Business leader, advice to help you succeed! – Calgary, Canada’s Podcast

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[00:00] SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Canada's Podcast.
[00:05] SPEAKER_01: Business leaders, ready to cut costs and boost growth with a recurring billy solution that's built for you?
[00:11] SPEAKER_01: Our platform won't just save you money, it'll help you grow so that you make more money.
[00:15] SPEAKER_01: Build clearly, grow quickly with Visibility.
[00:18] SPEAKER_01: To calculate your savings, head to visibill.com today.
[00:21] SPEAKER_03: Hello, I'm Mario Toniguchi, managing editor of Canada's Podcast.
[00:25] SPEAKER_03: Joining me today on Calgary's podcast is Cali B. L. Wains, who is founder and curator of Bold and Visible in Calgary.
[00:35] SPEAKER_03: Thanks for joining us.
[00:37] SPEAKER_03: Excited to join you.
[00:39] SPEAKER_03: Well, tell us a little bit about what you do, Cali.
[00:42] SPEAKER_02: Well, Mario, I help accomplished leaders, speakers, coaches, and consultants to really step into their authentic self-expression, basically to become an unforgettable communicator.
[00:54] SPEAKER_02: I work in all-in service to having a bigger impact in the world in these changing times.
[00:59] SPEAKER_03: Okay. So, and how do you do that? Like, in what kind of avenues and ways do you reach out to people and help people?
[01:09] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I have a couple of programs that I run in the space for entrepreneurs.
[01:15] SPEAKER_02: Mostly I work with women. I have a lot of men in my world as well, but I really focus my work on women.
[01:21] SPEAKER_02: And we step into understanding, you know, right now in these times, we have a much larger things are changing, the way we're working, we're living in the world.
[01:32] SPEAKER_02: Right. That what, how we're communicating is changing.
[01:36] SPEAKER_02: And so we take on our larger calling, if you will.
[01:44] SPEAKER_02: I take them through a nine-month process where we really let go of anything that might be blocking us from stepping forward and really taking the risk we need to do to give our gift in the world.
[01:56] SPEAKER_02: We find our voice literally going through voice work. We navigate and find our story.
[02:02] SPEAKER_02: And really what we're just doing is we're building confidence to step out and be who we are.
[02:06] SPEAKER_02: And at the end, we step on to a beautiful big stage and share ourself with the world in a, in a whole new way.
[02:12] SPEAKER_03: Okay. How did you start this?
[02:16] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, you know what? I'm a career CEO and I have spent many, many years inside of really challenging myself to be courageous and step forward.
[02:27] SPEAKER_02: And even though everything looked really great on the outside, you know, I was well known at public figure doing great things in the world.
[02:34] SPEAKER_02: I really did struggle with, I think speaking confidently, speaking my truth in the way that was truly me.
[02:40] SPEAKER_02: And so I had to do a lot of work around finding out why that was and it wasn't about all the stuff outside of me.
[02:47] SPEAKER_02: It was really about things that I was challenged with inside. And so really my journey was through through cultivating my own visibility and my own ability to do this.
[02:59] SPEAKER_02: And in doing so, I took things, I did things like stepping on at the stage myself.
[03:05] SPEAKER_02: Really learning how to let go some of the stress and trauma in my body. I work a lot with the physicality of women because I work with women who are very, very high level women who are already really successful.
[03:14] SPEAKER_02: Right. So really it was inside of my own work that I then stepped out and built my body of work, which is growing rapidly and expanding.
[03:26] SPEAKER_02: It's really exciting. I've helped hundreds of women now step out and really own their gift in the world.
[03:31] SPEAKER_03: Okay, tell us your story, Kelly. Like I know that it saw some some stuff on, I think it was when you were linked in, but about, you know, the challenges that you've had in life and that how and how you've gotten here.
[03:45] SPEAKER_03: But just maybe just tell tell our listeners and viewers here what your story is.
[03:51] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thanks Mario, because really it's that story and that story and all of us that is the gift that we haven't really been able to come out and speak to.
[04:00] SPEAKER_02: For me, you know, I grew up in Calgary. I'm born and bred here. I did leave for a few years and thought I was never going to be back but I fell back in love with the city.
[04:09] SPEAKER_02: But you know, back in the in the early 80s, I came from a middle class family, you know, family goes to church, really great parents, but we had some mental health issues in our home.
