Celebrating Women Magazine 2015 - Family Transition Place publication

CELEBRATING WOMEN a publication of family transition place

Leading by example

Women & Leadership Kelsey Ramsden

Sheralyn Roman

Feminism for the next generation

Olympic dreams realized Erin Woodley

Brittany Pierson

Woolwich Dairy Women: Leading the Way Jenna Pringle

Perspectives on leadership Norah Kennedy

March 2015

CELEBRATING WOMEN a publication of family transition place

March 2015

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Letter from the Editor Stacey Tarrant

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Perspectives on Leadership Norah Kennedy

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Leading by Example Sheralyn Roman

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Women & Leadership Kelsey Ramsden

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Feminism for the Next Generation Brittany Pierson

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Olympic Dreams Realized Erin Woodley

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Woolwich Dairy Women: Leading the Way Jenna Pringle

Artwork contributed by Priya Anand Pariyani.

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Stacey Tarrant ART DIRECTOR: Liesje Doldersum COPY EDITOR: Jeanette McCurdy CONTRIBUTORS: Norah Kennedy, Kelsey Ramsden, Sheralyn Roman, Brittany Pierson, Jenna Pringle, Erin Woodley PHOTOGRAPHY: embracephotography.ca / Jennifer Gilbert / stock

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Celebrating Women

Letter from the Editor

A leader

is someone who demonstrates what’s possible.” – Mark Yarnell Too often we equate leadership with bosses, CEOs, presidents, and other key people who tend to be at the top of an organization, and we forget that leaders are and can be everyday people like you and me. Therefore, for the 2015 edition of Celebrating Women, we have decided to focus on leadership and what it symbolizes.

In these pages, you will find various paradigms of leadership and how they inspired each of the authors to share their stories – from women in typically male-dominated careers such as police, fire, and aviation – to an Olympic athlete fulfilling a dream on the global stage – to a woman who started a global goat-cheese company out of her garage.

All of these stories are meant to inspire you, but if you’re like me, it’s unlikely that you will drop everything to start a policing career, start training madly to win an Olympic medal or start de-cluttering your garage and buy a goat. What I do hope you take away from these pages is the recognition that these are everyday women who were not willing to give up on a dream and, despite adversity, they made it.

Working at a women’s shelter, I am inspired by the women who have the courage to leave and make the choice to lead better lives. These women are everyday heroes who may never stand on the platform of an Olympic stage or start a successful global goatcheese company, but they inspire me just the same. It takes guts and undeniable courage to leave an abusive home, especially with kids in tow, because for many of them, the fear of what lies ahead is daunting. These women know that they are up against extremely difficult circumstances and despite this, they choose to make a better life for themselves and their children. This defines authentic leadership to me.

I’d like to thank our contributing authors, our copy editor Jeanette McCurdy, the advertisers, and Liesje Doldersum from Sprout Advertising and Design for their support in delivering this fourth edition of Celebrating Women. I am pleased to say that 100% of the proceeds from this magazine will go back to Family Transition Place and help make a difference in people’s lives – as the revenue raised from this publication will help women transition to a life free from abuse. With everyone’s help, we can truly demonstrate what is possible.

Stacey Tarrant Editor-in-Chief and Manager of Development & Community Relations Family Transition Place 519.942.4122 ext. 240 | stacey@familytransitionplace.ca

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Celebrating Women

Family Transition Place has been committed to helping women and children in Dufferin and Caledon since 1985. In times of crisis, women have found their way through our doors and into safety, often with their children in hand, and here they start the arduous work of re-building their lives. In our welcoming and cheerful shelter, they meet other women whose professional lives are dedicated to helping them overcome their challenges and build new relationships – at the centre of which are the relationship with themselves and their children.

Apart from the shelter services and our critical clinical counselling services that support women with the trauma of the abuse, and both women and men who are dealing with the aftermath of assault, FTP has become known as a leader in the field of healthy relationship education.

We believe that by educating youth and children about the importance of respect, self-esteem and nonaggressive behaviours, we can influence the next generation of families, so that they are emotionally healthy and strong.

