Balancing a Master's with a full-time job: Ask Pansy Lee!

This September, join us for The Side Hustle: A Panel & Meetup! Stay tuned to grab tickets this week! In the meantime, here's a sneak preview interview with Pansy Lee, Director of Product at RL Solutions. We chat about managing work on her Master's degree with a full-time job, and ruthlessly prioritizing to get stuff done.  

Describe your full-time job.

I’m head of the product team at RL Solutions. Our role is to really make sure that we’re meeting the needs of our customers today, but also anticipating what their future needs are and making sure that we’re innovating to meet those needs. Mostly my job kind of consists of two major things, one is to make my team has [everything they need]. You spend all this time hiring all the right people, all these really smart people, and I feel like part of my job is to provide a little bit of guidance on what’s the direction we’re all going in and making sure that they have the tools and the methods and processes to make sure they do amazing work. The second part is working with the other departments in the company to make sure that we’re breaking down silos.

Describe your side project at OCAD. What is your thesis?

I’m doing my Master's of Design, and the program is called Strategic Foresight and Innovation. It’s a program [based] around design thinking and really being human-centered, so it’s a different approach to problem solving. My thesis is looking at women in tech but I’m kind of looking at it from a different perspective. I’m trying to look at it from a men’s point of view because right now in the industry, and well, the world really, there’s just so much going on around women empowerment and gender equality. You’ve got organizations like Young Women in Business, and Ladies Learning Code... There’s all these things happening around supporting women, so I was kind of interested in looking at it from the men’s point of view because I really believe that it takes both groups to agree that gender equality is important. Otherwise, it doesn’t work. It’s not enough to be like women say it’s important and men thinking that it’s not. So I’m more interested in what kind of barriers they’re facing right now in trying to support women in business. My hypothesis is that if we can reduce those barriers or those challenges that they have then maybe more of them will get involved.

How do you find time to work on your Masters with a full-time job?

When I was doing my classes my company was very supportive. They supported me by giving me Fridays off to go do my Masters, but now that the classes are over and in the thesis portion of my Masters, I now have to find time in my personal time to work on my thesis. So I have a support group, like me and a couple of other classmates who are all trying to finish their theses together. We meet Mondays and Thursdays after work to work on our projects.

[RL Solutions] has been so great about my Master's and just passion projects in general.  They’re always giving me that freedom to carve out time for the things that I really care about.

What do you love most about each of those things and what do you find is the biggest challenge in trying to balance the two?

These are two things that I think are really important. Trying to make healthcare safer is so important but making a difference in the tech industry and gender equality is also so important. Not to say that I’m going to solve all of the world’s problems, but even just chipping away at those major problems are things that give me purpose in life. That’s why I love doing them so much.

The biggest challenge is when you love two things so much, how do you decide which one is more important. You know you have to make the decision which is more pressing and which do I need to spend more time on. It’s always that negotiation of which one you’re going to work on. There’s just not enough hours in the day. I find everything fascinating and I want to learn everything and I want to do everything, so sometimes the biggest challenge is just having to say no to things that are outside of what you really want to do. I’m really prioritizing finishing my Master's now so I can really stop saying no to all these other things I also want to do.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to someone who also works full-time and wants to pursue a passion project?

That’s a hard question. For me, I just end up taking on too much. There was a talk that I went to and an article that I read that have both kind of stuck with me. They were both around this idea of ruthlessly prioritizing. There are a million things that you can do but sometimes you have to ruthlessly prioritize which one is more important and which one do you really feel passionate about and go after it. The article was about saying no to one opportunity every week or something like that, because there will always be opportunity and you will want to say yes to everything but when the quantity of the things you get involved with goes up, you know you only have so many hours, so the quality is going to start to go down. If it’s a passion project for you, you’re going to carve out the time for it but the only way to carve out the time for it is if you say no to certain things and that’s really hard.

Looking back to when you first entered the workplace, what would be one piece of advice you would give to that person?

