Minister Tanya Fir On Removing Barriers

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Welcome to a very special edition of Sell Me This Podcast. We are at the Tech Connect Alberta International Women's Day event where we're going to be speaking to a number of inspiring and amazing women about their stories in business, life, and the community that's being built here in Alberta. I hope you enjoy. So we're super excited to kick off our first interview for our marathon of interviews on the International Women's Day Tech Connect event today. I am incredibly honored to have with you me Minister Tanya Fir. Thank you for joining us. We're going to dive right into things. I know we're doing rapid-fire back-to-backs here. So why don't you tell me a little bit about who you are, the work you're doing, and kind of what you represent from a government standpoint?

SPEAKER_03 0:48

So I have the honor of being the Minister of Arts, Culture, and Status of Women for the province of Alberta. And I love the Status of Women portion of it and being able to do amazing activities like this one with Tech Connect today and just see all the inspiring entrepreneurs and businesses that are mainly being driven by women.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

I imagine you're getting some really interesting conversations. When we think about the evolution of women specifically in government and kind of what's happening from the ecosystem that you're working in, what's some of the advancements that you've seen in the last couple years here?

SPEAKER_03 1:23

Yeah, so I mean I think of some of the resources and tools that we're doing as a government to make sure that we're uh removing barriers and letting women advance, whether it's online resources that we have, our business link or our women's hub, uh which provides um sources for where financial supports may be available or resources. That's amazing. And we also am proud of things like our Women in STEM scholarship and women in technical and applied arts scholarship that uh aim for to help women in some of the fields they're underrepresented in. Um and uh things like child care, making sure childcare is affordable and accessible is important.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Amazing. Yeah, the the child care is definitely a game changer. Yes, yeah. Um if you think about uh you know looking forward to in the year ahead, what advice do you have for women um in general as they're pursuing their ambitions, their dreams, um, and the things in front of them?

SPEAKER_03 2:14

Yeah. Um you know what, whether you're just starting out in your career or you're midway through your career, um it's important. Sometimes women may feel worried if they need to take a break or take a breath. And you know, whether it's older women that are oftentimes looking after younger kids and elderly parents or younger girls that are just getting started, um don't be afraid to fail. And don't be afraid if you don't know exactly what you want to do. Um there's time, explore things, try things. You don't have to have it all figured out.

SPEAKER_00 2:43

Fantastic. I know this was a rapid fire three questions, and I really appreciate you taking the time to sit down and chat here, and I hope you have a fantastic rest of your day.

SPEAKER_03 2:51

Thanks so much. Thank you.

Recruiting Women Leaders In Tech

SPEAKER_00 2:53

Thanks. Incredibly excited for our next interview to have Jackie Paisley with us today. Jackie, we're gonna dive right into things and have you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about who you are and the the work that you're doing today.

SPEAKER_12 3:03

Yeah, absolutely. So my name's Jackie Paisley. I'm a senior manager of talent acquisition at Slalom. Uh, Slom is a full service recruit uh consulting company, I should say, in technology. And I recruit everything from technical staff, business advisory, right up to industry leaders globally across Slalom.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

And how did you get into that?

SPEAKER_12 3:22

Well, I've been in recruitment now going on 13 years across all different facets of HR. Um and joined Slum four years ago uh on a whim. I had done some technology recruitment before, and they approached me, and it sounded like a really great opportunity to start up the Western Canadian side of things with the leaders. And so far we've been able to grow to 70 people in Calgary and over 150 in Vancouver. That's amazing. Yeah. That must be a pretty uh fun journey you're on there. It is, and we hire really specific people for the type of culture they bring as far as wanting to be a part of what Slalom's building. So it's great to be working with such like-minded people.

SPEAKER_00 3:59

So I'm also in the tech industry, and so you probably have a really interesting lens into some of the changes that are happening in the tech industry. So, you know, what progress have you seen specifically when it comes to women in the industry over the last few years?

SPEAKER_12 4:12

We're really fortunate at Slalom where half of our leadership team pretty much has females across the globe. Um, and it's really quite easy then to recruit other females. People want to go where they feel like they're being seen, and being able to see themselves in the leaders of a business does half the work for you. Um, really making sure that there's equal opportunity as far as equal pay, equal, equal job uh growth opportunities as well, and having a real different landscape of what we do as far as not just being the technical side of things really opens up the doors to people who are trying to cross-skill into technical roles. So they might come in on the people advisory side and then upskill on the technical side.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

Amazing. And is that something that you've seen kind of progress more quickly over the last couple of years?

SPEAKER_12 4:55

Absolutely. I think just in general, tech in Alberta has progressed so so much from the oil and gas industry, and it's great to see the diversity there. But I feel that women have felt more at peace with not with going into that industry versus oil and gas just simply because there is more opportunities for flexibility. Typically, we see in oil and gas a lot of travel involved that can upset family life, where tech can be remote, it can be more flexible, and it really is an analytical side of work, which I feel that women are especially good at.

SPEAKER_00 5:28

I love it. And so if you think about the the year ahead and in 2026 with all it has to bring for us, what advice do you have for people that are pursuing their dreams, their passions, whether it's tech, whether it's it's not tech, whether it's at slalom or somewhere else? Um are there any specific things that you would advise someone to do as they're embarking on kind of following their passions and dreams?

SPEAKER_12 5:50

Yeah, it's really important to find your community. I talk about this a lot in any kind of advice I give, whether it's to grads, whether it's to newcomers to Canada. Finding work or pursuing new opportunities is not necessarily about just the skills you have. It's about the advocacy around it. So be really intentional of who you connect with and don't always seek for someone to give you something. Really try to form a really natural and organic connection, and you will find that those opportunities just start to naturally fall into place. It is hard work. You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find the right kind of community, but when you do, it's really very magical and very fruitful.

SPEAKER_00 6:29

And if you think about that same advice to women specifically, are there is there any different advice or does it kind of follow that that same um path that you're talking about there?

SPEAKER_12 6:38

I think it's like very similar. I find that women specifically are more willing to help other women. So in a way, it's kind of easier, but in a way, again, having that mutual connection versus seeking out somebody that you're wanting to potentially work for and say, How can I get a job with you? That puts a lot of pressure on the other person. So forming those really natural connections and saying, Hey, I found this really interesting, I would love to talk to you more about it. It kind of embraces learning from them versus asking them for something. And so I find that it's a lot easier to form those deeper relationships.

SPEAKER_00 7:16

Amazing. Well, as I promised, this was gonna rapid fire. Thank you so much for joining us for a few minutes today. Very excited for your panel later, and uh nice to meet you as well.

SPEAKER_12 7:25

Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Portfolio Careers And Building Leverage

SPEAKER_00 7:26

In our back-to-back podcast today, I'm incredibly excited to follow up a conversation with Angela Newen. Um, Angela, we are gonna dive right into things today. Um, why don't you introduce yourself a little bit about who you are and the work that you do?

SPEAKER_02 7:38

For sure. So my name, like you said, is Angela Nguyen, and I'm building a portfolio career as a leadership coach, consultant, and podcast host of The Leader Within, where I'm focused on empowering leaders to lead through the grade. In my day job, I'm actually a people and culture consultant with ATB Financial.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

I love it. And so the term portfolio career is coming up a lot. Um, I love the idea of the portfolio career. Um, quick 30 seconds for someone that isn't familiar. What exactly is a portfolio career?