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perspectives on leadership

by norah Kennedy

“So much of what it takes to be a leader has been historically defined by men. And while I was determined to be a leader, the last thing in the world I was going to do was to try to be like a man so that I could be taken seriously. I had to continue to be myself and create a leadership style that worked for me. I’m just not capable of being anyone other than who I am.”

Libby Sartain, former Chief Human Resources Offices, Yahoo! Inc. Ms. Sartain’s quote resonates strongly with me. When I took my first step into management, I was lucky enough to have a mentor who advised me to make sure I worked hard for the job, but to also make the job work for me. At the time, I had two young children, and taking that job meant coming back from a leave I had taken to be at home with them. Making the job work for me was the best advice I ever received.

When a job fits, one is much more likely to stay with it and be successful. Fortunately, since that time, I have been lucky enough to work for organizations that recognized that while I was passionate and committed to being successful in my role as manager and leader, I was always going to have other priorities that would occasionally pull my focus and commitment. Because of that acknowledgement, I have never felt that I have had to sacrifice one important aspect of my life in favour of another.

However, most women are not as lucky as I have been. Women still face enormous challenges in achieving and sustaining key leadership roles. According to a 2012 IpsosReid Survey of 500 female leaders, 51% of women surveyed named outdated perceptions of women in managerial and executive roles as one of their leading challenges.

It seems not much has changed in 30 years.

In 1983, in her book Men and Women in the Corporation, Rosabeth Moss Kanter identified four “role traps” for women who were working in the public domain: The Pet – cute, sweet, feminine; well-liked but not taken seriously; The Mother or School Mistress – bossy, frumpy, mumsy, parental; may have authority and respect, but considered humourless; The Seductress – disliked by both men and

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women; described as “bitch” or “man-eater”; everyone knows how she got her job; The Battle Axe – perceived as intimidating, tough, mean, masculine; can operate in a man’s world, but not much liked Given the choice of these roles, it’s not surprising that management and leadership positions have traditionally been hard to come by. Women were either not taken very seriously, or, if they were, they were not very well liked.

Women in leadership positions have always had to work against gender stereotyping.

Too often, in order to be successful in achieving and holding leadership positions, women have had to play by the rules of a game they had no part in making. They have had to “out man” the men, in order to get ahead. The stereotyped Battle Axe noted above has been all too often the only personae a woman has had available to her in order to be compete with her male counterparts.

And for many women, this role does not play to their strengths.

This absence of women in leadership is a loss to all organizations. Female leaders can bring many strengths to the role. The 2011 Zenger Folkman Study in Leadership surveyed 7,280 leaders, and measured across 16 areas of competencies. Interestingly, women out-scored men in all but one area; and in 12 of the 16 measurements, they outscored significantly. The results of this study showed that women leaders are more persuasive, learn from adversity, have an inclusive, team-building style of problem solving, and are more likely to ignore rigid rules and take risks than their male counterparts. In fact, the The Zenger Folkman Study demonstrates that women are actually seen as better leaders than men by those around them.

“The bias of most people is that females would be better at nurturing competencies such as developing others and relationship building, and while this is true, the competencies with the largest differences between males and females were taking initiative, practising self-development, integrity/honesty and driving for results.”

“We’re looking at a different paradigm of leadership and it plays naturally to the strengths of women. The tide has turned.

The leadership skills that come naturally to women are now absolutely necessary for companies to continue to thrive. It certainly is the reverse of how it was when I first started out in the workplace. It seems like poetic justice.”(Regina Sacha, VP of Human Resources, FedEX Custom Critical) Some, like Regina Sacha of Fed EX Custom Critical, are openly avowing that a more “female” approach to leading companies (focus on communication, persuasiveness, more consensus building) is an absolute necessity for success in today’s business world. And yet, despite the numerous studies showing how successful women are at leading and making companies more profitable, only 33 of the Fortune 1,000 companies are headed by women. As well, according to UN Women, only one in five parliamentarians globally are women.