For me, work ethic is the number one thing I look for in people. I think having a good work ethic is one of the most important things. The two things that I think are really important for me and that have worked out really well in my career is good work ethic and wanting to learn everything. Having that insatiable desire to learn.

Running a space for healing and discovery: Meet Temple 23

We're so thankful to have been hosted by Temple 23, a space owned and operated by Sarah Hauch and Kristine Vanderplas, for our Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds workshop two weeks ago! I got a chance to chat with Kristine between her yoga classes about what it is like to run the venue and learn more about the space.  

What is Temple 23?

Temple 23 is a spiritual healing centre. It's a space for people to be themselves and express what they want to do. We are primarily focused on spirituality and self-expansion and curate the events we hold, but we've hosted lots of different events from workshops to music nights. We also run some events ourselves, Sarah ran a Sober Bar [on July 16], for example, and I host Meditation Mondays every week. Our goal is to make it an accessible space which honours integrity and authenticity which also means it is a dry space.

How did you two get started running an events venue?

Sarah and I met two years ago through mutual friends but really bonded over the Empower Thyself course at the Modern Mystery School. Around that time we became close and the opportunity came up. I was already teaching yoga and guiding meditation sessions, it was really a matter of timing and being willing to adapt. We moved in January 2015. [The building is] a converted warehouse so it was a blank space with white walls that we could really make our own. We put in a floor and decorated some but it wasn't until one woman from the Aerie Collective approached us about using the space for hosting urban retreats, and she was really interested in using it, and said "Look, if you give me a budget I can make it look more like what you want."  That really shaped it more into what we envisioned. We both have jobs outside of Temple 23, so it's not like we spend all of our time on it but we've had steady interest from the beginning, just really positive feedback, and a good uptake. Our primary business is offering healing to individuals.

You mentioned a Sober Bar earlier, do you want to explain what that is?

That's really more Sarah's project than mine, but a Sober Bar is basically a place where you can go to be in community, like a normal bar, but without alcohol. It's a concept that's become pretty popular on the West coast, you hear about them having these long lines. Our first one was last Saturday and we had a decent turnout. People are very appreciative of having access to events where no alcohol is involved. We hear from people who have struggled with addiction, and it's very hard to get back out there when the main places to do that are bars. There's also people who are just outgrowing the bar scene but still want to be able to go out on some nights. Some people are skeptical at first, we hosted an art show not too long ago and there was a lot of back-and-forth with the organizers because it's an art show. "You have to have alcohol, it's an art show!" they said, but we just said sorry it's a dry space. And you know, the show went really well. The organizers were happy and they were impressed. Nobody got sloppy drunk and everyone was just present. So there can be benefits!

Why did you choose to partner with YWiB and give us the opportunity to use Temple 23?

We're interested in reaching people beyond the spiritual community. [Temple 23] has gained a good reputation and Toronto has a fairly big spiritual community which knows about it. We want to be able to reach people who wouldn't come across it naturally now, people who are maybe outside the community but still align with our focus. Your Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds event actually strikes home for me because I'm really interested in wellness in the workplace. It's important to take time for yourselves, especially young women who often work more hours than most. People seem to just be working longer and harder and that focus on wellness is so necessary.

How to fit yoga into a busy work schedule

Lara Cupido led the Yoga session at the Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds event hosted by Young Women in Business, Toronto chapter. We caught up with her to hear more about her and learn about the benefits of yoga, especially for young and busy professional women.

What do you think the biggest benefit of practicing yoga is?

That’s a great question – though since there are plenty of benefits of practicing yoga, it’s a tough one to answer!

Everyone has their own reason to practice, which is one of the very reasons why I love yoga so much. That said, there are two benefits of practicing that I believe are the greatest: not only does yoga strengthen your body (yoga teacher training put me in the best shape of my life!), but it strengthens your mind as well. It helps you get in tune with your body so that you can better understand why different pain occurs both physically and mentally, and how to avoid or ease any tension. Mentally, it teaches you to focus: focus on your body, your practice, and on the present moment.

What about benefits specifically for working women in offices?

