YBB Connect 11/5/18 YBB Connect 11/5/18

MAD LOVE MONDAY - Nicole Broadhurst |The Lust Project

Officially, I am a Registered Acupuncturist and Traditional Chinese Medical Doctor, specializing in sexual and reproductive health. Unofficially, I sit with people and try to sort through the messiness, and intricacies, of being human haha. I guess you could say I’ve always been drawn to human sexuality and sexual health, I noticed very early on how crucial our sexuality is and how much it contributes to our over health and well-being. Just like our Mental Health is an important focus and can tell you a lot about what is going on for a person, the same applies to how we go about our sexual health and how we view it.

I have always been fascinated with entrepreneurship and the business side of things. I was that typical kid that never liked being told what to do and had to figure it out myself (sorry Mom lol). I think as human beings we crave creation and creating things in our life and my job just so happened to be something that I wanted to create for myself.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: “Expansion is NOT linear”. I constantly have to remind myself of this quote, along with many of my clients. When it comes to growth and creating, (a business / family / art etc) the process has a natural expansion and contraction to it. Sometimes it feels like you’re killing it and others it feels like you’re taking two steps back but in the bigger picture you’re growing.

In order to grow, I definitely set a lot of goals for myself. Goal Setter! (for all my Lululemon crew out there haha). A big one I’m in the middle of is launching a project that I have been working on for a very long time. It’s my Soul Project and it involves a lot of beautiful people so there is a lot at stake. With launching it, I want it to have a global impact in the realm of Sexuality. How people view it, what they know about it (for themselves and sexuality as whole) and how it is spoken about. Who knows, after that maybe books, talk shows, speaking engagements, workshops. sky’s the limit ! =)

That’s what I love about being an entrepreneur, there is really no limit to what you can create. I love that I am really in control of what I get out of my business. I have no one else to blame if things go wrong, but that means I am always the solution as well. It can be scary but so empowering and rewarding.

Although it is rewarding, there were SO many times I wanted to give up! Haha, ALL THE TIME. In school there was more times than I could count and when I first started practicing, I questioned myself constantly. I haven’t had that feeling in a while though. It gets hard and some of the remedial tasks are daunting but the pay off far outweighs that.

The only way I got through it, honestly, was to keep going. There was no other option than to keep going. I also recognized early on (thanks to my development training that I got a chance to have while working at Lululemon for years) that I had this story about me not finishing things. Once I recognized that, I was able to see when I was wanting to quit because I was scared. I had to experience what it was like to go through something difficult and get through it. I had to see the other side. Everything you desire is on the other side of that discomfort you experience.

If I never kept going I wouldn’t have the cool, boss babe moments that I have. Like when I got my first full week of bookings and I started a waitlist for clients to get in to see me. As a practitioner that is a huge feat, and something that a lot of us strive for. I achieved that relatively early on after school and that was very rewarding for me.

As a practitioner, getting your name out there is an important focus and my website has been a great way to do that. Just like Instagram, it’s great because it gives me an opportunity to give information, resources for people, advertise, and educate. . It’s a fascinating little business tool.

With being in the health and wellness industry we talk a lot about “work-life Balance” and I have a slightly controversial view on it. I think the concept is talked about a lot but not really understood. I also think in this day in age we glamorize being “busy” (or “grinding” haha). With being an entrepreneur a lot of my “down time” is spent on developing myself and my business. To be honest, if I didn’t do that I wouldn’t be able to grow the way I have and at the speed that I have. It takes a lot of work to develop a business and a brand and that’s not always balanced. I am just now at a point where I can begin to adjust my schedule to something more centred around myself and take my personal time into account. If I demanded that straight out the gate, I would not be where I am. A lot of practitioners come straight out of school and have a sense of entitlement - they think they should get paid a top wage, have a clinic give them clients, all the while working 3-4 days a week with hours that work for them. Balance is not a perfect straight line, it is crooked and in the bigger picture it ends up being balanced. Sometimes you have to sacrifice areas of comfort in order to accomplish something bigger than you imagined you could. With that being said, I’ve noticed the importance of self awareness, if I know my patterns that show up when I am under higher levels of stress then I know I need to balance it out with things that fulfill me (ie: gym, time with family/partner, mindless television, nature, journalling, budgeting, creating etc).

I’m really excited to learn from and see what other YEG Boss Babes are up to and see their growth. I want to see how women view themselves in roles that would typically be male dominated. I think women have a vast array of qualities and seeing how they apply those to success in business is so cool to me. If one of us wins, we all win.

Find Nicole on Instagram or on her website.