[04:22] SPEAKER_02: And as often happens in those kinds of homes, the kids can sometimes get into difficult situations. I ended up living on the street right here in the city.
[04:33] SPEAKER_02: I was 13 years old and you can imagine back in the 80s, there was really no structures or supports the way they are to theirs today, which I'm so grateful for.
[04:43] SPEAKER_02: So, you know, that struggle in that journey of living in this in this city with nowhere to live.
[04:50] SPEAKER_02: You know, like literally in the band and buildings under bridges, those kinds of things really was the place where I really my defining moment happened where I gained an incredible amount of resolve and strength, difficult times for sure.
[05:05] SPEAKER_02: Right, but it was that journey that actually caused me to stand up and take leadership.
[05:09] SPEAKER_02: I went, got myself into, you know, fully educated. I have a master's degree in educational psychology, but the journey to get there was was hard and I was a born leader.
[05:23] SPEAKER_02: You know, even on the street, I would help youth, young people, I held workshops for young people on the street, even before I could get off to help them find their way, but you know, it's often harder to find your own way.
[05:36] SPEAKER_02: So, I was a born leader and I've always ended up in places of leadership, but again, it's the struggle. I struggle with a lot of shame. I struggle with a lot of trauma.
[05:47] SPEAKER_02: And even at the height of my career success as a CEO in the boardroom making big decisions, I would find myself, you know, just really self limiting.
[05:56] SPEAKER_02: And so that's, you know, it's the journey through those things that we find the hardest right that actually are our gift.
[06:03] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, exactly.
[06:04] SPEAKER_00: Canada's podcast, the number one podcast for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs.
[06:10] SPEAKER_03: So what, what do you think it was that I guess helped you survive in that time?
[06:20] SPEAKER_02: You know, I, first of all, I had a lot of faith. I had faith in life. I had a deep faith out of faith in God actually. I had a sense of a much that I was going to be okay and then I had a bigger calling like I had something larger to do with my life.
[06:36] SPEAKER_02: So actually, that's my defining moment. I was challenged by big Gina. She was another girl on the street. I was a skinny little 13 year old, you know, and big Gina. She was a tough one.
[06:48] SPEAKER_02: And she told me, Callie, what makes you think you're so much better than us? No one makes it off the street.
[06:55] SPEAKER_02: And you know, that was the moment that I knew no, no, no, no, I felt in my down deep, you know, I'm here to do something much bigger.
[07:03] SPEAKER_02: So even though my circumstances were, were not on the outside looking that way, I felt that. Yeah. And really that was it. That was my potential. I could feel inside of me.
[07:12] SPEAKER_02: And you know, that's what I really light up in women in the world who are already really accomplished. But yet there's something else much riskier and much older to do. Yeah.
[07:23] SPEAKER_03: Yeah. What's the biggest challenge? I think a lot of people think about this and talk about this, but transitioning transitioning from being on the street to normal life.
[07:36] SPEAKER_03: But I, you know, what was the biggest challenge there in making that transition?
[07:42] SPEAKER_02: Well, I think it's one of the things is coming back in just to the regular structures of society. So, you know, being out of the economy for one thing, not just really this low self worth is a big challenge.
[07:57] SPEAKER_02: And a lot of a lot of embodied shame and just not having the network. So it's really important to build structure around yourself for me.
[08:05] SPEAKER_02: I was lucky I found a lot of mentors that could bring me into some solid community, you know, building community again, having people around you that are can see you and support you getting into school.
[08:19] SPEAKER_02: I think it's building the structures that are necessary for all of us that most of us take for granted.
[08:25] SPEAKER_02: Right. We take for granted that we've got this web of inter inter inter relational structures that a lot of people in the street don't have.
[08:35] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, exactly. And when you look back at that time, where were the some of the biggest lessons you learned that have that help you to this very day.
[08:47] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, you know, it's funny. Like I said, it was easier to help others and help myself. But that was the first step for me and often actually street involved youth or people will you'll see them helping others first.
[09:01] SPEAKER_02: But really it was to get visible to ask for help not just not to go to loan to speak up.
[09:10] SPEAKER_02: You know what one of the things I did actually is when I realized so I had lung collapse is I had to have double lung surgery.
[09:19] SPEAKER_02: Because I was so it came from being deeply afraid on the street.