Since yoga helps you get more in tune with your body, you can learn specific postures that help open up areas that you may be tightening due to your work life. For example, there are weeks that go by where I am sitting in front of my laptop for 8+ hours a day. Naturally, my back wants to hunch over, which closes up your chest area and shoulders. Thus, soft back bends that help open up the chest and shoulders truly aid in balancing your body and maintaining alignment.

What drew you to yoga and what inspired you to become an instructor?

I’ve taken dance lessons my whole life and used to work out at a gym. However, I never really liked yoga. I always thought it wouldn’t be an intense enough workout (boy, was I naïve…).

Five years ago I decided to join my family at the weekly yoga class they regularly attended. After the class, I felt good. I can’t really explain or pinpoint exactly what it was, but I loved how I felt. And I knew the instructor’s perspective, helpful attitude and radiating energy, aided in this feeling. She truly wanted the absolute best for her students, and helped them be the best they could be. She singlehandedly altered my idea of yoga.

On her last day at the gym, I decided it was mine as well. I joined a yoga studio so that I could learn different techniques and practice more often. Shortly after, I decided that the only way to further deepen my knowledge of the practice was to become an instructor myself. In becoming an instructor, I would be able to help others feel good about themselves, just as Karin helped me do. That is what truly drove me to search for a teaching program in the city.

I then turned to Yoga Tree Studio, which offered a great teaching program composed of elements such as physical training, anatomy, and meditation. To my surprise, I found out that Karin was one of the lead instructors who would be teaching the training program. After one quick phone call to Karin, I recalled the energy that she exuded through practice, and I was sold. Needless to say, the Yoga Tree training program was one of the best experiences of my life, both physically and mentally.

Looking back, I now wish I could go back to when I was younger, during my dance years, and do physical activity properly. Yoga teaches you how to breathe properly, how to align your body, how to strengthen your core, how to stretch properly, and the list goes on.

What is your advice to those who are new to yoga?

Be open. Truly be open. With your eyes, ears and mind. Losing any premeditative judgments, or judgments that arise in your mind through practice, is critical. I often hear two things from new students: 1) Yoga is too hard, I’m not flexible! Or 2) Yoga is not intense enough of a workout. And here are my thoughts to those two misconceptions:

1) Many people tell me that they cannot practice because they are not flexible, but my response always is “that’s why you should practice! See you Sunday morning!”. Everyone is on different levels and that is OKAY. That is normal. That is how the world works! Everyone, at any given moment, is at different stages of their life, they learn at different times, and progress in different ways. However, what is important to you is what YOU are feeling, where YOU are at, how YOU can improve. And that is something that can be taken from the mat into your everyday life.

One of the biggest teachings in yoga is to lose judgements on things, on others, and on yourself. So ultimately do what makes YOU feel good on the mat. If you keep that mentality, you’ll notice progress quicker than you ever expected.

2) As I mentioned earlier, there are many misconceptions that say that yoga isn’t hard core enough. Actually, yoga is a full body work out. Many different muscles are targeted in each posture. It’s about learning how to use those muscles so that you can strengthen them. Almost all of my new students who say that yoga is too “easy” tell me after class that it is “actually really hard!” Again, be open!

Do you have any suggestions for how young professional women can fit yoga into their busy schedules?

I completely sympathize with women who feel as though there are not enough hours in one day – so much so that there have been months where I lose my own practice. I’m an interior designer by day, so my schedule is super hectic as I am often running around the city to meet clients, suppliers, and contractors, while teaching nights and weekends. By the time my work day is over, I feel as though I don’t have any energy or time to practice. What’s funny and ironic about that is that when I do fit in a yoga practice, I have so much energy. Yoga improves energy, respiration, and vitality.

I think what is important is to figure out what is the best time that works for you. After trying different class times, I realized that an early 6:30am class helped me to feel accomplished and energized for the day. Fitting it in at a regular time every day (or a few times a week) and thus creating a routine, will help you to stay committed. Once you do a class, you will be amazed at how your time and day opens up. You’ll be able to carry on with your day with a clearer mind, which will be a key factor to your productivity.