SPEAKER_02 8:05

Yeah, it's being able to build your skills through different vehicles and avenues instead of just having a linear career, whether it's through entrepreneurship or in a corporate career.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

I love it. And so that freedom and that flexibility that comes with having something like a portfolio career, I think can be incredibly empowering. If you think about the the opportunities that creates in the ecosystem specifically for women, um have you seen how that has kind of shaped the ecosystem or kind of what that means for women in the industry right now?

SPEAKER_02 8:34

Well, for sure. Uh it doesn't require you to wait for permission to actually gain the skills and experiences that employers are asking for. And that's partially why I did it in the first place. Because sometimes you'll go to employers and they'll be like, you don't have enough experience. Or you go through the business route and they're like, you don't have enough clients. So when you build all at once, it actually gives you a little bit of leverage to work off of.

SPEAKER_00 8:55

So it just gives you that chance to just go and do it rather than waiting for everyone else to kind of give you the checkbox.

SPEAKER_02 9:02

You got it, yes.

SPEAKER_00 9:03

Amazing. I can feel that being incredibly empowering. If you think then about um how that shapes the opportunities for um, you know, people in 2026 as they kind of look at their dreams, their hopes, their aspirations in front of them, you know, what advice were you would you give to someone that is either kind of starting that journey, um specifically a woman that is looking to build that um ecosystem for themselves?

SPEAKER_02 9:30

Yeah, uh I'll try to keep it succinct, but I'll say it's three things. One is getting really clear on who you want to be and the problems you want to solve for, because that gives you the confidence to then go say to someone, this is the value that I will bring to the table. Second is your presence and your brand and investment in you is a form of currency. So as you develop the social proof and actually proof of your skills, that actually creates buy-in when you have conversations. And then the third is uh your network and your relationships is another form of currency as well. Um, I've been fortunate enough to be able to rally women, men allies around me that not only celebrate with me, but in my moments uh they lift me up or they look me straight in the face and give me advice and say, Angela, you should probably do something different there. Um and so I think if women were to consider any of that, start understanding one is again, like what value can you bring to the table and who do you want to be? Second is your relationships as a form of currency, and then lastly, build your brand and invest into you.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

I love it. Um thank you so much for joining me today. And as I promised, rapid fire back to back to back. Um are there any kind of final words of wisdom that you would want to impart here?

SPEAKER_02 10:39

Yeah, I would say you are the best investment that you'll ever make, so make sure you invest in you.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing all this with me today and our listeners. It's been an absolute privilege, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the event.

SPEAKER_02 10:51

You too, Keith. Thank you.

Career Coaching And Personal Branding

SPEAKER_00 10:52

Next up, we have Akreiti. Akredi, we're gonna jump right into things. Why don't you introduce yourself?

SPEAKER_10 10:58

Thanks, thanks for the warm welcome, Keith. I'm Akriti. I'm a talent acquisition specialist, and I'm also an ICF certified career coach. I'm based out of Calgary. Um so I come with nearly 20 years of experience in recruiting and talent acquisition, and I've had the privilege to work with some top tech firms such as Amazon, Sapient, Vipro, and Fidelity back home. It's been like three years now that I'm in Canada, and I've since then continued my journey into full-time recruiting roles at corporate hiring. Um I think what drives me is the nobility that comes with the job. I am able to offer jobs every single day, so that gives me a lot of meaning and purpose to my life. Uh besides obviously uh it's been uh I think I would say I fell into this line, just happened to fell into this profession, but I've stuck to it very, very intentionally.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

Yeah. And so I think you're completely correct in terms of the responsibility and the privilege that comes with recruiting.

SPEAKER_10 12:04

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 12:04

Um you mentioned falling into it. Is there something that drew you towards the higher end side of things, or um did it was it just kind of a series of events that brought you to where you are?

SPEAKER_10 12:14

Absolutely. It was a series of events, actually. I have done my bachelor's of engineering and I'm an MBA. After that I did my master's in HR. But uh, since being an engineer, I got placed as a technology uh tester as well. But when I when I graduated it was 2008 and it was like economic crisis. So I had an offer letter which was never honored. And I was not expecting for it to be honored as well because job offers were getting cancelled left, right, and center. So I uh ended up home and I just happened to join a small recruitment firm nearby, very close to my house. So uh and I think I just just uh started doing and started learning on the job. LinkedIn was a new thing back then, and uh I've I've since been uh a big LinkedIn fan and uh a creator as well. Um so yeah, I just fell into it, like I said, it it was just destiny, and uh I chose to stick to it because I fell fell in love with it totally.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

That's amazing. So you're one of the the LinkedIn originals?

unknown 13:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10 13:18

Yeah, I would say so. In fact, like the one who was running uh that small recruitment firm, he was like an IIT and very, very uh academically bright CEO, and he taught us at LinkedIn.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_10 13:31

Then it was a very new thing back then.

SPEAKER_00 13:33

And and so you probably have a really interesting lens with the work that you're doing, um specifically when it comes to some of the trends patterns uh that are happening with with women in the tech industry.

SPEAKER_04 13:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

And so if we think about the ecosystem right now, what what patterns are you observing? Um are we headed in the right direction? What what are your thoughts there?

SPEAKER_10 13:51

Yeah, I think especially I mean it I don't I don't think it's any longer a very linear path that everybody is supposed to follow. Like uh I know there is a conventional path where you'd like to just, you know, progress into people management roles and just grow up the ladder. I've seen that, like in my current organization, I have seen like uh women working at starting as a nurse at Floor and then growing to be people managers, program managers, director of cares, and now even leading the entire side as an executive director. But I've also seen people in corporate uh role uh transitioning cross-functionally, like a payroll manager now being an HRIS manager and you know doing technical implementations, which is like a vast contrast. So I think uh, you know, it's it's the hybrid of skills and the broad skills that you bring along, and I think how how visible you are in the organization that also really helps you to, you know, break boundaries, I'd say.

SPEAKER_00 14:48

I think that's really good advice. Um on the trend of advice, if you're thinking about you know someone that's um building their career right now, um you know, specifically a woman as they're looking forward to to 2026, you know, you you've obviously carved a really uh interesting and incredible career path for yourself, but if you were to impart some of that wisdom that's helped you get to where you are, um what would some of those words of advice be?

SPEAKER_10 15:12

Um I'd say start showing up, uh invest in building your own personal brand because jobs do the job market today as it's very imminent, you know, job might be there today, it may not exist tomorrow. But I think it's very important to invest in your own story, build a personal land, show up on LinkedIn, uh be your own self. Like show up as your authentic self because that's originally you.

SPEAKER_00 15:37

I I love it. Um as promised, I I short and sweet here. I know that we had the few questions. I really appreciate you joining us today. Thank you very much, Keith. And taking some time to answer a few of these questions. I think our listeners will really enjoy it, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the event as well.

SPEAKER_10 15:51

For sure. Thanks for having me. Pleasures all mine.

SPEAKER_00 15:54

Next up in our string of interviews, we have Bontu. Bontu, I would love to just jump right into things and have you introduce yourself a little bit about the work that you do and uh what gets you excited every day.