So, in 2015, what are the reasons for this? According to Erica Anderson of Forbes Magazine, it is because of two reasons: First, women do not self-promote. Men, more than women, focus on their own careers and deliberately use some of their work time to develop relationships and opportunities to support their own success. And, secondly, men hire men. Traditionally, only a small percentage of women have been in the workforce, and in previous decades, those women brought men coffee and typed their

letters. The men running companies today are only one generation away from that world.

“It’s time for women to radically change the way they work and to make it more realistic for people to climb the corporate ladder while still caring for themselves and those they love.” [Ariana Huffington, The Huffington Post, as quoted in The Globe and Mail Article, September 12, 2013 (Gillian Livingston)] Outdated work and home life values continue today. 60% of women surveyed by Ipsos-Reid cited managing work and family responsibilities as their biggest challenge in maintaining and furthering a leadership career.

Despite changing expectations of men in family relationships, women are still responsible for the majority of the household chores and still take on the lion’s share of the child rearing. It is unrealistic to assume that these responsibilities simply vanish when a woman accepts a leadership position. In order to create a working world that is more gender equal, and more encouraging of women, women have a responsibility to be true to themselves and each other. As a leader of an organization myself, I have long believed that I have a responsibility to create a workplace that is conducive to women.

In the often-challenging not-for-profit sector, the workforce tends to be primarily female. I have never understood, then, why we would we want to model our environment on a system that was developed by men, for men, who, by and large, do not have the same responsibilities to manage. If you don’t think this is true, ask any professional man of your acquaintance how often he gets asked how he manages to balance work and family.

In order to change the landscape to make leadership more manageable and attainable for women, there needs first to be a culture shift. Today’s workplaces are often fuelled by burnout, sleep deprivation, and exhaustion. We need to stop equating “importance” with time spent working. It’s not a competition for the least amount of sleep or the most hours worked in a week. We must redefine how we judge success – it’s not just about power and money, but about well-being – not only for those in leadership roles, but for all of us, women and men alike.

Norah Kennedy has been Family Transition Place’s Executive Director for the past eight years. She has worked in social services for nearly two decades. Her passion for the work FTP does is exceeded only by her pride in the agency and the people it employs and serves.

“Women need to remake the world in [their] own image and [their] own definition of success, so that all of us, women and men, can live our lives with more grace, more joy, more empathy, more gratitude and yes, more sleep.” Ariana Huffington, The Huffington Post

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BY SHERALYN ROMAN

Photo by Jennifer Gilbert

LEADING

BY EXAMPLE

Acting Sergeant Brenda Evans, Caledon OPP, Acting Captain Pamela Hall, Caledon Fire & Emergency Services (CFES), First Officer Laura Russell, Air Canada

In a panel discussion at The Leadership Forum in Caledon, Ontario, three inspiring women discussed their role as leaders in what have traditionally been considered male-dominated fields. Speaking to an audience of over 50 (including several school-aged girls), each discussed the drive, determination, and commitment required to achieve success. Embodying the knowledge, skills, and attitudes

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Celebrating Women

of effective leaders, Acting Sergeant Brenda Evans of the Caledon OPP, First Officer Laura Russell with Air Canada, and Acting Captain Pamela Hall with Caledon Fire and Emergency Services (CFES) shared their powerful stories of trials and triumphs as they journeyed along the road less travelled by women. In doing so, they inspired both this and the next generation of female leaders.

Leadership can be described as “having influence over,” and “inspiring others to perform.” A leader empowers others, leads by example, and often acts as a mentor. Evans, Russell, and Hall have each, in their own ways, embraced a leadership role within their chosen professions and through their work in the community. Acting as a mentor to other police officers is something Brenda Evans feels strongly about, while Laura Russell commented on the positive impact she’s had when passengers realize their pilot is a woman. Pamela relies on her strong sense of humour and firm guidelines, clearly defined at the outset of her career, when managing her fellow firefighters. The women spoke of the development of knowledge and skills combined with the drive and determination it takes to be successful, whatever the chosen career path. Sharing their experiences, they in turn gave courage to 50 others – courage to go out and lead by example in their own daily lives.

