Wendy Winder - optimist - life balance - creative - marketer- entrepreneur

introduction: 0:07

You're listening to fascinating women with Mark Laurie. And now, Mark Laurie

Mark Laurie: 0:13

Hello everyone and welcome back to fascinating women. Today, like all the other ones we've got is really a fun lady. Now she is, he's joyful. He's always smiling, always uplifting. And we're going to see where that came from. So welcoming today, Wendy Winder. Hi.

Wendy: 0:32

Hi, Mark, thank you for having me.

Mark Laurie: 0:35

You're welcome. It's been, I'm looking forward to this. I've known you for a bit and you're this really intriguing personality. So I'm looking forward to kind of things. So let's start with some stuff, what three beliefs guide you.

Wendy Winder: 0:49

Can I have four?

Mark Laurie: 0:50

sure, go for four.

Wendy Winder: 0:52

I think Well, to start with, I really believe in like mentor of mine said is bringing the sunshine. So I think it's everyone's responsibility, or it's important to bring the positive energy and the positive energy that you got bring, and give you you get back in life. So that's always been a good score for me, which kind of lends itself to the next one, which is give generously. So there was, I was brought up to believe that it's our responsibility to give back when we can, and that I think, when you give, when you give, you always receive it back in spades. So that's always been a guiding principle as well. And then just always learning so just continuously learning and being curious and seeing the world through different eyes. Then the last one is going together as a team, so like, just more fun to be to work together. And I just kind of fundamentally believe you get you get more out of life, you get more out of business, you get more people, if you if you work together and you collaborate. So those are kind of my, I guess, four tenants! I kind of asked me, sorry, I could go with you.

Mark Laurie: 2:19

I can tell I appreciate those are all really good. And they kind of blend together as well. Paying forward. . . collaberation. It works out well works. Well. Have you always had a mentor.

Wendy Winder: 2:33

I had lots of mentors, and all through my, I guess my use my career. Yeah, I've been really lucky in that regard. I've hadmy parents, I guess, would be the original mentors, right?

Mark Laurie: 2:48

They always are.

Wendy Winder: 2:50

And then I've just had great. I've had a great group of friends and people that I admire. I have a business coach, I've had people in my career that have been so gracious in giving back and helping me along the way. And yeah, I aspire to to be that for other people to right?

Mark Laurie: 3:13

What started you on the path of having a paid hired mentor, consultant advisor

Wendy Winder: 3:21

Well, actually, I worked for a company called Tech Canada, in New York pure three group at the time, I was the marketing director. And they it's it's kind of I liken it to you know, if you're an entrepreneur, you're leading any we're gonna go after you've done your MBA and you've done sort of formal training like how do you continue to support if you believe in continuous learning and you also believe that you never have all the answers and asking for help or seeking help is is something that's really important so that's kind of how it started was through that and then after that, I just seek guidance from some of the amazing people that I met but yeah, that's how I got my - Mark Terrell was my mentor.

Mark Laurie: 4:13

I I've had a lot of mentors and advisors over the years and when I first started them I was impressed or I was out the impression was that you had a certain level you know stuff right. And mentors are the high end mentors are teaching a slower guys and I discovered that every high end mentor I had they also had a mentor never seemed to end, like it didn't matter how high you up you went. That person also had a mentor which which always just fascinated me. Who inspires you right now.

Wendy Winder: 4:44

Oh,my kids, my kids inspire me. i I'm at the I'm an empty nester now, but seeing them roll up and go on their path and each in their own areas and rights like my A daughter, she's taking psychology at the University of British Columbia, and wants to be a psychologist and just seeing her the excitement as she's learning these things and kind of goes on her path in life. And my son plays hockey with the Drumheller dragons. And, you know, the discipline and teamwork can almost the soccer like all the sacrifice that they've taken, they inspired me, they inspired me to be a better that and the other thing is on the business side of it that, all entrepreneurs that are doing well, and I've, you know, I've been surrounded by entrepreneurs in my life, my brothers and dinner, I have two very good friends that have been entrepreneurs. And, and, and they really inspired me to become one myself. And that is possible. And then once you're in this community, it is so crazy not to be inspired by all these people that are, you know, making things happen. It's just it's exciting.

