Ever be working from home and then wondering you have been talking to your self out loud or just in your head? I’m on hold with the OCS and it’s been over an hour. I’m watching the Y&R, making soup from scratch. I wonder if they can hear me I should have been on mute lol.
I’m on mute now. Soup smells amazing,. I had a super day today. I feel like I can’t tell anyone but mum. It’s hard when you have exciting things that happen in your day and you want to just yell it out but you know it will seem a certain way so you keep quiet. The only person I usually tell is mum. Rung her 3x at work today and sent a text. I booked a speaking thing, an on-camera deal, a trip overseas, and a directing gig. We also had a great meeting for Occupied VR. This doesn’t happen every day but the great thing about working for yourself is celebrating when amazingthings do happen. Today specifically, celebrating looks a lot like cooking in my jogging pants, putting away laundry, and catching up on the show. Some days it’s wine in the afternoon! In between the great days, there are days I don’t want to do anything or I cry and can’t leave the house. Balance is key. I find yoga really helps. DYK Amazon Prime has yoga shows. I like Yoga For Everyone because it’s fast and they have level variations.
I am still on hold, it’s been so long now I feel like the music is part of my life soundtrack, I’m 10 years older. I hung up after 2.5 hours and sent a tweet. They are yet to respond. Apparently, they only have 5 people manning the phones. yes, 5 for an entire province of millions.
Last week Sassoon celebrated its 50th year in Toronto. Imagine how much the city has changed in that time!? Yorkville transformed from a small eclectic bohemian village to a leading luxury destination.
In celebration of Sassoon Toronto, I had a chat with Ian Wookey, son of Richard Wookey, the developer behind Yorkville who was friends with Vidal Sassoon and ultimately brought his salon to our city.
An Interview w/ Sassoon Toronto’s Ian Wookey
Richard Wookey is known as the grandfather of Yorkville and in the 1950’s bought a lot of property in the area. Hazelton Lanes wasn’t always the luxurious residences you see today, those buildings were rooming houses for hippies and motorcycle gangs, surrounded by coffee houses playing live music with the likes of Joni Mitchell. Ian Wookey tol me there were eclectic fashion shops, strip clubs, and paraphernalia stores. His father spent a lot of time in London, UK in the 60’s Beatles era where he met Vidal Sassoon. They partied together, took summer trips to the Mediterranean, and Wookey mentioned he was doing a big development in Toronto. This was around the same time Vidal Sassoon gave Mia Farrow the iconic pixie haircut. (Not far from mine today!) Wookey said ‘I can build you a salon in Toronto‘ and that was Vidal Sassoon’s first salon outside London, UK.
Mia Farrow & the iconic Sassoon haircut for Rosemary’s Baby
Vidal Sassoon arrived toCanada in 1968, opening his first and what would be the only (at the time) salon in the heart of Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. The 3 level salon was way ahead of its time and they hosted a huge opening party with all the local notables and coverage in the news. The rest Wookey said, is history.
Vidal Sassoon went on to be a huge trend-setting name internationally and was a 50% partner in Sassoon Toronto.
1970, The Halo
1970, The Havington
1976 Box Bob
The model for the salon has changed a little bit over the years where they now offer training and have apprentices that go through a long and rigorous process to learn the old-fashioned way. Stylists at Sassoon Toronto are highly regarded and often sent around the world for teaching. My colourist Kim is sent to the states on the regular.
I have been going to Sassoon Toronto for about two years now and I love how they cut and colour my hair. One fundamental aspect of Sassoon is understanding how a head is shaped and how to cut the hair according to how it grows. I love the clean lines and amazing short haircuts. I’ve had so many different ‘Sassoon Looks‘ over the years.
If you’re looking for a great cut/colour, friendly stylists, and acute attention to detail, I highly recommend Sassoon Toronto. I’m about due for a cut and will be heading there this week!
Congrats Sassoon Toronto on 50 years and here’s to 100 more!
On Friday my closest family members gathered at mum’s house (same house I great up in) to join me at my old high school in Cambridge to speak to the graduating class. I was indicated to the Hall of Fame, joining the ranks of some of Preston High School‘s most esteemed graduates. So cool! Two of my old classmates Scott Thorman (Atlanta Braves) and Nathan Brannen (3x Olympian) are also in the HOF and were in the same graduating class.
Nathan Brannen
Scott Thorman
Kelly Thorman, used to babysit me
It was so weird/cool bring back there. I think the last time I walked those halls it was my very own commencement. My sister reminded me that the kids graduating in 2018 were born the year I graduated. Omg wtf, where did the time go!
