Build your network of support for success

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[00:00] SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Canada's Podcast.
[00:05] SPEAKER_01: Hi, I'm Cynthia Lockery from Canada's Podcast where we talk to entrepreneurs for making
[00:12] SPEAKER_01: things happen right here in DC.
[00:15] SPEAKER_01: Today I'm joined by Maureen Codasfati, the founder, director, and therapist at Help Clinic
[00:21] SPEAKER_01: Canada.
[00:22] SPEAKER_01: Welcome Maureen and why don't you kick us off by telling us a bit about yourself and
[00:28] SPEAKER_01: the work that you do?
[00:31] SPEAKER_02: Thank you for having me, Cynthia.
[00:32] SPEAKER_02: It's great to be here.
[00:34] SPEAKER_02: I, well, I think my introduction says it all.
[00:38] SPEAKER_02: I am the founder of a new company, but you know, it's been a long journey to get here
[00:42] SPEAKER_02: and I personally have a mission to break down barriers to mental health support across
[00:47] SPEAKER_02: this country and that's what brought this vision to life.
[00:51] SPEAKER_02: So I personally come from a background of education, inclusive education, and then most
[01:00] SPEAKER_02: recently mental health.
[01:01] SPEAKER_02: And I've sort of combined all of my lived and life experiences as well as my professional
[01:06] SPEAKER_02: and educational experiences to bring this company to life.
[01:10] SPEAKER_02: And it's one of my greatest achievements while we are small and we are just starting.
[01:15] SPEAKER_02: I know that everything that we do within this organization is in line with my ethics and
[01:22] SPEAKER_02: my principles.
[01:24] SPEAKER_02: And I am so proud of the work that we're doing and what we're creating here at Help Clinic
[01:30] SPEAKER_02: Canada.
[01:31] SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's talk about what you're creating because I had a chance to go on your website
[01:35] SPEAKER_01: and I got to tell you, I loved how simple it is to use, but also how you can choose a
[01:44] SPEAKER_01: therapist based on your specific needs.
[01:49] SPEAKER_01: So can you explain what your format is for finding a therapist?
[01:56] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and you know, I think Cynthia, that's one of the founding principles of our company
[02:01] SPEAKER_02: and I think you bring up a really good point.
[02:03] SPEAKER_02: Well, it just looks like a really simple website.
[02:05] SPEAKER_02: It was really thoughtfully designed so that all of our clients, no matter who they are,
[02:11] SPEAKER_02: have agency and autonomy over who they choose as their therapist.
[02:16] SPEAKER_02: So we don't like to put barriers in the way.
[02:18] SPEAKER_02: So we tried to make it as accessible as possible.
[02:21] SPEAKER_02: So people first go by choosing their province based on regulations and making sure that they
[02:26] SPEAKER_02: have a certified counselor within there where they live.
[02:30] SPEAKER_02: And then they can go, they can go through maybe areas of concern.
[02:34] SPEAKER_02: They can go through languages that they speak.
[02:38] SPEAKER_02: They can look for matches based on the therapist expertise or personal background.
[02:46] SPEAKER_02: We are very proudly diverse in our community and some of those are visible,
[02:51] SPEAKER_02: visible diversities and some are invisible.
[02:55] SPEAKER_02: But if people are not sure who the right fit is for them, if they,
[02:58] SPEAKER_02: if they can't figure it out on our very simple website, they can call us,
[03:02] SPEAKER_02: they can email us and we will tailor match a therapist to them and we're really,
[03:07] SPEAKER_02: really proud of being able to find a therapist for almost anyone in Canada.
[03:13] SPEAKER_02: And so yeah, thank you for noticing the simplicity of the design because it was really such a,
[03:19] SPEAKER_02: such an important component when we, when we set out on this mission.
[03:24] SPEAKER_01: So for our listeners just to help you understand what we're talking about here,
[03:30] SPEAKER_01: it's an online platform where you can connect with the counselor
[03:34] SPEAKER_01: and then have virtual sessions.
[03:37] SPEAKER_01: So the person may not be in the same city as you and it doesn't matter
[03:42] SPEAKER_01: because it's all done virtually, which is somebody who lives in a rural community,
[03:49] SPEAKER_01: who has to drive a lot to see specialists.
[03:53] SPEAKER_01: I appreciate that.