[09:25] SPEAKER_02: And there was a point where I could have chosen two paths and the path I chose was to get off the street and to get into my life.
[09:31] SPEAKER_02: And the simple thing I did Mario, I asked people for coffee, right. I asked every day people business people on the street and Calgary for coffee and a lot of them just didn't want anything to do with a street kid like me, right.
[09:47] SPEAKER_02: But I made some amazing mentors. So I spoke up.
[09:52] SPEAKER_02: One beautiful friend of mine many, many years now he was a he's genius computer scientist back in the day and he taught me math and physics and beautiful nurse that I've been trying to find in Calgary.
[10:09] SPEAKER_02: She supported me so much she let me listen to show pound in her apartment. And it was like those it was standing up and being seen asking for help.
[10:18] SPEAKER_02: Being willing to do that.
[10:20] SPEAKER_01: Business leaders ready to cut costs and boost growth with a recurring billing solution that's built for you.
[10:25] SPEAKER_01: Our platform won't just save you money. It'll help you grow so that you make more money.
[10:29] SPEAKER_01: Build clearly grow quickly with visibility to calculate your savings head to visibill.com today.
[10:36] SPEAKER_03: Being an entrepreneur today, Caly, what's the well, first of all, what do you like about being an entrepreneur?
[10:45] SPEAKER_02: 100% love it. You know, I'm having the time of my life. First of all, obviously, I can create my own world.
[10:52] SPEAKER_02: I can I believe that everyone has a calling or some art to give of themselves and being an entrepreneur is being able to do that under your own design.
[11:05] SPEAKER_02: I can create what I want to create.
[11:07] SPEAKER_02: Be you know, I'm the kind of person maybe partly from living on the street that I don't have to come under a particular structure.
[11:14] SPEAKER_02: I have the freedom to grow.
[11:16] SPEAKER_02: I have a free. Right. I just feel like right now it's a time for entrepreneurs.
[11:20] SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
[11:23] SPEAKER_02: Well, don't you think like I mean, we're planted is changing the all the corporate structures and the cultural structures and economic structures are shit structures are shifting.
[11:34] SPEAKER_02: And so and there's so much like a lot of us have solutions that are needed in these times that are different than you know the old the old expectations.
[11:44] SPEAKER_02: And so we're just and plus. You know, I can reach millions.
[11:49] SPEAKER_02: You can reach millions. You are reaching millions, right? You're reaching millions.
[11:53] SPEAKER_02: And this you're reaching people through this process. Yeah, that's true. Yeah.
[11:57] SPEAKER_02: And so there's an opportunity for so many of us to step in where maybe in the past there wasn't you know, we had to work for.
[12:04] SPEAKER_02: In a stress inside a structure that limited us. Yeah. Yeah.
[12:07] SPEAKER_03: What do you think is.
[12:10] SPEAKER_03: I guess some of the key things that's an individual needs to be successful as an entrepreneur.
[12:19] SPEAKER_02: Well, I think they need a viable product that brings real results. They need to understand the problems of those they serve. Right.
[12:26] SPEAKER_02: They need they need to or the problem of the space in the market that they need to take up.
[12:31] SPEAKER_02: So first of all, you need to be able to bring really great results.
[12:35] SPEAKER_02: You need a good structure and and confidence to move it forward.
[12:40] SPEAKER_02: You need a great network. You need to put the other of you know it.
[12:45] SPEAKER_02: We need to work really hard and be willing to be patient.
[12:48] SPEAKER_02: I teach women entrepreneurs in my graduate programs how to really launch their next steps and most of the.
[12:54] SPEAKER_02: A lot of us want to be a lot further along.
[12:57] SPEAKER_02: You know, we want to be on the 10 year timeframe when we're really in the sod turning seeding point.
[13:02] SPEAKER_02: So I think it's being patient.
[13:05] SPEAKER_02: Honoring the cycles right honoring the cycles and being being really clear about what we're bringing forward in the world.
[13:12] SPEAKER_03: I like when you look at what you're doing today, Callie, I just wondering like, you know, what are your thoughts about the future in terms of what you want to do with your your business and in general.
[13:27] SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah, I've been this just really great point now. So Mario.
[13:30] SPEAKER_02: So I'm in a five year, about five year timeframe for this particular body of work.
[13:34] SPEAKER_02: And it's blossomed into several different very viable really powerful arms of the work and so I so it's a snowball effect right we stick with it.
