Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: You're listening to Faces of Atlantic, a series hosted by Terianne Richards that gets real with the leaders, change makers and everyday doers shaping Atlantic Canada. Each conversation dives beyond titles to uncover the grit, growth and human stories behind the work.
[00:00:23] Speaker B: This is Faces of Atlantic, where we go beyond titles and talk about the real human side of leadership. I'm Terianne Richards and today day I'm sitting down with Jennifer Russell and we're going to talk to her about the story behind her as a leader. Welcome, Jennifer.
[00:00:41] Speaker C: Thank you, Terianne. It's nice to see you again.
[00:00:43] Speaker B: Nice to see you as well. So, before we jump into all things leadership, I want to ask you if I stripped away all your titles, all the things that I can probably Google about you, everything I can see on LinkedIn, if I stripped all that away, who are you really?
[00:01:02] Speaker C: I'm just a girl from New Brunswick, from northern New Brunswick, brought up in Bathurst. You know, my dad worked at the mine, my mom worked at the paper mill. You know, so I feel like I'm pretty standard, normal, human from that regard. But obviously the experiences that shape you from that starting point, you know, turn you into the person you are as an adult and a leader. But at the human core, I'm a mom, I'm a daughter, I'm a friend, I'm a member of my community here in Fredericton.
I love nature, I love beauty, I love the arts and I love science and I get to marry all of my loves together in the life that I'm leading right now.
[00:01:39] Speaker B: Yeah, that's awesome. And I have to say I took this weekend because you shared the link on Spotify and I was blown away at your voice, like beautiful, gorgeous voice, the music. And you said this is all original, right?
[00:01:57] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah.
[00:01:59] Speaker B: I will be sharing that link in the show notes folks, so you will see it. But you are also a musician?
[00:02:05] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:02:06] Speaker B: And a singer? Yeah.
[00:02:07] Speaker C: Yes. Yeah. I started out, you know, playing the piano when I was nine, started singing in choirs, then I started playing the saxophone when I was 13, started listening to jazz and big band style, jazz and swing. And then I played in a myriad of COVID bands over the years. And then one of the COVID bands I was playing in, they said, Jen, you can write some music, why don't you write us some songs and then this band will be able to play some stuff, you know, during harvest in Fredericton. And so that's when I started writing the swing style music and recording it. And yeah, Now I have two whole CDs on Spotify. And they're supposed to both be on itunes, but only one of them is on itunes. I don't really know why. So one was released in 2014 and the other was released in 2019.
[00:02:48] Speaker B: Wow. And that's the stuff that I like about conversations like this or just like getting to know somebody. Behind what you see on, you know, in the media and on social media is that we're such multifaceted humans. Right.
But in your day to day world, what are you today? What is your role? What organization are you a part of? What does your day to day look like?
[00:03:10] Speaker C: So my day to day, I mean, my goodness. I work at UNB at University of New Brunswick, and I am the executive director of the Institute of Population Health, which did not exist until I was hired to put it into place. And getting an institute up and running from scratch is a very interesting challenge and so steep learning curve. But boy, oh boy, my job today was, you know, walking down the hill on campus. This week is research week at unb. And so the research that we've started to work on here at the institute was showcased in a poster display and got to network and listening to some lightning presentations. So walking up and down the hill with the fall colors and looking at the river, I mean, I'm in pretty much like a heavenly paradise here. So that's my day to day right now, working at UNB and launching this institute, meeting some many people in academia, which I really knew nothing about. I mean, I knew about research. I had done some chart reviews when I was a clinician and that kind of research. But the rigorous research that, you know, the research, grant applications, getting funding, doing the projects, that's very exciting. And I knew nothing about it. And so I've been learning about that for the last year and a half, almost two years. It'll be two years in December.
And then this institute is a hybrid organization. So we do research, but we also do position papers and reports. And I do a lot of networking and knowledge translation around population health. And I could go on and on and on about that, but if you want to stick to leadership, I should stop now.
[00:04:42] Speaker B: That's awesome. So when you think about, you know, all those years back in Northern New Brunswick and starting to build out what your career was going to look like, did you ever think or hope that you were going to move into the leadership roles that you've been in across your career?
No.