SPEAKER_06 16:04

For sure, thanks for having me. And uh yeah, so my name is Bontugal, and I am an entrepreneur strategist with ATB Financial. And I'll explain what that means because it's not very clear. Um it is I like to kind of uh put it into two parts. So first part is working with organizations that support entrepreneurs, and the other piece is I do a lot of our educational content for ATB. So we host a lot of webinars and workshops and uh various facilitation and moderating and speaking um opportunities uh come up with with that as well. So that's kind of what uh what I do.

SPEAKER_00 16:40

I'm also the bigger meal.

SPEAKER_06 16:43

Yeah, also an entrepreneur. So I have uh consulting, CIO Consulting is uh the um uh I guess the the firm that I um that I have and it mostly focuses on grant writing um and business consulting as well. But usually I think my my focus given my nine of five is limited to grant writing right now.

SPEAKER_00 17:03

I feel like I'm gonna need to grab a business card after this. I feel like grants are grants are grants are something that everyone struggles with.

SPEAKER_06 17:09

Yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 17:10

Um how does one become an entrepreneur strategist? I feel like it's uh as you mentioned, it's a a big title, but um and it sounds like you probably get to have your hands in a whole bunch of different interesting things, but but how do you arrive there?

SPEAKER_06 17:21

For sure, for sure. Interestingly, I actually pitched for the role and I think it might ATB might be unique because it it was already there. I mean, I it wasn't like uh I created the role, but it was already there. But I wanted to be on the team as soon as I finished my MBA in entrepreneurship and innovation. I wanted to be on the entrepreneurial growth team within ATB. Um and it really is um the role itself, uh, there's three of us across Alberta and all of us have entrepreneurial um experience. Um some have banking um experience as well, but truly though, it's that entrepreneur um entrepreneurial experience that you bring in and provide support to the other entrepreneurs that we support as clients.

SPEAKER_00 18:04

And is there a specific stage of entrepreneur or business um leadership that you primarily work with?

SPEAKER_06 18:10

Uh so my team specifically is lending up to 250. That's kind of how we differentiate. So that's the uh entrepreneurial growth uh teams support. But of course we've got you know our business and commercial um if they're larger than that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:23

Fantastic. And so you probably have an interesting glimpse into the entrepreneur ecosystem in general. When you think about um you know the representation of women and the opportunities for women in entrepreneurship specifically, are are there specific trends that you're seeing? Are there um is there progress that's being made? Like what's your perspective on the trajectory that you're gonna be able to do?

SPEAKER_06 18:45

Yeah, for sure. Um I think something interesting to to note, like, and it I kind of have to remind myself uh every now and then is that even banking per se, right? Like it's 1963 was in Canada specifically that women were able, white women, let me just be uh accurate, um, were able to have bank accounts under their name without their husbands or like husband or husband or I guess parents, maybe dad, permission, right? So that's only like people are alive. 1963 is not a long time ago, right? Like that's my like yeah, my mom was born in 1963. So when we look at that kind of you know data, we've come a long way. Um I think VC funding, if I'm not mistaken, it's like women still I think make up like two percent.

SPEAKER_00 19:33

It's a dramatic difference, right?

SPEAKER_06 19:35

Yeah, and then within that, if you look at women of color, it's probably zero zero point something. So uh yes, progress is being made, but there's a lot more room for growth. Um and that gives me a bit of hope because I think we are changing and we're especially in the tech ecosystem, I think there's an opportunity to lean into the uniqueness and the various um uh just diverse thinking that is needed for to innovate. Like that's what you need in order to uh build within the um tech ecosystem. Um and so that's kind of what uh what I'm hoping will will happen.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

I love it. And so speaking of things that that are um you know in progress and that are happening, yeah. You know, if you're giving advice to someone that's um you know looking to become an entrepreneur, they're looking to start that journey, um, you know, specifically a a woman that is on on the edge of that journey, what advice do you have to give them?

SPEAKER_06 20:30

Yeah, uh to be quite honest, right now it's tough. We're we're really in a very tough economy. Um so my advice is always to, especially if they're like just starting out, go and work in the industry that you want to become an entrepreneur in. Even if it's like you know, it doesn't have to be like anything major, like you don't have to disrupt um a whole system, but go and get the experience, understand the gaps that exist within that industry and go and solve that problem. Like fall in love with the problem. The solution can change over time, and that's okay. But really, though, if you have a really great problem that you're passionate about to solve, maybe passionate is is a strong word, but like you're just like interested in uh wanting to solve, um really understand the industry, like go in and and and do the work and understand the industry. Um and then from there go into entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is it's amazing, it sounds fun, but it honestly like it gets so uh uh romanticized and it's hard work, right? Like talk to any entrepreneur, like it's it's not easy work, and if you're building it from scratch, you need to um almost like work backwards. So it's like have a vision of where you want to be in the next, you know, maybe it's like two or five years or whatever it may be, but it's like what do you need to do today in order to um get the Is is kind of how you should approach it.

SPEAKER_00 22:01

Amazing. That was uh amazing advice. Thank you so much for the conversation today. This has been an absolute privilege. And um fantastic job on the panel today, too.

SPEAKER_06 22:10

Thank you. I appreciate that. And thanks for having me here as well. This is wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 22:13

Of course, thanks so much.

Responsible AI And Burning The Box

SPEAKER_06 22:14

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 22:15

For our next conversation today, we are joined by Caitlin. Um, Caitlin, you probably do a much better job of introducing yourself than I do. Um so tell our listeners a little bit of who you are and um the work that you do every day.

SPEAKER_07 22:26

Sure, awesome. Well, thanks for having me. Nice to be here. Um, as you said, my name's Caitlin. I'm a manager in the AI and data practice at Ernst ⁇ Young. I'll call it EY for short. Um, yeah, in my day-to-day life, there's honestly not two days that look the same. It's very unpredictable. Um, and so within the scope of AI and data, I focus on kind of the people and adoption side. So I focus on ensuring that we're implementing AI in a responsible and safe way, that is the right choice for the tool that we should be implementing as well, and that people are able to actually use it at the organization.

SPEAKER_00 22:59

I love it, and I feel like that's one of the most underrated things. Everyone focuses on the tech and the people not the people that use it.

SPEAKER_07 23:05

It is, exactly. And it's in it it's an interesting intersection because typically um like organizational change management and those areas would focus on that type of work, and it's really cool to see it within the AI and data practice itself, is having those people. I consider myself kind of a translator and being able to observe kind of different areas and be able to connect those dots between the people and the technology.

SPEAKER_00 23:27

So I feel like we could have a whole conversation on that topic alone. Yeah. Um, but for the purposes of today, um, you know, how did you even how did you get into that space? Like it's a very niche um world you're in.

SPEAKER_07 23:38

It is, and honestly, I'm like the worst example, or or maybe the best of having a complete non-planned career. I started in fashion, ended up doing anthropology in Greenland, doing a master's and PhD, ended up in change management, and then 18 months ago found myself with one coffee chat turning into a whole new career. Um so for me it was just a testament to saying yes to opportunity in front of you. And yeah, that's uh it was not, it was never in the plan. My life, literally, my life is a testament to just saying yes.

SPEAKER_00 24:08

That's not the path the guidance counselor said, take these 14 steps. No, no, no.

SPEAKER_07 24:13

It wasn't that, and there was no job posting that was like, hey, you're an anthropologist that has an interest in fashion. Would you be interested in working in AI and data? That was never a job posting either.