[03:55] SPEAKER_01: It's less driving so you can actually spend more time just talking to the counselor
[04:00] SPEAKER_01: and less time in the car.
[04:02] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Cynthia, you know what?
[04:04] SPEAKER_02: I, I to live in a really small community and that is one of the things that we really believe in
[04:10] SPEAKER_02: is like we want access to everyone, whether they're rural, urban, remote,
[04:14] SPEAKER_02: or in a big city, pretty much anyone can access this at any time.
[04:18] SPEAKER_02: And it's not even just remote communities that people struggle with things like transportation
[04:22] SPEAKER_02: or cost of transportation or time involved in transportation,
[04:25] SPEAKER_02: not to mention the environmental impacts of all of those things.
[04:29] SPEAKER_02: We're trying to really reduce barriers in all aspects and have a thriving practice.
[04:35] SPEAKER_02: And we know, you know, COVID, COVID allowed us to see the gift of being specialists online
[04:43] SPEAKER_02: and how easy it can be.
[04:46] SPEAKER_02: And really, I think now there's, you know, there's really no limits.
[04:51] SPEAKER_02: And one of the things that I know uniquely is that there's lots of people in remote communities
[04:56] SPEAKER_02: like you have to drive for hours just to see somebody.
[05:01] SPEAKER_02: You know, I have extended health benefits myself and I don't have access to somebody in my own
[05:06] SPEAKER_02: community to get the support that I need that's covered for me.
[05:10] SPEAKER_02: And so I know there's lots of people in lots of, you know, working and getting benefits
[05:15] SPEAKER_02: that can't access these services.
[05:17] SPEAKER_02: And, you know, therapy is one of the things that you can do online and you don't need to physically
[05:22] SPEAKER_02: be there. So, you know, we're making sure that everybody can access the
[05:26] SPEAKER_02: port no matter where they are.
[05:28] SPEAKER_01: I love that.
[05:29] SPEAKER_01: So let's talk about why you decide it to go the entrepreneur route versus, you know,
[05:36] SPEAKER_01: the safer route, the work that you do, you could easily find a nine to five job that somebody
[05:42] SPEAKER_01: wrote you a paycheck. So what inspired you to take this road?
[05:48] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thanks, thanks for asking Cynthia.
[05:50] SPEAKER_02: I think that's something that's really near and dear to my heart.
[05:54] SPEAKER_02: And, you know, I'll try to give you the short answer.
[05:56] SPEAKER_02: But I've been a working professional for over 25 years.
[06:00] SPEAKER_02: I've worked in mental health, education, you know, inclusive education.
[06:05] SPEAKER_02: I've done all kinds of roles.
[06:06] SPEAKER_02: I've lived around the world.
[06:08] SPEAKER_02: I'm very fortunate.
[06:10] SPEAKER_02: I, you know, I have a really good background, a really good education.
[06:13] SPEAKER_02: And like you said, I could work full time today for somebody doing one of the amazing things
[06:18] SPEAKER_02: that I'm skilled at and I love doing.
[06:20] SPEAKER_02: But what I've realized is, you know, one, I worked a lot of frontline work over my career.
[06:27] SPEAKER_02: I worked, you know, with a lot of high needs, complex cases over many years.
[06:33] SPEAKER_02: And it's, you know, it's time for me to pivot.
[06:38] SPEAKER_02: And I intentionally went back, retrained to become a therapist and now get to utilize all the
[06:44] SPEAKER_02: skills, all the experience to create something else.
[06:47] SPEAKER_02: And, you know, yes, I could just work full time for somebody.
[06:51] SPEAKER_02: But ultimately, I believe that in order to create a business where I really feel aligned with,
[06:59] SPEAKER_02: that I feel as ethical, that I feel as principles that I believe in,
[07:04] SPEAKER_02: I realized that I was going to have to create it myself.
[07:08] SPEAKER_02: And so that's what I started doing.
[07:10] SPEAKER_02: And, you know, it's not easy to be an entrepreneur and it's not an easy undertaking.
[07:16] SPEAKER_02: And of course, I could have taken an even easier route and just done private practice, you know.
[07:20] SPEAKER_02: And that would have been easier.
[07:22] SPEAKER_02: It's still working for myself.
[07:24] SPEAKER_02: But I realized, you know, there's so many gaps in healthcare and in mental health care in this
[07:31] SPEAKER_02: country. And we're trying to address those gaps one at a time.
