CASIE STEWART
THIS IS MY LIFE • BLOG EST. 2005
Travel Stratford, Ontario

Great Reasons to Visit Stratford, Ontario

Great Reasons to Visit Stratford, Ontario

A couple weeks ago I went on an autumn adventure to Stratford, Ontario.  Home of Justin Bieber and the Stratford Festival, the city has lots to offer and is just a 2hr drive from downtown Toronto. We have so many great plces to visit within a 2hr drive of Toronto and it was so nice to visit Stratford again. I hadn’t been since I was a kid! I spent the day with Stratford Tourism and learned it’s quite the quaint destination for culture, food, shopping, and of course theatre. I was happy to find a few cute boutiques with vintage finds, local brands, unique jewellery, and beautiful housewares. Luckily I drove so I had room to fit my purchases in the boot!  What to Do: Stratford Ontario Here’s a few of the things I really loved about Stratford aside from catching a show. If theatre is your jam it’s definitely worth seeing one of the many nightly shows, we saw To Kill A Mockingbird which was great. (I did not know this story which is like whoaaa btw). The Stratford Festival is world renowned and for $29 you can get a bus to and from the theatre from Downtown Toronto. Upcoming shows include Billy Elliot, Othello, The Neverending Story and more. See the full list here. Shopping La Osa Vintage – This store is amazing. It’s on a side street from Market Square and FULL of vintage and new items from Canadian designers. They also carry heaps of unique jewellery. I could have really lit some $$$ on ??? in there! Wills & Prior – This spot in the heart of Market Square has heaps of beautiful items for your home. The owner used to live in TO and work in PR and she’s left the city for small-town life. I was kinda jealous hearing about her journey and the…

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Tech Toronto, ON

Why Don’t You Have a Will Yet? Get One Today, Meet Willful. + Discount Code!

Why Don’t You Have a Will Yet? Get One Today, Meet Willful. + Discount Code!

Do you have a will? No, of course, you don’t! Who thinks about that while you’re out living your best life? Hate to remind you but along with taxes, we can’t avoid death. You should have a will and you can get one with Willful in 20 min for less than $100 today. If you’re in a situation where you’re looking to contest a will, you might want to seek out will contest lawyers to help with this matter. This weekend my friends got hitched, Erin Bury married Kevin Oulds, the creator of Willful. I’ve knows this duo for 10 years and am not surprised that they had the most unique wedding guest gifts I’ve ever seen, they gave every one of their guest a will. Till Death Do Us Part, right? Kevin created Willful after dealing with a difficult family situation, something none of us wants to deal with. To be honest, I’ve learned anything from TV or The Young & The Restless, it’s really important to have a will. Do you have any idea what will happen if you don’t? Read this. If you’re common law, your partner gets nothing, the government will get involved in your finances, your family could have to vacate your family home, it’s not pretty. I saw first hand what can happen to families when certain aspects are unknown and what happens when there’s not a proper plan in place. I set out to make that experience easier to navigate and make it more affordable and accessible for people. Kevin Oulds, Willful Founder & CEO Their mission is to move estate planning from the back of your mind to the same spot as insurance, retirement, or financial planning. Stuff we might not want to think about and but get more intense the less attention you…

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LIFE THE FUTURE

Lift & Co. High Profile

Lift & Co. High Profile

Here’s an excerpt from my interview with Lift & Co about how I use cannabis in my life and why I decided to talk about it. Read the full interview here. There are some good interviews in this series including Mary Zilba from Housewives of Vancouver, B-Real from Cypress Hill, Comedian Donell Rawlings, and DJ Unimerce. With the legislation around the corner and heaps of cool cannabis events popping up, I’m ok coming out of the ‘cannabis closet’. I’ve talked to my parents about it, my mum thinks it cool and likes that I’m on the cusp of something new. I feel the same excitement and energy as when social media was just getting started. A lot of creativity is going into marketing, branding, and storytelling around cannabis. At this point, I feel if a brand doesn’t want to work with me because I use cannabis, that’s ok. My blog is called This Is My Life and this is my life! As a female entrepreneur, I feel like it’s a blessing that a new industry is opening up around something I’m passionate about and have experience in. If I can use my voice to help shed a positive light on an incredible and natural substance, why not?! After all medical cannabis has some amazing properties, from both active compounds – THC and CBD, THC being the psychoactive compound that results in the user feeling “high” or “stoned” whereas CBD (most commonly in the form of CBD Oil) owns the more medical properties, allowing the user to calm down, destress, cope with pain and much more, if you don’t fancy getting high, you could always see how CBD could help you, try looking into CBD sites like CBD Nationwide. You have to take a chance sometimes. When I started my blog,…

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Cannabis Toronto, ON

Influencers + Cannabis: What Are The Rules?

Influencers + Cannabis: What Are The Rules?