SPEAKER_00 24:23

So in the world you're in, like I obviously so I I work in tech as well, and so I know that it like there's a lot of opportunity still in terms of uh the equality side of things, in terms of the different opportunities. Um what trends are you seeing from uh you know from a women's perspective in what's happening in the tech ecosystem?

SPEAKER_07 24:40

Yeah, that's a really good question. And something I think about all the time, because often I am the only female in the rooms that I exist in. And I think there is real progress being made. I don't want to come and be pessimistic. Um there is real progress. I think women are participating and leading AI and data programs across organizations, across industries, um, and not just being kind of in the background. We are seeing real leadership with women. Um we're also, I think, another interesting kind of thing to lean into is we're seeing a lot of people taking, taking kind of priority with responsible AI, and women tend to be more in that space, promoting the responsible use of AI, but also ensuring that we're talking about bias that can be inherent in AI, especially women of color, they're really at the forefront of that. And but I don't want to sugarcoat it. There's still a lot of space and growth to be had there. I don't we're not at an equitable kind of framework yet, but I do see progress. We just need more people saying yes to women in the space and giving us chances.

SPEAKER_00 25:45

I I love it. Um if you were to um you know give advice to someone that's that's at the front end of their career, maybe they've, you know, been in fashion than anthropology or maybe some combination of the two.

SPEAKER_01 25:57

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:57

And and they're looking at jo entering the tech space specifically. Um what advice would you give to a young woman in that scenario?

SPEAKER_07 26:05

Mm-hmm. I think the biggest piece of advice I would give, and it's something I continually tell myself, is you don't have to fit into a box. We spend our whole entire lives trying to act a certain way, be a certain way, act professional, especially women. I think we're definitely bombarded with those messages continuously. And I think every detour, every time you change your career, that's just knowledge you're gaining. That's information points, data points, if you will. And that allow that's your superpower. That allows you to exist in a complex world. And honestly, with with the way AI is trending, with the way that technology is expanding at unprecedented rates, we need women that are able, we need people, women especially, that don't fit inside a box, that are allowed, that give themselves permission. So what I said earlier is just burn the box, burn it down. Yeah, don't ask for permission, just do it.

SPEAKER_00 26:54

Yeah, I think there's a whole other conversation we we can and maybe should have around the curiosity and just the ability to dive between topics. But you know, for today, um I heard your panel today was fantastic.

SPEAKER_04 27:05

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 27:05

Thank you so much for the conversation. It's been a privilege to have this chat.

SPEAKER_07 27:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:09

And uh I hope you enjoy the rest of the event.

SPEAKER_07 27:11

Yeah, thanks. It's my pleasure. Thanks for having me.

People Operations And Flexible Culture

SPEAKER_00 27:13

Awesome, thank you. For our next conversation, we have Amanda Klim.

SPEAKER_07 27:16

Hello.

SPEAKER_00 27:17

Um Hi. Uh Amanda, I'm super excited for this conversation. Um but instead of me introducing uh you, I'd love if you introduce yourself a little bit about who you are, um, you know, the work that you do and kind of what gets you excited every day.

SPEAKER_13 27:30

Yeah, I would love to. So my name is Amanda, Amanda Klim. I lead people operations for Ambient, which if you're not familiar with, it is a Calgary-based AI SaaS startup that really focuses on serving the energy industry. Our platform essentially helps oil and gas producers be able to optimize their production, make better decisions, remove some of that manual work in the people operations space that I've kind of operated for the past seven years. I think the the biggest thing that fills my my cup, if you will, is just the opportunity to create those really amazing experiences for the people that I get to work with, making sure from you know that day one moment to the time that they eventually exit, it's just a positive, a positive moment in their life as they reflect on their careers.

SPEAKER_00 28:16

Yeah. Well, and I think even we know with ambient and the reputation you have in the city as well, I you know it's it sounds like a really special place to be as you're going through this growth phase right now. Yes. Um how how did you find yourself starting to do this work?

SPEAKER_13 28:30

Yeah, so I uh started in more operational roles, and I was um an operations manager at the um innovation arm of ATB Financial called ATB Ventures. And so I was working across kind of both business operations and people operations, and I had a really great leader at the time that as the role kind of grew too big for one person, really asked me and coached me to understand kind of what path I wanted to take. And you know, through all of those conversations and reflection, it was just really the people stuff that lit me up and knowing that I could make a a a really great impact in people's work experiences.

SPEAKER_00 29:07

I love it, and so I I also love that framing, not necessarily HR, but more so that kind of people and culture side of things. Um in the work that you do, you probably have a really interesting glimpse into the world that you can control within ambient. Um but uh in the industry at large, like are there trends that you're seeing, especially when it comes to um kind of female representation or women representation or the opportunities that are being created there, are there trends you're seeing across the kind of tech and oil and gas industry that are good, bad, headed in the right direction?

SPEAKER_13 29:37

Yeah, I think so less familiar with the oil and gas industry through and through I tech is definitely my my background. I think what I'm starting to see, or what is becoming a lot more common, is you know, gender parity at leadership tables or just um having that representation. And you know, I have been very fortunate to be have have been led throughout my career by some very, you know, powerful and high caliber female leaders. And for me, that representation was so important because it just it really showed you, you know, I can do that too, and it's possible. And so getting to see it more frequently show up across the tech industry has been something that's been really encouraging.

SPEAKER_00 30:17

And is that happening more kind of more in Calgary specifically, or are you seeing that across the board where um we're headed in the right direction?

SPEAKER_13 30:24

I think across the board. I mean, obviously there are a lot of other things and challenges that we have to overcome for sure. I don't think it's all sunshine and rainbows, but you know, there's a lot of organizations that are you know focused on having that diversity across the board or just open to you know different perspectives and ways of thinking, which I think is incredibly important.

SPEAKER_00 30:46

And and ambient specifically, yeah. Like what have you been able to to shape to kind of create that culture that you're looking to build?

SPEAKER_13 30:53

Yeah, so I'll uh I think for me and Ambient more specifically, and sh in shaping the culture, you know, um I always talk about the people first culture, and it's really just understanding the human behind it, and so making sure that different individuals feel supported in the ways that they need to feel supported, or that there's flexibility in in the way that they need flexibility. I don't believe in you know a one size fits all, and I think that that's important as well from you know bringing women into organizations and making sure that they have the flexibility if they, you know, have children or need to go and do all these different things, not not having that parenting tax kind of put on them.

SPEAKER_00 31:36

So that makes a lot of sense and sounds incredible. If you think about the the year in front of us, if you think about the opportunities that are that are out there, um if you're giving advice to someone that's maybe on the front end of their career or they're looking to to build something incredible and and follow their dreams and their passion and their heart, what words of wisdom do you have um for someone in that spot?

SPEAKER_13 31:59

Yeah, so even till you know, to this day I ask myself a question all of the time, which is why not me? And I think m more so from a women's point of or a women's point of view, but I think oftentimes women as an example tend to, you know, wait until they check all of the boxes or maybe don't feel like they belong in the room or you know just don't feel like they deserve the opportunities ahead of them. And so for those that are starting their career that are uncertain if they should be putting their hand up or if they should be asking for these opportunities, I would encourage them to just ask themselves like why why not me? We we all deserve that.

SPEAKER_00 32:36

I love it. I feel like that's a um fantastic piece of advice, and thank you so much for the conversation. Thank you. Thanks for having me for the the words of wisdom and um a fantastic job on the panel earlier today as well.