[00:05:01] Speaker C: However, my, I guess my upbringing and my academic kind of, you know, endeavors at school, I definitely was, you know, one of the top three in my class. And I was, you know, I went to the Terry Fox center in grade 12 for a whole week, which was really around Canadian unity. But, you know, there were obviously pieces of information that I wouldn't have known otherwise about. You know, we took this tour of the Senate and the Parliament buildings and all those kind of things. So just kind of getting a high level view what types of leadership opportunities could be in store for somebody in the future who had, you know, academic strengths and leadership strengths. So wasn't thinking about that when I was in Bathurst growing up at all, but slowly over the course of my academic career, going from music. So I did a Bachelor of Arts in Music at Dalhousie University.
Then I came to UNB and did my science degree. And it was probably around that time when I decided to go into medicine that, you know, I definitely wanted to be a physician. And then when I joined the military to pay my way through medical school, in my second year of medical school, I think that's when probably the most impact on my view of leadership and leadership roles probably happened.
[00:06:13] Speaker B: They say, you know, every leader faces, you know, maybe it's a test or I call them catalytic moments. That sort of test everything that you believed once that is now being shifted and changed.
What was or has been that moment for you as a leader in your career?
[00:06:33] Speaker C: Back when I was in the military, I mean, before I joined the military, I had preconceived ideas. My ex husband was in the military. I had my whole, you know, what I thought the military was. So when I joined the military and began my journey in that organization, the training you get is obviously geared towards being in very stressful, dangerous situations with sleep deprivation and no food on board. And so you're stressed physically, you're stressed mentally, you're stressed emotionally. And you still have to function, you still have to do the work that you're assigned and you have to do it with your platoon mates and you have to do it, you know, in a way that makes sure that everybody gets done what they need to get done. But the first time that I really saw the type of leader that I really wanted to become, they were a servant leader. That was the style of leader leadership that they espouse. And they were in the military, so they were a health administrator manager in the military. I was sent to Petawawa because they were short of medical officers. And I had just come back from maternity leave. I was breastfeeding my youngest. And this manager, you know, reached out and asked the Ottawa folks, like, can you spare a medical officer. So I went with my child and my nanny, and they put me up in a. What's called private married quarters, which technically I wasn't eligible for that kind of housing. I was only going to be there for something like three months.
Set me up so that I would have the greatest chance of success in contributing to the team. And that was just the first introduction. Well, the first introduction to that particular base. But that manager I had worked with before, he went to Petawawa because we sang together. We used to sing Christmas carols together in National Defense Medical Clinic around Christmas time. Anyway, so. But when I got to the base and I was welcomed so well.
And then noticing that as a leader, he included every single team member, whether they were the top of the top or, you know, whatever they were in the hierarchy, each and every one of them was valued. And he demonstrated this by having these weekly coffee meetings every Thursday morning. And the thing about the military is there's military members, but then there are people who are hired on contracts with different other organizations. But he included the people that weren't D and D people in the meetings, including the janitor of the clinic. So every week there was an acknowledgement that this is our team and we're going to chat about these things and we're going to update each other on what's happening. But every single member of that team was important.
And so that was my first taste of like, oh, that's the kind of leader I want to be. And then I learned more about what, what a servant leader really means. And, you know, giving your team autonomy and build on trust and making sure you're not micromanaging, but you're removing barriers and you're helping them succeed where they are, but you're also helping them succeed so that they can get promoted out of the job that they're in. And that's, you know, obviously for your organization, you want strong people working for you, but knowing that, well, this is just one stop along the way of their journ in their career, and how can you help make those things happen for them?
[00:09:33] Speaker B: Wow. I love that he brought in everybody to have that community, that connection, to feel seen, to feel heard, that definitely shifts the culture and the trajectory of an organization and a community. That's awesome. And the fact that it happened within military is even more, in some ways surprising. I have a lot of military folks in my family, so I hear lots of stories. Yeah, so you've had a very colorful career, and you've been a part of some pretty Big moments here in Atlantic Canada.
When you look back at those experiences and you know, you're taking on a role of leadership over humans over a very large instance that happened here in Atlantic Canada. And obviously I'm speaking to Covet. When you think back to that, peel back the layers for me of like, what does it feel like to be the person who is the face of an experience that we've never experienced before?
Because I think there's always going to be assumptions of what, you know, I always call them the shoulda coulda, wouldas. And then there's the hey, this is a person with a title and this is what they have to do, but there's actually the human behind the title of all of what that actually exists experience felt like.
What was that experience like for you as a leader?
[00:10:57] Speaker C: It was very surreal.