First Officer Laura Russell began her career as an airline pilot at just 19 years old. Her belief that she could succeed in a traditionally male-dominated field came from the encouragement of her parents, who told her she could do anything. In particular, she mentioned her mechanically oriented father, who shared his expertise freely, “never made me feel I was the girl doing the boy thing.” Laura noted her scholastic achievement at Seneca College as being another important stepping stone along the way (of more than 150 students, only about 30 pass the rigorous testing and advance to further studies). She is now one of only 100 female pilots amongst 3000 at Air Canada. In the air during 9/11, Laura also spoke about extensive and repetitive visualization and training exercises as crucial to her ability to handle crisis situations.

What does it take to run into a burning building while others run away? A long-time volunteer with the fire department, Acting Captain Pamela Hall knows.

Competing against men half her age, at 42 she earned a full-time position. Pamela cites being inspired by her hardworking parents who made it clear that with both effort and determination anything is possible. Exposed to ballet, the symphony, and musical instruction, while also completing chores on the family farm, Pamela enjoyed a diversity of interests while being no stranger to the concepts of commitment, hard work, and challenging herself. Having a mother who led by example, working diverse and unique positions while running the farm, Pamela credits this “women can do anything” attitude as paving the way towards her own atypical career choice.

Policing was still very much a “boys club” when Acting Sergeant Brenda Evans became an officer in 1996.

Today, she remains one of only a handful of female officers currently with the Caledon OPP. She has assumed a leadership role both within the force and in her role as Media and Community Outreach Officer, where she acts as a role model in the community, for the OPP, and for young women considering a career in policing. Echoing the common theme, Brenda too was heavily influenced by her family’s “work hard” ethic, noting that she always heard (and now shares with others), “with drive and determination, there is nothing in this world you can’t do if you put your mind to it.” Brenda stated that, from a very early age, she knew she wanted to be a police officer. She specifically embraces her position as a mentor to other officers, knowing she didn’t have that experience when she joined the force. Like Laura, she spoke about the importance of role-play, visualization, and extensive training as critical for handling difficult situations on the job.

Leadership wears many uniforms. Each panel member a galvanizing force, they model many of the qualities and possess many of the skills we have come to associate with leadership. Hard work, education, commitment, and dedication were cited by each woman as key factors. Having had people in their lives that acted as mentors and role models, they realize how important it is to embrace this role themselves. Sharing their experiences with The Leadership Forum proved to be one such opportunity. Particularly inspiring and proof their message resonated, was a note left behind by one of the 12-year old girls in attendance: “Today I learned a lot…being a girl shouldn’t hold me back from doing what I want to do and being who I want to be. The women who spoke were very inspiring…girls are important, and we can change the world just as much as men.”

Sheralyn Roman is the creative force behind Writing Right For You, offering professional writing and editorial services for business. She is a member of the Ambassador Committee with The Leadership Forum, volunteers with several local organizations and enjoys playing full time taxi driver for her two multi-tasking teens!

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>> If there is something I know about the women in my life, it is their capacity to draw from internal resources to a depth often unknown until most required. Sometimes that depth of substance can be called perseverance, strength, adaptability, love.

There are many depths to every human, but these women, who tend to underestimate their own true depth of capacity, are the ones who most allow themselves to explore these depths when circumstances call for it.

Whether it is a friend in the midst of divorce, a colleague declaring bankruptcy, an acquaintance dealing with loss, or myself facing the fear of mortality that a cancer diagnosis can bring, each woman is faced with a set of circumstances that are complex, difficult, daunting, and in some cases, may cause one to want to yield to the challenges before them.

In each case, the woman, with only that depth of self, can decide to nominate herself as leader…she can be in control despite circumstances that are out of her control.

In my years of starting and scaling businesses, and now travelling the world, speaking and helping both corporations

It is a fact of life that we will all have strife. For some, the occasion of their darkest hour may be so dark that those on the outside have trouble shining a light through their darkness. However, if the woman in the dark is a leader of self, then she has her own light to shine, from within.

She has within her control that one thing a person has control of – herself. She has a depth that may have been previously unknown to her, and now that it is needed, she can lead herself from the darkness to her light, whatever that means for her. Then, she can lead others.