SPEAKER_13 32:46

Thank you. Thank you. It's lovely to be here. Of course.

Women In Law And Taking Space

SPEAKER_00 32:49

On our next interview, we're joined by Keemat. Uh Keemat, I'd love you to just introduce yourself and a little bit about the work that you do and the company that uh you represent.

SPEAKER_14 32:57

For sure. Uh my name is Keemat Zafar. I am a barrister and solicitor with the Virtual Law Group Canada. Uh we're a small boutique, we're a full service law firm uh in the northeast of the city. Uh we do various areas of law. So we do immigration law, we do real estate, we do personal injury, civil litigation, uh real estate. Um that's not an exhaustive list. Um so we are a women-only law firm. Our lawyers, we have four lawyers, all women. Our principal lawyer, Harminder Johal, uh, opened the firm a couple years ago and she's doing great. So that's who I am. Brief introduction.

SPEAKER_00 33:36

Amazing. And so did you um always imagine you were going to be a lawyer?

SPEAKER_14 33:40

Yes, actually, from a very young age, uh culturally, um, my father wanted me to do something, something big. Right. You're either gonna be a doctor or you're gonna be a lawyer.

SPEAKER_00 33:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_14 33:49

I didn't like blood, I didn't like numbers. So I thought, okay, the only other path is to be a lawyer. So I went into that really.

SPEAKER_00 33:54

It was written in stone.

SPEAKER_14 33:55

Yeah, yeah, it was pretty good. So I'm happy with it. I'm very pleased with it. It's not something I'm gonna be wanting to change in anytime soon, so I'm pleased where I'm at.

SPEAKER_00 34:04

Amazing. And so, you know, you probably have a really interesting lens into the the legal landscape, especially when it comes to some of the the diversity um and opportunities for for women in there. And it sounds like you've you know you have a women-only firm that you've built and created, but at a larger scale, what trends are you seeing when it comes to a representation of women across the legal field?

SPEAKER_14 34:26

Uh, you know, we've got a lot of work to do in that uh in that field for sure. There's a lot of male-run uh firms where partnership is only male. Um I'm seeing more and more women lead the role, more and more women in partnership, but uh again, there's more work around that area. For example, um retention of female lawyers at five years, that's kind of where you're at. And then after five years, they say, okay, well, I want to go somewhere else. Like I'm not getting what I can here, especially if you're working for uh male lawyers. Um so that's one thing, and also maybe I'm also thinking it'd be good to um have have like a better pavement of a uh a role into how women can get into partnership roles. So those are places where we need more more work.

SPEAKER_00 35:10

That that makes a lot of sense. And so um without surmising too much, like what are some of those um those opportunities? Is it like what you've created with uh with your organization or or is it just more in other traditional organizations creating some of those pathways to partnership and creating some of those more role models?

SPEAKER_14 35:28

Yeah, I think for me, uh specifically, I come from uh uh a background where I worked for a male-dominated law firm where the partners were male, which is great. I learned so much there. They're great lawyers. Um, but after I left that firm and I'm now working at a firm with just women, it's completely different. Um there's a lot more empathy when it comes to working with just women, so um I think that's the best way. I I didn't want I didn't um uh I thought it was gonna be very difficult kind of to move from that shift to here, but as soon as I made that decision, I was like, this is probably the best decision for me career-wise.

SPEAKER_00 36:02

I I love it. And so if you were to um, you know, give advice to someone, maybe they're on the front end of that journey.

SPEAKER_14 36:07

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 36:08

Um you know, maybe they're um starting, you know, at the end of their schooling or they're starting to kind of um adventure into the world of law. Um what advice do you have for someone that that's really looking to build that next step, their career for themselves, um, with the lessons that you've learned along the way?

SPEAKER_14 36:25

Um I would say my my advice to women in this field is very simple. It's it's that to stop asking permission to take up space. Um obviously these industries that we're coming into, they weren't built with us in mind, us as females, um, but they're definitely being reshaped by our presence, by our leadership, by our competence. Um I also say just don't wait for the perfect time, the perfect mentor, uh, the perfect level of confidence. Just move on, speak anyway, apply anyway, negotiate anyway. Right? You know your self-worth, you know your self-value. Um it's a hard step to take, but once you take it, it's the best step you've ever taken in your career.

SPEAKER_00 37:02

Amazing. I I really, really appreciate you sharing all this today with myself and also our listeners.

SPEAKER_14 37:07

Yes, thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 37:08

This has been an absolute privilege, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the event as well.

SPEAKER_14 37:12

Thank you very much. Thank you for having me.

Benefits Advice And Owning Your Value

SPEAKER_00 37:14

For our next discussion, I'm super excited to have a chat with Ashley from Bloom Benefits Group. Um Ashley, I'm just gonna jump right into things. Why don't you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about the work that you do with Bloom?

SPEAKER_08 37:24

Yeah, of course. Thank you, Keith. Uh I'm Ashley Forbes and I am a benefits advisor with Bloom Benefits Group. We are a boutique firm uh located here out of Calgary. Um, but we uh have clients all across Canada.

SPEAKER_00 37:37

Amazing. And so how did you get into the benefits advisory space?

SPEAKER_08 37:42

Um, you know, it's not something that I woke up one day and was like, I'm getting into benefits and insurance, even though I love the Incredibles. But really, um I really enjoy working with people, getting to meet new people, and you know, learning more about their histories, what their values, what their goals are, and just seeing if there's any way that we can get in. And that's kind of my role with Bloom Benefits.

SPEAKER_00 38:01

I love it. Yeah, and I both my my wife and sister work in insurance, so I feel like uh I know the space is enough to be dangerous.

SPEAKER_08 38:07

Yeah, there's a little bit. Insurance is never fun. It's not a it's not a sexy industry, but uh being an advisor, at least I get to connect with the people more on that side.

SPEAKER_00 38:16

Fantastic. And so what does kind of the day-to-day look like for you then? Is it I guess I'll let you answer, yeah.

SPEAKER_08 38:21

Yeah, no, of course. Uh basically my role is to work with employers and help them to design uh and manage employee benefits. So a lot of the companies that we work with, they do not have large-scale HR teams, um, nor do they have the expertise or the time. They're small businesses and they're growing, and we take that off of their plate. We don't also just the minute they sign leave. Uh we uh offer and we are in there engaging, helping with planet uh plan education sessions and going from the day to day.

SPEAKER_00 38:49

So you probably have a super interesting perspective in seeing both the kind of benefits from a company perspective, but also across the landscape of the benefits and insurance ecosystem. What progress have you seen happen, um, especially when it comes to women and representation across that space over the last um you know a couple years?

SPEAKER_08 39:10

Yeah, I mean it's definitely been a positive change, uh especially uh, you know, as we're here celebrating International Women's Day and really helping to hype up the women in our industry. Historically, the insurance and benefit world has been pretty male-dominant. Um, but we're seeing on the executive side and even in the brokerages, um, that we're seeing more women stepping into advisory roles, leadership roles, and executive roles. So it's really nice to be able to champion and build the ground up uh with them and making sure that uh you know we're opening that door for the next generation.

SPEAKER_00 39:42

That that's fantastic. And so if you were giving advice to someone that was stepping into the insurance industry or stepping into the benefit side of things, you know, they're they're ambitious, they're they're excited to get going. What what words of wisdom would you have for them as they're embarking on their career and building out their future?