Last week I was a speaker at an exciting event hosted by Jones Media at 1 Bloor. We are T-16 days away from legalization and the world of cannabis marketing is something people have a lot of questions about. The worlds of cannabis and business like an online dispensary canada are really, truly beginning to collide. They are rapidly growing in popularity which is why the need for cannabis businesses is increasing! Anybody that is running or looking to run a cannabis business may want to think about hiring somebody like a cannabis consultant for their company to run smoothly and efficiently. Specifically, this talk was about cannabis + influencers and what is allowed within the rules of the new cannabis act. The panel featured Chris Nyberg, a lawyer who specializes in this area, Lorilynn McCorrister from Weed Box, and Jen Newton who does the High Tea podcast and comes from an agency/brand background. We talked about everything from how do you market in a space that’s so highly regulated, how to partner with a licenced producer, how to align with an influencer, and examples of creative marketing we’ve seen. On Going to the USA One of the topics we talked right off the bat was can you still go to the USA if you work in, invest in, or post about cannabis on your social accounts? Sorry to say, you can 100% get a lifetime ban if you do any of those things. Safe bet is to scrub your social accounts and make sure you don’t mention your connection to the wonderful world of flower if you don’t have to. On my last trip I remove Weed VR social accounts & email from my phone and didn’t take any business cards. I have cards Director cards from Occupied VR…

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Inspiration PAST/FUTURE

“Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”

“Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”

A lot of my experience comes from making mistakes, wrong decisions, with the wrong people. I’ve learned a lot of street smarts this way. A lot of my business smarts comes from school.  I was really into business as a youngster when I made gym bags and sold them to students in grade school. I went to college and university and have no doubt that those experiences gave me the skills I need to do great work. I’m not saying everyone has to go to post-secondary but there you learn a foundation to build on when you’re out in the field. When I  was a teenager, I started a publishing company with a friend, published a book, and was awarded Young Entrepreneur of the city. I’ve done a lot of things since then but what I learned from my business teachers in high school, college, and university is with me every day. When I won that award my high school got a donation to go towards computer equipment which was pretty cool given the internet was just getting started.  Yesterday I got an exciting email. I’ve been chosen as the Preston High School Hall of Fame inductee for 2018. Me! An old friend from dance, who’s a teacher there now, sent me the nicest email about my career and life since PHS. I’m kinda in shock! The PHS Hall of Fame recognizes and celebrates Preston graduates who have made a successful impact in our world and exemplify the spirit and ideals of the school. Well, lady, you have certainly grown yourself, your business, your brand, and your spirit into something really worth celebrating!  I’ve been asked to say a few words at the commencement ceremony next month. I’m excited to be recognized and am looking forward to sharing some words of wisdom with the graduating class. If…

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LIFE Toronto, ON

You Are My Sunshine, My Summertime, My Love

You Are My Sunshine, My Summertime, My Love

Hard to believe it’s already September! Where did the summer go? Remember back to March when we had the winter that felt like three years? It was so cold. We all rejoiced for those warm spring days and bright sunshine.  This summer was great and lucky for us it’s still feeling hot af outside so it’s not over just yet. There’s still a few weeks of warm days and cool nights. I love this weather. Enjoy these moments while we have them!  This week is TIFF and Toronto Fashion Week. I’ve got an appointment at Sassoon, I think it’s back to bleach blonde for me. After TIFF we’ll spend some time at the cottage. Hopefully Thanksgiving too. I’m booked for Cancun before October. Will be heading up to Blue Mountain, then Stratford, and Montreal in October.  Booked my ticket for New Orleans in November. It’s going to be the holidays before we know it! We were at Costco on Friday and they already have Christmas cards & decorations out.  I  took last week off from the blog to give myself some space and time. I’ve still been writing, I’ve got some fun stuff to share. The next few weeks are full of exciting events and great opportunities. I love documenting it all and sharing what I learn and experience with you. I’ve learned I need to give myself breaks to recharge my batteries. We are like a vessel and if we’re constantly putting energy out into the world and to other people, we need to do things that fill us back up so we don’t get depleted. For me, that’s taking cooking, reading, naps, snacks, and a good Netflix binge. This weekend I watched most of Sisters, an Aussie TV show on Netflix and there is a girl from New Zealand named Kasey. Ha! Sending you love from…

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LIFE Muskoka, ON

It Takes Practice.

It Takes Practice.