Mark Laurie: 6:16

It is it's Oh, octane. Have you always had an entrooupnearal spirit have always been a positive person? How far back because those kinds of things register register with you?

Wendy Winder: 6:28

I think so.It's hard to pinpoint. I know, I definitely probably, I think it just naturally comes to me, I know that. In my corporate career when I was leading marketing teams, one of the things that people would always you know, you'd have reviews or people say things about you and it always came back that I would bring the sunshine or you know, be the positive energy or whatever. And so at some point in that process, the start to believe it and I think what's been interesting over the years and is . . when you are really positive person and people could say well, I like positivity or puck positivity all the time. But I think when you are vulnerable and open and genuine that people know that comes from a sincere place. But I think it is true. I think some people are naturally lean one way or naturally another and it's part of your own coping coping method mechanism to right, I would say my husband is not I would say you know, sunshine and roses all the time and I'm I'm very much the opposite but but you kind of balanced each other out and you I think boasts ways of viewing life are worthy. I guess.

Mark Laurie: 7:51

That's valid, Were you this way as a kid when you're growing up,

Wendy Winder: 7:56

yeah. I was them. I guess I was the not shy kid. I wouldn't say I was like overtly. But yeah, I was I was more positive. But I was maybe more quiet. I lived into not being quite so quiet. But But yeah,

Mark Laurie: 8:18

I wouldn't do a good job of that. What kind of things do you think from your childhood shaped you have sort of given you the nerve to go off on your own? Some some core stuff that happened in your childhood.

Wendy Winder: 8:33

I had a great childhood. So I was in that's good. My parents? They met each other. Over in Europe. They were living in Germany, teachers And my mum was ahead of her time she was like, a force to be reckoned with. And definitely a trailblazer when it comes to women. Dad has always been a hard worker, incredibly supportive. Like he is my number one cheerleader, but he's many people's number one cheerleader. He's the type of guy that will go and you know, forge a conversation with anyone and is naturally curious that way. And I think I mean, AI was really blast I totally recognize that. But But I see what when you have that I grew up with the mentality of I can do anything. Like if I want to go be the you know, Prime Minister of Canada I could do I could do it. You just do it. Oh, and to know not let yourself I think maybe too because I was of the Shire nature were quieter or other people would be more out there. They always encourage that. You know, you don't have to be that way to to win in life and that everyone, you know, everyone's light shines bright. So I think it's definitely my parents upbringing, and travelled to they took us they traveled. And so they exposed us to, you know, different cultures and different ways of being. And it kind of gave us this sense of curiosity, but also that we were doing things wasn't always the best way that there was so many different ways out there.So yeah, so I think that they've massively influenced me for sure.

Mark Laurie: 10:36

Do you see a difference between people who travel a lot, and people haven't traveled at all? And they're thinking how they approach things?

Wendy Winder: 10:44

I don't want to generalize, but I would say, you know, you can become a bit narrow minded. Because if you're only exposed to one thing, how would you know that something else is, is better? So I do think childhood is important. And I think travel beyond resorts is important. And having curiosity and and exposing yourself to different ideas and different people and different ways of living. And, you know, you could definitely say, I grew up in a little bubble, because I had this, you know, happy childhood. And, but But life isn't like that, like you, you don't always don't sail through with nothing. You know, that doesn't get in your way. And so then how do you deal with that? So if you don't have your two other things, you know, you're not really prepared.

Mark Laurie: 11:38

When you have a brick wall, how do you approach it? When you hit something that's like, oh, that's the roadblock that's stumble? Or what's your go to approach to get around things, get over things or overcome it?

