Welcome to Working Towards Our Purpose, a podcast that
offers a different perspective on what a job can be. For everyone
out there that's heard that voice in the back of their head asking for something
more, it's time to listen to it. I'm your host, Gino,
and join me as I interview people who have decided to work in their own
purpose. Together, we will learn, become inspired,
and hopefully find our own path towards working in our purpose.
Joining me today is Chelsea Risling, the founder and owner of Meraki
Supply Co, a retail boutique turned consulting company based in
Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She spent the last 2 years here in New Haven
working for Yale as director of operations for the women's hockey
team. Chelsea, thank you so much for being here. How are you today?
Thanks. I'm great. Yeah. It's a nice, beautiful, sunny day in New Haven.
Yes. It is. So yeah. So, I guess the first question
is, always, like, what was your kinda childhood like? And,
like, you know, what did you do for schooling? Or, like, what was it like
growing up in Canada? I mean, that's probably different than America. So
kinda, yeah, just a little bit about your story. Yeah. I grew
up in Saskatchewan, which is one province east of
Alberta, and, yeah, I had a very normal childhood. I
grew up with my dad and got to play lots of sports
and have lots of friends and have just a really pretty normal
upbringing. And in high school, I moved to boarding
school, and it was like a Catholic boarding
school. And it was awesome. I made a lot of friends there.
I think that was probably one of the most foundational
couple years of my life was moving away from home and
start starting to figure out who I am as a person and
establishing a lot of lifelong friendships. And after
that, I moved to Calgary, to the University of Calgary, to
pursue a degree in philosophy.
Interesting. What, led you to, like, philosophy? Was that just
something that, like, intrigued you? Or Yeah. 1000%.
I know it's not the most practical
university degree a person can take, but I I loved the
conversation and, you know, diving in-depth
into various topics. And and, yeah, I just
found it really stimulating. So, yeah, that's kind of what I
did for 4 to 5 years. After that, I did
some traveling. I backpacked across Australia, which
was really fun, and I had to make a decision,
join the corporate world and pursue a law
school or further education or open my
own business. And I was presented with sort of a fork in the
road, and I chose to take a huge risk and a
huge leap and open up a store at age 24.
And with knowing nothing about it, yeah, it actually
all worked out for me, which is really cool. That is cool. And we'll
definitely, like, get into that because I have a lot of questions about that. But
I get think the first thing that comes to mind for me is, like, is
is the view of, like, going to school and getting a
job for, like, 40 years for the best, is that a similar view that, like,
Canada also shares to the United States? Or is there, like, a difference, do you
think, between, like, work culture and, like, life
balance? I think Canada in that
aspect is very influenced by American culture. The
university aspect or going to school
or choosing your career in a sense right out of high school, whatever that may
be. There's, like, a lot of pressure to sorta
have it figured out. And I think that's so silly to think that
16, 17, 18 year old kids these days could have
any idea what they wanna spend the rest of their life doing. And I
think that's, like, a dangerous pressure to put
people under. I wish more people would take time and
travel or work or figure out who they are, you know, focus
on making friends, community, or being somewhere that they
actually enjoy. And yeah.
Mhmm. Yeah. Totally. Definitely agree with that. So did
that affect, like, what you went to college for? Because
you you even said, like, maybe it's not a practical degree, but I
remember, like, for me, when I picked a degree, like, that was kinda the only
thing I was thinking about, like, where it would position me to after
college. So what, like, made you pick the thing that you were interested
in versus, like, maybe a quote, unquote more practical
degree? Yeah. I think that's maybe what sparked
my sort of outside the box life Mhmm. In not
pursuing something that just led straight to
a career job and choosing something that did pique my interest
more than being practical. Yeah.
That's really cool. So then you did some traveling after you
graduated, and what spawned you to go to Australia?
That's very far away. Yeah. I had some friends who were
out there doing some traveling, and I was just about done
my degree at the U of C. And, I decided
I'm gonna book a one way flight out there, and we're gonna get a van
and drive up the coast and camp with no return
flight or anything. And that was really fun. I'm a bit of a spontaneous
person, always up for adventure. And
that was a really fun summer of my life to, get to
experience that in in a bit of a different part of the world. Yeah.