[07:35] SPEAKER_02: And there's no way that I could have realized that dream by working for somebody else.
[07:41] SPEAKER_02: And so I want to create the place where I want to work.
[07:45] SPEAKER_02: And I want to create a place that I feel proud of and that everybody can get support with.
[07:51] SPEAKER_02: And I want to kind of like gracefully exit, you know, my professional career, having left
[07:57] SPEAKER_02: something great, having left something that I believe in and that I can stand behind.
[08:03] SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, it's really right now very much a passion driven project.
[08:09] SPEAKER_02: We're really at the beginning.
[08:11] SPEAKER_02: And so I'm investing my time, my money, my energy into building this thing that I want,
[08:17] SPEAKER_02: knowing that it's going to take time, knowing that I'm sacrificing some things to get the thing I
[08:22] SPEAKER_02: want in the end. And entrepreneurship is definitely a steep learning curve for me.
[08:27] SPEAKER_02: You know, I have lots of expertise, none of which are in business or finance or any of these areas.
[08:34] SPEAKER_02: But I outsource, I ask for help, I connect with people, you know, and I am really
[08:39] SPEAKER_02: proud that I'm building a team of people who help me, who I trust, who believe in what we're doing.
[08:46] SPEAKER_02: Primarily, like that is of, you know, the first, the first question I ask everybody.
[08:51] SPEAKER_02: And then they come on board and I trust that their expertise will help push us into the,
[08:56] SPEAKER_02: you know, whatever areas are next as we build slowly. And, you know, I have to say, I proudly have
[09:04] SPEAKER_02: employed a lot of female entrepreneurs in Canada to help me realize this vision. And that's also
[09:09] SPEAKER_02: something I'm quite passionate about. And I feel proud that I am able to say, hey, look what we
[09:16] SPEAKER_02: built together. And, you know, I couldn't have done it without the expertise of so many amazing
[09:23] SPEAKER_02: entrepreneurs in Canada, I'll be honest. So yeah.
[09:26] SPEAKER_01: I love that. And, you know, I have interviewed a lot of entrepreneurs and not one person said,
[09:32] SPEAKER_01: I did this to get rich. You know, it's because of passion, it's because we have a route that
[09:41] SPEAKER_01: a road we want to take that might not be there. So we need to create it ourselves.
[09:47] SPEAKER_01: So what's one piece of information or knowledge about your industry of the work that you do that
[09:54] SPEAKER_01: would be of interest to listeners so they understand a little bit more?
[09:59] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think there's a few pieces to our organization that if you looked on our website and
[10:05] SPEAKER_02: read our mission and vision, you could understand. But it goes deeper than that. So one of the,
[10:11] SPEAKER_02: really passionate things for me is that in female dominated professions and therapy happens to be
[10:19] SPEAKER_02: one of those. People are notoriously underpaid. So if you work for a government agency, you know,
[10:26] SPEAKER_02: you have high case loads, which leads to high burnout, which leads to not really getting the
[10:32] SPEAKER_02: support that you need for yourself and also being underpaid and being undervalued. And so one of
[10:40] SPEAKER_02: the really pinnacle points of our organization is that we believe that the therapist should
[10:47] SPEAKER_02: be most of the money for the full fee sessions that we offer. And so as an organization right now,
[10:56] SPEAKER_02: where we are not sort of moving away from that guiding principle. And so we believe that over time,
[11:04] SPEAKER_02: we will create a community of therapists that want to be with us that are the believe in our
[11:08] SPEAKER_02: mission and vision. And are there not just for that financial advantage, but because we believe in
[11:15] SPEAKER_02: moderate case loads where people are able to manage their own mental health while supporting other
[11:20] SPEAKER_02: people. And then the other part of my company, which I'm so proud of building is our low fee
[11:27] SPEAKER_02: program. So we have master student therapists that are able to provide amazing therapy for only
[11:36] SPEAKER_02: $25. And because we don't have a brick and mortar location, we're really trying to streamline any fees.