Wendy Winder: 11:53

Well have a growth mindset. This, along with the positivity and optimism. But I think on the other side is I mean, I failed so many times in my life mark, it's not even funny. But part with that is a if you can shape your perspective and go, Well, it's my opportunity to learn here. And then and then how can I make myself better. And that's knowing too that Dan, it is a continuous process, it's a marathon, and none of us are perfect at it. I think it is how I deal with it. And then the other thing I would say too, is it's having that support network, having those people in your life that when you need them to can, you know, support you and cheer you on, I mean, need someone to tell you, you got this, like, they're there. And when you need them, you know, when you need to go and complain, and just vent that they're there. And, you know, if you need someone to like, you know, give a hug or habits here with like, that's there too. So I think that support network, but then that growth mindset is kind of the things that gets you past those hard days.

Mark Laurie: 13:05

Tell us about a failure that you have that you learned something from that you like that girl that didn't go well, but I pulled this out of it.

Wendy Winder: 13:16

Um, well, recently, like, I've had a number of pitches that I've done recently, and you know, I haven't gotten all of the And, and I think one again, it's it is partly that that mindset of okay, like that doesn't define you. Like, I think everyone warned you warned me about this when becoming an entrepreneur. It is that it's a roller coaster. And it's hard not to get, you know, take things personal. And wreck it in, and to almost like pull yourself out of it and look at a bit more objectively. And I think that that's where people outside of your circle can play a role. Like that's where a business coach can call you on your crap. Or they can be or you have, you know, I have good friends that are entrepreneurs and they can be like, now you got this, like, go after it. You're when Dequindre like, go do it. I think those are the learnings. It's just it's hard in the moment, for sure. I need to find success. think success is multifaceted. I mean, in certain areas of our life like that for sure. Financial freedom. Being able to not worry about it. And to give back like having enough that you can do the things that you want and to give back to people. It's important. Obviously your health is important. And then being healthy and being able to live a long life. Surrounding yourself with good people and people that you love. And then the other thing is, and this is a good friend of mine had shared this with me recently, and I it really resonated, which is designing the life you don't want to retire from, to me. Because, you know, we always have these moments of like, I'll be happy when, and I will be, you know, do these things when or when I retire or when I would ever. And, you know, none of us really know how long we have. So it's just important that in the moment that we, you know, we craft and we design and we plan, and we find our joy now.

Mark Laurie: 15:49

Well before the kids left, how did you get out to do a life, business balance. It's only started from entrepreneurs how did that go, how good are you at balancing

Wendy Winder: 16:08

if there isn't balanced, Mark, like, as the right and I think this is one thing I'm passionate about is like women and working mothers. Because it's, it was hard, there's just no other two ways about it is instances, it's hard. And there is the one thing I would say in the past, maybe decade, but particularly even, you know, a silver lining of the pandemic is the flexibility that it created for working women. Because it allows, it allows you to make things happen and it allows you to you know, it it doesn't put you behind it doesn't make it so that you can't do something because you have another priority in your life. And well, I recognize that it's, it's easier now for me when the kids have gotten a lot more into focus on me and in my business. But I think that um , I just think that balances is just mythical. And I think it's something that we've lived up to is that we should have balanced and everything, you know, other people have it. And you know, you look at yourself and internally, you're like, I don't have it. And I just think that's great. Even in the data, we don't have it. There's some days and we're like, head down, I've got a deadline. Everything else gets ignored. This is all I'm doing. But there's other days where, you know, like this weekend, we were going out to watch my kid play hockey and didn't work. I was just theater was present and enjoying things. And so yeah, I think balance is meant to callit and and I just unfortunately, it's something to it's something to aspire to. But But I think we have to give ourselves grace when we we don't have this magical thing called balance.

