Using #NoExcuses to Create the Life You've Always Wanted | Victoria Pelletier

Meet Victoria Pelletier, a corporate powerhouse who's earned her stripes in the challenging world of mergers and acquisitions, achieving remarkable successes along the way. With her unique journey to becoming a COO at just 24, Victoria has demonstrated an innate ability to thrive in high-pressure business scenarios. She's managed an impressive 18 M&As for the firms she's worked for, earning herself the fresh moniker of 'The Turnaround Queen'. Her considerable experiences have molded her into a distinguished speaker sought out for her practical insights and effective strategies.

Episode Transcript

(00:05):
The show you need to get what you desire byavoiding the mistakes made by others before
you, learn the stories and journeys of whatsuccess looks like to find the freedom you
deserve.
While thriving with your best life.
And now I present to you the 1, the only rapidresults with Andrew Weiss.

(00:26):
Hello,
and welcome
back to another episode of rapid results withAndrew Weiss.
We have the wonderful Victoria Pelletier heretoday.
Joining us talking about her journey to being aCOO at twenty four years old, a successful

(00:47):
speaker, and still thriving in the corporatelife.
Andrew in case you're wondering about who thisVictoria person is, she's a corporate
executive.
She's a board director.
She's an author, and she's a professionalkeynote speaker.
But I'm very excited for today's interviewAndrew Victoria tell us what is the biggest and
best business deal you're most proud of.
Well, first of all, Andrew, thanks for havingme here.
I'm happy to be chatting with you and, yourlisteners.

(01:10):
That's a tough one for me.
Although, I won't have a problem bragging.
I'm I feel like I've just been doing this forso many years and have had, like, a lot of
great successes.
So picking One of them will be very, verydifficult.
I've been a part of 18 mergers andacquisitions, and a lot of those came with
corporate restructure and finding synergy or,you know, taking some distressed businesses and

(01:32):
improving them.
And and and that's garnered me the nickname ofthe turnaround queen.
But one of the ones, I guess, I would say overthe last number of years, there was one
organization I worked at, where I was theexecutive sponsor for 2 very large clients.
They were actually, and it was when I wasliving in Canada, Canadian market much smaller,
but the, clients were 2 of the top 10 globally.

(01:55):
Andrew I was for for for our organization, andI worked really closely as the executive
sponsor with our client C suite executives andwas able to renew those deals 7 year plus
contracts.
Each of them was worth $250,000,000 plus to theorganization.
And as I was in the final stages of that, thecompany I worked for, sold that entire business

(02:19):
unit to a private equity firm.
So Not only had I just secured this business, Ithen had to I had clients who were really
concerned about what that meant and a change ofcontrol.
Andrew big part of what I did through that thatacquisition Andrew the transition was securing
the signature for the change of control onthose brand new contracts that were 100,000,000
plus to that company.

(02:40):
Oh my gosh.
Well done.
I have applause.
That is incredible.
I love how confidently you say these numbers.
Oh, yeah.
I worked with the $250,000,000 deal.
Ends up being a $500,000,000 deal Andrew murdermergers and acquisitions.
You're part of those?
Yeah.
For the companies I've worked for, I'veactually been in professional services Andrew

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majority of career.
I'd say I probably did at least another 20supporting other clients, but those 18 were
ones specifically for the companies I workedfor.
And one of them was a company I personallyacquired as well.
Oh, that is so cool.
That's so cool.
Well, I I like starting off this way becauseit's kinda like the, story where it's like the
hero's journey.
You're at top of the mountain.
You just took over the world.

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You're like, you're like, cut your, battlecries out there saying, I did this.
Heck yes.
But as we know, you didn't come out of a wombfiguring out how to do, all these things.
And and for those who don't know Victoria'sbackground, she came from an abusive household.
And I know what analogy I like is that somepeople are bouncy balls Andrew some people are

(03:45):
eggs, and I got this from another colleague ofmine, Josh, Andrew he says when some people hit
the pavement, they collapse, and it's kindalike the analogy.
They ask one son, oh, why are you an alcoholic?
Andrew the sun goes, oh, it's because my dad'san alcoholic, and they ask the other son who
never touches alcohol, why Weiss don't you evertouch alcohol?
It's because my dad's an alcoholic.
So how are you able to create that mindset foryourself?

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Andrew, obviously, it was helpful.
You got moved into a different home.
Was that just the main differentiator or justbeing moved into a new home, or do you have to
figure out on your own how to create that newmindset for yourself?
Yeah.
I I think, Andrew, it's a a combination of acouple of things.
So one, I do believe innately in my DNA fightor flight, I am a fighter.

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So, I mean, no shock, this a type personalityAndrew competitive, like, it it's it's innate
in who I am.
So I think part of my ability to deal withadversity trauma challenge comes from that DNA.
The other I think is is a little bit like amuscle that's had to be developed.
And I think I didn't always have a healthylevel of resilience.

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I think I got I was very good at compartmentalthing.
And that's I actually don't think that'shealthy at some point.
I think that comes Andrew can bite you in theass if you haven't dealt with all of those
things.
So for me, I had to learn you know, how toprocess things very different differently.
And actually, I will attribute my mom, and mymom is the adoptive mother who raised me, not
the bi biological mother who was abusive to me.

(05:10):
Andrew she was the one who would like sit medown, you know, for hours Andrew I hated it as
a teenager, but she's like, Tory, we need to,you know, talk through this.
Why are you feeling?
Why are you acting this way?
Andrew that ability to be incredibly selfreflective over Weiss why am I feeling this
way?
Why do I have this initial instinct or Weiss Iout.
And then once I have, I understand that.

(05:31):
I can then start to model the thinking, the,you know, the thoughts, the actions, the
behavior, to get to the goal or objective thatI have, and that is all always becomes kind of
that anchor point for me.
So again, I think it's a combination of whatI've had to learn Andrew exercise of our time
to be stronger at it Andrew also a little bitof that, you know, DNA innately.

(05:51):
And what what percentage would you say?
Is it, nurture versus nature.
I don't know.
I question that regularly because I have 2children.
And if I hadn't birth both of them, I thinkthey were, like, a adop adopted some time.
I mean, they're, like, pull it pull it up.
It's like, do you come for me?
So I I don't I don't know.

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Honestly, I I I think it it changes for fordifferent different things, quite frankly.
Like, I I do know some of my biologicalmother's family Andrew there's things that
run-in the family that and because I didn'tgrow up with them, but I'm like, oh, wow.
So I'm I'm part of the lgbt community.
I was married to a woman before being there.
To my husband.
And when I met some of my biological cousins,they told me, like, there's just a huge queer

(06:38):
population in that family.
And I'm like, Andrew I now have a queer childas well.
Like, so I'm like, okay.
So maybe there's some nature in there as muchas from, you know, from a nurture perspective
being an open and supportive mother and familythat, you know, that created a safe place for
my younger one, for example.
So but then there's other circumstances where Ithink it's way more nurture, you know, when I

(06:59):
think, in terms of, like, environment andexperiences that have contributed versus, like,
biology.
Interesting.
That's very interesting.
Andrew how, so being being married to himbefore a man, so it sounds like you knew at a
young age that you were to women first.
Well, it was attracted to both first.