[13:46] SPEAKER_02: It's 10 years to overnight success. Yeah, I see the you know what I'm taking my stages out all over the world.
[13:52] SPEAKER_02: So we're going to Europe. We're going to the United States. We're going to be in the east and west coast and in Canada. So you know I see it as a way.
[14:00] SPEAKER_02: I'm just helping women step into their you know, their freedom and their ability to navigate much more from their center on the planet at this point in time.
[14:11] SPEAKER_02: So I just see myself having a lot of fun and and really making an impact globally.
[14:17] SPEAKER_02: My women are cut the women in my work right now. In fact, the coming out onto my stage are coming from Paris. They're coming from London Hong Kong LA.
[14:27] SPEAKER_02: All of the US Seattle, New York.
[14:31] SPEAKER_02: And then all over Canada, of course, Toronto Calgary. Thank you for.
[14:35] SPEAKER_03: Yeah. Okay. Now you mentioned I know earlier you use the word risk and I'm curious.
[14:44] SPEAKER_03: How important is risk taking and being an entrepreneur?
[14:48] SPEAKER_02: 100% 100% important. Especially for we're pioneering something new. We're your start up or you're taking up a new space and you know in the field.
[14:58] SPEAKER_02: Absolutely. You have to take risks and you need to take personal risks as well. So I mean a lot of us are risk averse and certainly you know I mean we're both humans are.
[15:08] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we're wired to survive. Yeah, but you know I mean obviously want to take thoughtful risks and I teach my entrepreneurial students to take calculated risk but there's also there's risk for investing.
[15:20] SPEAKER_02: There's risk for pouring your life into your work, you know, for getting for for lifting it up with capital.
[15:26] SPEAKER_02: But there's also risk for stepping out and maybe saying something different and being on the edge of something different.
[15:31] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, not can feel really that can hold frankly it holds a lot of women back that they're just about to step out and give their gift and really you know be abundant in their business and do their thing and they kind of stay in the margins.
[15:45] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, exactly. So what would you say to somebody who may maybe kind of risk averse right that I'm not sure if I should do this like what would you tell them you don't have to help them.
[16:01] SPEAKER_03: You know jump over that obstacle I guess.
[16:04] SPEAKER_02: Well, I guess in my very specific body of work and what I do specifically with women is I deal with this. This is the thing I help people cross the finish line and usually they've got everything in place and they know what they kind of sense they know what they should do and really I call it creating a platform of inner safety.
[16:22] SPEAKER_02: So that we can step forward and take the risk so we look at really carefully what's the truth about what's holding us back and we work with our nervous system and might it might sound super science though it's just we actually land in a more common regulated sense of who we are so we can step out and take the risk and be really clear about that feel really comfortable to do it.
[16:43] SPEAKER_02: We don't want to you know it's when you're uncomfortable and you're you're in survival and you're taking the risk that's not a good mix.
[16:52] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
[16:54] SPEAKER_03: So when you know when you're looking at people that you know want to be entrepreneurs or you know are thinking about it.
[17:03] SPEAKER_03: What would you tell them about Calgary itself and being an entrepreneur here?
[17:09] SPEAKER_02: Oh my goodness. I love this so great Calgary has the energy enthusiasm.
[17:16] SPEAKER_02: There is there is a incredible community up under you.
[17:21] SPEAKER_02: Anything you want to get done get done in Calgary I did move I said I left Calgary for a while I was a west coaster for 20 years.
[17:30] SPEAKER_02: And when I came back to Calgary I was just lifted up by the energy of if you have an idea someone's going to get behind you.
[17:40] SPEAKER_02: You know part of me a west coast but you know in the west coast you'd have a seed you'd have an idea and then a focus group and then six years of you know discussions about you know the idea and then you take it to a vote.
[17:54] SPEAKER_02: But here you know we really this is a great environment to start any venture.
[18:01] SPEAKER_03: So good climate here for for for people to start businesses.
[18:06] SPEAKER_02: There's incredible resources is incredible you know social capital and intelligence and data networks.
[18:15] SPEAKER_02: There's drive.
[18:18] SPEAKER_02: You're going to find everything you need and want to be able to lift up your business in Calgary.
[18:22] SPEAKER_03: So I'm curious you know being away for 20 years when you came back.
