Almost TWO months ago, I had the pleasure of attending The Essential Platform Conference at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights here in Winnipeg. This day was a crazy investment for me, and one that helped me learn a lot about myself, my business and the type of business owner that I want to be.

Hey! That’s me! Thanks 6 Degrees Photobooth for this one!

I really wish I could write out a full blog explaining my experience, feelings, and emotions from the day, but honestly. It was a FULL DAY! The speaker line up was badass and second to none and the knowledge that they all shared was incredible. I took vigorous notes throughout the day and thought I would use this post to reflect on the greatest lessons that I learned. Listening to fellow boss babe entrepreneurs is a great way to get your mind and heart into perspective and gear up for the year (and decade) ahead!

(Please note, some of these quotes might be adlibbed and based on notes that I wrote. But they’re all fire and inspired by the women to which I connected them!)

“Today is about forward-thinking women who want to be real.” - Sangita Patel

Honestly, I don’t watch enough ET Canada to know who she was beforehand, but Sangita was such a light at this conference. She hosted the entire day and added her own wise words throughout. She’s a mom and a wife and a TV personality and being in her light was wonderful.

“Remember who you are, not who someone thinks you should be.” - Cate Friesen

Cate. Was. The. Bomb. As I redirect my business into telling other people’s stories, the conference probably could’ve been 8 hours of Cate and I would have been in my glory. Her presence and rawness is refreshing and she’s so fun! Cate reminded everyone in attendance to ground us in our own stories and to own where we came from and to own where we’re going. I sincerely hope that our paths cross again!

“Trust is built in very small moments over time.” - Meaghen, Intentional Futures Counselling

This conference was fabulous because it allowed me to meet some people who I had only connected with through the magic of Instagram. One of those women was Natalie Bell of @pegcitylovely. She is a LIGHT. She exudes joy and confidence and I was grateful to bask in that light while she mediated the panel for Laura from @theprairiecollective_ and Meaghen from Intentional Futures Counselling. They spoke about the importance of having core values which I quickly realized I had never identified. I knew that they lay deep in my skin and were ingrained in me, but I had never called them out. I was grateful to Laura and Meaghen for sharing their wisdom on that topic.

“You grow your courage by taking a step.” - Colleen from Gorp Bar

Next up, Susie Parker mediated a panel that included Kal Barteski, Devon Fiddler and Colleen Dyck. All very different women with different values and places of expertise but a constant message of being REAL, RAW and INSPIRING. I was grateful to hear their stories, hopes and dreams and even their fears. At one point Colleen spoke to her faith and how she found uncertainty in her business when her faith lacked which is a concept that I definitely relate to. Amazing women and messages.

“True leaders create more leaders.” - Manjit Minhas

The day went on with break time, tasty lunch options and a market/headshot space for attendees to enjoy. Upgraded my headshot thanks to the talented and bubbly Julie Fulsher and admired the women-run businesses that had their products on display. After lunch, we heard from Manjit Minhas.

NOW LISTEN, I heard Manjit spoke during a Business Banquet at the Asper School of Business and I think I needed to hear her now more than ever. This woman, in my opinion, has beat every odd. She spoke about the perseverance that she had when chasing her dream and it blew me away. Fear creeps up into my life and into how I do things ALL THE TIME and she basically passed on the message that there is no room for fear. Now, she’s a Dragon on the CBC show Dragon’s Den and she’s passing on dreams to other entrepreneurs and I find that amazing. On my last trip to Edmonton, I didn’t try her beer but next time I’m in AB, it’s on the top of my list. (Maybe I really do need to visit Calgary!)

To break it down, here are my top three takeaways from Manjit:

Writing a business plan is so important - where do you want to see yourself in 5, 10 years. What story will your financial planning tell?
“Having courage doesn’t mean that you don’t get afraid, but you don’t let fear stop you.”
“You don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.”

“If I’m going to [be] down, it’s going to be because of myself, not my situation.” - Jillian Harris

Jillian Harris is a real, pure Canadian prairie girl. And I appreciated her for that. She spoke about the following things: being a mom, entrepreneurship, poop, travel, cultivating the life that you want, working with intention, and the importance of doing what you love. What stood out to me, was the fact that her business is seemingly “easy”. She gets paid to be herself. She talks to Instagram and is in commercials and promotes products, YET, she has a team and employees and protocols and procedures. My HR heart fluttered a little bit. This is a woman who followed her talents, was extremely brave (would you go on a reality TV show and broadcast your dating life to the world? Probs not.), and was putting in serious work to have the “Jillian Harris Brand”.

Jillian’s talk honestly made me realize - and I mean this with respect - that if she could do it, I can do it. One day, Jillian Harris will be calling me for a photo shoot. (Manifesting that sh*t real quick.) Here’s why: she admitted to being a small-town Canadian prairie girl, who went for it, followed a weird, crazy dream. She admitted to being the girl that people said would either “make it” or end up on a milk carton. She admitted to being a mom who is trying to spend less time on social media. She admitted that she was almost late for her flight to Winnipeg because she needed to spend extra time shaving her legs that morning. She admitted to being NORMAL. She admitted to being normal and playing her cards right and she’s living the LIFE! She takes her girlfriends on vacation and is creating an Airbnb for fun with her husband - who doesn’t want to do that?!

It’s both an internal disruption and inspiring to realize that your idol or hero is just like you. Is that weird? We all want authenticity, but yet I juuuuuust wish Jillian hadn’t read bullet points off her phone.

DON’T GET MAD AT ME, IT’S HOW I FEEL. That being said, she also inspired me in ways I never thought that she would. I now know that I have something to offer and the right audience and following will listen to me too. This advice goes for everyone. I still have the same amount of respect and love for Jillian Harris and I completely admire her on a whole new, real level.

This event was certainly eye-opening in many ways and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to attend, purchase a front-row ticket, meet some amazing women, and eat some tasty treats! Will I go next time? Only time will tell, but I’m definitely ready to explore the world of conferences a little more!

Tell me in the comments below who you would love to meet at a conference!