(07:19):
Both, like, you know, at 14 in a Catholic highschool,
Oh, boy.
My mom was incredibly liberal and supportive,as bisexual.
And so I've kind of vacillated over the years.
It was I dated still mostly although I grew upin a small, like, Weiss town, like, I I grew up
in Canada, but I I called it city I was in as,like, Texas north.
So there there just wasn't as much queercommunity there.

(07:41):
So I dated mostly men.
And then when I got relocated across thecountry to Toronto, which is like New York
North, it was much more open, and I starteddating women.
And then for the 1st couple of years after Istarted dating woman, I actually said, oh,
maybe I'm a lesbian.
And then I just comfortably as I in my skin, asI grew and matured, I just said, look.
I like humans.
I care less about body parts, more about moreabout the individual.

(08:03):
And so I use the word queer be cut.
My younger one says I should say pansexualbecause I could be with a trans person.
So and I'm like, look.
There's there's so many labels now Andrewprefer not to label it.
So I say queer just means I'm not straight.
Got it.
And and and how did that affect, your yourfighter flights and and just, like, do you feel
like it made things harder?

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Like, did you just like, oh, it's just thatit's irrelevant to what my aspirations are?
Like, how does that affect everything?
I think we're really fortunate to not have haveit had a significant impact, but I will say in
the corporate world, it's at times beenchallenging for me.
I think earlier in my career, I I've neverhidden it.

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In fact, when I got pregnant with my older son,we made front page headlines.
And so and my wife and I, you know, there as Iwas pregnant, and it was when Melissa Etheridge
came out and said So it was time and date.
They came to interview me for a quote, butloved our story.
And I was, like, a picture in the, on thenewspaper.
So I wasn't hiding it.
However, when I met clients who I didn't know,for example, if they would be accepting, I

(09:09):
played the pronoun game.
My other half, or I would say partner, which alot of people assume now means you're you're
you're gay, but so I I did that just until Icould kind of suss people out.
I know I I stopped doing that though many, manyyears ago.
But where I did see is there was a fewinstances where I had some colleagues who would
work horrible to me, you know, one in aninstance where I led our client management and

(09:32):
operations team, and he was the leader ofsales.
And he said, you can never come in and meetwith my clients.
And it was just he was a, you know, very devoutdevout Mormon Andrew so the fact that I, you
know, was married to a wife and, you know, had2 children with, you know, that wife, he was
just beside himself.
And so he was awful.
And so I had to experience that and still showup professionally and do my job every day.

(09:53):
Interesting.
And and so, yeah, what what do you tell yep,people that community who do have to go through
that, who do have to be, prejudiced againstjust based on on who they love.
Like, what what do you tell them to staystrong, stay encouraged, like, just keep
smiling.
What what are you telling me?
Well, a number of things.
And and some of it depends on where where youare.

(10:15):
And so I moved to I moved to South Florida acouple years ago.
And so this is not a s our governor, and thisis not a state where it's it's as open Andrew
or if you're in other parts of, you know, theworld, quite frankly.
And so my message will will vary based uponthat.
Like, I always want people to be safe.
But I will encourage everyone to find otherslike them who can talk about their experiences

(10:40):
and share and give advice and support Andrew toand to seek help, as well if they need to.
So if it's a psychologist or psychiatrist orsomeone to help because of the experiences and
lack of support they might have for theirfamily, then then find that support rather than
go it alone or just suck it up and smile andmove forward.

(11:00):
But then also I'll say we're they do feelthere's safety personally that our voices are
power.
Andrew so to to speak up to that.
So if they're experiencing discrimination inthe workplace, for example, to make sure you
maybe you might not be comfortable having theconversation directly to the face of the
individual who's done that to you, but takethat to your HR team.

(11:22):
Take that to your leader.
And and try to make a change and move thatforward.
And if you're an ally, I would ask you to dothe same.
If you see something, say something.
Well, it makes sense.
Makes sense.
No.
And, obviously, yeah, I mean, for thoselistening, I have definitely a big advocate for
treating people fairly.
And, not carrying how people look or how theythink towards others, just like, yeah, do it
based on merit.

(11:42):
And, that's that's the most important at theend of the day.
So let let's go into talking about so youbecame a COO at twenty four years old.
What would you tell that sixteen or eighteenyear old out there?
What it would take be as cool as Victoria andsay, you know, what?
If you wanna be a CEO of a 24, here's what ittakes.
Here's what you gotta do.
What would you tell that that person?

(12:03):
Well, I I would tell them.
I think I was fairly unique and had somecircumstances that enabled or contributed to me
taking that role at such a, at an early agebecause I think it's a little bit more of the
exception than the rule.
So Thank you.
I'm, you know, I'm happy for people to look upto me Andrew aspire towards that, but the
reality is I actually think it's a significantchallenge unless you're building your own

(12:27):
business.
You know, to to move into some of those roles.
But the reason I, was able to become anexecutive, the COO at 24, and a brand new
mother.
So they, like, he just layer on a bunch of ofthings that happened at that point was I
started in the work workforce at age eleven, Iworked in a hair salon.
I mean, my my adoptive parents were not verywell off.

(12:49):
My dad was a school janitor and my mom wassecretary.
I never needed to worry about food or clothing,but there was no extras.
There was no vacation.
There was no, you know, high school grad trip.
None none of those things.
So I started working for the extras.
Andrew by 14, I was the assistant manager, andso my first people leadership experience in the
shoe store I worked at I graduated high schoolat 16, started working in banking throughout

(13:11):
university or college and got promoted within 6months, even in that environment.
Andrew I was a voracious learner.
And so I focused on making my skills, betterlearning more and being really focused on being
a top performer, as well.
And so, you know, that that helpeddramatically.
That COO role, there was not luck.