Mark Laurie: 18:17

Just just had a flash because there's roles have been changing. So we've got way back to the days the guys are always the household when we're looking after the kids and so on. And the guys didn't have much of life balance, like they were pretty much working for your home the bread for it. As we shifted into him and taking over that role or taking on taking role over moving into that role, becoming the breadwinner and developing those little dreams. You're almost catching up with the frustration that men had years ago, whereas they couldn't give it to their family as much as they wanted to. So it's a bit of a balancing act. All that back then, any advice you'd give someone who just starting off that's just that's a mom got two kids, and it's starting off in in the business world Now listen, propanol, but just start off the business role. Oh, they could navigate this having a family and children and having their dreams I forgot a dream business who I work with.

Wendy Winder: 19:15

Number one, ask for help. You know build that team that can help you. Number two, anything is possible. So go for it. And lean into those successes. And when someone I guess puts boundaries on you or holds you back or judges you because you've taken time off or you're not there to like eight o'clock at night working or whatever that may be. Keep your eye on the prize because in the end, doing great work win and your mastery wins. And just keep Looking to surround yourself with great people and believe in yourself

Mark Laurie: 20:11

How do you want to change the world,

Wendy Winder: 20:15

our um Well, I do believe in giving back. And ironically I had, I did struggle this with them when I was younger, because I was exhausted with helping my kids. And so you can sometimes exhaust yourself with doing too much as you know, the whole balance. So. So sometimes if you priority in terms of giving back or changing the world is your kid, that's okay. Alright, so in this moment of my life, if my whole thing is driving a kid to Syncro, and driving your kid to hockey and you know, putting food on the table and making sure they're healthy, and everybody's on their way, and if that's your version of giving back in that moment, and you're not, you know, fundraising for cancer or doing the other things, that's okay. There's different seasons of your life. And ironically, now, Mark, what I'm really enjoying is, is helping businesses make their own impact. And by seeing them create their own success is part of what stealing me in making it worthwhile and giving back and having impact through them.

Mark Laurie: 21:39

What are you curious about right now?

Wendy Winder: 21:44

Why I'm always curious about seeing marketing changed in the last year and a half, that whole thing completely changed, which is, it makes it fun. I love you know, reading and trying to get back to reading more fiction, I would blame the last year and a half, then it will turn out of business books, reading business books, but trying to get back to fiction and just curiosity. It's not necessarily so so much check the box or learn something directly new. So that's part of kind of where I'm, I'm currently at.

Mark Laurie: 22:22

What kind of fiction do you like?

Wendy Winder: 22:25

Historical, is I love learning about World War Two area. We took the kids to France a couple a number of years ago, and traveled through and it's just, it's so crazy that that happened in our lifetimes. And it's just so hard to believe and you know, you want to learn from it. And hopefully make sure that history doesn't repeat itself. There's so many little stories I find the personal stories interesting crop up from World War One and World War Two. We've seen in France, the trenches from World War One still exist, or not hold no man's land in Italy actually got scars in the land from those days, which totally astounded me. And it's reducing that we were actually having fewer words out, there's more highlighted more than we did in the past, which is track passing to find like, reading about different cultures is really being like when Black Lives Matter can happen to a while back, did a lot of reading area just also kind of, you know, looking at unconscious bias and try to explore that and figure out, you know, my own blinders. And I'm always fascinated with the psychology part around mindset and growth. You know how we can use that to get better.

Mark Laurie: 23:59

I've read some of the the old style books just to listen to my brain. There's one that's always out there and its. I hate that things families. It happens to the best of us know or does one of the best. There is How to Win Friends and Influence enemies. Think there's that?

Wendy Winder: 24:20

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie go.

Mark Laurie: 24:24

Yeah, Dale Carnegie. Have you read that book?

Wendy Winder: 24:27

I have. Yeah. It's a classic. Lot of examples are from older times, but it just shows that you know, things don't change.Yeah, I mean, there's there's lots of classics. I mean, there's

Mark Laurie: 24:45

hink and grow Rich, that's the one which I think you grow rich thinking Grow Rich. Was that the handbook?

Wendy Winder: 24:52

Yeah, get that one. Should I read that?