It was cool. I also had moved
out east for a year of my university
time to work for the University of New Hampshire's women's
hockey team, and I did my courses online from my
university. So that was kinda cool. I got a little taste of
Eastern America, just north of Boston, and, yeah, that
was a really, really fun time, too. I've never been afraid
of making a move or changing cities or, you
know, going into something a bit unknown. And and yeah. So I feel like that
was rooted in me from a bit of a young age.
Yeah. Definitely. So yeah. So then you came back
from Australia and then you just decided that you wanted to open a business. What
was that process like or decision making like? Did you think about
it a lot or was it like something that kinda just came up and you
took it? Yeah. I moved back, and
I was studying for my LSATs
and sort of planning on, I guess, this is the next step, like
going continuing my education and and going into law
school. And I had finished those, was happy with my scores,
but felt a little bit of, you know,
I don't know if this is the right decision for me. I think there's a
part of me that doesn't quite fit into the corporate world, and
that was the part of it that I worried about
the most. You know, I'm a really passionate person. When I find
something I love, I'm a 110% into it.
But I'm also myself. I'm very myself, and I
don't know that I could fit into conforming into the corporate
world in the way that I would have probably needed to to be successful
in that career. And, yeah, one thing led to
another, and I think it's it's that little bug
you get bit by or that little seed that gets planted in your brain
that you know what? I've seen other people open businesses.
I I feel like I could really do this and give it a shot.
And that was sort of the moment when I changed course
and pivoted from continuing education
to taking a risk. Shortly after that, I found
a space to lease. And from there, it was you
know, looking back, I designed the space and and made
it my own. And and, yeah.
So did you have to sign, like, a certain amount a year lease?
Because I know with commercial leasing, it's usually, like, not just 1 year. It's like
a bigger commitment than that. Was it similar? And if so,
like, was that, like, nerve wracking or scary to
kinda commit to that big chunk of time?
Yeah. It was a 5 year lease in a
trendy little neighborhood in Calgary called Kensington.
And, yeah, it was a huge risk, but I didn't view it as that
for even one second. I was I had my mind
set, and I figured I would make it work
no matter what. I didn't really experience
any fear going into it. I was just so excited
to do something of my own. And that may
be the little secret to the success or
to it all kind of working out for me was a little
bit of ignorance and being young and being
naive and taking a big risk.
Yeah. Yeah. I I guess, something that kinda comes
up in the people that I interview, I was thinking specifically of an one
episode I did, but like the way that people make decisions can be
different, like depending on your personality and that sort of thing. I think some people
make decisions with their head a lot and, like, very logical and that sort of
thing, and then some people make decisions with, like, their heart or maybe
more with passion. Is that something that, like, you notice when you make
decisions? Because I guess I'm kinda, like, thinking about the decision you made to go
to college and the decision to open a business. Sounds like you more so follow
something that, like, you're interested in or that you're passionate about versus logic. Is
that, I don't know, something you ever think about? Yeah. Yeah. I
definitely think about that. And I think we're all a combination
of all of those things depending on what it
is. And, you know, age really does play a
factor in that or responsibilities that come up in life, but
I've never let logic stop me from doing something that
I'm passionate about. I feel that trumps all.
Yeah. I think it's something that I bring up because it's always something that
I, like, I balance and play with because I think I also am a very
passionate person when it comes to the things that, like, I enjoy, but I also
am very logical. And like, I went to school for mechanical engineering. It's
very, you know, follow the formula sort of thing.
So it's something that, like, I constantly balance and I think the older I get,
the more I lean off of the logic and more of like the,
what intrigues me. And I think it has been
helpful. So yeah, just interesting to, to get your
perspective on that. So what, what was like the first step of like
starting a store? Like, did you, did you find a
space and then decide what you wanted the business to be? Or did you think
about what the business was and then find the space?
Yeah. I think those 2 went pretty hand in hand, finding the space
and having the concept and the vision all kind of panning out at the
same time. It's about a 6 month period of
creativity and brainstorming and coming up with the concept
and all the little details, but, yeah, I
had an idea of wanting a little store that sold a lot of
products that aren't represented in other stores, which is pretty typical of
a boutique. I mean, a lot of these smaller brands maybe
don't have a storefront to sell in, or maybe they're only at markets from time
to time. So my idea was to make a space
around local goods or local makers
and sort of combine that with a bit of the outdoorsy culture that
exists in Calgary and make a little store. So
yeah. Interesting. So
what was the, like, the first biggest challenge, I guess, as
opening your own store? Like, so you're a boutique finding
kinda other people's unique items. What was the process
like to even find stuff to put in your store? Yeah. A lot
of it was, at first, you you kinda make connections through social
media. I think at that time in 2013,
2014, Instagram was sort of starting to really become
not just a social app, but a tool for businesses.