(13:34):
The doors opened to me because I had largescale operations and a contact center,
environment, and this was an outsourcingcompany.
Contact center outsourcing, and they had largebanking clients.
And I'd spent the last 6 years working, youknow, in banking environments.
Andrew showed up with confidence.
So that sixteen or eighteen year olds you wantme to talk to, I'm gonna tell them focus on

(13:54):
your performance and your skills in makingAndrew developing yourself Andrew confidence is
often taken for competence I I don't believe infake it till you make it, but I do actually
believe showing up confidently with an abilityto talk about your skills.
Much like you started this interview today,like, go out and brag and talk about that

(14:15):
certainly helped.
I was exceptionally insecure.
Imposter Andrew was real in that regards, andit was a structural for me.
But I had a number of skills and experiencethat was relevant, and I learned to talk
confidently about how I could build the bridgein the areas that I was missing.
It makes a lot of sense.
Anyone who would start work at eleven years oldand graduate high school by 16 that, obviously

(14:38):
tells a lot about you, but it it also showstoo, like, yeah, even if you do grad start work
at 13 or 16 and graduated 18, like, that's whatI've learned too.
Like, it's not the, years in your age.
It's the age in your years.
Like, it it's just like like, like, me and mywife, for example, like, the the question was
asked, like, oh, how long should you wait topropose?

(14:59):
Like, and then I was discussing with friends,like, oh, you gotta wait at least 6 months And
I'm like, well, what if you spend every singleday together for 3 weeks versus the couple that
spends once a week together for 6 months?
Like, you're gonna have a lot more time inthose 3 weeks 6 months.
Andrew so I like what you said too, like, just,like, taking advantage of the present moment
and just, like, really going after it and just,like, it sounds like you you've always had

(15:21):
kinda like a hurried mindset then, since youradoptive parents took over, you got a fighting
mindset.
And I did wanna ask about the imposter syndromebecause, obviously, there is still one of the
top things that people hope themselves backwith is, thinking they're not good enough.
They can't figure it out.
They're not gonna be able to do it.
So so tell us how you're able to work with yourimposter syndrome to be able to accomplish
those things?

(15:42):
I am yeah.
I'm a big believer that if we don't challengeour self, the growth Andrew therefore
opportunity will not come.
And so for me, I regularly lean into thingsthat make me uncomfortable.
Andrew that discomfort can come in, and theimposter syndrome comes through a lot has to do

(16:03):
with fear.
And so, you know, my advice is to getcomfortable, you know, in that Andrew asking
for that next opportunity.
And Andrew actually just as as a leader aswell, a big part of when I'm looking to hire
people, I focus on their potential as much as Ido the experience and the education and known

(16:27):
performance as well.
And so I'd encourage everyone to, again, leaninto the discomfort to spend a lot of time
reflecting on the things you are really good atand where you have experience Andrew those
areas where there might be a gap, it gainedconfidence in terms of how you can bridge that
gap, whether it's education Andrew rescalingyourself or surrounding yourself with people

(16:50):
who can compliment you in those in the areaswhere you might be lacking.
Does imposter syndrome ever go away?
I don't you know, I think in people who havesome great humility, I don't think it does.
I don't think it does.
You know, the confidence versus arrogance line.
And when it when it broaches into that nextone, maybe it goes away.

(17:10):
And but then I think our ability to be trulygreat diminishes if we don't have a little bit
of fear or concern around what that, like, thefuture looks like and our ability in those
roles.
It's kinda like, you know, getting butterfliesbefore you go on a stage that as a speaker.
Like, that really goes away, but that speaksexcitement and confidence and gives me, like,

(17:32):
you know, almost, you know, better performanceon stage.
Interesting.
So with with imposter syndrome, just likerecognizing that there's always things that we
do know.
There's it's okay to have that gap of things wedon't understand Andrew guess so you we we
kinda flipped the script on using impostersyndrome's motivation saying, hey.
It's okay because it means we get to learn moreand be in research more and do what it takes to

(17:55):
kind of be more comfortable with it.
Is that essentially what you're saying?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I think everyone has it.
It's interesting.
I spent a lot of time coaching a lot of womenin particular And we I it's more prevalent in
women just, you know, than it is in in men.
Even and the precursor to, you know, theimposter syndrome, like, not even applying for
that next ruler opportunity because they fearthey they're not perfect.

(18:19):
Right?
So they're they're data that shows that womenwill not apply for that next roller opportunity
unless they believe they have, like, 9 or 10out of the 10 skills requirements, men will
apply at 5 or 6.
Interesting.
Yeah.
So I would say, yes, get, like, get comfortablewith the discomfort, but, like, don't hold

(18:40):
yourself back.
You're gonna step, you know, you the othersmight look at you even if you don't have all
ten of the skills or or whatever therequirements are.
Hopefully, you're gonna find people like me whonot only look at, you know, the skills and
experience and requirements that you do meet,but again, potential that you have, you know,
to learn and be better.

(19:00):
And and eventually, you know, meet all of therequirements.
Yeah.
So you mentioned, yeah, like, could you say,like, hiring based on competence, but also
based on potential?
How do you measure someone's potential whenyou're talking to someone?
Like, how how do you gauge that?
Honestly, I think that's a little bit more gutfeel.
I think it's a lot easier to validate skills,experience, talking through successes that

(19:24):
they've had.
The potential, you know, for me comes throughdialogue over the You know, their readiness to
improve themselves and be a problem solver andand innovate.
And so getting them to talk through a littlebit, of that and how do they solve for some of
those gaps, that in itself tells me aroundtheir propensity to learn and their potential

(19:47):
in that role.
And then Let me not also forget.
I mean, I'm I'm also hiring for for fit.
I I want the right kind of team members, youknow, to build the right kind of cultural
organization, that I would wanna work in.
Interesting.
So so do you have, like, these, like, go toquestions that you like to ask people to, like,
gauge their potential.

(20:08):
Like, I remember, I love reading the interviewsof Jeff Bezos, and that's how he decided, like,
he was gonna marry this his first wife as afortune.
They didn't work out.
But, obviously, you know, anyway, it's heasked, like, I knew I wanted to marry this
woman because I knew if I was stuck in a thirdworld country in a prison that she'd figure out
how to get me out of it.

(20:29):
Is there any, like, questions like that youlike to ask candidates to see their quote,
unquote potential and figure out how theyoperate on things?
I am So I, first of all, I hate being scripted.
So it's interesting.
Like, you the recruitment teams will often,like, prepare hiring managers with a list
questions potentially.
I'm like, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Like, I'm not I'm not following that.

