Day 2 – September 25, 2016

Notes of the day: Departed the Soo (www.sootoday.com) at 11 am with 697 kms to Thunder Bay. The trip was about eight hours. Angela says that the first four hours were breathtaking and the last four hours she was holding her breath with the driving rain and the steep inclines and mostly declines.

Our theme for today was about our hopes for the future and how we can bring this into our lives today, though as happens in chats with friends we strayed into many different topics. The following is a capsule of our conversation.

Caroline: What would you like for your next six months?

Angela: I’d like a smooth and peaceful transitional period in Calgary

Caroline: I’d like to let go, of people, places and things, that don’t bring me joy and are not serving me anymore. This involves trusting my instincts of what I want to do vs. trying to please others. I don’t want to do what they say but I don’t want to disappoint them, so I feel guilty. I’d also let go of expectations of the way people should be and I am disappointed when they don’t live up to my expectations. I want to dream big.

Angela:  It’s a good time for you to let go as we travel out west.

Caroline: When do you feel at your best?

Angela: When I take care of myself. I like to take care of other people but need to find the balance of taking care of myself. This means good sleep, staying healthy, regular exercise and yoga practice.

Caroline: Who is inspiring to you?

Angela: Angela Davis. I am named after her. She is principled, brave and smart. She speaks the truth, her truth. And she inspires people, speaking the truth to real people. She’s not pretentious.

Caroline: She seems to have the qualities that you have! There are many who inspire me such as the people I just saw at the Archangel Summit in Toronto…Seth Godin, Robin Sharma, Philip McKernan, Jadah Sellner, Jayson Gaignard. But in the end, I’ve found that the only person I can be is me (strange how that is) and the only way I can inspire is to be as authentic as I can and speak my truth.

Angela: Did you expect to be at ZenKitchen restaurant forever?

Caroline: I saw it as a stepping stone. I knew it would be the base for future things.

Angela: So this begs the question, what’s your next step?

Caroline: I wanted to write the book to capture my journey with ZenKitchen and food and publish it. Done! This was my first step in writing professionally and getting my work out there. Writing comes naturally to me and I love it. I’ve written since I was a little girl, especially when I was going through tough and scary periods. I’d like to do more.

Angela:  What kind of writing?

Caroline: Blogging and that’s why I started the blog. Articles that enable me to reach readers with things I love, including food, travel, health and wellness, yoga, socially conscious business and personal development. I know it’s a gift I have with creating food and I love sharing it with others. However, in my previous chefing life it was stressful, exhausting, and I burnt out. I am still asking the question: How do you use your gift and not self-destruct in the meantime? It is a journey.

So, what do you love to do?

Angela: I love activism and being out in the field. That’s what I love about my new job, the direct connection with members. I also enjoy leading people and inspiring them, helping them coming out of their shells, training and teaching, empowering.  I once interviewed a woman I admire about the qualities of a good leader. She said there are two qualities: 1. The courage to lead the way and do what’s right, do what needs to be done; 2. Humility to ask for guidance when you don’t know what the path is, listening to other people, admitting when you’re wrong, and learning and growing. I aspire to that.

Caroline: so readers, what do you love to do and if you’re not doing it, why not? I’d love to hear from you, as always. Love you!