And I was really lucky to experience
the beginning phases of Instagram as a
business tool, which was really cool, connecting with people
in my city, but also people internationally,
and really built a community around
this little concept, this little lifestyle concept, if you will.
And that was really fun. I think a lot of the Meraki community was
outside of Calgary as well. I had a lot of people throughout the years
who had followed us for years come through town and make
us a pit stop, and, you know, we'd send product
out to people, you know, in California or
Colorado. And it was really cool to connect. And I think
that is an aspect of the business that I didn't foresee and
how Instagram really played a huge role in that too, in that
connection, in that community building, even with other businesses, other
whether it was other vendors or other stores similar to mine.
Calgary itself has a really cool small business scene. And
especially back then, it was really booming before sort of
the the downfall of oil and gas and the pandemic and all
those things. I think that was such a prime time to be a
part of something really special and a lot of success in that
city at that time too. It was a really booming
period and a really cool time to start a business. And, you
know, whatever your idea of success is, I felt it was
coming through in a lot of different ways in community and
connection and helping others and building something bigger than
myself. Yeah. That that word community is something that,
like, is important to me also. And
something that I also didn't really expect when I first like, because I first started
my business, it was like completely online. Didn't really have to talk to anybody,
kinda just tried to find clients through Instagram and, you know, other ways
like that. But I think once I started being involved
in, like, even the New Haven local entrepreneur community and just other
people who are doing similar things is when things changed a lot for me.
So, yeah, it's interesting that that's something that, like, I both of
us maybe didn't see coming, but became instrumental. And then
even for me, certainly rewarding as far as,
just connecting with other people and, like, figuring out my own mission
more. Did did connecting with the community kinda
change the way that your business even was or, like,
you know, from the original idea? Yeah. 1000%.
It was the whole purpose. It became the whole purpose
of the business, whether it was, you know,
making friendships and connections with people, helping
other people with their small businesses, or even just the ability
to have my own space where my friends knew where to
find me every single day. It was really cool. I
got to have my dog with me at work every day, And we
became the little staple of the neighborhood and just went to
the same coffee shop across the street every day and lived above
my store, which was really cool. There was a really strong
community aspect to having this
shop that I didn't foresee. And
that is what I ended up enjoying the most
about it. That was by far the most important part about
having this space was its
potential to be anything I wanted it to be. We ended up hosting
various events with other breweries
or, you know, different companies in town or or, you
know, musicians and and things like that. We did a lot of pop ups
and even just had our own little parties and things and stuff. It was a
really cool space that became multidimensional, and
that was that was something I didn't foresee at all, but
became sort of the pillar of Meraki.
Yeah. I like that. And I think too, nowadays,
it's it's cool to, like, have a multi use
space, even like maybe from like a, you know, income aspect. It's
like hard to make one specific thing work. I think it's cool that like
businesses are, like, combining things and, like, having different like, the other day I
saw this tattoo shop that's also gonna be, like, a coffee shop, which
is so cool to me because, like, they're trying to invite people to, like, come
hang out. And, like, obviously, there's gotta be some separation for, like, health
concerns, but, just the idea of, like, people hanging out there and
seeing what's going on and like something else is going on in the back. I
think that that's like a really cool way to run a business because it's
inviting the community. So it's cool that you, like, got to do
that. So I really like that idea of, like, having a physical location be more
of something than just selling something. But I guess that
kinda like brings me to like, so what about like from the business end of
running the business, like, you know, obviously you gotta pay for your rent and
lights and, and all that stuff. Did selling products,
like, initially, was that enough for you to
to keep the lights on, or did you have to, like, start selling online? Like,
what did that look like? Yeah. The store itself did
did fairly well. I'd say my expectations in that aspect
were exceeded. There was a big push for me to sell
online and do ecommerce, or I guess not a push, but
more pressure from people who maybe didn't live in the city and things like
that. And I dabbled in that a bit, but I found something a
bit impersonal about the online
space of of selling a product. You know, that, at the end of the day,
just, like, wasn't what I was trying to do
initially. But ecommerce in that time frame, in those 6
years, did become one of the main ways of
consuming and shopping. So sort of pivoting to
that in some degree, but a bit in a resistance
sort of way. The point was to come down to the store, you know, and
see the space. Upon opening, I
didn't have a lot of start up money at all to open up, but I
spent every last dime on making the space
feel a certain way when people walked into it, where
you almost feel a bit transported when you walk into the space. It
was all Douglas fir, wood paneling, and big
huge beams, and, you know, a really cozy space with
with exposed brick and things like that and, you know,
dim lighting. And I wanted people to feel like they were walking
into a cozy space and a space that felt like
quality, and that was then reflected in the products as well.
