. I’ve got a lot to get accomplished this week! Next week I’m shooting a holiday project with a major design company and I’m really excited about it. I set a goal to do more video so I’m pretty stoked about all the collabs I’ve got coming up. [vine id=”eLKeuduiF0T”]  In other news,  I recently discovered how great dictation is on my MacBook, I can literally talk and it types everything I’m saying. I’m doing this today because I’m feeling a bit frazzled! 😛 Prepping for a speaking gig involves lots of talking to yourself. Dictation and iPhone voice memos are my saviour this week. THANKS APPLE! Scion Canada hooked me up with a car for the week, which I am LOVING! I’ve never owned my own car and it’s so freeing to just jump in an hit the open road. Today I’m heading West with my sister to have dinner with mum. [vine id=”e33FP9rUlTm”] Yesterday I went to WEST (wearables) conference at the MaRS discovery District. On this panel is one of Sean’s business partners, J.Lee Williams,  talking the future of VR in film and television. I also stopped into a preview of ALDO Spring/Summer 2016. Take a little scroll through my fav items in this little Vine. You’ll find these at stores early next year. I’ve been making more short videos so pop over to https://vine.co/CASIESTEWART to see my recent creations.  [vine id=”e3L7BnJ10BM”] OK, time for me to get a move on. Forever being distracted by the internet!…

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This Is My Life | Photoshoot w/ Motorola = #Motoshoot!

Last night I popped over to the East end for a shoot with Motorola inside the studios at 388 Carlaw. A bunch of bloggers & Toronto influencers were welcomed to try on the new Moto 360 watch and get shot by none other than legendary fashion & celebrity photogrpaher Mike Ruiz.  Who is a totally hot babe btw! Nothing quite like bright lights and a famous photog to spice up an otherwise rainy day. The night was hosted by She Does the City and the set was super fun with vibrant colours and shiny balloons. It got reallllll cute tonight! ???? Was neat to be shot by legendary photographer @mikeruizone. Thanks @motorolacanada & @shedoesthecity for the fun + goodies! #motoshoot #moto360 #fbloggers A photo posted by C A S I E S T E W A R T (@casiestewart) on Oct 28, 2015 at 6:14pm PDT Mr. Ruiz was shooting us with the new Moto X Play phone. It has a 21MP rear camera and 5MP front facing camera. It also has a water resistant coating (useful is you’re a bit klutzy!). I can’t wait to see all the snaps he took.   We all came home with the Motorola 360 Watch and the Moto X Play phone. I picked Rose Gold to match my new iPhone 6s. It’s really pretty! The Android Wear app is in the Apple Store now and connects your Apple device to the watch. Thanks Motorola Canada + She Does the city for a fun night w/ Mike Ruiz. I love when things get real cute!

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4 Companies Offering Great Customer Service

One of the things I really love about Telus is their commitment to customer service. They feel great customer service starts from the ground up and they’ve made a commitment to telling Canadians they need to Expect More from their telcom providers. Today I’m sharing a couple other great customer experience stories from other companies putting customers first. Little Burgundy – Broken Boots Near the end of summer I purchased a killer pair of boots designed by Jeffrey Campbell from littleburgundyshoes.com. I’ve been wearing them regularly but recently the cool cut-out heels broke.   I didn’t want get stuck on the phone ringing customer service so I sent a tweet with some photos to @LittleBurgundy and they replied within about 30 minutes. It took about 5 min to fin d a new pair of booth in store and the return was easy. I really love when a company is socially connect and able to help their customers over Twitter.  Nice work guys! Now I will check out the sales and probably buy more. 🙂 @LittleBurgundy hi guys, @JCshoes I ordered <2 mo ago broke this week. Both of them! Can you help!? ?? pic.twitter.com/eiXtpAEHnK — CASiE STEWART (@casiestewart) October 21, 2015 Go Daddy – Server Upgrade I’ve been with GoDaddy for my website hosting since switching over to WordPress from Blogger.com years ago. I’ve had nothing but great customer service from their team. I’ve had them renew my domain (until 2022!) help with a hacking situation (on the 1st day of TIFF!) and more recently with a server upgrade. GoDaddy recently changed their hosting and the plan I was on no longer had analytics. As a blogger and online business owner, the stats are important to me. I had considered switching to another host when their help team offered to look into my situation. Instead…

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