YBB Connect 10/29/18 YBB Connect 10/29/18

MAD LOVE MONDAY - Chantelle Beasley | Aradia Fitness

My name is Chantelle Beasley, and I am the owner and operator of Aradia Fitness. We have six studios, and four locations including Whyte Avenue, Kingsway, Sherwood Park, and St. Albert.

Chantelle was nominated for a MAD LOVE MONDAY by her assistant Ashley Moorji from Aradia Fitness! Below is what she shared with us about Chantelle!

"She owns 4 different Aradia Fitness locations (Kingsway, Whyte Ave, Sherwood Park and St.Albert).

She decided to take on Aradia fitness when she was just 19 years old & has since built the largest pole dancing business in Edmonton! She works so hard every day to ensure that not only her business is running smooth, but that her staff and customers are treated fairly & are happy. While building up her pole dancing empire she also had a daughter & finished her social work diploma through Grant Macewan. AND to top it all off she started a charity (

A Radiant Goddess

) for young girls. I have been working for her for nearly 4 years and have NEVER been so inspired or motivated by anyone than I have

Chantelle!

I would love for her to be featured. She truly deserves all the praise she can get! <3"

Hey! Thanks for reading!

My name is Chantelle Beasley, and I am the owner and operator of Aradia Fitness. We have six studios, and four locations including Whyte Avenue, Kingsway, Sherwood Park, and St. Albert. We primarily specialize in pole fitness and aerial arts, but we also include fun alternative fitness classes such as hip hop, belly dancing, aerial yoga, dancing in heels, twerk, strength/flexibility, and so much more!

Growing up, people knew me as the unathletic slug that avoided gym class at all costs. (We’re talking, I would only show up to class to get signed off for attendance, and then I would sneak away to sleep in the gym locker room). I absolutely despised physical activity. Often, I would find myself going to the gym because I felt like I had to, or because I was trying to burn off as many calories as what I had for supper that evening. I hated it – it became about obsession in regard to what my body looked like, and it didn’t help me appreciate my body for what it was.

I was about 17 years old when I saw MTV Canada interviewing a pole dancing studio in Toronto. I was glued to this interview, and I couldn’t help but think “What!?! You can take pole dancing classes? It’s a form of fitness? This looks like something I actually wouldn’t hate!”

And as soon as I turned 18, I signed up for my first class at Aradia Fitness. I was a nursing student at the time, and I convinced one of my classmates to join me. VERY long story short, I became instantly hooked. (Yes, my first few classes were awkward as heck, and I felt like I was in the wrong place the entire time, but once I got past that feeling and realized everyone was in the same boat as I, it was incredible).

And for the first time in my life, I finally stopped counting my calories. I began setting goals in pole fitness as to what tricks I wanted to attain, not how much weight I wanted to lose. I would look at girls in higher levels, and think “WOW, if I could EVER do that, I would be so proud of myself.” And with practice and work, I did learn to do those things, and through it all, I learned to become proud of my body for the incredible things that it can do, as opposed to just how it looked.

So at the age of 19, my dad who owns his own business as well, also owned some commercial property in Sherwood Park. He had a vacant mezzanine, and he would constantly suggest “we should open up some kind of a business up there.” With my new passion, I suggested that pole fitness would be a great fit in the community – and he agreed to let me put a studio up there! And that was it – from there I took over the original Edmonton studios two years later, and opened up our fourth location in St. Albert almost three years ago now.

Without realizing it, I think my lifes’ motto is “just do the things.”

I take a lot of risks – and I admit that I haven’t been very cautious about my business decisions. If something sounds like a fun challenge, I hardly think twice about it, and honestly just go for it. Sometimes I have absolutely NO idea as to how these “opportunities” are going to play out, how I’m going to even afford them, or if it will work – but I do them anyways. I only think about the possible positive outcomes of those adventures, and even if failure does happen, which it WILL, I think about what I will learn from it, and how it will help me grow as a leader and entrepreneur.

I just feel that if we only have one life to live – what are we doing to live it to the fullest? Being an entrepreneur, and owning Aradia has helped me live my passions out to their fullest.

I am always setting goals. I have daily goals, weekly goals, monthly, yearly, and even 5 year plans in place. They definitely change all the time, my 5 year plan today could be different tomorrow, and that’s okay!

Did I ever have a time where I wanted to give up? I’d say I contemplate giving up more often than I don’t. Being an entrepreneur will never, ever be easy. My biggest struggle is that I’m a huge people pleaser. If somebody is unhappy with something, I take it very personally, and lose sleep over it until it’s “resolved” or made better. As you can imagine, having a clientele of 500 students, and 50 instructors – it’s next to impossible to please everyone – but they keep me on top of my game, even when it’s hard! My business is my baby, it is an extension of myself, so I feel that when somebody is unhappy with my product, they are in return unhappy with me. I try and use this as a positive for my business, because I truly want my customer experience to be incredible!