SPEAKER_08 39:58

Yeah, no, I think uh, you know, there's a there's a few moving key parts to that. I think one thing would be to encourage women to do not and to not underestimate their value and their perception. Um I think that sometimes we can end up in a room where we feel like we don't belong, um, but to really harness in and say, no, you know what, I do belong in this room and I'm gonna fight to be here. A lot of careers, especially in professional services, what with what I deal with, um, and advising people through important decisions is making sure you have that trusted partnership of the person you're working with and acting as a partner and not just as a salesperson.

SPEAKER_00 40:35

I I love it. So thank you so much for the conversation today and then the answers you provided. It's been really enlightening. Um appreciate the time and and also I hope you enjoy the rest of the event today, too.

SPEAKER_08 40:46

Thank you so much, Keith.

Workforce Programs For Industry Gaps

SPEAKER_00 40:47

Thank you. Thanks. For our next discussion, I'm incredibly privileged to have Parminder with us. Parminder, um, you probably introduce yourself slightly better than I will. Um so I'm just gonna hand it right over to you. Um I would love to learn a little about you and the work that you do with Ballot Group.

SPEAKER_11 41:00

Absolutely. Um I'm Praminder, as Keith mentioned, and I work for Ballot Group as a business development representative for our AgriEtch program. And my role kind of is to connect the employers with the candidates that we have in our program, the participants. So we kind of see the gaps in the employment, and wherever there are gaps in the industry, we try to fill those gaps through our workforce development programs, and then I'm kind of that link between the employers and the participants. So that's kind of my role. And um uh for Ballad, we are a purpose-driven company. Um, we have training centers across Alberta, and we have we help underemployed and unemployed people or individuals who are looking for op uh for jobs. We have we train them for industries like supply chain and logistics, constructions, hospitality, insurance, and agriculture as well. So we just see the gaps. Wherever the gaps are, we try to develop training programs that could fill those gaps and help the employers.

SPEAKER_00 42:01

I I love it. And so how like I have infinity questions. Um but to start off with, like, how how did you get connected with Ballot and what parts of your career um you know brought you to where you are today?

SPEAKER_11 42:13

So I have I've been doing business development for almost 12 years, and it started with the Bell, like a telecommunication company. I started with uh on the retail side as a sales representative. Never knew. It was kind of my first job ever in Canada once I moved, um, and then I had no idea where I was going from there. And uh I think they saw the potential in me, and then they moved me to the business development side on the medium business. Uh that's kind of how I started. But most of my career I have been working with organizations on the tech side, uh, health tech, um, and then I worked with a nonprofit in health as well. So that's kind of what I did for sales. When I started with Wallet Group, I did not know what I was signing up for. I think like when I went for the interview and the questions and like when I researched about the organization, I kind of had no idea that organizations like this exist. I have been in Canada for 12 years, started my career. At that point, if I would have known that there are organizations that can help, like I would have taken the help, right? Um but I had no idea. And when I went for that interview, I went back home. I was working remote from almost five years, and I told my husband, I just love the company and what they're doing, and I think this role is exactly what I was looking for for so many years, um, but never really knew that this exists. And the only part was that it was uh in-person role. I was working remote for the past five years, like before this job. So I was like, I love meeting in people in person. Um, but then I have two kids. So I was like, I don't know if I'll be able to manage that. So I guess like it's my husband who kind of motivated me. He was like, you need to go for what you want to do, right? If you if this is really something that you're passionate about and you think you'll excel at, uh, you should go for it. And I did that, and I just love this. I love every Component of what I'm doing. I love working with those participants who are newcomers to Canada and they are exactly where I was 12 years ago. So I could really relate to their experience. They have the greatest education that they can have, right? And then they have all the skills needed. And what Ballet does is Ballet helps them to upskill and enter the Canadian workforce. So like I just love that.

SPEAKER_00 44:22

I love it. And the your your passion is shining through here. You know, you probably have such an interesting lens on what's happening in the workforce, you know, not just from the the um populations that you serve, but but really across also where those gaps are in the industry. So if if you think about some of the you know progress that's been made and where some of the opportunities still are, um specifically when it comes to to women across those spaces, what are some of those trends that you see?

SPEAKER_11 44:51

So I think like we, as I said, like these gov these programs kind of work on the gaps, right? Like we have to see the gaps before we can actually start these programs. And for women in the in the industry, like we see that there's a clear gap for women in construction industry, right? We don't see women in the construction industry as much as we want to, right? So that's kind of the reason that we got the construct we have this construction program, and a lot of the participants that we have in that program are women. They want to enter the construction industry. And the same with the agriculture industry as well. Like a lot of times when we hear that we there's an agriculture program, like people call me and they're like, Oh, is it to work at a farm? And I'm like, no, right? Like if you read it, it's like more a business and a financial management program in agriculture, which would help women enter the agriculture industry, right? Because not uh like agriculture industry need different skills, they need skills for administration, accounting, business, sales, right? A lot of these skills are even tech. Like when I went to my first conference for agriculture, like almost a year ago from today, I was like, is this an agriculture conference or a tech conference? Because there is more tech than I think anyone knows in the agriculture industry that's already there, but at the same time that's needed. So we need to kind of channel women to the industries that need them, and that's kind of what we do.

SPEAKER_00 46:15

I love it. I I feel like we could unpack that whole conversation for two hours. Yeah. Um, and I feel like we we should at some point. Um if we think about the you know the year ahead, and we think about some of the opportunities that are out there, and also maybe the advice that you might have to give to someone that's at the front end of that journey, someone that's excited, they're inspired, um, but maybe they need some word of words of wisdom as they're launching or building their career. What words would you have for that person?

SPEAKER_11 46:44

I think one thing that I I have been saying to everyone, and I'll say to anyone who kind of wants to launch their career is networking. It's really important. It has always been important. Now it's kind of more, I would say, like we're scheduling networking. Before, like we would more intentionally do it. So intentional networking is something that's really important. Build those relationships because you don't know. The relationships that I built when I used to work with Belle like 10 years ago, they're still with me and like they help me a lot. So those relationships are the key to your success, like anywhere. And then the other thing that I kind of want to say is that you kind of have to see the opportunities that exist and take them. A lot of times, with our educational backgrounds, when we come to a new country, and like even women that are here once they finish their education, a lot of times we just see a straight path. But I don't think anyone's career has a straight path, right? Maybe some people, but not for a lot of us. So we have to take the opportunities that exist and then make benefit of it, and you don't know where you will land, right? And don't one just one more thing. I think a lot of times as women, we just underrate our perspective. But don't do that. Your perspective is super important. You need to bring that perspective up in the organizations you work, in the meetings that you sit in. Because like those perspectives are actually going to bring the innovation. We talk about innovation every single day, but what is innovation? It's actually someone's perspective that had some, like, you know, that that was productive. So I guess like bringing those perspectives out, talking about what you think is really, really important, and people would listen to it.

SPEAKER_00 48:22

Amazing. Um, that was incredible advice, Parmender, and thank you so much for joining me today. Um, this conversation was fantastic, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the event as well.

SPEAKER_11 48:32

Thank you so much for having me. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 48:34

I'm very excited to have another conversation here. Um, this time with Kimberly from Eco Canada.

SPEAKER_01 48:38

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 48:39

Of course, thank you for being here. Um, Kimberly, we're gonna jump right into things. Um I'd love to learn a little bit about you and uh your organization, Eco Canada.