I believe that too many people romanticize leadership as if it were a trait reserved for the righteous or the learned, the experienced or the gifted. To me, leadership is in every woman.

Most often, it is those who have endured a transition of one kind or another, who have had to explore a depth of self, and who have found themselves at that depth who have chosen to lead themselves in this life.

To me, the truest leaders are not those adorned with titles or accolades, but those who have set out a path for themselves in life. They know what they want and why, they have boundaries around what they are willing to endure to achieve it, and they

WOMEN & LEADERSHIP

A FEW THOUGHTS ON

and individuals with the principles of entrepreneurship, I have had the great fortune of meeting many kinds of leaders. I have met a spectrum of individuals—from quiet to overbearing, from leaders of thousands to leaders of few. There is one thing that has stuck with me that can be said to be universally true.

Each woman, from my friend whose home was turned upside down due to an unhealthy relationship, to the woman running a very large financial services companies, these women have chosen to lead one person first and then allow that leadership to act as a guide for those around them. For it is true that over time, people will hold you as you hold yourself.

For me, it took years to understand that I did not have to be the captain of the team to exhibit leadership, nor did I have to be the manager at work. What I needed to be was clear. Clear on what I wanted, why I wanted it, and what I was willing to endure to get it. I have to lead myself as if I were my own employee. I go so far as to ask myself these questions: If I had hired someone to live my life, would I pay her well for doing the job that I am doing? Am I living by my own example? Am I leading myself through the life I want? Am I working to get what I want in a way that both rewarding and deserving?

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set out with their hands on the helm of their own ship, leading a life toward success, as defined by themselves.

When people ask me about women and leadership, I like to share with them what I have learned through experience.

I share that I’ve never met a woman who has succumbed fully to the woes of life, but those who have come close have been some of the best leaders I’ve encountered yet. Those who have led themselves through transition are the kinds of leaders we can all trust and follow.

To me, a leader is simply a person with depth of character and a willingness to tackle the challenges that inevitably come.

A leader puts herself out there, even when she has doubts.

A leader is someone who understands that many of those who are watching are not looking to see if she will fail, but are often waiting to see her succeed. And by virtue of her success, are hoping to join in and follow her example of depth of self. << Named Canada’s #1 Female Entrepreneur two consecutive years and appearing in the likes of Forbes, Kelsey now travels the globe speaking, coaching and educating about risk, entrepreneurship, leadership creativity and authenticity. She was the guest speaker at FTP’s International Women’s Day Celebration Luncheon fundraiser in March 2015.

THE SUBJECT. BY KELSEY RAMSDEN

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F E M I N I S M FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

BY BRITTANY PIERSON

Because I am a mother, I spend a lot of time thinking about what life will be like in the future. Will my children be able to afford post-secondary education if thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the path they choose? Will there be enough jobs to go around? Will there even be much of a planet left for them? Because I have two daughters, I worry about what life will be like for women in years to come. It might be arguable, but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really think that the world is any better for me than it was for my mother.

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Of course, when it comes to my girls’ futures, I have these

I teach my girls about strong women. Sure, my girls are

visions of grandeur. In my dreams, I see a feminist revolution,

enamoured with whichever pop star is holding the limelight

an uprising so vast that, before my kids graduate from high

at the moment, but they also know who women like Amelia

school, the world will be a place where people of all genders

Earhart are, or Condoleezza Rice, Hilary Clinton, Malala

(yep, more than just two) will enjoy the freedoms of true

Yousafzai, Rosa Parks, and so many other women who have

equality. But, I’m also a realist and I know that maybe, if we’re

changed the concept of what it means to be a woman. I can’t

lucky, there will be a law for equal pay in Canada, and maybe,

wait to teach them about the suffragettes and the Famous Five,

women in Saudi Arabia will be legally allowed to drive by then.

but for now, if they’re excited by Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, that’s

So, I’m left with the question: If I can’t change the world for my

okay, too.

daughters, how can I prepare them for the world?