[11:44] SPEAKER_02: And all of those fees go to cover things like supervision, the paperwork needed to support the
[11:50] SPEAKER_02: students as well as training and other opportunities. I am, you know, as I said, an educator. And so for me,
[11:58] SPEAKER_02: paramount to everything I do is creating space, safe learning spaces. And so the opportunity to do
[12:05] SPEAKER_02: that for graduate students is equally as much of a passion for me as it is like being in elementary
[12:11] SPEAKER_02: schools. And so, you know, I really believe that we all deserve spaces where we feel safe. And so,
[12:17] SPEAKER_02: you know, there is financial pieces tied to these principles. And some of those margins are very,
[12:24] SPEAKER_02: very tied. And from a business perspective, people question them. But when we run the numbers,
[12:29] SPEAKER_02: you know, we can see that it will be a sustainable business model. And that we just, we just need to
[12:36] SPEAKER_02: rely on the fact that we will grow slowly and we'll get enough clients through to make us a
[12:40] SPEAKER_02: sustainable business. And that's really the goal so that we can just help more people, right?
[12:46] SPEAKER_00: Discover the latest trends, strategies, and success stories in the ever evolving world of business.
[12:52] SPEAKER_00: Canada's podcast.com subscribe now.
[12:55] SPEAKER_01: I just love that. And as somebody who used to teach at a Western university, I will say that I love
[13:02] SPEAKER_01: that because there's so many bright minds coming up that need a space to grow. So, um, what,
[13:12] SPEAKER_01: what are you most proud of in terms of the work you do? You've talked about your passion,
[13:17] SPEAKER_01: but what at the end of the day do you feel pride in?
[13:22] SPEAKER_02: You know, I don't know if this is, this is the answer you'd expect, but I think the thing I'm
[13:27] SPEAKER_02: most proud of is being able to see my vision come to life. Because one of the biggest obstacles for
[13:39] SPEAKER_02: me, of course, as I said, is I don't have the business skills. I don't have the expertise. And so
[13:44] SPEAKER_02: self-doubt can creep in very, very quickly. And when I meet other people in business and they
[13:50] SPEAKER_02: you know, offer me advice in the guys of sort of being critical of me and trying to face all of that
[13:57] SPEAKER_02: and still come up smiling and still come up proud of what I'm doing, you know, I think realistically,
[14:04] SPEAKER_02: you know, there's been highs and lows. And I would never deny the low. I'm, it's just part of the
[14:12] SPEAKER_02: journey. And here I am on the other side, still creating it, still building it, and still just so
[14:18] SPEAKER_02: proud of all the work that I've done to get here. Because it's not something I just was like,
[14:24] SPEAKER_02: oh, okay, I know exactly what to do, right? I had to figure it all out and I'm still figuring it out
[14:28] SPEAKER_02: and I'm learning from my mistakes and I'm getting it wrong and that's okay. And I'm so proud
[14:33] SPEAKER_02: that I'm still standing here strong enough to say, hey, I'm, I am going to do this. Nothing's going
[14:38] SPEAKER_02: to stop me. And, and, you know, had I met you 25 years ago, I don't know that I would be capable
[14:43] SPEAKER_02: of having that conversation and that speaks to my own growth as a professional, my own mental health,
[14:49] SPEAKER_02: my own support systems, right? And so, you know, I kind of practice what I preach. We, you know, I,
[14:55] SPEAKER_02: I wouldn't be here without the support of the people I have around me. And I'm so proud that I've
[15:00] SPEAKER_02: stuck to what I want to do, no matter what has come in my way. And so I, I think that's, I think
[15:06] SPEAKER_01: that's it. I love that. What advice would you give someone who's considering starting out
[15:15] SPEAKER_01: and entrepreneur, they're listening to this, they're saying, that sounds great. Is there any advice
[15:21] SPEAKER_02: that you've learned along the way? Yeah, I, I've certainly made my share of mistakes and I think
[15:27] SPEAKER_02: that some of those mistakes have made me realize that, you know, even though I'm a person that
[15:34] SPEAKER_02: really truly is in tune to my gut, I listen to all of my senses, I listen to what, what my brain is
[15:42] SPEAKER_02: telling me in those situations, I didn't always listen. And it's really easy and, you know, in retrospect
[15:49] SPEAKER_02: to look back and go, Hey, yeah, I see where I faltered there. But my biggest piece of advice,
[15:55] SPEAKER_02: right? It's not just the listening to your gut. It's like taking a moment and not making decisions
[16:03] SPEAKER_02: until you've thought through all the possible scenarios. And you can truly say that like, I made
[16:08] SPEAKER_02: that choice because it was exactly what I needed or what I wanted for my company. And, but in the
[16:15] SPEAKER_02: moment, right, it just, you feel a little bit of pressure from people who want things from you
[16:20] SPEAKER_02: and you're trying to make decisions and not, you know, I made mistakes there. And that's okay. I've
[16:25] SPEAKER_02: learned, but I, I'm really glad if I can share that with other people starting out, listen to your gut,
[16:30] SPEAKER_02: make some time, process all, all of the scenarios that you need to, you never have to give anyone
[16:36] SPEAKER_02: an answer until you're able. And so, um, trust yourself. I love that. It, it's so true. And there's
[16:45] SPEAKER_01: so many people that will tell you their advice on what they would do. And I have found a lot of
[16:52] SPEAKER_01: that advice doesn't relate to the journey I'm on or my values and beliefs. And I, you know, it's
[17:01] SPEAKER_01: to take what works for you and you discard the rest. So, um, we're both based in BC. We're both on
[17:11] SPEAKER_01: islands on the west coast. What's some of the benefits of being based and your virtual company,
[17:20] SPEAKER_02: but you're, you're based in BC. The benefits for me, you know, are, there's so many layers to that.
