YBB Connect 4/23/18 YBB Connect 4/23/18

MAD LOVE MONDAY - Jamie Bay | Momentum Walk-In Counselling

Jamie works as a Manager of Cause Marketing & Social Impact at ATB. As part of her role, she has the opportunity of leading philanthropic storytelling

MEET JAMIE!

Jamie works as a Manager of Cause Marketing & Social Impact at ATB. As part of her role, she has the opportunity of leading philanthropic storytelling and working towards ATB’s goal of being loved and respected by all Albertans. In addition to this role, Jamie is the Board Chairman for Momentum Walk-In Counselling and is also co-chairing Edmonton (and Momentum’s) very first Mental Health Awards. She also volunteers as a content writer for the Ad Club of Edmonton and as a mentor with the IABC mentorship program. Helping young marketing and communications professionals is very important to her, as she understands the difficulties of having your voice heard and skills acknowledged at a young age.

Favorite spot to work ‘off-site’ in Edmonton?

Woodrack Cafe & the Nook Cafe. I love the decor and vibes in both!

What is your role at ATB and why did you choose that career path?

As a Cause-Marketing and Social Impact Manager for ATB, I have the opportunity of making lasting change by lending a voice to our community. It’s incredibly rewarding. I love being able to use my skills as a marketer to strive towards ATB’s mandate of creating happiness in the lives of others. Some ‘hats’ I wear include managing two of our company-wide corporate social responsibility programs, maintaining relationships with our non-profit partners, event planning, leading our external diversity and inclusion initiatives, and spearheading cause-marketing campaigns alongside our talented internal ad agency. I love that no day is ever the same, and that I get to utilize my creativity while doing something I find meaningful.

Most challenging part of your position?

Always stepping out of the box, and finding innovative ways to share our stories. I think technology, the way we do business, and the ways people prefer to receive information is rapidly changing, so it’s always important to take time for research and finding new ways to stand out and be bold. I think it’s easy to get caught up in day to day tasks, but so important to always revert back to the bigger picture of what you’re trying to achieve. If you’re not getting your message out properly, the day to day tasks are essentially meaningless. For me, my biggest challenge is continually reminding myself to step back and ensure I’m taking those proper steps and tactics to ensure success.

Favorite app/blog/book

Books have always been my go-to (especially self-help books!). It’s not that all these books have new ideas or provide me with some sort of revelation, but every time I pick a new one up, I become eager and motivated by the words I read, and usually begin to improve my well being in some way. Some of my favorite authors include Brene Brown, Gretchen Rubin, Robin Sharma, and Arianna Huffington. Thrive by Arianna Huffington is probably my top pick!

Tell us more about your role with Momentum, and Edmonton’s first mental health awards?

I’ve recently taken on the role of Chairman of the Board for Momentum and am also managing Edmonton (and Momentum’s) very first Mental Health Awards. Momentum is an amazing non-profit in Edmonton that works to break the barriers surrounding the traditional health care system by offering immediate walk-in counselling at a price people can afford. No long wait times, and no outrageous prices. It’s something I’m truly passionate about as I feel everyone should receive affordable and immediate care for their mental health.

The goal of our first mental health awards are to recognize local change-makers who are making a difference for our city’s mental health community. We want to celebrate how far we’ve come, and recognize these incredible leaders and organizations who are creating lasting change.

What inspired your involvement with Momentum and co-leading Edmonton’s first mental health awards?

For me, I wanted to use my skills to support a cause that’s deeply rooted in who I am, as someone who struggles with anxiety. It’s something that not a lot of people know about me. I think the moment I started wanting to ‘destroy’ this reputation I had, so to speak, was when I was told by a couple of people that I seemed so put together, and had everything figured out. I remember thinking how boring and fake that was. No one has it all figured out, and everyone is struggling with something. Everyone. So behind all of my filtered Instagram photos, I began sharing with more people about my struggles with anxiety. And without fail, every time I allow myself to be vulnerable enough to share these struggles, people open up to me about their own battles with mental health. People I would have never known are struggling.

That’s why I believe in the importance of pushing myself to step out of my comfort zone, break my reputation of seeming ‘put together’, and share my journey with others. After all, that connectedness to one another is part of being a human - it’s so amazing to know that we are all more similar than different. One of my favorite quotes that I read a while ago in Sophia Amoruso’s book, #Girlboss, is “I want to be as vulnerable and raw as possible, so others feel less alone.” Such powerful words to live by.

Words of advice for fellow YEG Bosses?

Always continue to run from comfort. The times when I’ve felt most out of my comfort zone are the times I’m most proud of in my life. Volunteer for a cause that you’re passionate about (even if you don’t see an opportunity - just ask for one! Lot’s of non-profits are always looking for pro-bono help.). Figure out what fuels your passion, and jump in with both feet. Go for a coffee with a YEG boss babe you admire. Ask that boss babe to hook you up for coffee with another YEG boss babe (side note - this is one of my favorite things to do. Going for coffee is my favorite thing to do with women I find inspiring. It keeps me on my toes and gets me thinking about new ideas or ways to improve myself. My biggest piece of advice is to step far out of your comfort zone and opportunities will come.

What do you think is one of the most important skills to have in your career?

I love taking writing courses whenever I get a chance. I think it’s such an important skill for every business person, and I thoroughly enjoy taking time to improve on it. This is one of the reasons I love volunteering as a blogger & content writer for the Advertising Club of Edmonton. It’s a great way to ensure I’m practicing these skills as often as I can.

Do you have a plan for where you’d like to be in 5 years?