Mark Laurie: 24:54

Your shoot? Yes, everything. I would say from what I've gathered every motivational instructional thing, birthed from that book. If you if you go to pretty much anybody that says, Oh, here's this and here's how you do stuff. If you dig deep enough, they'll say yes, I learned this from from big rich. What he did was when he was a young man, he was a writer. And he wanted a story on Dale Carnegie. And Carnegie said, I will pay you to find out what makes all the wealthy men tick. And so he went out and had with Dale Carnegie, Dale Carnegie, sorry, itsn not . Carnegie was the wealthy metal magnate, he was just the wealthiest man still in this world. Very, he's there a stock that he did. That's amazing. So he funded the writer to go out and interview all these wealthy, wealthy people. What made them tick? I think there's like 10 things that they did. That was common. And that's in his till now, a couple years worth of work. He distilled it down into that. So it is it's been updated and found has been updated with new stories. I have my old original copy of it. My base things,

Wendy Winder: 26:10

but I will add it to my left. I'm right now reading the diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett.

Mark Laurie: 26:17

Yes, you won that when we're Christmas, as I recall. I'm enjoying it. So anyway.

Wendy Winder: 26:23

Yeah.

Mark Laurie: 26:25

Do you think people understand you?

Wendy Winder: 26:26

I'm not sure. But I'm open book. There's nothing hidden agenda. Just I'm very, very open. So whether they understand me is i am, do they care, too? I guess I don't know. Yeah, I don't know if people are thinking of me as much as I think they are. So yeah. Yeah, I'm pretty easygoing. So in your face, right.

Mark Laurie: 27:02

Yeah, that's right. Yeah. So what was the turning point your life where the points where you took a different fork in the road, where things changed dramatically?

Wendy Winder: 27:13

And well, I would say kind of growing up getting into our jobs and was pretty smooth with. And then we I very quickly had the house the car, the trip to Europe, the you know, the the great job. It was like now what. And so we wanted to have kids. And he tried for a number of years and really ran into difficulties. And and so that was a moment where it was like, wow, like, what if this isn't meant for me? Or what if this isn't possible. And so I think anyone who struggled with infertility can relate that that can be a challenging time. And then, for us, we were lucky, it did happen. And then that you see, when you have kids, that's a massive shift. Our both our kids being in competitive sports didn't see that one coming. But that was a massive shift for us. And then I think through my corporate career. I think the I had one occasion, where I was, I lost my job. And I felt like I had done the best job possible. And I was doing really well. And you know, the person who brought me in and said, you know, you can have done a great job and your team is great. This is amazing. I think I can manage from here, Wendy. And I had a moment I was like, Oh, God, like, I honestly think I've done the best work of my life and I can still be let go. And so this it was an eye opener from the sense of like, I've always been like security. And so kind of made me realize that working in corporate America or corporate jobs, did you know it's not always that stable? And so it opened my mind for the first moment of like, what if I did this by myself? And what if I build my own company? So I could work with good people? You know, the bars really all I want to do is make an impact and work with people and so I think that was a great wake up call you know, it's the silver lining of something where you think this is really shitty. But you know, learning that you get from it is is really big and I wouldn't be where they had that not happened to me. It just see it as a golden opportunity. The timer was just was crushing, crushing 100% And you're gonna take so a huge, low and then you do all the what ifs of like, what's going on? And in retrospect, ironically, so I was like this there Would person kind of the senior leadership team that was let go? And then, and then the CEO got like, Oh, no. But I think that's where I just think like, even though I had a very loving childhood, and when could see, a lot of struggles happened, things didn't always be for me and always had to work for them. And so, you know, you know, it wasn't like an easy get 90%, I had to work my butt off to kind of get there. And so I think the combination of the mindset that was been taught me a lot with the need for me to actually work to get what I wanted, prepares you for moments like that. And then, and then when, if you have, if you're lucky enough to have a cushion of people around you, that love and support you, you know, those moments don't last for long. And then you go on and conquer bigger and better things.