(20:50):
And so, for me, so I kinda navigate and go withthe flow The questions generally will be and I
want them to be real life.
So sometimes, like, I I'm I'm a leader whowants to be incredibly transparent.
I want people to come in eyes wide open intothe situation they might be getting themselves
into.
And so for me, the question will be placeyourself in this situation and and I try and

(21:14):
make it an actual real life 1.
This is the dynamic you're gonna come intobased upon what I'm describing to you want you
to tell me how you're gonna solve for that.
And so they might they have very little, unlessit I mean, it also tells me how much research
have they done about the organization, aboutme, about other things before coming in.
So, their ability to have one researched, like,done this homework that in itself tells tells

(21:38):
me something and their ability to think reallyquickly around an innovative solution to solve
the challenge I put in front of them.
However they respond, that's where I'll make abasis on what do I believe their, like,
potential propensity to learn, those sorts ofthings look like.
Yeah.
It is always, fascinating to me.
Like, I haven't done I've obviously done a fewinterviews in my life, but, like, it's always

(22:00):
curious how all these interview questions, itseems like it takes away from what you'll to be
doing once you get hired.
And not enough companies ask like, alright.
Listen.
You're open to be an accountant.
Our our firm is working with this hypotheticalsituation how would you act in this and how
would you navigate this versus like they'd say,oh, tell us your life story and that tell us

(22:21):
your strengths and weaknesses Andrew, like, Andit it's always curious how, like, they ask
questions that aren't always relevant too.
And so I'm curious, like, do you is is there apercentage of, like, quote, unquote relevant
questions that you asked just to get since thepersonality, like, how do you gauge a
percentage of relevant to work versus overallquestions to understand who they are for a

(22:41):
culture fit.
I am so I I operate in a in a space where inthe types of people that I'm hiring, it's not
quite as easy, you know, as you might.
So, like, hiring some someone who's a developeror an accountant or, you know, that's a really
like functional expert expertise.

(23:03):
So on 1, I'm hiring at a more at a more seniorlevel.
So I'm I assume, that they, you know, have, youknow, reached a lot of those qualifications,
but a lot of what I'm hiring for are otherother leaders of people or leaders of client
portfolios.
And so a lot of so what I'm gonna be doing inin that interview is trying to really get a

(23:26):
sense of who that person is by having buildingactually right off the, the the bat a trusted
relationship that's built on being, in my case,radically Andrew.
So I'm gonna be really transparent.
I'm gonna be direct with you.
I do that from a place of care and compassion.
But that actually will breed and build trust.
And so I do that from the get go, when I'mmeeting someone.

(23:48):
And then so that I I wanna get to know them aswell.
So I I spend a big part of the interviewassuming that all the other interviews they've
had before they've gotten to me, a lot of thosetechnical questions have been answered already.
So I wanna know a lot to do with fit.
How do you and then when it whether that's as aleader of people, whether, with or I worked in

(24:10):
lots of Fortune 100 or 500 companies, highlymatrix organizations.
You have to be adept at navigating a politicallens escape and managing through influence.
So I'm gonna ask questions like like that.
I wanna see how do you engage with clients?
How do you build relationships?
And so a lot of it is a much more casualconversation and scenario based questions where

(24:31):
I just want them to tell me around timesthey've had in the past where they've dealt
with that, or if this was the current scenarioHow would you handle it?
I love that.
I was I was like, those are great questionsAndrew just like, I like that.
Just like the human aspect of things, becausethe other day, yeah, anyone could do a service,
but obviously people member is not what you didfor them, but how they felt while you were

(24:51):
helping them essentially according to myAngelo.
That's why I put that quote on my LinkedInprofile.
People forget what you said and what you did,but they won't forget how you made them feel.
So I'm like, hey.
You asked questions around that.
Andrew wanna shift to to the your speaking sideof things.
So you developed a, as mentioned, 6 figure sidehustle, off speaking, Andrew people are like,
what, 6 figures?

(25:11):
I wish I could make that in a year in my life,and you're able to do it as a side hustle.
Like, that's so incredible to tell us moreabout that journey.
How you got involved with that?
So I am I've been speaking for 20 years thelast 10 or so professionally, and the first ten
was just going and speaking at conferences orevents related to work.
And then as I I've always been, you know,coaching and mentoring people in the workplace,

(25:36):
Andrew the professional speaking grew a littlebit out of some of those dialogues.
So talking to the employee or business resourcegroups, talking about my career journey, Andrew
my why.
And so I started sharing it on smaller scales,and then I it sort of exploded.
And and and that was also a shift for me tosharing as openly and transparently about my

(25:56):
own experience.
And I love the opportunity to engage and shareI there's a lot of things that my forty
something year old self.
I wish I told my twenty something year oldself.
And so I'm trying to impart some some of that.
On audiences Andrew I love to see, like, theengagement, with people.
And so it's like an adrenaline rush for me tostand on, like, stages or an audiences.

(26:22):
So when we w when COVID hit and we had to do itall via zoom, like, it's so it's just not the
same.
Andrew so I speak on things that I'm passionateabout.
I said I don't like to be scripted.
So although there's this, you know, 6 or 7different keynotes that I deliver all the time,
They're never exactly the same because I'llfeed off energy.
And sometimes I I I feel like I'm gonna tellthis story versus another one.
And so I mix the personal with the subjectmatter expertise.

(26:46):
So I will talk about my the main one I do islike the unstoppable story, which is my
journey, but also talks around careeradvancement and what do I attribute some of my
career success to?
But it's I start with I I start with my wife toborrow from Simon Sinick.
My why is my lived experience.
That's why I drive, like, so so hard, but Ialso talk about leadership and culture, and I

(27:08):
always, like, weave in these you know, personalstories to to engage, with people.
But, it is my side hustle hustle by choice.
I've had lots of people say, like, would youwanna just do this full time and the answer is
no.
I think if what brings me such great joy if itwas my full time job, I don't think I would

(27:29):
enjoy it as much.
So for me, I like doing it as, you know, a parttime piece that pops into, you know, to my my,
you know, daily or weekly routine.
Interesting.
And tell us, to tell us why you wouldn't wannado it full time just out of curiosity for those
who want different perspectives on things.
I like I just said, I think if it was I thinkit was my full time gig, I I wouldn't enjoy it

(27:55):
as as much.
1, 2, I will tell you it's exceptionallyexhausting.
So being on is tough.
Like, now I'm I am naturally an extrovert, butat, you know, the end of a work day or work
week, particularly having done a number ofspeaking engagements, like, I'm done.
Like, tell my husband, I'm like, poor guywho's, like, ready to get out Andrew floor.

(28:16):
I'm like, oh, babe, all I wanna do is just,like, sit here.
I'm not answering the phone.
Like, I just, you know, wanna, like, mindmindlessness.
And, the other reason is I really enjoy thecomplexity of my corporate day job.
I'm solving crazy problems and leading largeteams and, you know, that is and I can share

(28:36):
those experiences on the stage.
But I wanna be able to do those things as well.
Makes sense.
And so you mentioned that you love mentoringand coaching people.
How do you decide who you decide to mentor andcoach Andrew and what and what how do you and
that's the first question I'll ask.
How do you decide who you who you choose?
Well, I'm always committed to my team.