But, you know, the product's almost being an afterthought to how the
space initially felt. And I think anyone who's stepped foot
in Meraki knows what I'm talking about, and I'm sure there'll be
some people listening to this that that have been there. And,
yeah, so I think ecommerce is something I was a bit
hesitant to do because, you know, you just you it's it's
impersonal. And at the end of the day, all of the brands that I
sold in the store had their own ecommerce sites and their own and
their own website. So that's an interesting
reality of of being somebody who's a vendor for other
people's products, which then led it to us making some one
off drops of, you know, Meraki products and things, which was really fun,
just to have that little creative touch and get to do
some things like that that we wanted to to make. Yeah.
Cool. Yeah. I I like that. I because I'm kinda the same way. Like, I'm
at more of an in person sort of being.
And, like, I really like the way that you describe, I
guess, the aesthetic of the store and, like, how that was almost
more important or a primary driver versus,
like, the actual products. And I think I noticed
if there was, like, pictures of products and stuff like that, but it's all just,
like, an aesthetic of, like I don't know. You feel a
certain way by looking at all the pictures that are, like, curated. Do you know
what that is? Like, the the drive to, like, want to, like, curate this kind
of aesthetic almost? Yeah. You know, I haven't thought
too much about that. As you said, it's kinda been like that from the
beginning, but I guess it's it's sort of storytelling
in a sense or or something like that. It's visual storytelling,
and it's I wanted to reflect, you
know, quality and consistency in in our
products. And I think that was the main platform for that.
Funny thing is I had never had to spend a dime on
advertising or marketing. You know, I just figured it out as I
went, which was really fun. So the Instagram
page kinda says it all, and the photos and all that. And,
you know, reposting a lot of other people's photos from afar
sort of became, you know, another aspect of of the
visual side. Yeah. It definitely
is, important part. I think if anything, because I'm just thinking
like if I go to a coffee shop, I'm usually picking it
based off of like the space and like how it feels in there versus
like, if their coffee's good. Maybe everybody doesn't do that,
but I feel like that's more important than if the
coffee is good. Like, because if I'm gonna be sitting in there and working, like,
I wanna be comfortable and, like, feel a certain way, feel productive.
So I think that that's, I don't know, at least for me, something that, like,
maybe a lot of people don't specifically talk about because it's probably
hard to root that back to, like, sales, but I
think it's important. So it's cool that that you kinda, like, went in that direction.
So what did you said you had the store for 5 years. What did,
like, the evolution look like from, like, 1st year to,
like, you know, mid 2, 3 years in to, like, the end of
it? Yeah. I'd say that it started off
pretty small, you know, and not a lot of product. It
was sort of getting people to buy into the concept
and put their product in the store, and, you know, then we
sell it, and then we both get a cut. So the consignment
aspect was how I initially built up the ability
to build an inventory and the ability to
wholesale product from there, which then granted me the ability
to have more products from different makers and, you know,
some from further away and things like that. So it was a
slow growth, but in a sustainable way. I think
growth doesn't have to be so rapid and all at
once. And I think I was happy with how
the growth every year was noticeable. And
how do I word it? I'd say the growth was
noticeable, but not overwhelming. Mhmm. Because that's the other thing
with with quick growth, sometimes things can really get out of
control. So I'd say it started off pretty small, and
by 20 17, 2018, really became
more what I wanted it to be initially. And and it took some patience and
and time and and hard work and a lot of sacrifice
as a young person being there every day. But
it was very worth it for so many reasons that I could have never
expected. By the end of the 5 years,
I decided to give my landlords a call and say, you know,
I'm unsure if I wanna do another 5 or not.