Mark Laurie: 31:01

Wos, was there something that you would change your mind about recently?

Wendy Winder: 31:07

And I'm changing my mind about everything all the time. Like, I'd be lying if I said, I was, I think actually a pet peeve of mine is people that are a super fixed mindset and like, this is the way it is and nothing shall change. So I guess

Mark Laurie: 31:26

What was the biggest thing in the last five or 10 years that you change your mind on that was kind of a groundswell changes, a seismic change for you.

Wendy Winder: 31:38

Gosh, good question mark. And honestly, I would say educating myself about unconscious bias, and things like that, where I almost had the bias of like, I don't have a bias. I try really hard to be a good person I've tried really hard to but but you need that you need to educate yourself in like, no matter what we all have this let we're looking through and have to be appreciate that. And recognizing the part you play in things, even in the past. And I'm that's a work in progress, for sure. But I think the recognition of it. The bit eye opening for me, it

Mark Laurie: 32:38

came across an article today from Roy, Roy Williams, and he was talking about truth, and how you can have two people can hold the exact same truths that are opposite each other. They're just from their point of view, and they're actually correct. You probably think about the blind men, they approach the elephant to describe what it is wrong. It's that kind of thing they are they're all to their truth is 100% True, it's a it's a wall, it's a snake yoga trunk, and so on. And yet, until they get together and combine it, it remains this thing that standard, the hill, they stand on kind of a wild approach.

Wendy Winder: 33:17

And I think the challenge for all of us, it's to be open to that vulnerability. Because if we can, you know, admit that we don't know everything. Now, then we have been there's they'd have the doors open for change. And I think especially with like all the things going on in the world right now. It's tough

Mark Laurie: 33:37

it is. It is it's harder to have discussions, I remember when I was gonna have debates in high school. And you could pick up afterward, we're being taught to pick a side you don't believe in to debate it. But we can have a debate without becoming the enemies. Like we just, you know, a debate was exploring other points of view. And that's limited today. You find that's a challenge for you.

Wendy Winder: 34:02

And I'm I think everyone, I think maybe found that a challenge through the pandemic, it just fits going on in the world. And I don't love the extremism that's going on right now. think I think it was really hard for all of us because many people had black and white, there was rights and there were wrongs and people were very adamantly in one camp or the other. And it's hard in the heart because you just see people that you love. And it's such a you know, a disconnect. And, and even people challenging your own openness, right, like, you know, I remember we had one of Devon's hockey coaches was a certain way during the pandemic and people were like, how could you possibly associate with him? or how could with him or how could you whatever and I like he's a good human, like, no matter what, like, whatever it takes whatever x y that we're talking about. Underneath it all people are good humans. Just because one person believes away one way and you don't or or it's gray matter. It's just very complex. And I think the world as a whole we can all use it's a lot more compassion for each other.

Mark Laurie: 35:35

And we'll pause the end changing tracks, what is the most spontaneous thing you've done?

Wendy Winder: 35:43

OhI'm not that spontaneous Mark, I'm a planner spontaneous, I guess gone on trips, you know, let's, let's just go away and and go do something or even as a family, like, Hey, we've got nothing going on this magical moment in time, what are we going to do? And finding those little bits of time? Or jumping the car? Let's go ahead king or, you know, where do we want to go today? So we say I'm not overwhelmingly spontaneous on the grand scale. But on the day to day, grab the moment, let's go do something and take advantage of something. I think I'm pretty open, open to like, living in the moment, I guess.

Mark Laurie: 36:42

That's pretty fair. With all the traveling you've done, what country or place most resonate with you that you like, want to go back again to and again or even presidents?

