As we come out of another annual IWD campaign where we see women and their allies sharing gratitude and recognition to the women in their lives, the one thing we don’t see nearly enough is a woman celebrating, taking care of and recognizing herself.

Most women have this remarkable quality of taking care of everyone but themselves and always putting others first. Don’t get me wrong, men do this too – like my wonderful husband. However, women are also fighting against legacy societal and cultural expectations. But to be the best version of ourselves, we need to shift the focus from ‘everyone-else-care’ to ‘your-care’ on a regular basis and not just when you reach a breaking point. After all, we can’t give from a cup that’s not full.

Last year, after receiving a health scare, and getting exhausted from trying to be stronger than how I was feeling, I decided I would find a way to put myself at the top of my priority list.

I had seen these amazing women entrepreneurs and professionals in my personal network show off these incredible photos of themselves, and before I knew it I reached out to Lindsey Gibeau, Ottawa headshot and personal branding photographer. It was the best decision I’ve made ✨for me✨ in a long time.

I know it was just a photo session, but Lindsey’s energy, motivation, her ability to make me feel completely at ease – like two friends having the time of their lives, and lifting each other up at the same time. Thank you, my brilliant and massively talented friend – what you do for women in our community inspires me so much. To learn more about Lindsey, click here.

✨To All Women✨

I encourage you to take the time to invest in you. Start small, start by taking time for reflection, and you never know where you will draw inspiration from.

And remember: you likely won’t find yourself again – not the same version you were looking for anyway. But a lighter version – a wiser one. Because there is nothing stronger than a woman who has rebuilt herself and sees herself again.✨