So, who am I? I am a thirty-one-year-old cat mama and lover, a passionate social media enthusiast, and a mental health advocate. I have been very transparent about my mental health journey through creative writing. I believe owning your past is essential to creating a healthy future. I am a dedicated, self-starter, self-motivated, multi-business owner as of 2022. When I am not glued to my seven screens in the house, you will find me binge-watching television sitcoms, snuggling with my cats, having a dance party with them in the kitchen, or getting some fresh air in our beautiful city.
Currently, I manage eight businesses' social media accounts. I can do this successfully because of my specific skills such as time management, dedication, communication, and respect. Values are fundamental to me; from a young age, my parents instilled various them before they, unfortunately, passed away. I have had to work for everything I have accomplished in my life, and I am very proud of myself. I dedicate my time, energy, and passion to my work.
After my mother passed away from cancer, I went back to college and graduated from the social service worker program. I decided I needed a change of pace and scenery, so I packed up my bags and ventured out to Calgary, AB, for five years. During my time there, I began my passion for writing. I didn't know many people in Calgary and spent most of my days working, so I journaled and began creative writing during my off time. Although my move was good for me, I missed home terribly. Writing was a way to open myself up and focus on recognizing my emotions of my mother's passing. Unfortunately, I was in an MVA in 2016, leading me back home. My recovery wasn't easy. I was left with many physical and emotional scars, so my writing came in handy. I also picked up a passion for reading. I began buying books of all sorts but took a shining, mostly poetry. It was inspiring to me.
Once I went through my physical therapy, I started my life again. I was hired at the Humane Society as their Executive Director, and what an incredible job that was. I figured; I may not be helping people, but I use my skills to help animals. Working for a not-for-profit was difficult. We faced many challenges daily. One of our biggest challenges what changing the public view of the organization. Social media played a significant role in this. So, began my passion for research and information. This organization depended on me to make a difference, and I didn't take that lightly. You see, many people despise social media because of the negative impacts it can have on us and our mental health, which I can empathize with. But, for me, social media has always fascinated me and no, not the selfies but the art and puzzle behind it. Some friends of mine are artists, and a lot of them have stated that when they are creating, drawing, painting, etc., they get lost in their art, and it sets their soul on fire (in a good way), and that's what social media design and marketing are for me.
In a few short months, hours of training and research later, I began to see a slight turnaround in their socials and how our community viewed us. I created and successfully executed their biggest fundraiser to date, and then we saw an even more significant increase. I realized that engaging with our community, connecting with donors, and creating those meaningful relationships were the key to success. I learnt that people value connection, honesty, and dedication more than anything, some of which are the same values my parents instilled and incorporated into my life at an early age. I learnt along the way that when you are passionate about something, people trust you. I take great pride in my work and what I accomplished at the humane society; I wanted to help even more. In 2018, my business partner and I launched Thunder Bay's first Cat Café, which in all honesty, was one of the scariest things I did in my life. Everything was falling into place, but unfortunately, due to lack of education, landlords of Thunder Bay decided they didn't want felines to reside in their buildings due to them "spraying." Which inspired us to focus on humane education to try and educate our community on animals – felines specifically. We turned our social accounts into the ultimate feline resource. I was asked to host and co-produce a local humane education television show. Education is crucial and is another passion of mine.
During the television show, I invited the incredible Linda Kelly, CEO of KMH and Kelly Halonen, RSW, MSW, onto an episode to discuss pet therapy and its importance for our mental health. I knew about Kelly Mental Health and was always attracted to their vision. It was clear, crisp, and concise. I was told that the PR and Marketing Coordinator was open during our taping, and Linda asked me out for coffee. She knew about my talents and had seen my work through the Humane Society, so I figured, what the heck!
Thus began my journey at KMH. I recently just celebrated my two years at Kelly Mental Health, and let me tell you, it has been a successful two years. KMH allowed me to own in on my talents, master them and build on my current skills. I have been able to do some pretty incredible things during my time at KMH. I developed, designed, and successfully executed a mental health magazine, researched hundreds of mental health and wellness topics, presentations, websites, events, radio shows, a mental health podcast, specialized therapy programs, all while managing four social accounts – you name it – I've done it. In my spare time (shocking, I have any, I know), I began working with other clients such as a psychologist, a local salon, a snow removal company, and a registered dietician.