[17:30] SPEAKER_02: And I know we had another conversation about this. And yeah, I have a family and I have small children.
[17:35] SPEAKER_02: And I want to be present in their lives. But I also want the opportunity for them to have the best
[17:40] SPEAKER_02: life. And BC is such a beautiful, beautiful place to live, work and play. And, um, you know, being
[17:49] SPEAKER_02: able to live a little bit remotely is just such a gift, you know, having lived in big cities,
[17:55] SPEAKER_02: having worked front line work. Like I said, you know, BC is just such an amazing province with so
[18:03] SPEAKER_02: many opportunities. And so being able to work remotely allows us to have balance in our lives
[18:09] SPEAKER_02: as a family and allows us to, you know, do the things that we're truly passionate about. And,
[18:17] SPEAKER_02: obviously, I, you know, talk about balance and all the things with clients and everybody else.
[18:22] SPEAKER_02: And at the end of the day, you know, I can look out my window and I can see the forest. And I just,
[18:27] SPEAKER_02: you know, can inhale and exhale without even leaving the remoteness, you know, and it's just,
[18:33] SPEAKER_02: it's all around me. And I'm just, I'm just so pleased to be able to give that to my kids.
[18:40] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I have a forest outside my window too.
[18:43] SPEAKER_01: I love it. So I get it. It's, we don't have to escape to get to nature. It's out our back door.
[18:52] SPEAKER_01: What's some of the challenges of being in BC?
[18:57] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's, it's an expensive problem. For sure. There's, I think, you know, Cindy and I,
[19:04] SPEAKER_02: we both, we were talking about this earlier, right? We were talking about access to support,
[19:11] SPEAKER_02: living remote. It's harder to get the support that you need as well. There's like lots of shortages
[19:16] SPEAKER_02: in our province. You know, I think it is, it is, you know, a commitment to live here in terms of
[19:26] SPEAKER_02: time. So if you want to go anywhere big, you know, you're getting on a plane or it's, it's quite a
[19:32] SPEAKER_02: drive, right? And while we do have Vancouver at our fingertips, it doesn't have everything in terms of,
[19:40] SPEAKER_02: you know, access and business and connections. And there's always a lot of things happening in
[19:45] SPEAKER_02: the East. And so, you know, it's kind of, it's, it's just kind of that little bit further away
[19:51] SPEAKER_02: from everything else. And so I don't always, I don't always have the access, but I say that. And then
[20:00] SPEAKER_02: I also, you know, our fractional CFO is in Ontario. And I'm able to employ her because it's a remote
[20:06] SPEAKER_02: business, right? So like, there is, there is both of those things happening simultaneously.
[20:12] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I just returned from my quarterly trip to Ontario where 70% of my clients are, but I'm on the
[20:20] SPEAKER_01: West Coast. So how do you define success? But most importantly, how do you celebrate?