I mean, the leading up to, you know, the, what everybody calls that first lockdown, you know, there was a lot of behind the scenes work that was happening, but the stress levels were getting high and. But that very first press conference where, you know, we had to announce what was happening, that was a historic moment. Obviously, I'll relive it many times in my head because people will say, well, where were you? And they announced the law. You know, I was in front of a camera.
[00:11:25] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:11:26] Speaker C: And having to speak those words and realize, this is real, this is really happening. This is incredible and unbelievable at the same time. You know, it was like a movie. Like this happens in the movies, it doesn't happen in real life. And because I'm a human being and I have connections to, you know, my community and my co workers and my family and my friends and I'm, you know, I'm a really proud New Brunswicker. Seeing the things that were broadcast from Italy and from New York, those, the visual of those kinds of things happening elsewhere made it that much, I guess, more urgent and important to protect New Brunswickers and make sure that those things didn't happen here in New Brunswick. And the people that I was working with, obviously in government and Department of Health and all different government departments, I mean, we're all rowing in the same direction because nobody wanted those things to happen. But I think understanding that the team that you have before a crisis is really important in terms of those connections and those relationships, because when things get really serious and really hard, you can see how beneficial it is to have those things in place ahead of time. And also the respect knowing that, okay, well, I have a certain skill set, my team has a certain skill set. The other people around the table have different skill sets and different ways of working in different ways of looking at things. And we benefited from that way of working as a team. And I'm so appreciative and so grateful for the experience in terms of what New Brunswickers did, in terms of stepping up and doing the things that we were asking them to do. And then also the way that government stepped up, all the different leaders within the different government departments, as well as the stakeholders that each department was responsible for communicating with. So that two ways, the information flowing up and down, you know, fanning out to the different people, either before a press conference or after a press conference. And the communications, I mean, it was, by the end, it was a pretty well oiled machine in terms of how the information was brought in, how it was analyzed, how it was discussed, and then how it was presented to Covid cabinet and cabinet and then how it was presented to the public. And yeah, understanding that you don't have to always reinvent the wheel. There were other jurisdictions that were doing things that we borrowed the ideas from and were able to use them.
But at the core, yeah, I was a mom first and I was a daughter thinking about my elderly parents. And so when I spoke into the camera, I basically was speaking to my family, I was speaking to my friends, I was speaking to my fellow community members and colleagues.
[00:13:55] Speaker B: You know what I'm hearing as you're describing that experience, the two things that are coming to mind is like maintaining your humanity through crisis and through just being a leader in general, but also, you know, building that connection and clear communication within an organization, within a team, prior to stuff hitting the fan, is what helps you move through that challenge, through that chaos, with more ease, versus not having a cohesive team that respects each other, that understands each other's strengths. And so what I'm hearing is the importance of that. And it's interesting because, you know, having these conversations with a multitude of different individuals from all over Atlantic Canada that are coming from, you know, all different walks of life. And there's always this common thread that goes through the conversations. And the common thread thus far has been on clarity and connection and communication and authenticity, which is what I'm hearing in like keeping your humanity, you know, getting in front of a camera, which if you've never done it, folks, is actually kind of intimidating because you're not getting in front of a camera that you can then maybe edit and tweak, you're getting in front of a camera and whatever you say is then going to be showed to, you know, a global space. And so you need to make sure that you have, you know, the right values in alignment and the right mindset going in. So kudos to you.
[00:15:20] Speaker C: Every word coming out of my mouth was permanent.
[00:15:23] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:15:23] Speaker C: You can't erase it, can't take it back, can't change it, every single word. And so that was very daunting. And I had to park that idea, like, well, I'm going to do my absolute, very best, and my team is going to help me do my absolute, very best. And so that's all we can do. We can just do our absolute, very best and hope and pray that it lands and it sticks and it resonates. Yeah. And, I mean, it felt like being in front of, like, I want to say, a firing squad, but being peppered with so many questions from so many journalists, and, you know, they had to get their information out to their readers and their audiences. And they all had their own way of doing that and their own needs for each organization. And so, you know, I don't think they were always aligned with ours, but you still had to work as professionals and still had to go out, you know, every day and do that work. You know, at the end of it all, there's a few journalists that stand out in my mind in terms of they might have been having to do a really tough job, but they also kept their humanity and their authenticity.
[00:16:21] Speaker B: You know what, that actually, that hits something that I guess really speaks to the core of me as a human. When folks go through challenging times and, you know, there's hardship or there's difficult conversations, it's like, can we remember who we are at the core and not allow the chaos and all of the unknowns to take over?