My kids know about other parts of my life. A little bit of a strange

It is by no means a simple task, and it is one I give thought to

and it’s a huge part of my life, but it is not my whole identity. My

every single day. To start, I teach my girls to love themselves. This

kids know about my life before I had them. They know what I

is never an easy task for girls or women, but it’s so important.

do when I’m not at home, and they know my beliefs and what’s

I never talk about how unsatisfied I am with my body in front

important to me. They also know that they are free to have their

of my girls, and I always tell my girls that they are smart and

own beliefs and ideals, and it doesn’t matter if they are different

beautiful just the way they are. I’m not naive enough to think that

from my own.

they will be sheltered from body shame their whole lives, but it is my hope that by nurturing their self-love while they are young, they will be able to hold on to the idea that they are perfect the way they are, and will achieve whatever they set out to do.

thing to say right? But here’s the thing: I love being a mother,

Most importantly, I teach my girls to be ambitious. I tell them that they can do anything they want to do, and I urge them to be the best that they can be. You might think that this is something that all good parents do, but you would be surprised. Gender

Also, our toy choices are not gender specific. Don’t get me

roles are so ingrained in our culture that parents unknowingly

wrong, there are plenty of so called “girls’ toys” in our home:

place more importance on leadership roles for their sons than

Barbies, princesses, an overwhelming amount of pink. But we

their daughters. When children are young, they all have very

also have toy cars, tractors, light sabers, and play tools. And

lofty ambitions. When you ask young children what they want

there are superheroes in the pretty castles. They both have toys

to be when they grow up, an astounding number of girls and

that nurture a love of engineering in young girls; they can wield

boys alike will declare that they want to be the prime minister,

hammers, and they love science kits. They play music and

or an astronaut, but by middle school, girls are 25% less likely

sports, and they also knit and like to have tea parties and play

than boys to say that they want to take the lead. We don’t use

dress up. All of this is good, and is equally important. By letting

words like bossy or pushy because those words hurt girls, and

them have freedom in play, I hope that they will feel free to

make them afraid to take on leadership roles.

choose a life or career path that may not be typically female.

These are things that are useful, not just for parents of girls, but

I teach my girls to love and respect everyone. I have done my best to teach them that just because someone looks or acts differently, or has a different family structure, that doesn’t mean that he or she isn’t equal. I haven’t sheltered my daughters from questions about race or sexuality. They think nothing of a family with two moms or two dads, and they know what it means to be

all parents, and all people who have any children in their lives.

A shift in the way we talk to children, the things they play with, the people they look up to may make the world a better place for everyone. We need more female leaders, and we need to even the playing field. Let’s nurture young girls into strong young women who will change the world.

transgendered. In fact, I remember explaining what this meant to my oldest daughter when she was very young, and I will never

Brittany Pierson is a freelance writer and passionate feminist. She

forget what she said to me. She told me, “It must really hurt to be

lives in Orangeville with her husband and two adventurous daughters.

stuck inside a body that doesn’t fit you.” They were such honest

Brittany finds great reward in volunteering as a blogger for Family

and innocent words of compassion, and they struck a chord in my

Transition Place and spends every spare moment she gets with her nose

heart. I hope she always feels such compassion for others.

in a book. Brittany can be contacted at brittanyjpierson@icloud.com.

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Olympic dreams realized

by erin woodley

Who could have known that the great battle of my life would spring from the chlorinated waters of a community swimming pool? My turbulent love affair with the fun-filled, sequined, musical sport of synchronized swimming began when I was a quirky, long-legged nine-year-old. Perhaps there is no better sport for a young girl than one that allows her freedom of artistic expression, camaraderie with like-minded girls, and time in a pool. However, looking back, I can see the ripples on the surface, even then, that foretold my future challenges.

my swimsuit and set my focus on my upcoming university experience.

On “big-sister” night, the youngest girls were each paired with one of the senior swimmers. These goddess-like women of 18 or 19 seemed six feet tall, pliable as elastic bands, and mermaid-like in their underwater prowess, leaving my newly nose-clipped younger self shaking in my Speedo with my first bout of performance anxiety. How was I supposed to stay underwater for a whole length of the pool? How would I perform a ballet leg with my knobby knees and splashy scull? Or, most horrifying of all, how on earth could I think of something to say when I was required to correct one of the goddesses?! Of course, the big sisters were always kind to us, but what I remember most about those nights was trying harder than I had ever tried before and being terrified of embarrassing myself.