Healthy Bodies, Healthy Mind: An interview with Diviya Lewis

Diviya Lewis practices Positive Psychology and makes it her mission to help and inspire others to do the same. I spoke with Diviya to ask a few questions about her journey into the world of Positive Psychology and how it's helped inspire others!  

Can you tell us what Positive Psychology is and talk about your involvement in it?

Positive Psychology has been around since the turn of the century, shepherded by prominent psychologists like William James & Abraham Maslow who've shared their teachings and observations. It emerged as a field when Martin Seligman began presenting the branch of psychology as an alternate way of understanding mental illness. Instead of studying what was 'wrong' with people (i.e. illness and pathology), he wanted to promote studying what was 'right' (i.e. wellness and flourishing). This resonated so much with me! Perspective is key in our human experience - something I've seen through years of research - and I hope to share this message with the world. The movement of positive psychology has challenged the public and academic community to re-frame the way they see themselves and the world.

I've been immersed in the research of positive psychology for the past couple of years, but its principles are ingrained in who I am, as a person. I am incorporating them into my practice while pursuing a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, and hope to use what I've learned within organizations in the future from a Psychotherapy perspective. In addition, I facilitate workshops and training sessions called LIFO(R), using a strengths-based approach to behavioural and communication styles. The objective of the workshop is to help teams learn to be aware of themselves and as their colleagues, enhancing rapport and improving employee engagement on a variety of levels.

What does "Choose Gratitude" mean to you? How did you get started with that?

Choose Gratitude is an initiative I started that helps people see the positive in their day-to-day. Essentially, I hand out pocket-sized cards to people who brighten up my day - these include family, friends, and even strangers I encounter. Gratitude has a "spill-over" effect , and it is amazing to witness and hear about the positive impact that giving and receiving a gratitude card has on others.

Choose Gratitude grew from a need to spread the bigger message of appreciation. People often don't take enough time to enjoy the things they have in their lives, and many feel a sense of dissatisfaction and lack of fulfillment. By bringing gratitude to the forefront of people's awareness, I aim to positively affect the lives of individuals and those around them.

What has the impact of positive psychology and gratitude had on the people you've met and speak to about it?

Gratitude is definitely being promoted as a practice that improves wellness, but what you read on blogs can sometimes be misleading. Gratitude is not a cure-all. It is a piece of the puzzle, and a tool that can be used to change the way you perceive and experience your life. While a positive perspective makes a huge difference, positive psychology is not only about being positive. We mustn't ignore hurt, pain, anger or sorrow that we feel in an attempt to 'stay positive'. However, as a daily practice, and as a re-training of our mindset, seeing the silver lining has a huge impact on our life satisfaction, our relationships with those around us, and with ourselves. What's most important to me is that after I've had talks with people, they share the contagion of energy and positive thinking with those around them. It is important that we surround ourselves by people and things that energize us. This has been a personal goal of mine, and it is so uplifting to hear that others have made it their goal, too.

It sounds like positive psychology and yoga's core principles go hand-in-hand. What is about yoga that people love? 

People enjoy yoga for a multitude of reasons: Some do it as a form of exercise while others choose it as a way of life. I've witnessed yoga help people heal from illnesses like arthritis! My mom (a high-school special-ed teacher by day, Hatha yoga instructor extraordinaire by night) uses yoga with her students, and has seen improvements in attentiveness, comprehension and, most importantly, enjoyment in her students. I personally practice yoga for a mix of all of the above. Yoga is also aligned with my aim to pause, slow down, be present and take life as it comes. The mindfulness inherent within yoga practices can extend to your daily life. This is something that is more powerful than any words I can use to describe it.

What has your experience with Young Women in Business been like since you became involved?

My experience thus far has been great. The people make the vision of personal development come alive, and this is a great group of people to work with. Each one brings unique perspectives and strengths, and I am proud to be a part of this organization. After presenting at the launch Conference, I learned of the values and mission of YWiB, and knew I wanted to be involved somehow. Being a small business owner, I have felt and understand the struggle of networking, and connecting with like-minded people in Toronto.

