Grateful for so many WiL reasons

Nominated as one of a handful of "Friends of PwC" to participate in their award winning 'Women in Leadership (WiL) program was a gift in itself.  Many have asked me about this program so let me explain – "the program aims to empower women to have the confidence and skills to lead as their authentic self, and take ownership of their career while cultivating a robust network of support." That is exactly what this program did – even virtually.  It was clear that this pandemic wouldn’t stop Bev McPhee and Sandra Medeiros from moving forward with facilitating the program.  I remember in one of our very first sessions, Bev said, "In this crazy world, we need each other more than ever.  We want you to leave inspired, you have the power, and we need you to use it to make a difference."  Whoa, if that did not add a jump in everyone's step to start things off, I’m not sure what would.  I was ready, grateful, and all in!

I have had the incredible opportunity to form connections with other women leaders at PwC and Friends of PwC. The insights, tools, and experiences that I have gained have helped me be more intentional and purposeful in my every day – both personally and professionally.  Through this, I wanted to share some of my program highlights and learnings:

• The program was not easy.  To get the most out of the program (remember, a rare opportunity), I invested a considerable amount of time and effort into the work assigned.  The pre-work was learning on my own time (articles, videos, podcasts, worksheets), the workshops reiterated the assignments through storytelling (genius), and the beauty of it all was that I applied my learnings after each session in real-time on the job.  I was committed, and I brought my focus, energy, and participation to each workshop.
• I learned that journaling works.  A surprise delivery of affirmation cards and a journal helped me learn to carve out the time I needed daily to reflect, adapt and be purposeful in my everyday.
• The 'Insights' part of the program helped me understand my personal attributes, workplace realities, and team dynamics.  We ended up talking in code "I'm Blue" (for those at PwC, I see you smiling) for all others, this is a core strengths assessment – let's say a powerful self-discovery experience that reveals your top strengths and conflict sequence.  Understanding each other's motives, "Blue (people), Green (process), and Red (performance)" was instrumental so that people can better understand their relationship dynamics.  The assessment was spot on!
• The program introduced me to some new tools – feedback, goal setting, resilience, and balance. "Path to passion with goal setting" was undoubtedly an AHA moment, one that I have already paid forward.  Through very focused and deep thinking exercises, I wrote out my Personal Brand and Leadership Vision.  Something I’ve thought about, but going through the activities and writing them down was a game-changer. 
• Throughout the last 6 months, panelists were incredibly inspirational, sharing unique insights, highs, and lows of leadership journeys from so many.  The one that resonated with me the most was Lana Paton.  Her story was real, and it hit home for me. Lana's journey of hope, failure, resilience, and sharing a piece of herself made for a real connection.  Lana, I am still smiling at your hilarious and memorable 'nikokira' story.
• Grateful for the incredible network that supports me. I am forever thankful to my sponsor, mentors, coaches and blessed for the new friendships that developed.  My PwC mentor for this program was Chris Dulny, Canada's Chief Innovation Officer.  At first, I had a moment "what could I possibly say to the Chief Innovation Officer?" Those were my initial thoughts … until we met.  Well, what can I say?  Chris is refreshing, human, down to earth, real, holy creative and cool! I’m counting down the days until our next touchpoint. There is actually too much to talk about with Chris, and we always run out of time.  Chris has been instrumental in igniting my confidence.  He has given me the nudge to find the courage to try new things with my team, shares ideas and even his own stories.  He challenges and supports me on the goals we talk about, not to mention he even gives me homework that leads to more profound thought, research, and curiosity.  Paired with my long time Sun Life mentor Khin Walker, I have the best of the best.
•  Through my small group experience, I met some incredible women I now call friends.  Despite our different backgrounds and life stages, we just clicked.  The stories shared were personal and professional, making our peer support network and connection that much deeper.  Thanks to Loretta McDonald, our small group facilitator who initially brought us all together, I am incredibly thankful to Oyinkan Sanni, Amanda Cannavina, Erin Urquhart, and Ingrid Stoltz.  Oyinkan tells our story perfectly in her article WiL Digital: Small Groups or New Allies?
• My favorite quote that resonated at the perfect time was, "jump into those big shoes; you'll grow into them."  Thanks for this, Melissa Lisanti!
• Finally, the program was a ton of FUN, including our "Yog-HA - Finding Joy in Laughter Yoga" in the creative So-She-Lize sessions.  We were led through a laughter-filled session that emphasized the principles of mindfulness and living in the moment!

In a time of uncertainty and trying our best to lead through disruption, I can tell you, this program has taught me about the vital importance of resilience, agility, and human connection – even virtually.

During our last WiL Digital session of 2020, Bev shared four gifts that matter most: Trust, Stability, Compassion, and Hope.  When there is always so much to do, I WiL forever share these gifts as a Leader.

Thank you, WiL. Thank you, PwC. Thank you, Sun Life. Forever grateful.

Ps - A special shout out to the entire 2020/2021 cohort of WiL participants – I wrote this while listening to our "Values" playlist.  Thank you for sharing your stories, your favorite songs, and beautiful laughs.