One of the most important things I've learned since being at KMH is that you need to listen to your community and really dive into your business and find out who you are. Your brand is the most important thing. What makes you different? Who are you? What will you do for your community? The analytics help you grow your business properly without paying for your followings. The number of your followers isn't as significant as word of mouth.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for allowing me to use my passion and skills to highlight and grow yours.
Currently, I manage eight businesses' social media accounts. I can do this successfully because of my specific skills such as time management, dedication, communication, and respect. Values are fundamental to me; from a young age, my parents instilled various them before they, unfortunately, passed away. I have had to work for everything I have accomplished in my life, and I am very proud of myself. I dedicate my time, energy, and passion to my work.
After my mother passed away from cancer, I went back to college and graduated from the social service worker program. I decided I needed a change of pace and scenery, so I packed up my bags and ventured out to Calgary, AB, for five years. During my time there, I began my passion for writing. I didn't know many people in Calgary and spent most of my days working, so I journaled and began creative writing during my off time. Although my move was good for me, I missed home terribly. Writing was a way to open myself up and focus on recognizing my emotions of my mother's passing. Unfortunately, I was in an MVA in 2016, leading me back home. My recovery wasn't easy. I was left with many physical and emotional scars, so my writing came in handy. I also picked up a passion for reading. I began buying books of all sorts but took a shining, mostly poetry. It was inspiring to me.
Once I went through my physical therapy, I started my life again. I was hired at the Humane Society as their Executive Director, and what an incredible job that was. I figured; I may not be helping people, but I use my skills to help animals. Working for a not-for-profit was difficult. We faced many challenges daily. One of our biggest challenges what changing the public view of the organization. Social media played a significant role in this. So, began my passion for research and information. This organization depended on me to make a difference, and I didn't take that lightly. You see, many people despise social media because of the negative impacts it can have on us and our mental health, which I can empathize with. But, for me, social media has always fascinated me and no, not the selfies but the art and puzzle behind it. Some friends of mine are artists, and a lot of them have stated that when they are creating, drawing, painting, etc., they get lost in their art, and it sets their soul on fire (in a good way), and that's what social media design and marketing are for me.
In a few short months, hours of training and research later, I began to see a slight turnaround in their socials and how our community viewed us. I created and successfully executed their biggest fundraiser to date, and then we saw an even more significant increase. I realized that engaging with our community, connecting with donors, and creating those meaningful relationships were the key to success. I learnt that people value connection, honesty, and dedication more than anything, some of which are the same values my parents instilled and incorporated into my life at an early age. I learnt along the way that when you are passionate about something, people trust you. I take great pride in my work and what I accomplished at the humane society; I wanted to help even more. In 2018, my business partner and I launched Thunder Bay's first Cat Café, which in all honesty, was one of the scariest things I did in my life. Everything was falling into place, but unfortunately, due to lack of education, landlords of Thunder Bay decided they didn't want felines to reside in their buildings due to them "spraying." Which inspired us to focus on humane education to try and educate our community on animals – felines specifically. We turned our social accounts into the ultimate feline resource. I was asked to host and co-produce a local humane education television show. Education is crucial and is another passion of mine.
During the television show, I invited the incredible Linda Kelly, CEO of KMH and Kelly Halonen, RSW, MSW, onto an episode to discuss pet therapy and its importance for our mental health. I knew about Kelly Mental Health and was always attracted to their vision. It was clear, crisp, and concise. I was told that the PR and Marketing Coordinator was open during our taping, and Linda asked me out for coffee. She knew about my talents and had seen my work through the Humane Society, so I figured, what the heck!
Thus began my journey at KMH. I recently just celebrated my two years at Kelly Mental Health, and let me tell you, it has been a successful two years. KMH allowed me to own in on my talents, master them and build on my current skills. I have been able to do some pretty incredible things during my time at KMH. I developed, designed, and successfully executed a mental health magazine, researched hundreds of mental health and wellness topics, presentations, websites, events, radio shows, a mental health podcast, specialized therapy programs, all while managing four social accounts – you name it – I've done it. In my spare time (shocking, I have any, I know), I began working with other clients such as a psychologist, a local salon, a snow removal company, and a registered dietician.
One of the most important things I've learned since being at KMH is that you need to listen to your community and really dive into your business and find out who you are. Your brand is the most important thing. What makes you different? Who are you? What will you do for your community? The analytics help you grow your business properly without paying for your followings. The number of your followers isn't as significant as word of mouth.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for allowing me to use my passion and skills to highlight and grow yours.
