Inspirational Woman: Jocelyn

Jocelyn is a confident, tenacious woman with a keen eye for fashion! Seriously, she has one of the best wardrobes I have ever seen. In addition to all of that, she is also a marketer, a blogger, and a world traveller.

Why is she an inspiration to me?
I met Jocelyn at work about 3 years ago. We both were on the committee for the women’s employee resource group. However, our paths would likely have never crossed if it wasn’t for this group because of our company’s size. So, I am beyond grateful that they did.

From the moment I met her, I knew that we would be great friends. She is strong, smart with a touch of sass. We both have a passion for supporting other women and wanting them to succeed in the workplace and in all aspects of life.

I admire her confidence and tenacity in everything that she does. In fact, she inspired me to finally start this blog. I saw that she was able to share her passion for fashion with others through her blog, and she was doing it at her own pace and in a way that worked best for her life. In a sense, she was putting herself first, and it truly inspired me to do the same.

The interview

Jocelyn is the perfect addition to our inspirational women series. We created this series to share stories from other women and hear their accomplishments, regrets, advice and vision. We all have different journeys. But, we can definitely learn from and empower each other.

1. What is your biggest accomplishment, and why?
I grew up spending a lot of time with my grandparents. They immigrated to Canada in the ’70s, worked hard, and provided our family with so much. They cooked for me, picked me up from school every day, paid my tuition, and set me up for success. A proud moment for me was getting my first paycheck and taking them out for a celebratory dinner. Finally, being in a position to treat them and take care of them is my biggest accomplishment.

2. Looking back on your life thus far, is there anything you regret?
I try not to live with regret because even the most unfortunate mistakes are learning experiences. With that being said, if there is one thing that I have learned and try to remind myself of frequently, it’s to not stress over the things in life that don’t truly matter: work being the primary example. I keep in mind something that I read a few years ago – on their deathbeds, no one has ever looked back fondly on the number of deadlines they were able to meet or emails they could answer. I used to feel stressed by arbitrary work issues a lot, but now I try to refocus that energy on the things in my life that I love.

3. What is the best piece of advice you can give another woman?
Ask. For. A. Raise!!! You don’t get what you don’t ask for (a wise woman named Cara told me this :)). I didn’t ask for my first raise until I was in my late twenties, and it was a real eye-opener for me. I was terrified to ask, but when I did, my manager told me she was proud of me for asking – and she said yes! If you don’t work in a corporate environment, this advice’s sentiment still stands – don’t be afraid to ask for what you deserve.

4. Where do you see yourself in five years?
I’m a big believer in positive affirmations and the law of attraction, so I’ll throw this out to the universe:

In five years from now, I will be back in Toronto, healthy, wealthy, and living with my husband in our dream home with a kid and a dog (I’m kind of boring :)). I will have made strides in my career with a good work-life balance, will still be blogging, and my husband will be a certified orthotist-prosthetist with his own business. Oh heck, while we’re at it, I’ll throw in a walk-in closet with a leopard-print rug. And we’ll all be travelling again!

5. What is the best piece of advice given to you?
Two pieces:

One is from a quote by Earl Nightingale – “Don’t give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” This is what helped me start my blog!

And

Time heals all wounds. It’s simple but powerful, and it’s helped me through some tough times.

6. What do you think stops a woman or yourself from putting herself first?
I think it’s a combination of things. For me, I grew up seeing my mom put her family before herself – always. And it was something she was praised for by everyone else.

I learned that being selfless = being good/valued/loved. The expectation for women to be selfless is permeated throughout almost every society.

But let’s break that down – when we praise a woman for being selfless, we’re literally praising her for being self-less. For losing herself and putting the selves of others first. And that is detrimental to the way we live. Imagine a world in which women’s wants and needs are considered equal. I think it would look very different – and much better – than the world we’re in today.

7. What are three words that could be used to describe you?
Emotional, Fashionable, Decisive

8. What is your favourite inspirational quote?
“It’s nice to be cool, but it’s way cooler to be nice.”

Thank you, Jocelyn, for being open and honest and remind us that you need to ask for what you deserve. We all need to know your worth and be sure that you are getting credit for it.

Be sure to check out our other inspirational women here.