And the fact that you can recall a few folks that stand out reminds us that it is important. Because I don't want to trivialize or make the things that, you know, we've experienced over the last 10 years little.
But there's that saying my mom used to say, which is, this too shall pass.
And that means we all have to come back together at the end and remember who we were throughout the chaos and the challenges. And so, yeah, I appreciate that you landed on that.
So when things get hard, because I think the one thing I know is in leadership, stuff gets hard, stuff gets difficult. The pressure can be a lot.
What keeps you grounded? Like, what's your go to strategy? What's your coping mechanism to handle all the externals that you don't have a whole lot of control over?
[00:17:38] Speaker C: Yeah. So during the pandemic early days, it was mindfulness. I started practicing mindfulness and doing some meditating.
I did try to exercise.
I did try to eat well.
And I had a little ritual where I'd have a cup of tea and have a bath at the end of the day and to tuck myself in and read whatever I needed to read for the next day and start all over again. I really was fortunate that I could sleep like, a solid probably, you know, six hours for sure, if not seven, but for sure, six, and consistently. And I think other times when you're working with really strong teammates who are all, again, everybody's working as hard as you are. Like, my car wasn't always the first one in the morning in the garage, like, so you could see, oh, there's like, five other cars here before I got there, and I was leaving at night, and there was probably six or seven cars still there after I left. So everybody was working hard and digging deep. So it makes it so that you kind of can feed off that energy.
And I know that my time in the military did train me for that work. And we even had, you know, the way that the operations were carried out, we actually had a. Like a war room. We had a battle rhythm with our, you know, in briefs outbreaks. And this, like, the schedule was very reminiscent of my time in the military. So that was very familiar.
I basically wore a uniform every day. I had six black dresses, and I wore a different color blazer and a different scarf. And at one point, somebody said to me, oh, how great. In the war room, there's 40 people in the Department of Health that sat. It looked like a classroom, the way it was set up with computers, and everybody from the different departments and our partners were sitting in that room every day. And then There were about 250 people on a phone call for some of these in briefs and out briefs. And so there's a microphone hanging at the front of the room. And one day I came into the war room either before a press conference or after press conference, and someone said, oh, doctor, also, it's so nice to see you looking so good, like, because everybody's exhausted, you know. But I got my hair and my makeup done, and I'm going in front of a camera, and I'm trying to look put together and, you know, trying to ignore the messages my mom would send me. Like, you look really tired. Like, I am really tired. But the staff said how much it motivated them and inspired them and encouraged them that, you know, I kept on trying to do My best and look my best and look sharp. And that was like, okay, we got to keep our stuff together and keep going.
[00:20:01] Speaker B: You know what? That's interesting that you say that, because it's not only keeping your stuff together and not just together, but like, figuring out methods that work for you to be able to cope through the chaos, but also figuring out a way to do it in such a way that models it for everyone around you so that when they look at you, they're going, okay, calm. Got it. Sort of like when I'm on an airplane, I don't really like flying.
And I can recall this one time I was on an airplane, I think it was going to Halifax. It was the first and only time I was ever on a plane that just had, like, one seat on this side, one seat on that side. And the pilot was also like the steward, and there was no bathroom, and we hit turbulence. And I just remember, like, looking into the cockpit to look at the, like, the leader of the airplane to be like, he looks calm. I should be calm. We're okay. But if at any given moment his face showed fear, I was. I don't know what I was gonna do, but I would have went into full on panic. So I think there's something to set about, you know, like, leadership and understanding the energy you bring into the room. Not, you know, with our looks, with our dialogue, with the way the beat, the oomph that you bring in. Right, yeah.
[00:21:13] Speaker C: That's not to say that I didn't have, you know, little crying jags here and now and again, but they were obviously in a closed room with, you know, very safe people, whether it was a colleague or a mentor, you know, or my boss. And, you know, then you just sort of, you know, wipe your eyes and like, okay, well, that was that. And that's. We're gonna have better day today than we did yesterday. And it's gonna be fine. It's all gonna be fine. So I'll be good or you can get on with it.
[00:21:36] Speaker B: Yeah, well, and I think the other thing is because your role was so public facing, I think, for anybody, just even witnessing that and recognizing the sheer weight of what was happening around us. I mean, 87% of the world's population is afraid of public speaking.