Arnold Flowers from Oracle Talks Sponsorship, S.T.E.M. and Advice for Young Professionals

Oracle Canada is our sponsor for the Photoshop 101 workshop, and we could not run it without them! We interviewed Arnold Flowers, Director, Account Manager and a representative from Oracle who supports YWiB to find out more about Canada's biggest cloud services provider.

Tell us a bit about Oracle Canada and your role there. How many business lines are you involved with?

My role within Oracle is in its Marketing Cloud division (better known as #TEAMOMC). I lead a Results-Oriented Sales Team of Exemplary "Guidevocates" whose primary purpose is to 'Earn Lifelong Customers By Orchestrating their Marketing Transformation'. Additionally, I am the Community Leader for the Canadian Chapter of the Oracle African-American Business Leaders for Excellence (ABLE) Diversity Group.

Why do you think learning how to use computer programs like Photoshop is important?

It is imperative that we ensure that there is inclusionary access to the S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines for everyone. This is the only way we will ensure that we are not only attracting the best and the brightest talent, but also creating an environment where they can thrive.

We’re very thankful to have you as a sponsor, especially being such a big name in the tech world! How did you come to hear about Young Women in Business and what made you decide to sponsor us?

Chelsea Harding, who is not only a member of your Toronto Chapter, but is also an Account Manager on my Sales Team initially approached me about the sponsorship. This was an excellent opportunity for us to do our part in enacting Oracle’s Global S.T.E.M. initiative on a local level.

If you could give any piece of advice to a younger you starting out in the business world, what would it be?

Develop your narrative. Ensure that your goals (short term and long term) feed into that narrative. Use your success milestones to continuously evolve that narrative.

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YWiB's Director of Marketing Talks First Photoshop 101 Workshop

On Monday, June 20, join us for our first workshop of the year -- Photoshop 101! Leading the event is our very own Director of Marketing, Victoria Stacey. We asked her a few questions about her exciting role and what the workshop will offer young women.  

What do you do as the Marketing Director at YWiB Toronto? When we first started YWiB, I was doing a little bit of everything. There were only three of us at the time, Miranda, Olivia and myself, (Laura, Director of Fundraising, later joined the team), so I was responsible for everything from creative design to event planning to selecting materials we'd need for our events. Now, along with my Director of Promotions, we strategize and coordinate Content Marketing, PR, Social Media, and Graphic Design. I also help facilitate strategic partnerships and sponsorship.

Why do you think young women should know how to use Adobe Photoshop? What if you're in a field where you aren’t working with images or digital design at all? I think understanding how to use Photoshop is a great asset for anyone in the professional world and can often come in handy. Sure, you might not be designing layouts or logos regularly, but what happens if an opportunity arises for you to showcase skills outside of the ones you use day-to-day? Being able to speak up and say, "Hey, I can do that!" could save your organization money (no need to outsource for simple projects!), and shows you're willing to go above and beyond your job description.

How did you learn Photoshop? Tell us about your experience using the software. I've been using Photoshop for over 10 years and began to teach myself the software when I was about 11 or 12 years old. I started experimenting on an old program called Paint Shop Pro, which was very similar to Photoshop. Eventually, I was spending more time on the family computer than outside during the summer, much to my parents' and brothers' dismay. But, I learned a lot. I soon started building simple 'Piczo' websites and then moved onto working with HTML/CSS.

You were the editor-in-chief of Passion8 Magazine. How did your knowledge of creative design and design software help you to start your own publication and take on an editorial role? Passion8 started because I had a penchant for design, and wasn't able to express it creatively in the workplace. Having this knowledge of design, and the software to give it life, really drove the project forward. It allowed me to aid and mentor those who were just starting out with design software by giving them the opportunity to try their hand at designing, often for the first time. The editorial component was a natural progression. When you're a 'start-up' publication, with a team of volunteers, you're forced to do a lot of the work yourself. So, I began to immerse myself in the editorial side as well. Like I said, I've had websites and blogs my entire life, so writing and editing ended up feeling like natural next steps.

