A: I am passionate about many things. I am an initiative creative and I love creating new content. I am launching a new program around empowering women to balance out in multiple ways, including understanding and shifting their dream state to make a bigger impact on their lives and biz.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I grew up in a big family. I was the oldest of six kids, and I helped take care of them. My family taught us to work hard and value being a good, honest hard worker. Life was our education. We worked and played hard as a family. Service to others was valued and important as well.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: Learn to have balance now. Do not put it off. Being over busy and being out of balance can effect your ability to retire in peace and abundance. Start now!
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism shouldn’t be hard or coarse. It is not demanding. It’s soft, receptive, and kind, but it sets healthy boundaries and gets important matters taken care of properly.
MORE FROM TAMMI: I am a certified ThetaHealer and I love empowering women to make bigger shifts than they can ever dream possible even faster! Struggling to overcome hormonal imbalance and PTSD has been a challenge, and I love empowering other women feeling out of balance to balance naturally so they can live their dreams.
Q and A with Catriona from Scotland, living in Berlin, Germany
“When I gave up architecture after studying for seven years, people thought I was crazy, but I knew it wasn’t right for me. And I followed that feeling, and I have ended up in a place I would never have imagined, but it’s exactly where I’m meant to be!”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I come from a background in architecture, and I loved studying it as it was a way to think about how to design the world to create healthier, happier people. After university, I travelled to Vietnam to teach English and I started a community called, “Leading Women,” which ran public speaking events for female speakers to talk about important issues.
I am incredibly passionate about empowering women and [promoting] gender equality for everyone. Since moving back to Europe, I began an Instagram page about female empowerment and, over the months, I moved into more content about sex as I felt it was one of the biggest taboos for women and I really believe that women deserve pleasure and to not be shamed for their sexuality. So basically, my passion is people, humanity, and self-love, and empowerment, and my way of teaching that is through open and honest content around sex, health, and our bodies. I create content for social media, my website, and through workshops and courses. And my current big passion is teaching women self pleasure.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: My early life definitely inspired me a lot. I was my dad’s sole carer from age 14, as he had Alzheimer’s disease. My mum and dad had split up and it really pushed me to grow up and also gave me a lot of compassion for people and [I learned] to treasure life when you can live it because it can be taken away so easily.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: What I believe people could learn is to listen to your gut and your heart, and let life take you where you’re meant to go, and to accept change. We all have plans, and even if we’re doing everything right, we have to chose to be happy and follow what is right within us, even if it’s taking you off the stable path. When I gave up architecture after studying for seven years, people thought I was crazy, but I knew it wasn’t right for me. And I followed that feeling, and I have ended up in a place I would never have imagined, but it’s exactly where I’m meant to be! Also, don’t stress too much about changing careers or earning a lot of money or owning a house by 30; these don’t necessarily make you happy or give you personal success. Do something that fills you with satisfaction and pays the bills, and you’re on the right path.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism is about equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of gender and letting go of limiting ideas of what it means to be a man or a woman. It’s absolutely about female empowerment, but it’s also about giving men the space to express their emotions and so many more things.
MORE FROM CATRIONA: If you’d like to discover your sexuality and love your body more in a community with other supportive women, follow me on Instagram @weareungirls. Also, I’m running a self-love and pleasure course and teaching live workshops on this.