(28:59):
So 1st and foremost, and then in others thatthey might ask for me to meet with, but then
I'm often recommended to connect with, youknow, other people.
There's a former employee Andrew actuallyindirect, like, but somewhat removed that went
to a different firm Andrew she contacted me andsaid, hey.
There's someone at this company that I'mworking with in terms that it was a a trans

(29:19):
person who was being discriminated against inthat environment.
It started Andrew you just kind of talk tothem?
And I loved his story Andrew I wanted to helphim.
And so he became someone that I've invested inand regularly meet and connect with, but it
could be others.
So I think there there's 3 different sort oftypes of coaches or mentors, I think everyone

(29:42):
needs to have in their life.
There's coach.
That's typically your that your directsupervisor, the person who can ensure you're
performing and being successful, then there'sthe mentor and who can help guide you.
And it doesn't necessarily always need to be,hierarchical, like at someone more senior than
you.
Like, if you're looking to shift functions orindustries, you actually wanna go out more
broadly to gain other people's experiences, andthen there's the sponsor.

(30:06):
So sponsor, Andrew, is more I I will onlychoose who that person is.
You can't you can't, like, create.
I I remember at one of the organizations Iworked at.
They tried match people and spawn.
I'm like, you don't match me as a sponsor.
It's my reputation on the line because I'madvocating for someone when they're not in the
room, and I'm doing that.

(30:26):
Based upon their brand, their performance,their potential.
And so I'm gonna I'm gonna choose that.
And so sometimes I just see great humans whoare performing well Andrew there was a person
when I was at IBM, you know, who who was thatindividual.
I was determined he was going to make executivemake partner Andrew, so I made sure I just got

(30:46):
him connected with the right people.
So for me, it's a it's a combination of, youknow, people that I'm just directly supporting
that I'm committed to their success, so I'mgoing to coach Andrew mentor them.
Others who ask me to do so Andrew others, Ijust directly choose because I believe in them.
I I love that.
And and how do you have, like, the, as I say,attached attachment of because, obviously, you

(31:10):
can't control what people do.
All you could do is kinda guide them and stuff.
So it sounds like for the first for example,the person you want to become partnered, do
they end up becoming partner as well?
Okay.
So so what what about are the are there anypeople who, like, you try who try to coach a
mentor Andrew they just weren't having itAndrew then you guys changed direct actions
and, like, how how do you, as a coach and amentor myself, like, how do you figure out how

(31:33):
to, emotionally attach versus detached frompeople who you're helping?
I always build emotional attachment.
And so it's it's hard not to, but the when Itake on a little bit on a more formalized, so I
do a tiny bit of, like, executive coaching onthis side.
No more than generally a couple of clients.
You have to be referred to me to do that, andthat's just because of time and capacity.

(31:55):
But before I would ever accept that, I'm veryclear with someone around my style and how I'm,
you know, going to be working with them.
So the radical candor for, you know, yourlisteners, Kim Scott's book, I I always
operated in this way, but as soon as she wrotethe book, I had the vernacular to match what I
was doing.
And so that is being direct.
Radical Andrew is

(32:15):
the Radic candor.
Yeah.
Kim Scott, is is the author.
And she talks about Oh, COO of Facebook.
I forget.
Cheryl Sandberg was her boss Andrew who gaygave her some incredibly direct feedback, but a
from a place of care and compassion and to seeher grow.
That that's where the it it stands from, butthat that's how I operate.
But so for me to coach someone, I'm gonna haveI want too.

(32:36):
We should actually have, I think, some kind ofan emotional connection.
I'm invested in your your growth andperformance and betterment, but That doesn't
mean I'm not gonna have a really difficultconversation with you.
I'm gonna challenge you.
I'm gonna ask very difficult difficultquestions for you.
And some don't like that.
I actually had one that I worked with in thelast year, and it was more on the personal

(32:59):
branding side than on the executive roachinside, and I was very clear, like, this is how
we're gonna operate.
And at one point, I gave her, like, it wasstrong feedback.
And the next month, she's like, I'm wonderingif we should enter, like, you know, like,
relationship.
We're still connected, but, like, it was it wassome some very difficult harsh, feedback.
Andrew then when it's in in the workplace andI'm coaching people, like, I'm, as I said, I'm

(33:21):
committed to their success, but at some point,we need to part ways.
As much as I might like an individualpersonally and, you know, feel emotionally
towards them.
And I might and recognize I'm impacting theircareer and financial livelihood by making some
of these decisions, if after doing everything Ican to coach and guide them and give them, you

(33:42):
know, the actions Andrew tools and support tobe successful, they choose not to do that, then
at some point I have a business to run.
And, you know, I have other team members thatI'm supporting, and we might need to make, the
difficult decision to part ways.
Interesting.
So some sometimes they initiate, sometimes you,like, you you just take on, let's say, 3 month

(34:04):
or 6 month clients at a time Andrew eventuallyyou gotta say, hey, our time is up essentially.
Is the person who helps become a partner?
Is that one of your most proud moments ofhelping coach a mentor or someone?
Yeah.
I mean, he was he was such an exceptionalperson that I I do actually think he he would
have made it on his own.
It might not have been in the year he made it.

(34:24):
It might have taken a little bit longer, but Ithink I I really did get him connected with a
lot of the right people within ourorganization.
So he had visibility because a big part of theway you make partners around some of your
financial numbers.
And there's a lot of other metrics, but thisone was heavily heavily focused on that, and he
didn't have those.
So if it was that alone and I hadn't gotten himconnected and visible to others might not have

(34:47):
happened when it did, but you know, I I've hada a number of those.
I for me, at some point, I shifted as much as Ifocused on the business results.
The legacy I wanna have is around being areally good human and improving the lives, the
communities, the workplaces, and all the peoplethat I touch.
And so And by the way, by being that kind of ahuman centered leader who's really focused on

(35:11):
their people actually drives the businessresult.
Like, there's no there's no trade off here.
But that's where I've, you know, like, almostmaniacally focused on, you know, being that
kind of leader, building other types of leadersAndrew then having the right kind of culture as
the outcome of those actions and behaviors andthe right kind of people.
I love that.
And and I think it's a great attitude too isunderstanding going back to, like, the quote

(35:34):
unquote detachment is, like, this person isgonna get here no matter what.
I wanna help them get them get their theirfaster.
Thing.
Because obviously, so it gives them controland, again, that you can still pat yourself
from the back.
But, obviously, it's not about pat yourselffrom the back, but, obviously, it's still still
kinda good to have.
And, I also wanted to ask too about the mergersand acquisition side of things.

(35:54):
So, I just got started with the show suits Iknow it's been out for, like, 10 plus years,
but, have you heard of that show or seen any ofthat by any chance?
So I know, like, in the show, like, oh, we'rejust in acquisitions.
Here's all the papers.
Good luck.
Have fun kind of thing.
What is as a as a corporate as a corporatemember?
Andrew, obviously, this obviously applies inthe entrepreneurial world too, but tell us

(36:17):
about the mergers and acquisitions as far as,like, general Weiss, approaches, approaches you
wish to do earlier and how to navigate that.
I'm just curious, like, your overall approachesand thoughts to that.
So I so of the 18 that I've been a part of, forthe companies I worked for or in one for
myself, I've also done probably 20 for forclients, as well that export.