And how would you feel, you know, just
extending my lease by 1 more year? And they were they were cool
with that, you know, with the idea that after that
one additional year, I would then decide if I'm gonna stay for another 5
or not. And on December 31,
2019, I decided that I need a break
and that I had put, you know, 6 years pretty
much working every day into this into this space. And
I was happy with where it was, but I was ready for it to almost
bloom into its its new thing, which I wanted a bigger
space. I wanted, like you said earlier, more more
multifaceted aspects of it, maybe a coffee bar, maybe an event
space, seating for people to hang out and and make it more of a
community concept. So closing the store was
a hard decision, but also kind of an easy decision because in the back of
my mind, I knew that or I thought I knew that it was going to
come back kind of bigger and better and and more built around
community. And, I mean, a few months later, we
all know what happened in March of 2020 with the pandemic.
And that sort of changed the fate of of what I was building at the
time. You know, I didn't know how long the pandemic would last.
I didn't know if it was gonna be a month or a year or longer,
which it ended up being. So it ended up having to
pivot into something to help other businesses stay
alive at that time. Yeah. That's
interesting timing. It's almost kinda perfect timing to close a
physical location when everybody was kinda shut down.
So how did you then kinda grow into that
next role of helping other businesses? Was it something that,
like, kinda just came to you? Like, people started asking you, how do
you do these certain things? Or, was this something that you kinda went out
and tried to do? I mean, it kind of
came naturally. I think there was a couple struggling businesses in the neighborhood
who didn't know where to begin with with sort of
online marketing and and also ecommerce and things like that.
So it's it really started out local and then sort of became
a way to, you know, continue making a living, you know,
switching to sort of helping others with their media and their marketing.
And I think the biggest thing was trying to be something that I
almost wish I had when I was starting my store because
I didn't know how to do any of this stuff. I didn't know how to
set up a POS system or build a website or take
photos, and I had to learn all of those things
on my own, you know, to save money and and things like that.
And, yeah, sort of just kind of using
all my skills that I built in those 6 years to,
help other people stay alive during the pandemic and which turned
into helping some other businesses open up throughout that time
and help other some other businesses grow or open new
departments where they needed to pivot into something a little bit different
to stand through that, you know, really difficult
time economically. And yeah, and so it was it was pretty
rewarding in that sense, I would say. Yeah. I
I also think it's kind of neat that you get to help somebody
with, like you said, almost a younger version of yourself who you
wish you kinda had this, and now you can help those people because you kinda
know where they're at. So I think that's a really cool way to, like, you
know, I guess, make a business off of the things that you already know how
to do, which is I think maybe the most natural
way to have a business or start a business. I think I
think about that a lot and, like, trying to
I'm noticing, like, as you're speaking, it kinda seems like that
you kinda just seem to, like, follow what makes sense and,
like, maybe not overthink, but I could totally be missing
that. Like, how do you feel about overthinking? I feel personally that, like, I
overthink a lot of things to the point where, like, I don't even do them.
Right. So, like, how how do you combat that? Is
that something that, like, is a challenge for you over overthinking things?
Yeah. I think there are things in my life. And as
I've gotten older, I I find that I'm overthinking things
a lot more, because you go through stuff. You know? You go there's a reason
we overthink, and that's a protection mechanism. And
it's wanting to make the right decision with limited
information. You know, overthinking
is not always a bad thing, but it can hold a person
back. And I find in the last few years of my
life since since since I've closed down my shop. You know, I find
myself overthinking, you know, some opportunities
and trying to be that person who that I
am deep down, who is a little more impulsive,
who is open to adventure and opportunities
and, you know, open to the unknown. I
think when I think about what I want my life to look like when
I'm old and unable to do these things,
I want to look back and say that I said yes
to things as often as I could within
reason. But it's harder to do when you get older. You feel like you have
to be more responsible. You know, there's social pressures or,
you know, subconscious things, a place that you're supposed
to be by the time you're in your thirties. And, you
know, I I think I've sacrificed a lot of having a normal life
or having a life where I'm able to up and move to
Connecticut or, you know, go on a big road trip for
half a year or maybe take a risk in
helping someone open a business and be at this point in my life
where I don't know what it's gonna look like, but I think that's how I
want it to be. Mhmm. Yeah. I definitely
resonate with that a lot. And for from
coming from, like, a college path going into corporate, I think
I felt as if that younger part of my life, I was
very excited to like kind of do something and then almost held back
by the job position that I had or, like, you know, the 40 hours you
gotta be there. And I and I think about this
the last few interviews is this kinda come up where it's like
I think about how I was back then and,
like the energy and, I don't know, desire that I had to do something,
but it doesn't necessarily mean, like, you can't do that now.