SPEAKER_01 48:48

Great. Well, Kimberly Burfoot, I'm Eco Canada's Vice President of Finance and Operations. So I work heavily in um, you know, our finance team, HR technology. Um that's those are my areas. So, of course, we also are um you know trying to bring along our industry in a lot of these kinds of technologies. So um, yeah, we we we're trying to be a leader in the space, which is very difficult to do when the landscape changes every day. We were trying to have a leadership position in showing our industry how they can use AI to have better information. Um it will never replace the people, but it will make people's work in the sector much more efficient and help with a lot of the economic challenges that businesses are having, especially if they're tariff affected or you know, just in general, it's very tough for people out there to start new businesses and it's a very difficult economic environment. So, whatever we can do to help.

SPEAKER_00 49:44

Well, and I feel like the the bingo card is starting to get a little bit full in terms of things that are happening that are external, fall in the external force category.

SPEAKER_01 49:51

Yes, but what it's teaching us is that we can only depend on ourselves, and we need to build the skills here, the systems here, and the industry here to be self-sufficient and not as reliant on things we can't control.

SPEAKER_00 50:06

So and I guess that's a good segue into the work that Eco Canada does. Um so like if you were to describe in a couple sentences the the work that you do every day, you know, well what does that look like?

SPEAKER_01 50:18

Essentially, we remove the barriers that employers have in finding qualified staff, and that prospective employees, whether they're new, just new graduates, or even just starting going into school, or whether they're um, you know, needing to find a new home, a new career because the one they had is no longer working for them. You know, maybe, maybe it's become technology has made it obsolete. Maybe, you know, it could be anything that people are looking, you know, to get somewhere new and settled. Um so that's really where we work in that space. We we try to remove the barriers that employers, people, and academia has to making people have a successful start-to-end career in environmental work, which is a lot more difficult than it sounds.

SPEAKER_00 51:11

I I imagine that is quite a difficult challenge. Um so from the work that you're doing, then you probably have quite an interesting vantage point into some of the you know forces, not just in the environmental side of things, but also in terms of the labor market, in terms of some of the technology trends you're talking about.

SPEAKER_01 51:26

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 51:27

Um if we were to really kind of laser focus into some of the progress as well as some of the opportunities that exist for women in those spaces, you know, are there any key observations that you have?

SPEAKER_01 51:39

Well, I'm actually proud to say that um this industry's done an excellent job with parity. We have 41% of the industry is female, and not a lot of industries can say that. I think there's a few different factors. So um I've had basically three phases to my career so far. The first one was in manufacturing, which only had women in administrative and finance roles generally. Next was in safety in the trucking industry. 3% of truck drivers are female. It's not a comfortable or even a safe occupation for females. Females don't sleep on the side of a road. It's not it's not a comfortable place to be. To now going into still in not-for-profit, but uh into the environmental sector. And uh one of the reasons I think that we've done so well with that particular statistic is because of the way that our federal funding programs are designed. So we are heavily dependent on the federal government for funding for these initiatives. They have workforce development goals as well, and so we work together as their delivery partner of these projects. And they are very specific about the demographics that we need to meet in these programs to ensure that everybody has access to this, to ensure that everyone can come into a program that helps them break down the barriers that they have to good employment. And so I really think that just those those systemic choices have made a huge difference in the diversity, not just in women, but all the different kinds of diversity that's in our beautiful culture. And I think it's had a really great impact.

SPEAKER_00 53:23

That's phenomenal. So it's you're not just um an observer on the sidelines, you're actively participating and kind of drive in some of the change you want to see.

SPEAKER_01 53:30

Oh, yeah, at every level. Um, we have all kinds of programs and supports for whatever challenges that businesses or people would have in having a great and lucrative career.

SPEAKER_00 53:42

Incredible. So if you were to um you know think about and envision maybe someone that's on, you know, maybe someone that's looking at entering some of your programs, maybe someone that's gonna look into building or um changing their career, um what words of advice would you have?

SPEAKER_01 53:59

Oh, I would say definitely reach out for help. There's a lot of programs out there, a lot of government-funded and non-government funded programs out there. Um so you know, search whether that's online or or through your network, but get out there also to uh, you know, we're to we're today at a wonderful women's conference with a bunch of um very intelligent tech people. Um this city, Calgary, that we're in right now specifically, you don't make you don't get a good job based on your resume or your interview. It's based on your network. So you have to build that network, and then you have to take all the support that you can find and get. And um I think women especially, we have to just be a little more confident in what we have to offer. Um, one of the stats I really like that we did going through all of our um uh applicants over the years is that women will apply for a job if they meet 90% of the requirements on a job posting. Men on average are 60%. They look at a job posting and they say, well, I could do that. And it's just it's not a trait that women share in most cases. So I would say try anyway and sell your uh transferable skills.

SPEAKER_00 55:24

I love it. I feel like that's phenomenal advice. Thank you so much. As I promised, kind of shortened sweep for the conversation, but I I really appreciate you taking the time to very happy to be here to chat today. And um, you know, thank you so much for the time and the conversation.

SPEAKER_01 55:37

Thank you very much.

Engineering Leadership And Interdependence

SPEAKER_00 55:38

Amazing. For our second to last interview of the day, I am incredibly excited to have Jennifer from Magna Engineering. Um, I just wanted to dive right into things here. Tell me a little bit about yourself, tell me about the organization you've built.

SPEAKER_09 55:52

Uh well, I started it as I think the most important story is as a single mom. So I when people ask me about the entrepreneur journey, I think all of us started out of some type of necessity. So mine was single mom, pregnant, two-year-old, had this engineering degree behind me, big network of people. And I thought, okay, well, I need something that's gonna help me be around with the kids, needs to pay the bills. Why didn't I try this out? Uh what happened, interestingly, is I created this hybrid work environment that could support my life, and there was all these people that wanted to work in a company like that. And I built it with purpose around nature-based solutions for water. Turns out there's a lot of people that would really like to make that their purpose. So uh I'm not gonna say it was easy, but I was able to attract some really incredible people. And so then, you know, you get big enough, you get to be a CEO of this thing you created, so it's been really fun.

SPEAKER_00 56:46

That's amazing. So, how long ago like did you start that journey?

SPEAKER_09 56:49

I am in year 10 right now. So 2016, I started it off, and next November we're gonna celebrate 10 years.

SPEAKER_00 56:56

That's incredible. Well, I I'll say congratulations, and that's a huge milestone. So there's you know, ups, downs, sideways of everything along that entrepreneurial journey. If you think back to when you launched it, do you like did you envision that you would be in the spot you're in now, or was it more so I'm I'm gonna, you know, I'll take the first step and see where the world takes me.

SPEAKER_09 57:19

Um, door number two. Yeah. Uh, and I'll say it from I I have had a couple kind of just like we all have, big twists and turns in our stories. And uh in my late 20s, early 30s, I had decided to take life in five-year chunks. So I know we talk about goals and what we're gonna get to, and for me it was space. So I was gonna give myself five years to build some type of company that could pay the bills. My um youngest, when I really was going, like I had done a little bit on the side, but when it really got launched, my youngest was starting to get into school. And so I'd give myself five years of space to see what would happen. And I didn't invest a lot into it. I say I started it on a dollar, so you know it was gonna be risk reward that way. And um, and in those first five years, I just I learned that the industry was desperately looking what we were going to offer, and it was like, okay, well, then let's just do this. And that's when I really started to bring on a lot of key staff and decided at about that time I was gonna be the CEO uh and actually do some really strategic, good strategic planning that would get us to where we are today. So it didn't start out that way, but uh I started to see where it could go, and then that's when it really hit that gear.