(36:39):
So I've been a part of many of them Andrew avariety of different types and and involvement
in in the in the stage.
So everything from like like identifyingtargets to acquire Weiss the due diligence,
well, once we've identified Andrew goingthrough to the the end to end process that

(36:59):
included the integration of in, like, detailedproject management people and process and
technologies that includes things likereorganization or capturing as the the
acquisition integrates into, the acquiringcompany.
And so what I would say, you know, that I'velearned is where it can go incredibly wrong,

(37:22):
more once the comp the acquisitions takenplace, is in the communication and the change
management.
And this is where I I've actually in the so isa shared most much of my career has been in,
like, professional services Andrew so consultthrough to operate with technology always kind
of is the enabling force.
Andrew well, actually when I was at IBM, I ranthe the last role I was in was running all of

(37:47):
the Americas, what they call talenttransformation, client facing business, So HR
strategy just Weiss reorganizations and peopledevelopment and all the, you know, the DEI, all
those kinds of things, as well as thetechnology and the outsourcing.
Also led all of the change management functionfor all of IBM's America's business unit.
And I remember telling our leaders that if weweren't embedded in any kind of transfer, it

(38:10):
could be like a technology implementation.
It, you know, it didn't have to be anacquisition, but if we weren't embedded as part
of the change management team, I thought weneeded to look at the way we looked at
contingency and risk associated with that avery different way because many companies
think, hey.
I have a project management office, which iswhere change management often will sit, but A

(38:32):
merger acquisition is so different than thekinds of projects that they're doing Andrew the
way we need to communicate Andrew get aheadfrom so with the connectedness of leaders
Andrew business unit and, leaders, but all theway down to frontline leader, that is so
important So I think if we're we don't haveoutside support general like to help us with
that, and we're not really careful aroundcrafting the messages and being transparent.

(38:56):
Like, it creates incredible fear, you know, inthe people, particularly those have been
acquired, but everyone, they're like, oh mygod.
Most people expect there's gonna be some kindof synergy savings expected.
So what does this look like?
So getting fun of that.
You know, say, like, this is what I can tellyou.
This is what I know, but also here's what Idon't know yet, you know, here's how you're
gonna be a part of the process, here's thetimeline, all of those sorts of things.

(39:18):
That's where I see a lot of this go wrong.
And the other would be in some of the duediligence, that gets done upfront, whether it's
on understanding the contracts, contractvalues, the, you know, operating profits, those
kinds of dynamics.
Those are important certainly when maybe whenwe're talking a little bit more for some of the
entrepreneurs here who might be thinking aboutselling their businesses or potentially
acquiring one to run.

(39:39):
I I love that.
The the due diligence, and and, like, how oftenis it where, like, a company will quote unquote
make up numbers or exaggerate them duringprocess?
Like, how do you how do you navigate that?
Well, so I personally have had that.
So I acquired a data analytics company a numberof years ago.
And my financial, model was a multiple of theoperating profit.

(40:04):
And I did a significant amount of duediligence.
I had client contracts I had, you know, the thefinancials for the last number of years.
Andrew, sadly, the woman I bought the companyfrom misrepresented, and there's a few files
she didn't put in the due diligence reports toshow, like, so operating, she showed that the
operating revenue was a certain number, but itturns out there was a massive kind of grant

(40:27):
that is an operating revenue that got builtinto there.
And so that was one of the, you know, clientcontracts and in, like, invoice and whatnot
that didn't go in there.
It was immaterial.
And so really and get get support.
This is where, I mean, there are lawyers andfirms that are experts in this if you have not
done this before.
And and I had done it multiple times, and therewere still and so this was just a bad actor.

(40:51):
Right?
So I had to legal I had to sue her.
So
Oh, wow.
Interesting.
Yeah.
So so that that went wrong in, but I knew whatI was doing but I would tell others, like, you
don't let that happen to you.
There's a lot of great questions to ask.
In this case, I was also buying technology.
And so although I'm not worked in technologybusinesses, and I know a lot about technology.

(41:14):
I don't know code.
I'm not under the cover.
So, you know, I had people who who did.
Who came in to help me with that.
So please please make sure you're getting somesupport with people who have experience and can
ask the right questions.
So I so it's still pretty good.
It sounds like out of 40 plus m and a's you'vedealt with, you've only had to sue one of them.

(41:35):
Yeah.
Sadly, it was me personally.
It wasn't, you know, one of my, like, mycompanies who who have a much bigger, you know,
pocketbook for that.
Oh, it had to come out of your pocket eventhough you're representing the company.
So the one I referenced, I personally boughtthe company.
Oh.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It was like an investment I was doing.
I didn't I ended up running it as the CEO.
I didn't think I was going to, but, that's theway it worked out, but no.

(41:59):
It was me personally making an investment inacquiring a company.
So, man, the legal fees were coming out of mypocket.
Now it all worked worked out, etcetera.
So, you know, all all good, all flash, but itwas an incredible learning experience.
But for the companies I worked for, none havegone that horribly wrong.
I've seen some of the business outcomes notachieved.

(42:20):
That they, you know, built into the businesscase for making the acquisition, in the
integration, but most of that had to do withthe leadership the change management or not
being aggressive enough in changing some of theways they were doing business.
Yeah.
Let's move to my next question is how youdetermine, because, obviously, it's a
stereotype that whenever there's an M and A,like, they go in Andrew clean house, like,

(42:42):
starting from scratch, hiring all these newpeople.
Is there any advice you have for giving people,like, whether that's needs to be done or not
needs to be done, like, how do you approachthat?
So it it really depends.
And, I mean, if you look at a lot of theprivate equity companies, they want a person
they trust in.
So they they buy they have these portfolio ofcompanies, and they'll often embed people into

(43:04):
the company because it's their investment.
And so with a lot of time, that's the CFO.
Many times, it's, you know, the founder of thecompany that they, you know, have acquired,
but, like, the way they manage it is.
And so I see that quite frequently.
I don't think it's necessary to do that, but Iunderstand why that they're they're doing it.
But I don't think there's a need to be cleaninghouse per se.

(43:27):
And where I where I have seen it gone wrong andIt could have potentially for me.
There was one company I worked for.
We did 6 acquisitions in 18 months, and I wasrunning all of the North American operations
and client teams.
And so most of the people sat in my my org.
And so there was a significant expectation forme to take 1,000,000 of dollars out of our our

(43:48):
our our full time equivalent or FTE count.
And I could have brought together into, like,the way I was I organized sort of the client
Filios.
Logically, both the way I'd organized, therewas one particular woman from this one company
that we acquired who was exceptionallydifficult.
It took me a year, a solid year of working withher to even get her to trust trust me.