“I have learned to never ignore your passion. When you are walking in your purpose, your passion will indeed bring value to those you are meant to serve.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I am passionate about the art of writing. My father took the television away from my siblings and I when we were very young. We were only allowed to read books! Because of this, I am familiar with what a good book is comprised of! This love for reading sparked my imagination and also generated a love for writing. I like to think of my writing as a divine energy that travels from the spiritual realm and into the physical through the portal of my fingers. This is why I started Authors in Action. Through courses, coaching, and ghostwriting, we help our clients to achieve their author potential through the power of self-publishing. I absolutely love the look of pure excitement on my clients’ faces when they hold their book in their hands for the first time. Watching them experience that “I can’t believe I did this!” moment is special and beyond uplifting. I was motivated to start Authors in Action due to the many who wanted to become published authors. I’m currently working on separating my coaching and ghostwriting into two separate entities. I have decided to do this because my ghostwriting packages are the most popular. Lots of executives, pastors, founders, etc. have amazing skills and knowledge that need to be shared with the world; however, they don’t have time to write! It brings me joy to help them be able to add another stream of income to their dynasty, share their knowledge, and achieve their goal of becoming a published author.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I grew up on books. I did not experience television until about four years ago. My school years consisted of my classmates laughing hysterically whenever I admitted that my family and I didn’t have a television. Yes, it was embarrassing, but now I am grateful. I didn’t experience being on the computer unsupervised until my senior high school days back in 2003. These were days when my mom allowed us to sneak in an hour or two whenever my dad was at work. Thanks Mummy! I loved shows like Desperate Housewives, Downton Abbey, and later on a series called Revenge. I still loved books. I will always embrace a good book. My favorite childhood authors were Enid Blyton, Ronald Dahl, Anne Martin, and Carolyn Keene. These authors took me on many memorable journeys through my imagination. This creativity translated across into my writing and gave me a newfound love and a unique way to express myself. In addition to reading, I did professional ballet classes. My father says this was one of the hobbies I took extremely seriously. Many may not know that I have completed the American Academy of Ballet Examinations with mostly gold medals straight up to level twelve which is pointe work. I was trained through Virtue Dance Academy in The Bahamas and was judged once a year by The American Academy of Ballet. This was the perfect school for me as they did acting and Christian stage performance also. Dance and writing are similar for me as I consider them both to be a presentation of energy flowing from another world into reality.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: I have learned to never ignore your passion. My passion has always been writing; however, I was encouraged by a guidance counselor to pick a more “realistic” career. I was told that I would not be able to make a living if I chose the path of writing. My income so far for the month of March 2021 is 9k. May I add that the month isn’t over yet (as I’m writing this). I would like to encourage you to trust your passion. Money should never be the driving force behind what it is you choose to do; however, when you are walking in your purpose, your passion will indeed bring value to those you are meant to serve. As long as you bring about an outstanding result, wealth will follow. Why? Because people will indeed pay you for the results you are able to give them. You will absolutely give excellent results if you are passionate about what you do. No matter how small your dream seems, still pursue it. You may not see the full vision at first, but eventually, you will come to discover that your passion is connected to your purpose. Trust the passion God gave you. It is He who will use it to achieve His purpose for your life.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: I believe a woman can be independent; however, having a partner is valuable. I have always found the concept of teamwork beautiful—one team working towards one goal. I feel a husband and wife who are two whole people walking in their purpose and impacting the world together is a force to be reckoned with. Respect, love, empowerment and bravery of both parties is crucial. At the end of the day, we are all human beings—none better than the other. If a husband and wife are stuck on a deserted island, they both need to operate as a team to survive. His strength is needed to build a shelter. Her endurance is valuable when hunting food. Each has brought something unique to the table. Each has something different yet valuable to offer. Both are equally great because both have something exceptional to offer. Yes, some may say you can do it alone, but I am a huge fan of teamwork and so, this is where I stand on the subject. It is possible alone, but it is even better using teamwork. This is just my opinion and how I feel although many may disagree.
MORE ABOUT ELAINE:
I was born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas. I absolutely love island hopping and visiting our local resorts. I have two sons—ages seven and four. They both adore cars, Amazon, and taking long drives. The eldest hates reading while the youngest began reading at the age of two and loves it. Like all kids, they are both different but equally special.