SPEAKER_00 58:31

So it was the time to kind of jump in with both feet and uh kind of pot committed as they say.

SPEAKER_09 58:36

Yeah, exactly, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 58:38

And and so you know, you probably have you know a couple of different interesting perspectives, a from the entrepreneurial side, but also in the engineering space. Um, you know, f from a woman female perspective, what's some of the the progress that's been made in the last decade?

SPEAKER_09 58:53

I think the biggest part is I'm seeing more women. And I even think we talk about at engine in the engineering classes, like we're actually seeing surprisingly, in some engineering fields, more women in the engineering classes level, like in the taking the degree, uh than boy than men. So it's been really interesting. In the field, especially in the leadership side, still like probably more 10 to 1. There's only a few of us, but but there's more and more. So I think that the movement is that female leadership is starting to be a bit more respected. Um, one of the things in engineering that's tough is we have to be assertive, we have to have a certain level of intelligence and confidence because you're trusting me with your life. Uh, we used to always talk that doctors kill one person at a time. If I screw up a building, I can kill thousands at a time. So it's pretty important what we're doing, but I think there's some real space there for that creativity, that relationship-driven leadership that women really bring to the table. And we're seeing more and more of it because there's more of us around the table. So I think that's the big move. I don't think that the specific leadership has changed. It's not like, oh, this is what leadership looks like now. But now that you've got more of us at the table, it's possible that in the next 10 years, when you ask me that same question, I'll be like, yeah, we're all doing it now. Doesn't matter, male or female.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:10

That's amazing. And I will just make a quick joke about the uh in university, they are still boys, I think.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:15

Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Because it almost came out.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:19

I think you can safely say they're still boys in university. Um, you know, I I feel like you probably have a lot of wisdom um from the journey that you've been on to impart to someone that's that's at the front end of it. They're starting out, um, taking those chances. You know, if you were to, you know, think of a couple key points that you would love to impart to someone that was in that same scenario that you were uh 10 years ago, well, what would those be?

SPEAKER_09 1:00:44

Uh I could think I have two, two really good ones that I'll that I would leave with. Um, one of them is it was my own mistake, so that's why this is a good learning. There's a big difference between independence and interdependence. Independence is about it's close to perfectionism. It's I can do this on my own, this is how this is gonna go. Um, I actually started dealing with panic attacks uh in in 2020, and it was a real lesson to me that I needed to get back to interdependence, which is about asking for help, offering help, building a circle of people around you that respect all aspects of your life. And I think that um probably all of us, but especially women, we tend to take it all on, and it's really hard for us to understand where imposter syndrome and things like that come into it. And when you're in a true interdependent relationship, when people care about you as much as they care about the things that you're accomplishing, you really have that ability to be real. That those times when you just like, I just can't do it, I need help, are not as scary. And it also means that we can be courageous and we can take brave steps before we're ready because we've got these people that we can fall back on when we need it. So I think that really understanding the difference between independence and interdependence. Um, and the second one is be unapologetic. Uh, I, you know, had mentioned earlier today to someone that I have taken try to take I'm sorry out of my emails, out of my language, the word just I was just doing this, like this type of rhetoric. Just take it out of all the way that we communicate. We're already kind of facing, you know, am I being just by walking into a room, am I intelligent enough? Can I do this? All this imposter syndrome. If we can just get rid of a couple of those words that are a bit self-deprecating before we even shared how we feel about something, it it just it it it doesn't only just build confidence with the person you're talking to, but even yourself. You're be you're saying you're unapologetically making these choices. So I think those are the two things that I would I would lead with.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:45

I I love it. Um thank you so much for for sharing those perspectives today. Um thank you for taking the time for the conversation. I'm honored that you it took a couple of minutes to sit down. Fantastic job on the panel today, and and I really enjoyed having you on this mini version of the show.

SPEAKER_09 1:02:59

Yeah, thank you so much for the ask.

Building Art Community Through Entrepreneurship

SPEAKER_00 1:03:01

Awesome. So for our final conversation of today, I'm quite excited to have uh be wrapping up with you today, Dee. Um Dee, tell us a little bit about yourself and the work that you do.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:12

I'm the founder of Dots and Lines. Um we're a curated marketplace for art workshops, connecting communities and companies with professional artists through creative experiences and art workshops. We're on a mission to revolutionize how people engage with art through a creative sharing economy, empowering artists and creators to thrive in their craft while empowering a vibrant community where the wider population can actively engage with art, share their experiences, and form meaningful connections.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:50

That's amazing. So, how how did you uh how did you get into that?

SPEAKER_05 1:03:54

My family and I moved here from Denmark about three and a half years ago. Um I brought Dots and Lions idea with me here, and and I found Karagui is a wonderful city to launch and grow in my company.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:11

I I love it, and I I agree with you. We're we're building a company here as well, and it's a great ecosystem to build in. Um, when you think about kind of what Dots and Lines represents, what kind of what is that kind of practically look like in terms of some of those connections in terms of the ecosystem and what you're delivering through the organization?

SPEAKER_05 1:04:31

We work closely with talented artists here locally and curate workshops, house them together, welcoming individuals and families and corporate teams to step away from their routine, connect with one another, and share the joy of experiences. And as we grow, we always welcome collaboration with diverse artists and local venues and other creative communities to join us in creating experiences that further enrich our city's social and cultural aspects.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:08

I I love it. And so, you know, you're in a really interesting spot, where you're it sounds like you're at the intersection of the culture and arts, the intersection of more traditional business ecosystems, and then really building that strong community. When you think about the progress that's been made specifically when it comes to women and the involvement in those communities and ecosystems, you know, over the last you know few years, what observations do you have?

SPEAKER_05 1:05:35

I'm saying there are lots of opportunities for women leaders in Cagui. The city's focus on diversifying the economy and supporting entrepreneurship is creating real momentum for women to step into leadership roles. I've personally joined in programs designed to help women gain the skills and the resources. To succeed, and that has been really helpful and encouraging for me.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:05

I I love it. And so if you think about even some of the learnings from those programs or your career beforehand, you know, if you were to be giving advice to someone that was at you know maybe the front end of their journey or they're looking to build or do something really exciting and that they're passionate about, what what advice would you have for them?

SPEAKER_05 1:06:25

Trust yourself to start with or continue to build what you are truly passionate about and take the steps to pursue it. Car Gri offers strong support for women across industries. When I launched Dots Online, the connection and the guidance I found through Platform Cargree made a real difference and I encourage other women to engage with communities like this. Surround yourself with people who understand your journey, support your growth, and most importantly, trust your own path. Focus on growth and enjoying the journey of building something meaningful that speaks to your heart.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:06

I love it. I I couldn't think of a better way to wrap up our series of conversations today, Dee. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm humbled by the conversation. And thank you for being on the show today.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:17

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:19

Thank you so much for watching this special episode of Solm of this podcast. It was both a pleasure and an honor to have some of these amazing conversations. Um and just as a quick reminder, don't forget to like and subscribe if you enjoyed the episode. Um many more to come.