Like, you could, I don't know. Like, you're a different age and, you know,
circumstances are different, but you could still, like, push yourself to do the
things that you wanna do or kinda more try to weed out the
social pressures and all the other external pressures and, really
nothing is kinda holding you back except yourself. So
almost kinda reframing it and looking at it in a different way and being like,
oh, I could have that exploratory twenties,
early twenties period now. Like, there's not really anything that
is stopping me from doing that except me. Mhmm. So I think I'm
trying to make more decisions now based off of just, like, enjoyment. Like, do I
like doing this? Is this something that's giving me something in return?
You know, not just financially, but, like, am I learning something? Is it
fun? Am I building relationships? Like, that's kinda how I try to move more so
now, I think. So what you were saying was resonating with me
as far as, like, that feeling. But yeah. So as I guess you think about,
like, what it is that you wanna do next. You you
did say that you had some sort of reservations maybe, but, like, what what do
you think that you would wanna do next? Do you wanna open up another location
back in Canada? Yeah. You know, this question comes
up a lot, and I think I've spent maybe the last couple
years unconsciously avoiding that reality
of the next thing. Right? And, you know, which has led me
to some pretty cool places and some really neat opportunities. But at the end of
the day, figuring out what the next thing is for me is is a bit
daunting. My plan is to move back to Canada
in the next month or 2 and figure it
out from there. I know that it's a bit open ended of an
answer, but that's kinda where I'm at right now. And I
need to remember to not be fearing the
future in a time like this, but actually be excited for the
opportunities that could come. And, you
know, I think that's kinda the main question people ask me a
lot is, oh, well, what's next? And where are you gonna live next? And what
are you gonna do next? And I I don't know. I don't know. And
I kind of like it that way by design. You know? It's it's sort of
like that on purpose. I want to do
something that I'm passionate about, but I don't think it's gonna be a
retail location again. You know? A lot of reasons for that.
Some practical and some more emotional. You know, the
economy's changed. How businesses operate has
changed. You know? Look at Amazon in the last 10 years
from 2014 when I opened my store to now. Most people just
wanna shop online, and it's really hard to compete with that.
But also building something that isn't
unknown, like, you know, building something practical too, building something that can
help purpose, building something that I can see myself doing for a
while. And I'm not sure what that is. I've, you know, I've
helped restaurants and people in that world start up, and and
part of me is really interested in that from a passion perspective.
You know, but my skill sets lie in, you know, maybe
more marketing and business vision and things like that. So
I don't know what the future holds, and I think that's really exciting. And
I need to, you know, remember that. And talking with people like you really helps
me to remember that, oh, yeah. This is this is
exciting, and this is okay. One thing you had touched on earlier
with with sort of this topic, it's okay to be in your
thirties and and do things that maybe you might have wanted to do in
your twenties. And I'm seeing a bit of a trend with people our
age. You know, I'm 33, and, you know, a lot of my
peers who have done the corporate thing or one job
for the last, you know, 10, 15 years,
they're they're almost getting this itch to,
you know, oh, I wish I would I could start something of my own up
or try this or you know, and
the comfort of their their
corporate position and and, you know, financially or maybe responsibilities,
like, you know, a family or a mortgage, holds them back
from doing something that they could be really passionate about. And
I am really happy that I took the route I did and sort of
scratch that itch at an early age. And I'm not looking back,
you know, wishing I could do something that maybe I
can't do now. You know? My life doesn't look like what a lot of those
people's lives look like, and that's okay. I do
hope that people our age can feel
comfortable and confident enough to not think
it's too late to try something new and and try something
exciting. Mhmm. Yeah. I
100% agree with that, and that's kind of a part of the
reason that this podcast exists. Because I think when I finally broke out
of that corporate model, I
met so many cool people of all different ages doing so many different cool things.