This weekend was super relaxing. Bed early on Friday, Saturday nap, made dinner & dessert, Sunday boating, blogging, reading. I love the weekend to slow down, talk less, sleep more, and take a break from email. I didn’t use to be so good at it, I had to work at relaxing, I couldn’t sit still. Last year I went to regular yoga at a studio. One of my fav parts about yogayoga was the practice, making time for it, laying on my mat, moving through the poses, sweating, meditating. Something I learned from my teacher, Sandy was ‘not reacting takes practice‘. And although she said it in the context of trying to stay still in savasana, I carried it with me right out the door and into my life. Not reacting takes practice. It took me a while to be able to lay there, still on the floor with my thoughts and not move when a bead of sweat dripped across my face. I’ve been doing yoga on our rooftop patio and it’s good but not that same as a quiet room and music lead by someones calming, familiar voice. [Studio is back open in January!] When I think back to Sandy saying ‘not reacting takes practice’ it’s so true if you apply that to stressful situations. Especially those where you could react with rage or anger, not reacting there is a real test of your patience and just how much practice you’ve had. My mum has a couple of good sayings like ‘water off a duck’s back‘ or ‘build a bridge and get over it‘. She always knows the right thing to say. 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…

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LIFE ON THE LINE

WordPress Finally has a New Editor: Meet Gutenberg

WordPress Finally has a New Editor: Meet Gutenberg

I’m writing this post using the new WordPress Editor, Gutenberg. It takes some getting used to and I had almost finished my post when I accidentally deleted it so now I am paying more attention. It allows you to add content blocks, ex. a paragraph of text, image, gallery, audio, subheading, columns (beta). It’s similar to how Medium works or LinkedIn work for posts.  It’s much easier to move parts of your post around without cut/paste. I think that columns is a neat idea. Wondering how I can use this in a creative way to tell a story. The new format is similar to medium or LinkedIn where you are working with content blocks you add to the post. They’re easily searchable and you can add favs to a quick menu. [Columns didn’t work for me they looked ugly, still in Beta so I’m sure will improve] One of the really great things is adding Twitter/Youtube/IG/FB embeds from the blocks. You can also easily add almost any kind of content. I’ve been using WordPress for years and I think this is a real step in the right direction. I wonder if they will add more photos editing options?! If you want to try the new Gutenberg editor you have to install and activate it as a Plugin while it’s still in Beta [dowload here]. WordPress dashboard has a welcome message for the latest update outlining some feature and benefits (I am using the fully hosted option not wordpress.com). I‘ve been thinking about editing my theme and might do that during my vacation next week. I’ve decided I like the new editor. Hello Gutenberg, my new friend that I will spend countless hours with. Drop cap is kinda nice. I feel like using the old editor will be like going back in time.…

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BLOG Vancouver, Canada

Building a Great Influencer Program

Building a Great Influencer Program

This summer I went to Vancouver to meet with the Canadian team of Telus Advocates. I’ve shared my love for Telus over the years but this experience was truly amazing. They flew in content creators from across the country to visit their Vancouver office, tour Telus Garden, create, eat, explore, and build relationships. I’ve worked with heaps of brands but I truly admire the influencer program Telus has built over the years. Ok yes, I am a little bias because I chatted with the team before they created the program and shared my likes, dislikes, and brand experiences. They have set the bar high for what it means to work with a telecom company or a big brand. The experience (as an influencer) is tailored to each person’s style of content and audience. This kind of influencer marketing service is bound to provide a great product for their clients too, as they clearly value quality and retention. In this post, I’m sharing a few of my tips for creating a great influencer program with Telus as my example. Build Relationships The thing about being an influencer is that you’re usually sharing your real life, so when you work with a brand, it means authentically integrating their content into your own experience. You have to get to know each other in order to learn what works and create opportunities that mutually benefit the relationship. It’s cool when you work well together and even cooler when it becomes a friendship. I’ve worked with Telus for about 8 years now and we’re colleagues but also friends. I can text with jokes, links, or that odd time on the weekend when I broke break my phone. (Sorry!) Since we’ve built a good working relationship, we all reach out whenever something cool comes up like…

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LIFE FEELS

Nervous/excited is my favourite feeling.

Nervous/excited is my favourite feeling.

When your heart is racing and you feel like maybe you had too much coffee. You might throw up. You can’t stop smiling. Your thoughts are going a mile a minute, circling round the details. You pace back and forth. You need water. You can’t sit still. You’re not sure if you’re nervous or excited but something is going on and you can’t wait. That’s how I feel today.  Tomorrow we go to Portugal with Aeroplan. It’s my first time going a Eurotrip! I’m packed and have taken care of all the details. Got travel insurance which is essential. Mailed details to family just in case. We’re on a self-guided tour of a few cities, hotels, Airbnbs, doing whatever we want for 12 days. The weather looks amazing. I have heaps of outfits, accessories, and shoes, neatly packed in my carry-on. I don’t know what I did before packing cubes came into my life (I have these from Amazon). Shared some packing tips a while back in this post. This weekend we were at the cottage the weather was warm and it was great to be out in the boat. In August we’re up for Sean’s birthday and staying for nearly 2 weeks. It’s my fav time of the year up there together. We have a few projects we want to do around the cottage. It’s great creative time with lots of relaxing. I love to get out in the kayak or my SUP board in the morning. I tell myself every year that I’m going to work on my book, maybe I will this time! I’m further than I was last yeat and I think this Portugal trip will give me the kickstart I need!  This weekend I tried the beyond Meat burger at A&W that’s made from plant protein and it…

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