What do you enjoy the most about mentoring young women? Watching young women take the skills I've helped them develop, and apply them in the workforce or in their personal lives, is one of the most rewarding experiences. I've had the opportunity to work with and train students in my co-op programs, and seeing where they ended up is really amazing. The same goes for Passion8—so many of these young professionals include their Passion8 experience on their resumes, or use their pieces in their portfolios. Knowing that I was able to help them along in their careers is what means the most to me. I hope that we can do the same with YWiB.

Why partner with Oracle? Our partners at Oracle are really passionate about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. When one of our team members reached out to an Oracle representative to chat about the opportunity to host the workshop, her manager was overjoyed to help us out. Recently, Oracle announced that they will be partnering with the White House in a Global Campaign to Empower Girls and Women, so it was a great, timely fit.

If you could teach any workshop at all, what would it be? I took a course in university on Maker Culture where we explored the relationship between tech and hands-on making. I love crafts, I love design and I love tech. I'd love to learn more about the way these work together and share that with other young professionals.

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How to find and approach people for coffee chats!

I recently told one of my YWiB colleagues that I had about 10 coffees setup in the next three weeks. She asked me "How!?" & "With Who!?". It got me thinking about how I find people I'm interesting in talking to, and how I go about asking. So, today I'm going to share ways you can find and approach people for coffee!

Three Ways to Find Coffee Chats

10k Coffees

10k Coffees is my favourite platform for this, although it's been a while since I've had a coffee chat on there. When you're starting to build your network, 10k Coffees is a great starting point for finding people with similar interests or someone with career advice on your dream job. Since the platform is so easy to use, it's just a matter of choosing and asking! The platform helps prompt the conversation by asking questions about your intentions, and gives you an understanding of what they want from the site, and gives them knowledge of what you want.

Twitter

Twitter is another great way to find interesting people in your area. As a blogger, I'm connected to a ton of other bloggers, PR individuals and other cool people in the Toronto and K/W areas. I follow what they're tweeting about, interact a little and then DM them to see if they'd be interested in chatting.

Events

The obvious answer is to go out and find people in person! This could be a specific networking event, a media event or even a group class, like a cooking class! What's great about events is that people go for similar reasons. If I'm going to a networking event, it's because I want to network, and I know others do too. If I'm going to a cooking class, I'm bound to find other people interested in cooking too. You'd be surprised where a conversation about common interests can go!

Three Strategies for Asking Someone on a Coffee Chat

Find a common Interest

Did you both go to Western? Ask them about a professor or specific pub that you loved as a student. Say you're interested in meeting other alumni in the city and want to get together to see how your paths have aligned. Are they in the same industry as you? Reach out and tell them about your interest and that you want to know more about how they got involved.

One thing I've learned is that successful people aren't afraid to talk about their achievements, and that most of them are willing to share that knowledge with someone who they think will benefit from it. You just need to find a common thread to tie you with them, and the rest is simple.

Tell a colleague or friend you are interested in meeting someone in their network

Sometimes being bold is hard. Especially when your network is small, and the concept is still new to you. So, it might be easier (and still totally ok!) for you to ask for a little bit of help.

If you are uncomfortable starting a conversation yourself, ask a friend to introduce you. At networking events, if I'm talking to someone and someone else joins the circle, I try my best to introduce everyone, because that's how I'd want to be treated if the situation was reversed. Or, if you notice your friend has a connection on LinkedIn you're interested in meeting, just ask for a simple intro to them via email. Asking for help is not a weakness, it's a strength to be able to do so when you're uncomfortable! Any of us at YWiB would be happy to introduce you, you've just got to ask!

Tell them about a project you're working on and how they might help

I'm sure everyone at YWiB has used this one, and for good reason! A great way for us to reach out to people we are interested in talking to, is through our not-for-profit work. People tend to be willing to lend an ear to talk, especially if they think you want them involved!

If you don't have a not-for-profit, reach out about any project, academic, personal or professional. Or even ask them about a project you are thinking about starting for a brainstorming session or advice!