(44:10):
I mean, here I was this thirty something yearold Canadian coming down in New York who hadn't
been in the industry.
She her her whole career.
She's probably 20 years my my senior Andrew soI she's she's like, who is this woman?
But had I not deeply understood theinstitutional knowledge she had around the

(44:31):
company we acquired Andrew the client.
So she was the leader for a very, veryimportant client of ours Andrew had I not made
sure as part of my due my process through postacquisition in the integration to meet with our
clients I could have mistakenly made a decisionin part because she was very difficult.

(44:52):
Not all the team actually really liked likedher in her style, but Had I not engaged with a
client to understand that some of the dynamicsthere, we would have lost that business, a
multi multimillion dollar a year client for us.
Andrew so I knew that wasn't an option.
So instead, I had to, like, deeply commitmyself to getting her on board.

(45:13):
Started to even just trust me.
And so that was a there a lot, as I said, ittook a year and and that client continued to
grow for us.
Andrew so that's where cleaning house without,like, going through this exercise.
Like I said, this could have cost us heavily.
Andrew so I just be really mindful.
And so you can build macro organization charts.

(45:34):
I'm a big fan of build the right structure andput the people in the boxes versus the other
way around.
That's a mistake.
Building structure around people doesn't oftengain you the the financial benefit.
So do it the other way around.
But as you're populating those boxes, Make sureyou have that understanding.
And then there might be some exceptions likethis woman was for me.

(45:58):
Structure first Andrew then put the people inthe boxes versus creating the structure around
the people.
Right.
Right.
Interesting.
Yeah.
I was work I was working with a client lastyear who was doing it was a massive court.
It was a CEO Andrew with his board, a massivecorporate restructuring.
And I remember And this is where I push pushthis with him.
And funny, I remember saying to him, I'm like,look, I don't think you hired me to tell you

(46:21):
what you want to hear, but he was trying tomove someone because so we built a structure
and said, this is the way to consolidate andmove and gain all of these savings.
And there was a woman whose whole org was beingmoved into another, but he was very close with
her, and he was gonna move her into this rolethat I she didn't even appear to have the
experience for.
Andrew so that's where I'm like, okay.

(46:42):
Well, so here's the structure Andrew put, youknow, the the right people into those boxes,
and he was trying to build a very, like, do aquasi between those 2 of them where, you know,
he's trying to create things for people basedupon relationships and those sorts of of
things.
Andrew so to doing the right thing for thebusiness and the people isn't always aligned.

(47:02):
And and so recognize that there's there arestill gonna be some really difficult decisions
that need to be Yeah.
No.
It definitely sounds like it.
I'd love for you to to dive deeper into thatstory of that woman who is 20 years your senior
and, like, when it listened to you, wouldn'tcooperate with you, and I don't know about you,
but I don't have much patience.
And so waiting a full year to to work thingsout like that.

(47:23):
That's Well,
I mean, it was I'm I'm always committed.
So my team, I always have, like, calendar oneon ones with my direct reports Andrew many
times skip levels as well, although I'm clearwith my team, like, it's we're we're not that's
not the only time you come and talk to me.
We're just making sure there's space in ourcalendars if time gets away, and we'll shift it
if we need to.
If there's conflicts, And so, I mean, it waslike a biweekly or or or monthly meeting with

(47:49):
with her Andrew lots of regular meetings aroundthe client and the portfolio that she had,
etcetera.
So it was just a full year of many, manymeetings, but a couple of, you know,
conversations where I remember saying to her,like, Kathy, like, I'm I you need to know I
don't have all the answers.
And yes, I'm this, like, younger Canadian who'sbeen moved down to New York to, you know,

(48:09):
manage all of this.
But I need your support.
I need to leverage you.
I respect deeply the industry experience youhave and how much this client loves you.
I said, but We had expectations.
It that company we work for was a publiccompany.
I'm like and our, you know, North Americanpresident, like, we have so you gotta help me.

(48:29):
Andrew so how are we gonna do this?
And so I think by being really open in, in onething, I don't know what I don't know, but I
trust you.
I want you to be a part of this.
And help me figure this out.
I actually think that over time is what helped.
And I think she saw, like, I was committedAndrew was doing other things Andrew know,
doing the, you know, betterment for, you know,our business Andrew and, again, trusting her

(48:50):
pretty significantly.
That's what helped so that after 1 full year, Ifinally recognized, okay.
She's fully on the bus.
It is interesting.
I I remember, one of my top favorite books I'veever read, and I love rereading it as the magic
of Thinking Big by David Schwarz Not sureyou've heard of that book yet.
Right.
I haven't.
But, yeah, I'd recommend it.

(49:10):
And one of the top takeaways from the book is,like, no one's better than you, and and no
one's lesser than you.
Andrew the book, it does touch on a little bit,you know, what it's like, you know, when you
have to manage people who are older than youand how they like you're like, why would I
listen to you?
That and so I'm curious too.
So with with this, Cathy example, how did youget get her to eventually work with you even

(49:33):
though she's like, why even here then if youdon't have all the answers, like, like, why
should I even budge at all if if I'm I'm I knowwhat I'm talking about and you don't.
And so how do you how do you help navigatethat?
I think this is a a little bit injured to ourconversation around imposter syndrome that self
awareness.
So my ability to say to Cathy, like, yeah, I Ihave a I think at that point, I only had a few

(49:53):
years in that particular industry versus her 30year career, but I had, at that point, other M
Andrew experience, integration experience, Abig part of what it we needed to do was
integrate all of the different technologiestogether.
And I had previously been running the sharedservices environment for that organization

(50:17):
before then taking over all of the NorthAmerican, operations and moving down.
Andrew so my ability to say, like, these arethe things that where I I have skill and I have
experience.
Yeah.
I've got these gaps over here.
But this is why we're gonna compliment oneanother as a great team.
Plus others we have on here.
And so bridging it that way Andrew andacknowledging and having humility that I I

(50:41):
don't you're right.
I don't have all the answers.
I don't have all of the industry experience,but I have this.
So how about my this and your that Andrew andso's, Weiss zed, like, that all brings it, you
know, together and is what will make usincredibly successful together.
I love that.
And just so a big part of us reminding them,hey, we're on the same team here.

(51:02):
It was way we can complement each other.
Yes.
And I and I also like, to admitting, like, hey.
I don't know everything.
Andrew, hopefully, that usually gets you theperson to admit.
Okay.
Yeah.
I don't know everything either.
So that that helps a little bit too.
I will thank you for answering these questionsabout mergers and acquisitions.
I have a few questions left here.
Tell tell us more.
So what what is your current mission and endgame that you're working on that you're, you

(51:26):
want you wanna help change the world.
Oh, yeah.
I am I spent a lot of time talking aboutpersonal brand Andrew one of the important
things is around around brand is to be reallyclear around the legacy or the impact you wanna
have.
And so mine, I did say a little bit earlier isaround, like, I wanna be known for making our
communities Andrew workplaces much more diverseand equitable and inclusive.