Sheilagh then asked me, “Don’t you think you could be on that team?” Of course, I didn’t know, hadn’t thought, or even dared to dream that I could be on that team – further proof of my evermore damaging insecurities. The course of my life was forever changed when Sheilagh said, “I think you can.”

Through the years, I stretched, swam, egg-beatered, lifted weights, and held my breath. Coaches of all different styles and strengths marked my progress. Coach Jackie smiled a lot, began and ended practice with fun games, and could always be counted on for a hug. Coach Helen organized us into patterns and tapped until I was counting my routines in my dreams. Coach MJ had a talent for explaining just how to scull so that my layouts were flat and my verticals high. Coach Sue’s tough love was the prep I needed for my graduation to the tutelage of Coach Sheilagh. For the next five years of my synchro career, Coach Sheilagh demanded maximum effort in all things. Practices grew longer and were filled with hot, red faces from wicked swim workouts and 400-metre time trials, lengthy figure repetitions to counts so slow I thought my lungs would burst, and hours of drills, routine swims, and grueling strength and flexibility training. By the time I was “big-sister” age, I was training four to six hours a day, six days a week, for ten months a year, and had competed my way onto our national youth team for two straight seasons.

Along with my burgeoning success, my old fears and self-doubts also gathered strength. At competitions I found that I was increasingly worried about making mistakes and obsessing over how good my competitors looked. These and other toxic thoughts swarmed in my head, often overwhelming my focus, weakening my performance, and upsetting my results. I started to wonder if I had achieved all that I could in my synchro career. Maybe it was time for me to hang up

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Celebrating Women

Before I could make this decision final, Coach Sheilagh caught wind of my intentions, and sat me down for an important conversation. She reminded me that the International Olympic Committee had recently announced the decision to introduce our sport’s premiere event – the team event – into the 1996 Olympic Games, allowing 10 synchro athletes to represent Canada.

When faced with my inevitable doubt, Coach Sheilagh reminded me that I was a hard worker by nature, and while there would certainly be many challenges along the way, she believed that I could “do the work”. This focus on the process was exactly what I needed to take a chance and set my sights on competing at the Olympic Games.

Coach Sheilagh was an expert in her field and a tough, demanding leader. Over the next five years, there were days I feared her intensity, was exhausted by her perseverance, and was discouraged by her perfectionism. Practice by practice, however, I followed her lead and pushed harder when I was tired, tried new approaches when things weren’t working, and repeated drills over and over until I mastered a technique. With equal effort, I was determined to work on improving my mental game. Sheilagh connected me with a sport psychologist who, in turn, helped me learn how to stop my doubting thoughts as they began, and replace them with a well-rehearsed mantra, “I can do this. I have done the work.” By repeating my mantra, I practised calming my mind and redirecting my focus to the task at hand. Slowly, slowly, I started trusting my inner voice, and began to believe that my hard work would pay off.

When the Olympic trials arrived in May 1995, I had “done the work” and, with the help of the diverse group of influential women who had inspired, taught, challenged, tested, and recognized potential in me over the years, my heart and mind both finally believed I could do it. And I did.

Erin Woodley went on to win a silver medal in the team event at the 1996 Olympic Games. She currently lives in Orangeville and is the busy mother of two aquatic loving daughters. Erin proudly sells advertising for IN THE HILLS Magazine and enjoys volunteering with the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, coaching synchronized swimming, and writing in her spare time. As an ambassador committee member for the Leadership Forum for Business Women in Caledon, Erin is also dedicated to helping empower women to reach their full professional potential. Erin can be reached at erin@inthehills.ca

Woolwich Dairy Women

brought the family to Canada with the hope of a new beginning

by Jenna and a better life.