[20:29] SPEAKER_02: Well, because I'm a new company and we're still in that, you know, very early growth phase,
[20:35] SPEAKER_02: it's sometimes it's really hard to see the success. So, you know, I really, I really have been
[20:42] SPEAKER_02: starting to get quite honest about what's going well and what isn't going well and celebrating
[20:48] SPEAKER_02: the things that we've done, right? And I, I just, you know, spent some time reflecting on the last
[20:54] SPEAKER_02: year because we were incorporated just under a year ago in a couple of days. And so, you know,
[21:01] SPEAKER_02: just reflecting on all of the work that's happened, I realized, whoa, hold on, I've just been in,
[21:09] SPEAKER_02: I just been in, you know, actual go mode, I haven't stopped to celebrate. And so purposely, you
[21:15] SPEAKER_02: know, I've set some time aside during this holiday break where I'm going to just be with my family
[21:22] SPEAKER_02: and celebrate. And for me, like that is the greatest gift. And the other part of your question was
[21:28] SPEAKER_02: about how do I celebrate or I missed my time. How do I define it? So that one, you know, I,
[21:40] SPEAKER_02: often people define success by finances and frankly, that's not even possible given the state
[21:45] SPEAKER_02: of our new and budgeting company, right? So we're not, we're not in profit yet. And that's okay.
[21:52] SPEAKER_02: What I do define success as is really uniquely linked to the fact that my company, I can probably say,
[22:00] SPEAKER_02: is in line with my beliefs and my values. And I don't think I would feel so proud or so successful
[22:11] SPEAKER_02: if I wasn't able to clearly define those pieces of our company. And so for me,
[22:17] SPEAKER_02: success is being able to be in charge of a company that absolutely is in line with what I believe.
[22:25] SPEAKER_00: And so for me, that's success. Stay ahead of the game with our expert tips and strategies that
[22:31] SPEAKER_00: will help your business thrive in a digital era. Canada's podcast.com subscribe now.
[22:37] SPEAKER_01: That is beautiful. I love that. How, what do you do when fear and doubt creeps in because that
[22:45] SPEAKER_02: is going to creep in? Yeah, it creeps in all the time. Sometimes just like wavering and sometimes,
[22:53] SPEAKER_02: you know, it's got, it's got me, right? And so, you know, again, some of that fear and doubt
[23:00] SPEAKER_02: popped in when I realized some mistakes I'd made. And I get support, right? So as a therapist,
[23:06] SPEAKER_02: it's pretty important that I get my own therapy. And that's, you know, quite an ethical thing to do.
[23:12] SPEAKER_02: But also, it's a really important thing to do. So I have a person who, no matter what I say to them,
[23:18] SPEAKER_02: they're on my team. They're supporting me through my journey. So I get, I get mental health support.
[23:23] SPEAKER_02: Number one, number two, I try to connect with other amazing entrepreneurs who, you know,
[23:30] SPEAKER_02: understand and can get what I'm going through. And this amazing journey, as I said, I, you know,
[23:37] SPEAKER_02: connected with so many amazing entrepreneurs, many female entrepreneurs who are always ready to
[23:43] SPEAKER_02: be your cheerleader and always ready to say, I totally get it. And maybe I can offer you,
[23:49] SPEAKER_02: you know, this support or this idea, right? And so we just stay connected. We support each other.
[23:56] SPEAKER_02: And being, it's interesting because like at my lowest, you're like, I don't want to be vulnerable.
[24:02] SPEAKER_02: I don't want to put myself out there. But when I have asked for the support, when I have felt like,
[24:08] SPEAKER_02: ah, this is what did I do? People are there. People stand up for you. People step up. And
[24:16] SPEAKER_02: I think the biggest thing is like just not being afraid to ask for the help, right? Regardless
[24:24] SPEAKER_02: of what that is, whether it's my mental health, whether it's to do with my business, but all of
[24:30] SPEAKER_02: that stuff is intertwined. And I can't really easily like dissect it and say, well, you know, I must be,
[24:35] SPEAKER_02: I must be needing some mental health support because for me, it's like that they're all connected.
[24:40] SPEAKER_02: And you can't distinguish, but honestly, people just step up. They help and being vulnerable
[24:46] SPEAKER_02: as been the biggest lesson, I think, in this journey for me.
[24:50] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's definitely, and I have found too, as an entrepreneur, when I reach out and ask for help,
[24:57] SPEAKER_01: it's given back, tenfold. So I always love helping people as well, paying it forward.