Wendy Winder: 36:54

I cannot near that to one so I have to give you a couple. But we Lisa went to had the pleasure with Doug's family celebration of his parents anniversary, we went to Kenya and Tanzania and it was phenomenal the landscape how warm the people were the the animals was just phenomenal. But like I said, I'm Europe has my heart. And while you know if I could look anywhere in the world to be Strasbourg, France, Germany, a bit. appeal. Just the beauty. Italy, fabulous. And then our own backyard. So traveling to the east coast and Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy and Newfoundland. And now I haven't spent a ton of time material. So that's on the list. Peru, I'd like to get there. I like to go new places because I always as much as I want to go back to the places I've been I like to explore new

Mark Laurie: 38:06

now when you go there, are you a tourist attraction person? Are you the backroads of the street kind of person?

Wendy Winder: 38:13

backroad if I have the choice if again, I said my, my parents were tour guides, and maybe I didn't, nobody mentioned that. Now he has, when they came back from Europe and taught here in Canada, they realized people were not, you know, people, the kids needed to get out and see. So my dad actually started international travel in Alberta and so they would take them and show them around and then they ended up doing that for adults as well. And at the time the the tour of the day was like 21 cities and 21 days and then it was slower back back roads back country kind of allowing yourself you know the the kind of travel that is slowing us it allows you to get curious about what's going on locally and and not have it and be regimented but at the same time you know doing the research and seeing we know what little places should you go and not spending all the time in the sea so yeah, that that kind of tours my preference. Now having said that, and as we age and we've got a number cruises with my husband's family and a beauty of cruising as a different ages, different abilities, large groups, you can all go see a bunch of different places, and then come back and gather together at the end of the day. And that's been really satisfying to

Mark Laurie: 39:51

cool. What is your most favorite trait? Favorite thing? What's a personality that you'd go this is my favorite part of my personality?

Wendy Winder: 40:00

I think that the optimism brain is sunshine being that positive influence in people's lives

Mark Laurie: 40:12

and which traits you wish you had

Wendy Winder: 40:16

oh I had a superpower. I would love it to be like, way more productive. I get way more done in a day. Wow, I cannot I cannot work super late, like unless it's a pressing deadline. I'm like, anything past 738 o'clock at night is like I'm gone. So. So you know, I, I, I'm not, I'm not I look at others and think oh my gosh theory able to get so much done. And I have fallen for that comparison, which we shouldn't do. But yes, I would love to have that. Is it Robin Sharma that has the five again, get out of bed morning routine, and everything's done by name. And I would like to be more like that.

Mark Laurie: 41:09

Had a friend of mine, photographer instructor and she got so much done. I was always trying to think how do I get the lead lead, I discovered 23 hours sleep a night entirely. She can push it where she only if she's really pushing hard. She only can get by about a week on one and a half hours and sleep for about a week. And they just play catch up and get about a couple nights of four hours sleep to kind of catch up like that. That's why you're so far ahead.

Wendy Winder: 41:34

But I am you know, I recently read a book called 10 times easier than two times. Oh, God, it escapes me at the moment. Dan Sullivan, I think and it is. Anyway, one of the things that really resonated with me was that the simplicity of having chunking out time for yourself where you could have mastery of your craft. And that's one of those things that like in marketing, there is a creative angle to it. And there is to me, the I can't go from like one to another. Like if if I'm constantly being interrupted, I can't be as brilliant as what I'm trying to be. And so the discipline of carving out three days a week where I have uninterrupted, no meetings, and just get to focus has has been really good. And it makes me more joyful. But I also do get more out of it. Like I get to get more done. Because I allow myself that space of kind of getting into things. That makes sense. Yeah.

Mark Laurie: 42:37

Does. I have a decade or so I was a student of Dan Sullivan actually started this program. One year after stars program, I became a member of strategic court. It was phenomenal. Yeah, I know. He's got some he's got disciplined, like, I'm still using today. And I check in with them and read that the 10 times thing that's a Dan thing is it's pretty. It's pretty good. What have you had to give up to get where you are today? We had to give anything up

Wendy Winder: 43:09

at money. I think we've made strategic choices in our life, like supporting our kids. To get where we are today. I wouldn't say I guess time I guess. And when you're ever whenever you're kind of going after a big beasts, you know, other things fall by the wayside. So I would say in the last year and a half, when I've launched this business, I've I've given up a lot of other things just to have that singular focus. And I even like respect that like with my kids to on, like what it takes if you're trying to go after something big. And it takes it in again. That's where it kind of comes back to a conversation about balance, right? Where you're going like I terrible person because I'm just voted on. And I'm like, actually, you're not you're going after a big goal. And there are seats in life where you're going to be more focused on other things. And that's okay. So, yeah, time money.