I think if there’s one thing I’ve learned from all the leaders that inspire me, it’s to not set a specific long-term path and be open to opportunities as they come. At the start of my career, I had very set intentions and tried to plan everything out. Now, although I do set goals over the course of the year, I only have a vague idea of the direction I’d like to take in my career. It also takes a lot of pressure off myself. If you’re too focused on a specific path, it’s much easier to turn down opportunities that could just lead you to the most incredible places.

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What’s a personal goal of yours you hope to accomplish?

Mastering the art of meditation (and making more time for it). Meditation allows me to connect with the present moment, truly makes me feel more creative in the work I do, increases my productivity, and reminds me of the fact that we have such a limited time here on earth. For me, it’s benefits are incredibly rewarding and I want to continue to push myself to make more time for it in my daily routine. It’s definitely an ongoing goal. If you’re looking to get more into meditation, I highly suggest the app, ‘Headspace’.

How do you stay organized and manage your time throughout the week?

My google calendar is my lifeline. Seriously. I include everything in it - meetings, personal commitments, volunteering. If it doesn’t go in my calendar immediately, chances are it will be forgotten.

I also always have an ongoing ‘to-do’ list sitting at my desk, accompanied by a sticky note on top of that to do list (otherwise known as a ‘sh*t I really have to do list). Last, I make sure I do little things on Sunday’s like meal prep, workout prep, and outfit prep (yes, that is a thing), to make sure I’m not bombarded with small, but time consuming decisions throughout the week.

What’s your best boss babe moment? (First moment of reassurance).

Becoming a cause-marketing manager. It was a big jump from my previous role as a coordinator, and the first time I felt really confident in the work I was doing. It gave me the courage to pursue things like providing strategic advice on a board of directors, and taking on more pro-bono work for non-profit organizations.

Work-life Balance: What you do you do to destress? What is your must-have moment of the day (me time)?

Work-life balance is a huge focus for me as I constantly need to work on keeping up my mental health. This means hot yoga and meditation sessions are a must during my week. I’ve learned to commit myself to 6AM classes as there’s no possibility of double-booking myself, or creating excuses after a long day. I also have certain ‘mantras’ set for myself so I never get too overwhelmed: Things like not working past 6PM, never taking on more than 3 ‘after-work’ commitments a week, making time for exercise, and having weekends to myself are a few of these rules I follow. They allow me to be the best version of myself and make everything easier to manage.

Where can we find you?

@jmebay on Instagram or my Linkedin profile :)

YBB Connect 4/18/18 YBB Connect 4/18/18

#REALTALK

The struggle is real girls. Being a business owner is one of the hardest things ever. And the crazy thing is, no one understands it. I think more than ever, being a business owner or entrepreneur is so glamorized. More people are doing it, more people are dreaming of doing it; but they don’t know the struggles.

‘Normal’ people go to work, then they get to go home and leave work at work. They get a paycheque without any other thought going into it. Unless maybe they’re thinking about asking for a raise.

Business owners not only half the time DON’T pay themselves, they put money INTO their business.

Why? You might ask?!

Because that’s what we do to see our dream turn into a reality. It's how we grow. It’s what we do because we can’t imagine anything else. We do it because we want more. We want things on our own terms, done on our own timeline, in our own way. Working 9-5, collecting a paycheque just isn’t an option for us.

Sometimes friends & family don’t understand when we say, ‘I can’t, I have to work.’ No one but you sees the behind the scenes effort. And that’s okay because you don’t need glory for it, you need time.

If you’re a one woman show, LET ME APPLAUD YOU! This is extremely hard. Wearing like 17 different hats & still functioning as a human being.

If you run a team of employees, LET ME APPLAUD YOU! This is also extremely hard. Managing all the schedules & taking on each persons well being while still managing your own.

Sometimes it takes a breakdown to make a breakthrough.

I run two businesses on my own (that are both full time jobs) plus another business with partners (thank the Lord for them🙌🏼)I have never been anything other than an entrepreneur and honestly wouldn’t know how to. Sometimes this is scary. What if my businesses fail? What will I do?

But the rest of the time, this is wonderful. Even through ALL of the hardships, THIS is what I want. THIS is who I am. The blood, the sweat, and the tears (trust me there’s a lot of tears😂), nights of asking ‘WHY AM I DOING THIS!’ literally amount to nothing when I look at what I’m doing, what I’ve created, and what I’ve persevered through. All of the different aspects and adventures that my businesses bring me on a daily basis is enough for me. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I LOVE it.

Will it pay off? HELL YES.

And I can’t wait to see where this crazy amazing life of being a business owner will take me.

So, BOSSBABES. Let me finish with this. On good days, celebrate! On bad days, talk it out, over a bottle of wine. LEARN from your mistakes and understand where things went wrong. As long as your passion matches your vision, you are bound to go far.

HUSTLE HARD GIRL.

🖤

xoxo Amy.

YBB Connect 4/16/18 YBB Connect 4/16/18

MAD LOVE MONDAY - Chris Ricke | The Whitewood Barn

1. WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS? The Whitewood Barn wedding and event centre in Leduc County.

1. What is your business?

The Whitewood Barn wedding and event centre in Leduc County.

2. What inspired you to start your own business?

I was inspired to create the Whitewood by the creativity that is available in local talent and passionate entrepreneurs in our community. The Whitewood’s foundation will be built on partnerships and passion of providing that special “Best Day Ever”! The Whitewood will provide a rustic, elegant comfortable place for all celebrations and to create life long memories.