I remember being in high school and a teacher asking what I want to be when I grow up, I said “Casie Stewart” and they said ‘that’s not a job‘. Well, well there teacher dear, I am here to prove you wrong!
This is my fav photo from the night.
I spoke for about 5 minutes and then we went home and had Chinese food takeout. It was perfect. Lots of laughs. I was so grateful to have my parents, sister, fairy godmother, and the rest of the gang there.
We had our own section “RESERVED for Hall of Fame Family”. So cool!
3 Things for the Graduating Class
Don’t worry about what you want to be when you grow up.
You’re probably going to work in a job that doesn’t exist yet with technology that’s not invented yet.
Don’t stress.
Find what you love and GO FOR IT.
You have so many tools and talents at your fingertips, you can do anything.
Don’t wait, start today, do something every single day that brings you closer to your goal.
When I started my blog I would stay home and work on it every day, my friends made fun of me. I didn’t listen to them, I saw a new thing emerging and I needed to be part of it.
Life is about building relationships.
This is the most valuable piece of information I learned from a friend when I was about to graduate university in Australia.
The person beside you, behind you, your teacher, you never know when you might cross paths with them again so be kind and help people where you can.
This was in the programme.
My photo will be up in the hallway near the gym for the rest of time. Thank you PHS Faculty for picking me as the 2018 inductee. It’s an honour!
In November I’ll be back in the Tri-City area to receive an Alumni Award from Conestoga College and address the graduating class. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I would be experiencing this.
Goes to show, don’t listen to people who doubt you, follow your dreams, work hard, and you truly can do anything.
If you haven’t seen this yet on CTV, Global, or CP24, here it is! I was in Mexico earlier this month and I was a little hush hush about what I was doing there and now I can share, we were shooting a commercial for Sunwing Vacations! It’s part of their fall-winter 2018 Vacation Better campaign and the entire thing was shot on iPhones!
Watch Here
From finding the perfect couples getaway with the best on-site spas to booking the most Instagram worthy swim-out suites and everything in between, we want you to #VacationBetter this winter! Look for our tips all season long to help you make the most out of your next vacation! Watch on Facebook.
We stayed a new all-inclusive resort called Riu Dunamar, 30min from Cancun. Heaps of food variety, bars, pools, waterpark, spa, nightclub, shopping, minibar, and huge comfy beds. We were shooting most the time but I still carved out a bit of time to get a massage at the spa and read by the pool and with a piña colada. One thing I learned is to always bring a white outfit because white parties are totally a resort thing. I had nothing! On our last full day we went in on a catamaran cruise to Isla Mejures, a Mexican island in the Caribbean Sea about 13km from Cancun. It was beautiful.
I’m obsessed with these sunnies from Shade & Glory. My friend Mel who lives in California now started a sunnies company and sent me a couple pairs. Thank you!!! Check out other styles here and use code ‘shipit‘ for free Canadian shipping, USA shipping is free.
This week I am shooting a commercial with Spin Master for a new game. A couple friends are in it as well so it will surely be a hilarious day for behind the scenes.
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, social media wasn’t really invented yet. There was no advertising, scheduling for analytics programs. I was part of that early group of people in the social tech scene from 2008-2012 and it was so inspiring and exciting. We were doing something that people thought was super nerdy at the time but social media is everywhere now. If I hadn’t gotten into it back then I wouldn’t be where I am now. I’ve always been an early adopter and like to learn as I go. What a time to be alive.
I was feeling really distracted just and having a hard time focussing so I went outside for a little walk to get a coffee. A couple minutes later, Michelle rung and she was walking right towards me. What are the chances?! We had a little walk & talk, a few laughs, it was just the best thing! Amazing how a little bit of light from a sunshiney person can brighten your day!
Yesterday I stopped in to surprise mum on my way to Stratford. It was so great to see her face light up when I walked in.
Love you mum!
Taking a couple minutes out of your day to do something nice for someone else will instantly turn your day around.
Been a little bit busy the last couple weeks. I’ve been working behind the scenes on some political content leading up to the election. Definitely an eye-opener! I love learning new things and it’s great to see how it all works. The municipal election in Ontario us October 22nd. Are you registered to vote? Check your riding and candidates at elections..on.ca.
Tomorrow I’m heading home to Cambridge to make a speech at my high school and be inducted into the hall of fame. So exciting! Yesterday I was in Stratford and have some great photos and stories to share.