Mark Laurie: 44:20

Those are big things. Going back to your careers, have there been a point where you had two paths to consider? You go A or B, and and they're very diverse.

Wendy Winder: 44:36

Yeah, I guess I mean, the obvious one is the recent one with like, just launching,

Mark Laurie: 44:41

going back, going back to the the back stuff and stuff that forms you the fork, what's the fork in the road for you? n your 20s or 30s or teens? Biggest fork in the road?

Wendy Winder: 44:55

Look is actually I'm gonna give you two examples. One why I was deciding to stay home with my kids. So, director working with moxie Group of Companies and giving child care problems and things were just crazy. And so making the decision to stay home rather than work with big, and then there was another point in time where I was in changing roles, and I had the opportunity to go work for I was working for Jugo juice as their marketing director and I had this fabulous experience, like it was just a set, probably my favorite corporate job for sure. And so much down in a space of a year and a half, but it was a mathlete coverage. And so the person reach and so I had to go find my next role. And I had the opportunity or an offer for WestJet to take on their loyalty marketing programs and manage their credit cards, or go work for an advertising agency. And normally, agencies didn't pay enough to make kid make sense, but was very much like the appeal of working with different clients. And then this company had match the WestJet offer and that they were downtown. And flexibility and going to work at WestJet was like way oh, by the airports. And how do you do that when you have kids? Long story short, I probably should have picked WestJet. I didn't I went work agency. And he needed it. I I don't know if it was just the one that I ended up working for. But But I ended up being an overpaid paper pusher. It was a great experience. And but one could you could beat yourself up for that. Why didn't go work for WestJet? Like I loved to travel, that would have been a smart move, Wendy. But I don't think I would have been where I've am today. Had I, you know, gone to work for WestJet. So the coloration of, you know, what did I learn from making that choice and it not being the right choice? And that, you know, what path did that set me on? The other thing that I would say that it gave me that was the silver lining was I don't think if I would have gone WestJet I wouldn't have the flexibility to support my kids and their goals. Whereas I the choices I made go into agency and the choices afterwards. Rear what is that was always the number one thing was making sure I had that flexibility so I could help them pursue their goals. And you could say again, like we were talking about Yeah, advice for younger people like you could some you could judge me for saying that limited my career or held me back in certain areas. Or you could say that was a choice I made and it was proud to make it and it didn't hold me back it made who knew I was right. So yeah, lots of lots of like forks in the road Mark. Yeah. It's quite

Mark Laurie: 48:07

it's been like this has been good! For the listeners. in the bio. Wendy is are you probably gathered she is an amazing strategist. Advertising person without a fair description of what you do. Is that limiting? Tell us, what's your Do

Wendy Winder: 48:22

you think he's limited seeing at marketing strategists would be would be bang on? Yeah. Yeah. That's it. And she is brilliant. She has really, really good heart and soul kind of goes into it was you'll find links and her bio in the contact so you can kind of get a hold of her what she does appeals to you. And we'll do that. And thank you so much for your time today when it was grand. It's fun. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Mark Laurie: 48:46

Also like to our listeners know, this episode has been sponsored by inner spirit photography. We stand for empowering women and pushing the envelope forward. And this is sort of part of that outreach. And we'll see you all next time.

Exit speaker: 49:01

This has been fascinating women with Mark Laurie. Join us on our website and subscribe at fascinating women dossier fascinating women has been sponsored by inner spirit photography of Calgary, Alberta and is produced