Finding Grace after the Grind with Kayley Reed

In our final episode of season one I talk about my favourite topic: self-care. Self care is often a catch all term. But in its most simplest terms can be described as care for oneself. But how do you know what YOU really need? In today’s chat, I talk about the importance of cultivating stronger self-awareness and self-love on our self-care journey’s and share five tips to help you do so.

What do cake decorating, diaper cakes, writing and website design have in common? They are all activities that once brought me joy but quickly turned into a burden once I transformed them from a hobby into a hustle. This episode is devoted to unraveling the reasons why we feel obligated to monetize the things that bring us joy and why we have permission to stop filling our lives with more things to do.

In this episode of Filtered Perceptions, I welcome Lola Akinkuowo, a Nigerian-American multifaceted creative entrepreneur, writer, and educator at heart. As the founder of The Blogger Etiquette she helps bloggers clarify their purpose, create impactful content, and build memorable brands. In our discussion, Lola shares how leaning into hardships made her stronger, what every aspiring creative should know about success, and why it’s time to stop majoring in minor things in our lives.

In episode 8 we meet Kayley Reed – a former start-up founder turned self-care advocate and marketing influencer who shares her story of choosing her health over ‘hustle’. At the age of 20, Kayley co-founded Wear Your Label, a Canadian lifestyle brand that merged fashion & mental health awareness, but behind the scenes, she quietly struggled with her own mental health as the brand grew. In this episode, we hear her story and learn why it’s never too late to start over.

As a full-time digital nomad who has visited over 40 countries around the world, Tameika Gentles and I talk about how she emerged from a period of heartbreak and over $50K of debt to living abroad as the founder of a successful business that originated as a side hustle. In our conversation we talk about Tameika’s story, unravel perceptions of what it’s like to be a woman of colour abroad, self care practices to manage loneliness as a solo traveller and more.

A new year brings feelings of possibility, joy and sometimes a bit of anxiety. When we think about our goals, we readily audit our habits, we talk about things like discipline and consistency but one thing that we don’t talk about enough is the importance of intention and alignment. Even if you master your habits or consistency, if you’re not in full alignment with your goals, or on top of your emotional and mental health it’s easy to collect a bunch of wins but always feel like you’re losing.

Create what you wish existed. That’s exactly what motivated my guest Chanèle Macfarlane to launch a platform that married her passion for personal branding and style. Today, Do Well Dress Well, reaches thousands of woman across Canada and inspired the creation of a social enterprise to provide professional development opportunities. In this episode we learn how Chanèle's secret to success was found through being of service to others.

Have you ever felt called to express yourself in a bigger way but your natural instinct is to stay quiet? In today’s episode we unravel the resistance and beliefs that prevent us from sharing our stories with GG Renee Hill - an independent author, speaker and advocate for self-discovery through writing.  A candid voice for mental health and self-care, GG writes about the joys and challenges of living an authentic life and being a fully expressed woman.

In this episode of Filtered Perceptions, we meet Krysta Knight - a software engineer and former natural hair influencer who left the social media influencer space to focus on her own personal growth in photography and fashion. After recognizing that the success of her Youtube channel ‘Pretty Little Fro’ came at the expense of her mental and emotional wellbeing, Krysta made the decision to walk away from the brand, delete her social media following of over 50K followers and cut her signature long hair.

In this episode I speak with Cherry Rose Tan, a fifth-generation entrepreneur, high-performance coach, and an award-winning educator who teaches executives how to be mentally indestructible, so they can excel at the highest levels of stress. After surviving two near death experiences that forced her to confront her own perceptions about success, Cherry is on a mission to change the way burnout and mental health are perceived in the business world.