10 Lessons From 10 Years in Business: A Mompreneur’s Tale

January 27th, 2012

By Guest Blogger Virginia Champoux-Sokoloff

When I was young, no one told me what to expect out of life. They’d just say life is filled with ups and downs, so you gotta learn to roll with the punches. Good advice? Maybe. But what if all you needed to do was invest in what you have, trust your gut, go after what you want, and have fun doing it?

I graduated with a degree in Communications. I then climbed the professional ladder and landed a high pressure, demanding job in Public Relations for the International Air Transport Association. In the midst of it, I met an amazing man and got married.

From the very moment my husband Jay and I decided to share our lives together, we were faced with serious decisions. Jay suffers from cystic fibrosis, so a regular 9-5 job would be difficult since he would likely spend lots of time in the hospital. It then became our priority to shape our life in a certain way, so that we could deal with unexpected hospitalizations.

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Wisdom Wednesday: A Little Bit Of Inspiration

January 25th, 2012

Thank you for sending this to me, mom. Some really hit home.

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Hangovers N’ Hockey

January 23rd, 2012

I almost feel like this would be the name of a great blog. Yes, a blog about the musings of a beer drinking, ass-kicking hockey team– you know, HangoversAndHockey.com. But sadly, no. You’re still at WomenOnTheFence.com. It’s still the same me– the same go-getting, inspirational diva, just wrecked after a weekend of over-drinking and over-arena attending. But hey, what would life be like if you ONLY walked a straight line, right?

Friday night marked the beginning of a big intercity hockey tournament weekend for my 8 year old son. It was again, another weekend that our family would NOT be skiing, and would not see the light of day. We’re talking 2-3 games per day if the team advances through the rankings. See right there, I’m already starting the weekend a little p-‘d off. The ongoing argument every weekend goes something like this:

Me- WE MUST SKI.

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The Magic Room: A Tale of Six Lives Woven Together

January 20th, 2012

By Guest Blogger Jeffrey Zaslow

There’s a very old saying: “Every time a marriage takes place, a new world is created.”

In 2012, does this sound impossibly quaint? Does it sound naïvely romantic?

We all know about the odds for divorce today. We’ve seen how little the marriage vows can mean in the Kardashian Age. Indeed, a recent Pew Research poll shows that 39 percent of Americans now believe marriage is becoming “obsolete.” That’s up from 28 percent who felt that way in 1979.

And yet, at a small-town bridal shop in the American Midwest, I found reasons for hope.

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Wordless Wednesday: What is SOPA Blackout?

January 18th, 2012

What is this black Wordless image, you might ask?

Well, it’s a representation of many who are shutting down their sites today. Going black.

This blackout started at 12:00 a.m. eastern time on Wednesday morning and will last until 12:00 a.m. eastern time on Thursday. Database giant Wikipedia went dark as a protest against proposed anti-piracy legislation in the United States called SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act).

In fact, if you go to Wikipedia.org right now and attempt to do a search, this is what you’ll find. Crazy wild.

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Is TODAY the Most Depressing of the Year? 10 Tips To Get Yourself Out of a Funk

January 16th, 2012

“Christmas is over, you’ve put on weight, it’s cold out, it’s dark out, your credit card bills are in, you’re not going to get another day off until March, and you’re tired.

You might even be depressed.

If so, you are not alone, especially not today. For today, according to one measure, is Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year.” (Montreal Gazette)

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Erica Diamond’s 5-Step Career Tune-Up on Canada AM

January 13th, 2012

Is your career in in a rut? Are you stuck in a dead end job?

It’s January– the time we make resolutions, commitments, and set our career path on the right track. Now is a good time to take a hard look at your current job situation. If you’re truly unhappy in your current situation, make the firm commitment to yourself that you will make changes and take action. Now is the time to get off the fence.

Here is my 5-Step Career Tune Up from my segment yesterday morning on CTV’s Canada AM (click on image to go to link).

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