[25:02] SPEAKER_01: So what, what, um, either routines or what do you do that you have in place to help you stay
[25:11] SPEAKER_01: balanced? You talked about the importance of getting your own mental health support. Is there any
[25:17] SPEAKER_01: other things that you do that help you stay grounded, uh, and have that balance? Yeah, I think
[25:25] SPEAKER_02: I have good friends I can have with who I can just have a laugh with. I, I think laughter is
[25:31] SPEAKER_02: one of the, you know, the, the greatest things for, for anyone and especially for me, um, simple
[25:38] SPEAKER_02: things like making sure I'm drinking enough water. Um, honestly, like it's one of those things that
[25:43] SPEAKER_02: you find over years of working with people that almost everybody is not drinking enough water,
[25:48] SPEAKER_02: and it sounds so silly and so simple, but it, it just helps your brain work better. It helps you
[25:52] SPEAKER_02: feel better. Um, I try to get outside every day. Um, like I said, it's pretty beautiful here,
[25:59] SPEAKER_02: and it's getting harder with the shortened days, but I do try to get outside every day and just
[26:04] SPEAKER_02: breathe in that glorious fresh air and just, you know, look at the expense of, of green around me
[26:11] SPEAKER_02: and, and try to walk, um, you know, and I also definitely spend time with my family that fills me up.
[26:19] SPEAKER_02: Absolutely. Uh, but yeah, it's hard being an entrepreneur because I want to work all the time.
[26:26] SPEAKER_02: Uh, because I'm so passionate about it. Um, but I also, I also know that like there's a reason
[26:33] SPEAKER_02: that I'm doing all of this and one of the reasons is, oh, I can live in this beautiful place and,
[26:38] SPEAKER_02: and enjoy it and enjoy it with my family. So I just try to remind myself of that as much as I
[26:43] SPEAKER_02: possibly can and take the moments where I can get them and carve out time when I can.
[26:49] SPEAKER_01: That is so great. So my last question for you today is,
[26:54] SPEAKER_01: is there any book you read, any piece of advice, anything that resonates with you that you want to share with our listeners?
[27:04] SPEAKER_02: Yeah. Um, it's, it's so, it's still hit tricky for me to like narrow down because I'm often giving
[27:10] SPEAKER_02: book recommendations, but I think from an entrepreneurial standpoint, um, you know, I think I kind of
[27:17] SPEAKER_02: said this already and it's a little bit of a more vague answer, but I think is one of the keys to
[27:23] SPEAKER_02: being successful as an entrepreneur is getting connected, right? And so like building that network,
[27:31] SPEAKER_02: building the people that are going to be there when you fall down, building the people that are
[27:35] SPEAKER_02: going to help propel you forward, building a connection of people that are going to keep you accountable
[27:41] SPEAKER_02: and push you forward. I could not do this alone while I sit alone a lot, you know, building that
[27:48] SPEAKER_02: network has been a key piece in helping me get through this last year. There is absolutely no way
[27:57] SPEAKER_02: that I would be sitting here smiling, talking to you today, had I not had that network. And,
[28:03] SPEAKER_02: you know, I am an introvert. So building that network wasn't the easiest, but I did it. I got out
[28:09] SPEAKER_02: there. I was vulnerable and I built it and I have no regrets about that because, you know, just
[28:15] SPEAKER_02: before we hopped on this call today, I was networking with a group of female entrepreneurs and,
[28:20] SPEAKER_02: you know, connecting with them about something. And it just fills you up and it just helps you say
[28:26] SPEAKER_02: focus. It helps you get the support you need. And I just can't say enough about that piece.
[28:31] SPEAKER_02: And it seems so simple, but it is, it was really the difference between me being successful
[28:38] SPEAKER_01: and not. I love that. I just had supper with somebody in Toronto a couple of weeks ago. I was
[28:45] SPEAKER_01: speaking at a conference and she said, I work at home alone and this has filled my soul.
[28:52] SPEAKER_01: Being around like-minded people and just sitting across the table and if you only make one
[28:59] SPEAKER_01: connection, she says it's filled my soul. So those connections can really help us, right?
[29:05] SPEAKER_01: So if people want to find your business to learn more, where do they go?
[29:12] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, our website is helpclinic.ca. So helpclinic.ca. So you can find our therapist there.
[29:23] SPEAKER_02: There's an email and a phone number if you want to reach out for anything. And you can also find me
[29:28] SPEAKER_02: personally on LinkedIn under Maureen Cotasbody. Well, thank you so much. I will definitely be checking
[29:35] SPEAKER_02: out your website.