And that's just public speaking on, like, you know, like, hey, my name is Terry Ann. And, you know, like, I like to, you know, go for long walks on the beach. That kind of public speaking they're afraid of. I would think that number would, like, jump up rather High if it was like talking about some of the topics that you had to bring to light. So yeah, I think there's a lot of modeling that you would have done in that situation.
So when you think about leadership as you know it, as you see it, because it's both been modeled for you, but also you've been in positions where you have led the public, led other individuals.
What do you know now about leadership? That, and I hate to say, like you wish you knew 10 years ago, but would you have known 10 years ago? Things might have, you might have approached things different. Is there any changes that have happened in terms of how you show up and lead today? Yes.
[00:22:44] Speaker C: I just gave a talk last week on the topic was called self care is not selfish.
[00:22:49] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:22:50] Speaker C: And that self care message for Generation X folks is a tough one.
[00:22:55] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:22:55] Speaker C: So when your validation comes from, you know, externally, from achievement, it is really hard to focus on self care. And in the pandemic, that whole little ritual of me, you know, having a little bath and having a cup of tea and tucking myself into bed, that was a form of self care. But it took a long time to learn those lessons. And even the fact that, you know, I literally did 135 press conferences and in the military, when you go on tour, you do a six month tour. Halfway through the tour you have three weeks off. After the tour you have decompression time off, you know, block leave and then you don't go on a deployment for another 18 months. You're untouchable. Can't do it. So I basically did four back to back tours with no decompression time, no three weeks off in the middle, no nothing. And that took a toll on my health.
So by the end of that two years, my health was really suffering and I got diagnosed with colitis and I had to take five months off. And right before that, probably like two or three months. Well, maybe five months before that I had hit a deer going to a press conference on my way to Moncton and totaled my car and was in physio for my hips and my back for a year and a half.
So when those things are your wake up call, like, okay, there's gotta be something else in the whole self care routine that obviously needs to happen, including making sure that you're building redundancy in your structure so that if you get hit by a bus tomorrow, somebody else can do your work, but also when you need a break, somebody else can do your work. Like it's not sustainable to do 24, 7 for, you know, years and years and years, it's just not. And again, being able to say no, say no, this doesn't work for me. Like, I do need to step back and I do need to do these other things to look after my health. Whether it's mental health, physical health are pretty closely connected. So when I was on sick leave for five months, on steroids, lying on my couch, I had a lot of time to think about that. So that's when I was interested in mindfulness. But then I decided to do a mindfulness course online and I was really interested in yoga. And when I recovered, I did a 200 hour yoga teacher training course. So now I really feel like you have to walk the talk. It's not enough to just say, oh yeah, self care, yeah, I'm going to go to the spa, get my nails done or massage. I mean those things are important sometimes too. If you have the time and the money to invest in those things, great. Or if you have coverage for massage or whatever it is that you need. So. But the whole, as women, I think it's sometimes harder because we make sacrifices for our families, whether it's for our elderly parents or whether it's for our young children. We tend to be the people who give more time to community fundraisers or events.
Again, tying up our identity and like giving to others and not focusing on our own needs. You know, the oxygen mask first. So big lesson learned and like, yeah, I'm happy to lead, I'm happy to continue leading, I'm happy to continue to be in very positions of responsibility. But I won't do it at the expense of my mental health and my physical health. And I won't let my staff do it either.
[00:26:02] Speaker B: That's huge. And I think there's definitely a wave that is, you know, has been building where there are more individuals stepping up to the plate and speaking to a their own moments where, you know, things just sort of fell apart, whether it was mental health or physical health. And these are individuals that if you look at them through the lens of media and LinkedIn, it's like, man, they got it all together and I'm over here falling apart. And I think there's something important about leaders saying, you know, like, it is important to take care of your health. It is important to put the mask on yourself. It's important to put, put, you know, borders and boundaries up and say no to things that are not actually fueling you. Because sometimes we literally say yes to things just because we're people pleasers or we don't like disappointing people or da da da da da. And so that modeling behavior and the more individuals that do it, I think it's creating like a tsunami, but the good kind of tsunami that will allow for organizations to have that trickle down effect. Because to your point, I think, you know, wellness Wednesdays or you know, Pizza Fridays are good, but if people are still feeling the candle being burnt at all ends and it's starting to deteriorate their all aspects of their health, it's not working and it's not sustainable. So I appreciate you sharing that and I love that you went and got your yoga training. That's on my bucket list.