Q and A with Stacy from Diego Martin, Trinidad, living in Morvant, Trinidad
“Life is not promised; we can be here today and gone the next. Cherish every moment. We, too, will get old.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’m passionate about the elderly, their well-being, their care, and making sure their quality of life is one of dignity, respect, and a happy, loving environment. I’m the proud owner of Caregivers & More Nursing Agency. I provide in-home nursing care in the areas of eldercare, hospice, palliative care, nanny care, post op care, hospice, and domestic services. I am a nurse by profession, having been cross trained in the areas of accident & emergency, operating theater, surgical/medical ward, hospice care, midwifery, and palliative care. I’m also a registered phlebotomist and have a certification in dietetics. I’ve been working in elder care/gerontology since the tender age of seventeen (17). My mom is a retired nurse with the same specialty. One decision to help an elderly patient who was in need of a caregiver would set the course of my profession forever. Social work with the emphasis on gerontology is next on my agenda regarding education, but I’m presently working on a presentation to open my new assisted living facility here in Trinidad.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: Since I was raised by my grandparents, I would say that I’m pretty much old school. My younger sister and I have many fond memories of my grandparents. Always warm, loving figure heads with a wealth of strong principles. I believe this has had a major impact regarding the career path I chose. My educational background is as follows: I graduated Tranquility Government Secondary School class of ’93 at age 16, then I migrated to the U.S. that summer to Silver Springs, where my mom lived and still resides. I would finally decide on my career choice a year later, having seen my mom in a similar job having watched how effortlessly she executed her job with joy. I attended Sheridan University in Brampton, Canada, after having visited my grandfather for a summer. I graduated with a double major of AS Licensed practical nursing and AS nursing administration in 1998. I would then further take various courses in phlebotomy, wound care, and midwifery at West Shore Private Medical Hospital back in Trinidad after I moved back home in 2001.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: The one valuable lesson I’ve learned that I’d like others to know is that life is not promised; we can be here today and gone the next. Cherish every moment. We, too, will get old and we’d want our caregivers to treat us with love, respect, and dignity; treat your elderly with compassion, please.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: Simply put, I believe feminism means all genders having equal rights and opportunities. It’s about levelling the playing field between genders and ensuring that diverse women and girls have the same opportunities in life available to boys and men.
MORE ABOUT STACY:
I believe that caring for an elderly person should be done in the comfort of their own home, when we remove them from their place of comfort, we rob them of their peace, stability, and foundation. Caregivers and More was founded on those key principles and as my tagline states: We Believe There Is No Place Like Home
425-526-3596 is my long distance contact, and I’m on all major social media site such as Facebook: Caregivers Plus Instagram, LinkedIn, WhatsApp: 868-380-1947
“We all need a great circle of empowering strong women to push us on all the hard days but also celebrate our wins.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’m a mom of three; two boys ages 13 and 11, and a girl age 6. My kids are my whole world. I own a women’s clothing store in Vancouver, Washington, and we specialize in size inclusivity and ethnic fashion. All things girlie is who I am; I love personal shopping and styling my clients and myself (give me all the fun hot tools to play with my hair all day and bright lipstick because it’s a staple) because showing up feeling my best is important. It also empowers other women to do the same.
Personal styling and shopping is what I do because fashion is for everyone and we always feel better when we like our outfit. The store was a dream I had with my best friend from middle school; that’s what bonded us. (Funny story) she didn’t like me but loved my outfit and her mom made her hang out with me [she laughs], we’ve now been best friends for over 17 years! I’m also the girl who loves to get dirty and camp (any outdoor activity hiking and swimming the river is what I do all summer here in the PNW, where I was born and raised). Count me in on long weekends with my girlfriends because we are the tribe we keep! We all need a great circle of empowering strong women to push us on all the hard days but also celebrate our wins. I love to travel. Hawaii is my favorite but Japan, Africa, New York, and Italy are on my long bucket list. I’m also a adrenaline junkie, so skydiving, roller coasters, all those things…count me in. My goal is to have my store in multiple locations where I can shop a little differently for each location. (Depending where its at…weather and all that).
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I have one older brother. My parents are divorced, so childhood was different in each house. At my mom’s, I was an only child. At my dad’s, we had a blended family and I had a step brother and 2 step sisters. I was the oldest. I graduated from high school in 2007 and became a mom shortly after. I stayed home with my kids until I opened my boutique. Coming from a divorced home had its challenges, but it made me the strong, independent mother and friend I am today.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: Being a business owner isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you always go back to your core values and stay humble, you can get through any hard day and you always appreciate the wins. (That’s what I’ve learned.) Believe came about because we wanted to inspire women to follow their dreams (that’s what we did), and when you put your whole heart into something, anything is possible.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism, to me, is rejecting stereotypes and expectations put in place centuries ago to keep women in their “place.” And replacing those expectations with love, acceptance, support, and encouragement. There are millions of women in the world and there are millions of ways to embody womanhood. Feminism is cheering for every woman in whatever way she chooses to be a woman.
The Woman Wednesday Blog 