The reason at the end of the day as to why I’ve never given up, is because I believe in what I do – SO strongly. Getting the e-mails, receiving the feedback, and hearing about how pole fitness has changed somebody’s life… there’s no greater feeling, there’s no greater reward.

None of this could be done without my incredible team. They are the face of Aradia. I can sit behind my computer and make business decisions, but without my team to carry forth safe training, a body positive attitude, and a want to build community – Aradia is nothing without them.

As a YEGBOSSBABE, I want to connect with other YEGBOSSBABES in order to find a means of support. Admittedly, when I am going through my business lows, I struggle emotionally. As much as my husband lends an ear for support, he does not quite understand the struggle of a business owner. Additionally, I can not put the stress of my woes on to my team – it would be incredible to find a support system from other YEGBOSSBABES who can relate and connect by supporting each other through the difficult entrepreneurial times!

YBB Connect 10/22/18 YBB Connect 10/22/18

MAD LOVE MONDAY - Jocelyn Davison | The Virtual Effect

Jocelyn Davison was nominated by us here at YEGBOSSBABES and Danielle Dugan of Etched in Marketing. As a valuable member of our Ambassador Program here at YEGBOSSBABES, we are proud to be featuring this talented entrepreneur. Here is what Danielle shared with us about Jocelyn: "[Jocelyn] is one of the most positive, encouraging, and supportive people I have ever met. In the just under a year that I've known her, she has not built up her business (which she's been hustling hard on), she has worked to help build connections and a community among Edmonton female entrepreneurs. I feel like she always has something new and exciting going on but never brags about it (although she should since it's all due to her skill and hard work) and instead is always asking about and building up those around her. Basically, Jocelyn is amazing!"

What a difference a year makes. I look back at myself last year at this time when I was at my lowest point, and I don’t recognize myself. I loved my comfort zone and loved it for far too long. Loved it to the point that in my late thirties, which I know is still young….right?? I was simply going through the motions of daily life and not really challenging myself in any way or seeking new and heightened levels of enjoyment. Before recognizing this everything was flowing smoothly, as it should when you are operating within your perfectly controlled comfort zone, but then something shifted or changed or maybe I just woke up and realized I wanted, and was capable, of so much more. I was living below my potential, which at the end of the day or the end of one's life, is a heartbreaking realization to come to, at least mine came to me while I still had plenty of time to change it.

Want to know the funny thing, I thought everything was flowing smoothly as I said above, but it wasn’t, my life was falling apart around me and I was a shell of who I used to be. So in retrospect, nothing was flowing smoothly and I will forever be grateful for the wake up, shake up, and true path I fought with all my heart to walk.

Starting my own business, doing what I love, has opened my eyes and my heart to be my true self and to show up for the world and everyone in my life in a much bigger capacity than I ever thought possible.

My business, my professional heart and soul, The Virtual Effect, at the surface provides event planning and branding services to businesses. But it goes so much deeper than that. I connect with brave souls who have taken the leap to pursue their passion, who have been inspired to achieve more in this world, give back to our community, and make an impact and a difference with every client they touch. I get to hear and understand the stories behind many incredible businesses and then create an experience for their market, whether through events or brand development, to enable them to communicate their business soul in a real and authentic way.

The Edmonton entrepreneur scene is one of support, collaboration, inspiration, and drive. I feel so fortunate to be a part of it and share in the experiences of those living in their truth and pursuing what they love. I promise you when I say there has not been a day that has passed since I left my job and went full-time into my business that I have not expressed gratitude for this experience I am having. I get to curate beautiful experiences by weaving a brand’s story into events so that is a seamless journey for the guest. I get to dive to the depths of businesses to create a foundation for brands to be effectively and authentically communicated. I get to work with people who fill my cup and inspire me in all that I do.

I am no longer the person who wishes for change or opportunities, I am the person who creates them. Beautiful communities like the one created by YEGBOSSBABES have been an absolute gift and spark for me in my journey. Connecting with women who think like you do, who operate on the same vibration, and who truly want to celebrate in your successes and hold you up through your challenges are the solid foundation we all need to achieve all that we are capable of and more. For those I have yet to meet, I can’t wait, and YEGBOSSBABES, thank you for creating this community!

Take it from the former Queen of Comfort Zones, that while safe, nothing happens there. So whether it's a baby step outside it or a massive leap of faith, make the decision to try and see what happens, because I believe you will find out that you are capable of so much more.

-Jocelyn Davison

See more of Jocelyn and the Viritual Effect on Instagram or say Hi to her at upcoming events!

Learn more on how you can get involved by becoming a YBB Volunteer or Ambassador by sending us an email (yegbossbabes@gmail.com)