[00:27:23] Speaker C: Yeah. I think that the generations coming behind us are learning all of these things. You are correct.
[00:27:28] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:27:28] Speaker C: And including like when I see my children, you know, they watched me go through all those things.
My kids definitely have a strong sense of themselves, a lot of self awareness and they do say no.
They do say no. And I'm really proud of them when they do it. Although my first reaction as a Gen Xer is like, you did what you.
[00:27:48] Speaker B: Said, why did you say no?
[00:27:50] Speaker C: I have to put the poker face on. Like, oh, that's really good that you quit your job and you have no other job lined up. That's really, really great. I'm really glad you did that. I'm really proud of you. But, but again, because they're self aware and they know their self worth and their identity is not tied to only success. Like obviously they want to succeed as human beings and they want to be productive, you know, contributing members of society, but they definitely take care of themselves in a way that I think my generation never learned how to. We didn't have models to do it and we certainly, yeah, we were pretty driven.
[00:28:26] Speaker B: Yeah. And you know what, you're right. I never know who I am when I think about like Gen X and Millennial because I get, get crushed between the two. I think I, I didn't come up with the term, but I think I'm a Zennial, but basically similar, like, you know, super ambitious, always chasing the next thing, don't say no to anything, take on, you know, put more balls, you know, in the hands, in the air. And I have these younger humans who, yeah, they have borders and boundaries that we, and I certainly never had. I had to learn them, most of them, the hard way. And I think you're right. I think that there's a beauty to that and I think for that to continue, we need to make space for that to be the New.
[00:29:02] Speaker C: I agree, I agree. You have to encourage it. Even my son. So my son took four gap years. I mean, one gap year is kind of unheard of. Two gap years, okay, four. But he was steadfast in his decision. Like, I am not going to school until I know what I want to do. And when I figure that out, I'll let you know. And in the meantime, I don't really want to talk about it.
[00:29:25] Speaker B: Bam. Mic drop.
[00:29:27] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. So the Gen X in me, it's.
[00:29:30] Speaker B: Like, but, but, but, but.
[00:29:31] Speaker C: He'd be like, nope, nope, but yeah, no, no, mom, we're done. We're done talking about this.
[00:29:37] Speaker B: Wow, that's awesome. My boy took a year as well and put him in career counseling because he had no sweet idea what he wanted to do and it was the best thing for him. And he started college up in Fredericton this year. And, you know, he's enjoying it and he, he's getting good grades, but he needed that year to figure it out. And I think you're right. I think it's just a matter of the rest of us just kind of getting on board that there's a new rhythm in town and it's slightly different than the way we did it. And that's okay because I think the newness of it is going to allow for a generation of not burnt out individuals and not resentful folks and people who are feeling really good in whatever purpose driven path. Path they're taken. So, yeah, I love that.
So kind of, as I wrap this out and I ask you your final question, sometimes this can come up as a big question, but I don't mean it to be big, but I suppose it kind of is. It's, you know, when you think towards your future. And I don't even mean like to the end, I just mean to the future. And you look back, what do you hope people will remember about the way you show up and leave? Need. What do you want them to be left with? And I won't use the word legacy. It's just that hope and that feeling that you have left something with them.
[00:30:51] Speaker C: It's interesting because like on a professional level versus a personal level, I mean, my philosophy is the same. It's like it's never too late. It's never too late to try something.
Whatever you can imagine that is your limit. If you can imagine it, then you can do it. So let your imagination go to different places that you could never even think about. And yeah, it's never too late.
And whatever you choose to do I think again, if you're living authentically, if your mind and your heart are aligned, can't really go wrong.
[00:31:24] Speaker B: Fair game. Thank you so much for sharing your story, your heart. Super appreciate how you've shown up in Atlanta, Canada, as a leader, as a human. I will put links, links to your music as well in the show notes because I think people need to listen to that voice. I was getting my husband to listen to it earlier and he was like, what? That's her right? Because people only see you in the view that they saw you. They can't see you as a musician as well. He's like, wow, that's her. Like, yeah, that's really her.
So thank you. Thank you for showing up today and just sharing with humbleness and authenticity. Much appreciation to you.
[00:31:58] Speaker C: Thank you, Teriann.
[00:31:59] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:32:00] Speaker A: This has been Faces of Atlantic with host host Terianne Richards. Real conversations with the people shaping Atlantic Canada.
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