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 in case anyone asks what my job is.
On Working with Influencers
Another thing I feel is important to share about this new industry is influencer + brand partnerships. This isn’t like a consumer product, it’s much more individual to a person’s lifestyle and habits. Partnering with someone who has social influencer brings a whole new level to authenticity. How does this person use cannabis in their life? What is their history with the plant? Do they know about the vancouver dispensary no card options, or are they new to the scene? Are they willing to open up and talk about it? Does their lifestyle fit with the brand of the licenced producer? It’s not the same as working with something we might all use like coffee, clothing, or beauty products.
About the Legal Stuff
If you are an influencer, before you work with a LP or cannabis wellness company, make sure they are legal to sell their products in your state/province. Another thing to note is it is ok to write about cannabis from an educational point of view but not recreational. You are responsible for your content so if you’re not sure, ask the client or talk to a cannabis lawyer. If you need one, lmk.
Your Social Media Accounts
According to all the social platforms, posting about cannabis *could* be seen as promoting drug use and you risk getting your accounts shut down. As you have probably seen, there are heaps of cannabis-related accounts on social media. Chris aka ‘the fun police’ recommended use discretion and try to be creative, photos of you holding a big bud and smoking joints might not go over that well but an artful post about the lifestyle should be a-ok. Websites similar to www.saveoncannabis.com understand how to do this fantastically and also provide useful products and information.
If you have questions about this topic, I’ve been doing a lot of research and although I’m not a lawyer, I’d be happy to share what I’ve learned.
On Wednesday this week I’m speaking on a panel about breaking down the stigma attached to cannabis. I’ll share details soon. If you are interested in attending, LMK!
Hello and good morning! I’m feeling good vibes today despite not feeling great the last couple days. Spent the last 24hrs inside the house with Sean doing next to nothing but watching Netflix and taking naps. I feel recharged! Watched a good movie called The Angel, a few more eps of Maniac, and a full season of how to Live Mortgage Free (which really got us thinking!).
The past 2 months have been kind of intense. I went on to Portugal and Mexico, had TIFF and Fashion Week, all on top of my regularly scheduled work. I still have heaps to write about. I know from the outside it all seems like fun and vacation but let me tell you, there is a LOT of behind the scenes things you don’t see. Being on all the time is exhausting.
The start of a new month brings renewal and I am excited. We have 3 months left in the year and before we know it, it’ll be 2019! What’s your 2020 vision?
This week I’m speaking at an event on Wednesday and a TV commercial I’m comes out in a few days. Sean and will be spending the weekend at the cottage and most likely repeating our tradition of Swiss Chalet on Saturday and then hibernating till Tuesday.
I’m working out of the office all week and not doing many events so I can focus on getting into a routine. I’ve booked a few sessions with my trainer and evening yoga. Last week I made it to 2 yoga classes which is more than I’ve done in ages.
Today is a great day to make a change in your life. Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Your life is your movie, you’re the director, it can be any kind of movie you like! Make it happen.
Earlier this year I was in Vancouver for a city planning conference and stayed an extra day to pop by the Telus office and have lunch with a friend. I’ve been working with Telus since my days at Much/MTV Canada, about 8 years ago. I’ve had the opportunity to do some really neat stuff like volunteering, videos, city adventures, and making friends.
A couple years ago I helped them with some ideas to create their influencer program and it’s really grown into something awesome. Next month, they’re taking the ENTIRE GROUP of Canadian influencers (including me!) to their HQ in Vancouver.
Fuel for the day
Conference morning
Hotel Carpet
Vancouver Airbnb
Telus Garden
I was really stoked to visit this building. I remember when it started in 2012 and was opened in 2016. The Telus Garden building takes up an entire city block downtown Vancouver, totalling 1M sq ft. It has amazing energy saving features, a fantastic garden, and has won a bunch of awards for the design and sustainability. Unfortunately, I was there in winter so I didn’t get to see the outside areas, it snowed!
[symple_testimonial by=”” fade_in=”false”]“TELUS Garden is Canada’s most beautiful and ambitious LEED Platinum building, and one of the most environmentally-friendly developments in North America,” Darren Entwistle, TELUS President and CEO[/symple_testimonial]
Telus Innovation Centre
I met up with Ana from Telus (check out her IG @msanadouglas) and she took us up to the Innovation Centre where. I was amazed to see a beautiful bright space filled with technology.
One of the coolest features were the doors. Telus has created a set of doors that have screens instead of windows. Hello, why didn’t I think of that!? They’re the only 4 doors like this IN THE WORLD and they’re right here at Telus in Vancouver. A couple of them have cameras where you can host meetings and have the person you are talking with will show up on the screen. Other ones have touchscreen and heat sensors, so they can tell when there’s a person standing in front of them. This blew my mind. Imagine the possibilities? Our guide said they were originally developed for hospitals (Telus Health does heaps in healthcare, telushealth.co).
The space has a number of workstations, fully equipped with pop-up monitors for video conferencing. They pop up OUT of the tables! The card with wifi details doubles as seeds you can plant later at home. As a lifelong lover of tech, this was like being a kid in a candy store!
3D Printing
VR
Seed Paper
Video Conferencing
They also have a 3D printer where they create and test out innovative ways to make our lives easier. For example, this small purple object made with PLA plastic could never be made by hand but it is 3D printed in a way that makes it unique and super strong, you can stand on it without it breaking. It can hold up to 300lbs!
I was really impressed to check out the mock apartment they have to test smart home technology. I’m not just talking a couple smart lights, they’ve got smart home everything. It’s not just the appliances and light bulbs, there’s a laser that reads prescriptions in your cupboard, smart pillows, smart bed. It was like living in the future and tbh, I’m totally into it.
Everything here is smart even the bed, pillows, lamps.
Smartest kitchen I’ve witnessed.
I can’t wait to be back on the West Coast with the #TeamTelus crew. There’s some really rad people on the team, a few I’ve known for years and some I’ve never met. I’ll be documenting as I go next week and fill you in on the details.
Good morning and happy Monday! Spent the weekend at the cottage wearing sweatpants and a hoodie, cooking, reading, and relaxing. The cool Autumn air is a nice change from hot summer. We made a fire at night but it was still warm enough in the day to take Sean out wakeboarding.
The thing I love about Monday is not knowing what the week will bring aside from the things already in my calendar. I’m looking forward to being back to the office after a whirlwind month with Toronto Fashion Week, TIFF, and a trip to Mexico.
A couple weeks ago I sat down at a cafe near our place for a chat with Kate Robinson for Lift & Co. Magazine. We were discussing coming out the ‘cannabis closet’ and my story. Read my story on Lift & Cohere or click on the image below!
This week I’m moderating a panel for influencers and agency people about working together in the new cannabis industry. The panel will feature a few experts and you’ll learn creative ways to partner with brands, produce content, and work within the regulations. Before you shop marijuana seeds online in the hope that you can start your own marijuana operation, it may be worth finding out more about the regulations involved with the ever-growing industry. Once you’ve done that, then it’s probably smart to start researching different strains that you might want to grow, such as this gdp strain from Royalseedbank. For some people, there is no fun in growing it and they simply want to enjoy the end product. If you would prefer to purchase weed rather then grow it yourself you could easily use something like weed online ontario to sort yourself out. Just make sure that it is legal first where you live.
A panel discussion with Cannabis experts, covering influencer marketing and what to expect within a highly regulated cannabis landscape. We’re talking about how influencers can partner with Cannabis brands while being cautious of Bill-45 and the impact it may have. With the legalization of Cannabis in Canada, how will marketers and brands be able to work with Influencers?
Semi-permanent tattoos provided by Inkbox. Beer provided by Lost Craft. Munchies will be provided.
Who is Biome Grow and What a Good Business Plan Means to Cannabis Investors
Earlier this year a Canadian Licenced Producer acquired Weed VR, a company started by the team at Occupied VR (Sean’s company). This article has some great info about the current CEO and what Biome Grow Inc. is bringing to the growing cannabis retail industry.
There are some high profile board members behind the team at Biome including Steven Poirier, former president of Moosehead Beer, and George Smitherman, former Health Minister for Ontario. The article mentions Biome plans to go ‘public on the Canadian Securities Exchange soon through a reverse merger with a company called Orca Touchscreen Technologies Ltd. (CSE:OAA).’
Exciting times ahead, stay tuned for what’s next!
“Biome already has a license to grow with more to come, the production capacity, the technology and most of all, a solid business plan. Does this mean Biome will be the next major player in Canada’s marijuana industry? I don’t know, but from an analyst’s perspective there are not many missing variables.”
Sean took these of me when we were walking over to the MOCA Grand Opening on Friday. The mural is right by our house. Love having this great new gallery in the neighbourhood, the area is changing in so many beautiful ways. Go visit MOCA then stop by the Drake Commissary or Henderson Brewing. So fun!