(51:49):
And supporting those, you know, in ourcommunities and workplaces.
So for everyone I say, I continuously communityworkplaces because for for me, what you see at
work is like the at the same Victoria as whatyou see out.
I'm committed to Andrew advocate for thosethings.
So for me, you know, I have a few differentgoals or objectives.

(52:10):
One is from, you know, the corporate day job, Iwanna go back to being the CEO or, you know,
like, another C suite executive outside of Iwanna go back to being the client that I
consult for versus you know, working in theseprofessional services companies.
So that's that's that's a goal there.
Ideally in a smaller organization where I canleverage that M and a experience and

(52:31):
transformational experience, like, ideally in aprivate equity, you know, company, something
like that.
So that's kind of my target, like, career nextstep career wise.
And then from a public speaking standpoint, I'mkind of I aspire.
I still want, like, TEDx to come directly tome.
Sorry, Ted, not Ted X because actually
Oh, Ted.
Yeah.
I'm gonna be doing a Ted X, but, like, I wantI, you know, that I wanna be on, like, you

(52:55):
know, the Simon sit at Sinick, Adam Grant,like, Bernie Brown level at some some point.
You know, so, yes, I have a 6 figure, but,like, some of these people like the, I I spoke
after Gary Vaynerchuk at some event.
Yeah.
I know.
I'm, like, people were there for Gary, like, bythe time, like, I got on stage, like, they
started to thin out, like, they clearly weren'tthere to see me.

(53:16):
But to be able to command the audio, I'vespoken to thousands of people, but, like, to
fill up a massive auditorium myself becausepeople wanna hear the message.
That's aspirational, you know, for me.
Andrew then I've had one a long long time as,you know, I'm a wife and a mother is in mother
in particular to raise 2 really good humans.
Andrew so minor 23 Andrew younger one turns 19next week, and they are great humans.

(53:42):
And so I'm proud of that.
Andrew I said one or both of them needs to atsome point.
I'm still not even fifty.
I'm like, so not for a long time, but make megrandmother.
Well, whatever whatever health routine you'reyou're doing, you're doing it very well.
So there's lots of, Yeah.
Yeah.
And this, like, curiosity too, like, what iswhat is your, secrets to fitness success as,

(54:03):
like, literally a a corporate member and, like,being a mom?
Like, how do you find time for your fitness?
So why
I have a saying where there's conviction,there's capacity.
And and that's in all all facets.
So whether it's you know, people who want tobecome entrepreneurs Andrew they say there's no
time and I'm like, nope.
There's your 9 to 5 Andrew then here's your 5to 9.

(54:24):
So be choose wisely how how you spend yourtime.
And so if there you have conviction oversomething, you can create the capacity.
But it also means there's a lot of, work youneed to do around the boundaries you create and
the discipline around it.
So for me, I am a fit fitness thematic.
I work out 6 days a week prior to moving backto the US.

(54:45):
I played hockey several times a week Andrewgood Canadian girl.
Although I didn't pick it up till I was in mytwenties, but, you know, so but doing those
things meant I a number of things.
I've long since gone to bed earlier than my mychildren.
Because I get up early in the morning to workout.
So, like, lights out for me has been, like,9:30 or 10 o'clock.
So I blocked my calendar before AM when I'm ina North American role, it's easier than when a

(55:09):
global goal, but, like, I block it becausepeople were just dropping, like, 8 AMs on my
calendar.
And I'm like, I'm literally just stepping outof the shower often times.
This hair for those who are watching videotakes couple, you know, big mane of blonde
curly hair takes hours to dry.
I don't wanna look like a wet dog on camera.
You know, at like
Yeah.
9 o'clock in the in the morning.

(55:29):
So I blocked my calendar I also make time fornetworking.
And so, again, pre COVID a little bit more sobecause so much now is still, through video,
but to go and network with people to havelunches and networking and those kinds of
things.
So that's how I make space for many things thatare important to to me, both from a fitness
perspective, from an engagement, with peopleperspective, or even for my family, I have

(55:55):
this, I've always had this, like, sayingthey're to my team even before the remote
working ratcheted it up where they're saythere's no schedules.
There's just deliverables.
So for me, both my kids played competitivesports.
And so if you you didn't have ask me forpermission to take your kid to soccer or an
aged parent to a doctor's appointment.
Like, just you get the work when you done whenyou need to, and there's deliverables.

(56:17):
And so if I need to block time in the morningfor working out or in the evening to go to
kids, you know, hockey game that I'm gonna dothat.
But then I'm making choices.
I'm not watching suits and Netflix and allnight.
Because I'm gonna hop back online and get itclear at emails or do whatever.
Well, that makes sense.
I I love that.
So it sounds like you said you do workouts inthe morning, and it's just that that's
nonnegotiable Andrew like that quote wherethere's conviction, there there's capacity in

(56:41):
some way, making that work.
Oh, we've a couple questions left.
First one, Victoria, can we contact you?
How can we get a hold of you for thoselistening in?
They're like, oh my gosh.
I'm so inspired.
I got connected there.
How can they best do that?
The easiest way is to go to my website, whichis toriadashpeldca.com, and I'm sure you'll
have it in the show notes so they don't need toworry about spelling the last name.

(57:02):
And then from there, they can choose connectout with me on whatever social platform, they
prefer whether it's linkedin, Facebook,Instagram.
Perfect.
And then Last question, what's the one takeawayyou want someone to have from this interview
today?
I I use the word unstoppable.
I think I said that's like my personal motto orphilosophy.
I wanna tell your listeners that they can livetheir their own version, whatever their

(57:25):
unstoppable journey looks like.
They are the CEOs of themselves, brand you, andmaking choice.
And I I think they're there's great opportunityand potential, but to bring back one thing I
said earlier, you need to lean into the thingsthat will make you uncomfortable because it is
with that that the growth and opportunity willcome.

(57:47):
I love that.
Well, this is this has been so fun, Victoria.
Thank you so much for coming on today.
And for those tuning in, definitely make sureto stay Victoria, as you can see, she's
passionate.
She's tenacious.
She's here to help out, and she knows a littlebit what she's talking about.
And so def definitely check with her.
Andrew, obviously, I hired her to speak.
Check out her books.
Andrew, otherwise, we'll see you all next week.

(58:08):
So thank you, everyone.
That concludes another episode of rapidresults, remember to leave a review about
something you learn so others can share theknowledge, keep being unstoppable in your
pursuit the lifestyle freedom you desire, andwe'll see you next week.