[18:28] SPEAKER_03: What was some of the things going through your mind about how the city has changed or changed at that time?
[18:36] SPEAKER_02: Yeah well I you know I came back and I just was you know I'd been in boot with this west coast you know ideology in a little bit of a way I thought Calgary was just going to be you know.
[18:47] SPEAKER_02: Oil and gas driven all all money driven but what I came back and found was an in first of all much more beautified community.
[18:55] SPEAKER_02: I absolutely love the way Calgary's just lifted itself up in terms of its physical landscapes and its environment changed a lot.
[19:03] SPEAKER_02: But I mean the felt sense of the city like what was going on the energy of connection the people who cared about where we were heading.
[19:13] SPEAKER_02: The sophistication the you know the mix of cultures and just the Calgary had leveled up into this you know it was cuisine and any you know it's it really matured.
[19:27] SPEAKER_03: Yeah yeah so when you're looking at you know people in general today and you know you talked earlier about mental health stuff you know there's a lot of talk today about mental health.
[19:41] SPEAKER_03: And considering the times we've gone through and the challenging economic times that's still there what's your advice for people to get through things if they're dealing with anything.
[19:57] SPEAKER_02: Yeah you know times are hard right and we've we've we've really been in a struggle and we're still going through it.
[20:03] SPEAKER_02: This is what I think Mario it's paradox and if we can really hold the paradox we can really we can really have hope on the one hand.
[20:13] SPEAKER_02: Can we hold all the change in the loss and the grief and just all of the uncertainty that's happening right now for us individually and on the planet and our community and our families.
[20:24] SPEAKER_02: But on the other hand at the same time can we actually still hold this you know can we move ahead a little bit into our life into a little bit of hope for the kind of the uncharted territory you know that is always beyond this challenges right and can we hold this together.
[20:45] SPEAKER_02: Because we can just completely lose sight of the fact that there's good things happening.
[20:50] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[20:51] SPEAKER_02: The fact that that there's more that we deserve and desire and want and it's kind of like can we bring it together and and hold the paradox because you know we can be in a in a collapse or in a time of change and also.
[21:05] SPEAKER_02: We can be in a time of expansion and holding the paradox I think it's just a really important perspective.
[21:12] SPEAKER_03: Yeah so now obviously you've lived quite an interesting life you know and and you're busy these days obviously with with your work etc.
[21:25] SPEAKER_03: What do you do beyond the work I just to give you some balance in life like what are you some of your interests and hobbies passions.
[21:36] SPEAKER_02: Yeah well you know what I have two amazing grandkids that let's start there.
[21:40] SPEAKER_02: That'll be present.
[21:43] SPEAKER_02: Absolutely you know one's engineered Amazon junior high now she's in grade eight and my grandson Griff he's in grade six so.
[21:52] SPEAKER_02: Family is really where I really take solace and have a lot of fun I also like to travel and really integrate myself.
[22:02] SPEAKER_02: Go to Costa Rica stay there quite a bit.
[22:05] SPEAKER_02: I have a studio in Costa Rica but really I just take the time to retreat from the world and integrate what's going on and give myself a creative space.
[22:16] SPEAKER_03: Excellent.
[22:18] SPEAKER_02: Do you think that's something sorry go ahead I was just going to say I also do this great improv practice called myzner and it really is just it's my hobby it's completely fun but it also helps me to loosen up all the tightness of having to get everything right when you fail a lot in front of people and it's funny.
[22:39] SPEAKER_02: You know it's a fun endeavor and it's a growing endeavor to it's a growth.
[22:45] SPEAKER_03: Alright wonderful alright well I appreciate your time on this Kelly.
[22:50] SPEAKER_02: Thank you Mario it's great to be with you.
[22:53] SPEAKER_03: Alright that was Kelly B L Wayne's who was founder and curator of Bold and Visible in Calgary.
[23:00] SPEAKER_03: I'm Mario Toniguzzi managing editor of Canada's podcast today Calgary's podcast thanks for joining us.
[23:06] SPEAKER_01: Business leaders ready to cut costs and boost growth with a recurring billing solution that's built for you.
[23:12] SPEAKER_01: Our platform won't just save you money it'll help you grow so that you make more money.
[23:16] SPEAKER_01: Build clearly grow quickly with visibility to calculate your savings head to visibill.com today.
[23:22] SPEAKER_00: Canada's podcast the number one podcast for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs.