Say Yes to You

Over the past 2 years, I’ve been on a mission to be healthier, both mentally & physically. Ever since I took that solo trip to LA I’ve been paying more attention to my body and taking more time for myself. My next quest is to learn about gut health.  Did you know that your overall well-being, including your weight and immunity, may be tied to your gastrointestinal health? In the summer I went to a workshop hosted by  Koena, an over-the-counter probiotic supplement to promote gastrointestinal health. This was my first introduction to gut health and got me thinking about my family.  Last month I went to another workshop focussing on food sensitivity, leaky gut, and overall gut health. I’m learning but there’s so much to know.  A key takeaway is you really are what you eat and your gut is connected to your brain which is connected to everything else.  What are Probiotics? Probiotics are  “friendly” bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal track and help maintain and protect gastrointestinal health.  This week I’m starting with Koena Probiotic Supplement for adults.  Their products have no GMOs, are vegan, gluten free, preservative free, with no dyes or artificial flavours. The adult formula has a blend of probiotics and a prebiotic (fibers). Koena’s also offers certain blends for women and children’s individual needs. Their products are crafted from natural medicinal ingredients to promote healthy gut flora.  Our intestines are populated by a large number of various bacterial strains: a well-balanced and rich intestinal flora, also called the microbiota, is able to protect us from many disorders. Its activity helps with everything from digesting food, to fighting infections and protecting the body from toxins. If you have any tips for gut health (or remembering to take your vitamins) I’m all ears!  I’ll be sharing an update in a few weeks on how I’m feeling and my recommendations on probiotics.…

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Sassoon Toronto Celebrates 50 Years in Yorkville

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. Vidal Sassoon arrived to Canada 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.   The model for the salon has changed a little bit over the years…

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Follow the Pot of Gold ?⚱️?

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. Scroll down for details about a panel I’m moderating Wednesday on influencers + cannabis, an interview I did for Lift & Co. Magazine, and a great feature on Biome Grow, the company that acquired Weed VR. High Profile w/ Lift & Co. 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 & Co here or click on the image below! Cannabis in An Influencer Age 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…

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New Zealand: Aeroplan + Moments Worth Millions

What would you do with a Million Miles? Where would you go? I visited New Zealand and Portugal #withAeroplan this year and if I had a million miles I’d be off to India, South Africa, and Japan. I’m so inspired by adventure! Travelling is the best way to enrich your soul, feed your curiosity, and expand your mind. Portugal #withAeroplan  Aeroplan is back this summer with their incredibly cool contest, Moments Worth Millions. They’re giving away 5 Million Miles over the course of 5 weeks where 5 winners will each win 1 million miles. Think of the possibilities? 5 weeks. 5 winners. 5 million miles. Do you know how many trips you can take with a million miles? You can take 20 friends to Hawaii in economy or a handful of besties in business. You can take 40 trips from Toronto to LA or take someone you love on a first class trip around the world.  To enter the contest, follow @Aeroplan and share your favourite travel memory and tag #withAeroplan. Last summer I wrote about the Million Miles contest and how I was planning to use my miles to visit family in New Zealand. Little did I know I’d be heading there so soon with mum over the holidays. That trip created so many memories and was really special for mum and I.  Road trip sing-alongs in the car while driving the other side of the road, exploring the North Island, Eketahuna, Taupo, Dessert Road, visiting family, friends, and spending our last moments with Nana. It was an experience that enriched my life in so many ways my heart swells with love thinking about it.  If you win the contest and need a great travel buddy. I’m always here haha. Love you!  buy Cialis Soft

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Why Do We Keep So many Things? Clean it out.

If you’re looking for some motivation, start with clutter around your bedroom, house, kitchen, and clean it out this weekend. You’ll feel heaps better! 

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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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