Ginella’s candid account left us empowered to take the next step in our own career advancement, and perhaps more importantly, challenged us to consider how we can all contribute to creating a more inclusive workforce around us.

What we learned:

• “Some of us sometimes have to work twice as hard to get half the recognition, and that was never truer than when I entered a field with a big emphasis on how a reporter looks.” Ginella wasn’t willing to change the way she looked and instead focused on honing her journalism skills. She never wanted give a manager a reason not to hire her.
• Ginella learned that hard work would only get her so far and that persistence, resourcefulness and having guts was more important.
  •  Over two years she applied for the same job three times. The first time, her prospective employer said she didn’t have enough shooting experience. The second time, they said they decided to hire someone internally. The third time, they finally gave her a chance.
  • Being resourceful is critical to getting ahead – when you can’t access traditional networks, it’s important to find a way to build your own.
  •  Have the guts to take chances – even if it means quitting the safe job with little room for advancement so you can take a leap of faith and go after the one you really want. No risk, no reward!
• Ginella’s last bit of advice for us: “Look at what voices are missing, who isn’t being represented here because even if we realize it or not, we all have a bit of privilege. It may come in the form of class, education, maybe it comes from being straight or able bodied, so what can we do with that little bit of privilege to open the door and give a hand up those that are underrepresented in the spaces that we easily take up. Representation matters because every single person matters. We can all do our part by creating space for those who have had a different experience than us, raise them up, include them in the conversation, ask them what is important because their options or experience aren’t any less valuable than ours. And for those of you who often don’t get a seat at the table, do as my mother did, don’t ask, pull up a chair, and demand to be heard.”

Congratulations to Saif Iqbal!  Concluding the evening events, we announced the winner of our VIP Membership Experience Giveaway. Thanks to the generous contributions from our sponsors, Saif has access to a spot in the short-format executive education program offered by the Smith School of Business, a spa basket courtesy of Captivate, a Kobo and $100 gift card from TD Wealth and back-up child care from Kids & Company.

Photography by Clix Visions Photography

What we learned:

• Catherine’s early career in Television: Catherine never really identified with the roles she was going after, and once her first child was born she became worried about losing herself, and the things that made her special.  After encouragement from her husband she wrote down her feelings and Workin’ Moms was created.
• The most important thing to Catherine when she created Workin’ Moms was that the characters be authentic, three dimensional women over 30.
• What is the best thing that can happen when talking about the struggles of being a mother?“The more we talk about it, the more we promote this conversation as common, which it is. There will be better structures in place and a better understanding so that it is not seen as a stigma, it won’t be something that’s wrong with us, it’ll become an asset that makes our work richer and more sophisticated.”
• How important was it to have diversity represented in the cast? Since there is no other show on television like Workin’ Moms, it was important to be diverse so that viewers could identify with the characters.
• The biggest lesson Catherine learned was how important it is to forgive yourself. The moment that you can begin to forgive yourself for feeling guilty about working long hours is the moment you maintain a healthy identity for yourself.

Congratulations to Rachel Gervais!  Concluding the evening events, we announced the winner of our VIP Membership Experience Giveaway. Thanks to the generous contributions from our sponsors, Rachel has access to a spot in the short-format executive education program offered by the Smith School of Business, a spa basket courtesy of Captivate, a full wardrobe makeover from Handled and back-up child care from Kids & Company.

Photography by Clix Visions Photography

What we learned:

• What did Indira learn from talking to students her first day as President? “Leadership does not stamp you with any recognizable mark, it is a journey and you have to learn it over time.”
• What does Indira have to say about passion? “Being passionate about something is not a gift you should ignore; on the contrary it is worth nurturing even if you feel the odds might be against you. And when you encounter road blocks it will be your passion that carries you through and will enable you to lead and take others with you.”
• How does she manage the work life balance? “It can’t be balanced, it is a juggle… balance is a myth” Indira goes on to say, “manage your energy, juggle your tasks, use disposable income to hire help and delegate, delegate, delegate.”

Congratulations to Karen Taguchi from Telus concluding the evening events, we announced the winner of our VIP Membership Experience Giveaway. Thanks to the generous contributions from our sponsors, Karen has access to a spot at the short-format executive education programs offered by the Smith School of Business as well as $350 childcare certificate from Kids and Co. as well as a spa package from Captivate.

Photography by Mike Bailey Photography