And I'm like, woah. There's a whole other world out here of, like, people
figuring it out and getting by and being fine and doing the things
that they care about and, like, helping people that they care about. And,
that's certainly, like, one of the first reasons why this podcast exists because
I just wanted to, like, ask them about their stories and, like, highlight them
and be an example for other purpose. Because I think if I'm thinking about a
younger version of myself, that's what I wanted to hear. I wanted to hear, like,
somebody doing something different and, like, being okay and taking a
risk, making a jump and, like, figuring it out. Because, yeah, it's
you'll always figure it out in the end. Like it it'll come
together in ways that you couldn't imagine, but
I think taking the jump is like the hardest thing. So yeah, I,
I really like what you just said. And it, it
is super exciting, to, to go into something and be like, I don't know what
I'm gonna do, but I'm gonna follow my heart and
it'll lead me to what I'm supposed to be doing next. And I think that
that's in and of itself super empowering and a cool way to look at it
for sure. Yeah. Yeah. I feel really fortunate to be in
the position I am in. I feel like my phase in life
right now is very much a follow my heart kind
of phase. You know? I'm feeling ready to move back.
I'm feeling really excited for the future,
and I've got a lot of really awesome people in life too that
are really supportive. I always inspired
by, you know, my friends and my peers and, you know, other
business owners and people like you who, you
know, make me remember that, you know, it's gonna be
okay. And, you know, the support
that's that's success in and of itself is, like, you know, who do
you have in your life helping you become whoever it is that
you wanna be? Mhmm. Yes. I, again,
totally agree. And that's definitely something that, like, you
can't quantify, but it's so important and just helps you get through
because I think a big part of it too is, like, it's not just this
steady kind of doing the same thing every day, getting the same paycheck every
week. There's ups and downs, and I think you need people and
community to help you through those times. And
in getting together with other people who are doing similar things,
like minded people, you are then inspiring each other and,
like, growing together as a whole, which is, I think, is, like, the coolest thing.
So, yeah, it makes me think about, like, physical
location places where, like, people can come together and do that. And I
think maybe one day I'll have some sort of place where people can do that
because I really like the idea of people in person, like communicating and
working off of each other's energies and inspiring each other. But
yeah, we'll see down the road. That's a very cool idea. I I
love that idea, and I think that we need more of that in the world,
you know, to feel connected and to feel inspired and, you
know, to build off of each other's energy and passion.
Mhmm. Totally. So we are kinda getting to the end of
our time, but I do have to ask you the same question I ask
everybody in that is, what does purpose mean to you? For
me, it's, you know, kind of an important word and it's, you know, in this
podcast. So wanna get your perspective on what purpose means. What
does purpose mean to me? Yeah. That's a that's a tough one.
That's ever changing. That is, I
think, a big a big part of purpose for
me is just authenticity and and being true to who I
am and whatever whatever season of my life that
that is. You know? Honoring that, you know, it's always
going to be changing, and that's okay. We're we're meant to change, and we're meant
to grow, and there's ebbs and flows to life. And
it's easy to say right now, but, of course, it's difficult when you're experiencing
that. But, you know, my purpose is to be me.
Be authentic to me. Be kind.
Be you know, help others, inspire
others, but but just always remain true to who I
am. And, you know, know when it's time to say goodbye
or time to say no. And know when it's time to jump in, you
know, feet burst into something exciting. And,
you know, I'm I'm proud to have done the things that I've done, and I'm
excited for what the future holds. But, yeah, I'd say purpose is really
rooted in authenticity at the end of the day.
Yeah. I love that. And I'm also finding that
myself, that that's also a really important piece of it. And
I tend, I have words like it seems every year, like different
words that seem important, and authenticity is one of them
for this year for me. Because I think that that's how you can inspire people
the most is by being your most true
self, and then it inspires other people to do the same. So, yeah, I
I really like that answer. Yeah. Yeah. I I love that. That is
so true. It's truly what inspires others too is just
being you, which is the craziest life hack ever. Just be
yourself. I know. Sounds so easy, but
it's it's Yeah. Not very difficult sometimes,
but, but yeah, thank you so much for sharing all of your
wisdom and your experiences with us. And I definitely wish you the
best In the future, we'll have to have you back on when you get to
back to Canada and and figure out your new thing, and see and see how
far you've gotten. Thanks, Gino. Appreciate it. This has been super fun and,
you know, something a little out of my comfort zone, but I'm super glad I
did it. So thank you for giving me that opportunity, and thanks for being
someone that inspires me. Oh, thank you so much. Thank you for being someone that
inspires me. Awesome. Well, have a good day, Gino. See you.
Thank you for listening to Working Towards Our Purpose. If you liked today's
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you. The show was produced by Pleasant Podcast at pleasant podcast
dotcom.