When the family Pringle arrived in Ontario, Antonio’s mother purchased a small goat farm. Adozinda again began making her delicious cheese and giving it to friends and family. As is the case for many immigrants, Adozinda stayed true to her roots, preserving her heritage and continuing to make her beloved cheese. And at that time, the Dutras welcomed a new member to the family, Susie the goat. Cheese was made fresh on the farm with Susie’s milk.

Leading The Way

From humble beginnings to international success story, Woolwich Dairy continues to make strides in the specialty food business. What’s the secret to Woolwich Dairy’s success?

At Woolwich Dairy, they understand the power of women leading the way.

Antonio Dutra, the Founder and CEO, has been influenced and inspired by women since he was a young child, and Woolwich Dairy was the brainchild of two women with a dream. His mother, Adozinda (photo above), provided a strong foundation for their family and was a role model to Antonio. It was the passion of Adozinda and Olga, Antonio’s wife, to share their family recipe with the world that ignited the family’s pursuit to be North America’s largest and leading goat-cheese manufacturer.

It started with tradition, on the Azores Islands of Portugal, where Adozinda made Portuguese goat cheese for her family and the surrounding community. In 1969, she

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Celebrating Women

One day in 1986, Antonio, now a young man with a career in the auto industry, had just arrived home from work when he was ambushed by his wife Olga and by Adozinda. Passionate to pursue their entrepreneurial dream of starting a goat-cheese business, they seized the opportunity to get Antonio on board.

Imagine Antonio’s surprise as he pulled into the driveway to find his mother and wife waiting for him – a united front of enthusiasm and determination. That was the turning point for the Dutra family, and the beginning of Woolwich Dairy.

Starting a new business is always daunting, but especially when it impacts an entire family. What would the family’s financial recourse be if the operation failed? The Dutras’ only assets were a few personal belongings and a belief in all that Canada had to offer.

They started their business with three employees: Adozinda, Antonio, and Olga (and three goats, including Susie). The trio converted a 400-square-foot doublecar garage into a federally inspected and approved goat-cheese production facility.

It’s worth noting that the goat-cheese market at the time was virtually nonexistent. The category just didn’t exist and consumers’ minimal knowledge of goat cheese was composed only of imported brands. These cheeses, which were intended to be eaten fresh, were instead in transit for weeks, via shipping containers. Consumers’ palates at the time were unprepared for the resulting pungent

goat cheese flavour. Today, the goat-cheese category has come a long way. The industry in Canada was largely created by Adozinda, Olga, and Antonio—visionaries who identified an opportunity in the market.

In 1989, Adozinda, Antonio, and Olga moved the operation to a 10,000-squarefoot production facility in Ariss, Ontario.

The little company had grown to ten employees, all family members, all with the last name Dutra.

In 1997, less than ten years later, the Dutras built the Woolwich Dairy facility that still stands in Orangeville, Ontario. This facility is now over 50,000 square feet, expanded several times to meet the demands of the growing industry – a testament to the sacrifice and hard work invested by this small family business.

The company is still a family affair. Antonio, Olga, and other family members (including Antonio’s sister Lizabet, Vice President of Sales) carry on the late Adozinda’s legacy.

Woolwich Dairy employs over 200 people, 60% of whom are women. Woolwich receives milk from over 300 farms across North America, processes millions of litres of fresh goat milk and makes quality goat cheese in three state-of-the-art cheesemaking facilities in Ontario, Quebec, and Wisconsin. In 2011, Woolwich Dairy’s fourth location, a 25,000-square-foot distribution centre in Amaranth, Ontario, began operating. The centre plays an important role in fulfilling orders for North American customers, acting as the hub of their distribution operations and strengthening logistical capabilities.

The passion that Adozinda, Antonio, and Olga instilled in this family-run business acts as the foundation upon which Woolwich Dairy is built. Today the women of Woolwich all share that same passion and drive to succeed that sparked this incredible business. They truly work together towards one united goal.

Jenna Pringle joined the Woolwich family a year and a half ago, with six years of International Marketing experience.

She has a creative background with a degree in design and a passion for health and wellness, especially for quality food made with wholesome ingredients.

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