Back in December, as I considered my goals for 2024, this quote from Oprah Winfrey was on my mind. “Surround yourself only with people who are going to lift you higher.” Those words inspired me to select “lift” as one of my #my3words for 2024, a ritual I complete each year to help me keep my goals and values at the forefront of everything I do. The other words I selected were “listen” (read my post on effective listening here) and “advocate” (read my post on advocacy here). I was also inspired by Gavriella Schuster, Board Executive and DEI Advocate, who joined us as a guest speaker at [...]

One of my goals for 2024 is to become a more effective listener. As I continue to become a stronger ally, I’ve realized that listening is a vital leadership skill and a critical tool for allyship. That insight was crystalized for me at our WGOB Summit in 2023 when I spoke with a woman who heads up the Indigenous affairs department at a university in Ontario after one of the afternoon sessions. During the conversation, she mentioned the land acknowledgment we read at the start of the day. Her suggestion? We should consider adding a call to action to our future land acknowledgements to demonstrate our commitment to [...]

In 2024, I’m focusing on advocating for myself and others to make positive change. When I joined my first board in 1999, I had every reason to be nervous. I was relatively young for a board member, I had no previous governance experience, and—as was common at the time—I was the only woman around the table. But I wasn’t nervous. At least, not much. Why? Because, in many ways, I had been preparing for this moment for my entire career. As a young Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), I learned early on to advocate for myself, speaking up to access opportunities and advance my professional career. Not only did [...]

It’s that time of year again—time for #My3words. It’s my pleasure to announce that #My3words for 2024 are advocate, listen and lift. Why do I select #my3words each year? In 2015, I read about Chris Brogan’s idea to choose three words in the new year to guide your choices and actions. Ever since, I’ve been picking my own three words (read my complete list below) to serve as guideposts for my path, helping me keep my goals and values at the forefront of everything I do. They remind me to focus on what matters and let go of what does not. This year, #My3words were inspired by Gavriella Schuster, [...]

Why I chose “sustain” as one of #my3words for 2023, reminding me to keep showing up fearlessly every day In my recent posts, I’ve been talking about the annual list of #my3words that I select to help remind me every day of what I’m committed to that year. After sharing my thoughts on elevate and innovate, I’ve arrived at the third word on my 2023 list: sustain. What Sustain Means to Me When I think of sustain as a guiding word for my year, I’m thinking about sustaining my efforts to show up every day, constantly striving to improve every aspect of my life—health, business, family, and relationships. [...]

How choosing “innovate” as one of the #my3words for 2023 has led to some of my career’s most rewarding opportunities As I shared in my previous post, I’ve chosen three guiding words to focus me in 2023:  elevate, innovate and sustain. This yearly list of #my3words helps remind me daily of what I’m committed to focusing on.  The word innovate has been a guiding principle for me for as long as I can remember. It’s in my DNA—even as a child, I always looked for ways to do things differently and better. I had to find creative ways, for example, to rapidly teach myself French so I could [...]