There’s a reason why I talk about self-care so much. It wasn’t something I practiced until about four years ago and I believe it is important to change the narrative as we redefine success and the impact busyness has on our mental health. Especially as mothers. Pre-motherhood, I completely neglected what my body was trying to tell me for over a decade. I spent my entire young adult life hustling, working in high pressure environments, and when all that started coming to a head, I had to navigate six years of inconclusive infertility. I was in a pressure cooker and didn’t realize it. Eventuall ..read more

Sharing our stories can inspire, empower, connect and sometimes even save the lives of others. But at what expense. There is a certain amount of intimacy within our stories, and it is up to us to determine what information is available for the sharing, and what is to remain within the privacy of our own hearts. It’s a fine line. Sharing this story is something I always knew I would do, in my own way and on my own time. As an adoptive mother it is my duty to advocate for my children, but more important than that, to protect them. Adoption is not only about the adoptive parents. I’ve had to exp ..read more

The key to leadership success If you’re confident, composed and at peace, you become the caring and care-giving leader. To lead with love benefits both the leader and the mentee. Leadership can be high stress with even higher stakes. A world of responsibility resting on your shoulders. Long hours are mandatory, breaks aren’t guaranteed, and days can turn into sleepless nights. But you stick with it day after day because the rewards outweigh the effort. If you’re confident, composed and at peace, you become the caring and care-giving leader. You are calm under pressure, leading by example ..read more

  Infertility is one of the greatest challenges I have experienced, and a prominent source of heartache in my life today. -Dallas Lombardi   I have not publicly shared a lot about my experience with infertility and how it has impacted my personal and professional life. It is one of the greatest challenges I have experienced, and it is still very much a prominent source of heartache in my life today.  After years of trying to get pregnant, I have spent a lot of time suffocating in very heavy personal isolation and grief. Until recently, it felt like I was the only one not having ..read more

  Having a strong community gives us a constant reminder that we are not alone. Dallas Lombardi   Ever read someone’s story and think, this is exactly what I needed to hear today? Your story will do that for someone else and cultivate a community. Your story is your power. When I was a kid, my family moved around quite a bit, so I was going into new schools and I had to make new friends often. I was out on my own before I graduated high school, and I picked up a waitressing job to make money so I could support myself. Just before I turned 19, I moved to the city (Toronto, Ontar ..read more

  As you keep close to those who add value and positive things to your life, how do you transition out the others?   Someone recently asked me, as you keep close to those who add value and positive things to your life, how do you transition out the others? Your inner circle are the people who you associate with because of a common purpose. A group of people who inspire, motivate, encourage and propel each other to achieve greatness. They are more than your social circle. They are a combination of your family members, friends and professional colleagues – the people who you ..read more

It takes a special kind of person to be a successful event professional. I’ve learned over the years that society is fascinated by this industry. I can understand how it looks shiny and glamorous when all you see is the final product. I mean, that’s the ultimate goal and it means we’ve done our job. But I also think there is an unrealistic perception that exists thanks to Hollywood movies such as, The Wedding Planner (no offence). Any veteran in the business will tell you that what happens behind the scenes is anything but glitzy. And I think I speak for all of us when I say, we wouldn’t have ..read more

Give a warm welcome to my partner in crime, my ride or die, the apple of my eye and really just my favourite person in the whole wide world— my husband, Gian. Hi, we’re the Lombardis! We are excited to open up our arms, home and hearts to you as collectively, we are co-influencing this blog with the intention to give you an honest look inside these four walls because, maybe you need to hear it this week. Now, we are focusing on positivity love and light, because that’s what this audience asked for. But it should go without saying that although w ..read more

If I only knew then what I know now, right? Not really. Because if I knew then what I know, the journey would not be nearly as sweet. As my 34th circle around the sun came to an end, I spent a lot of time in reflection. My life has always seemed to take me along the path less travelled and for a long time I longed for “normalcy” (whatever that means). Today, I can truly say with my whole heart, I would never want it any other way. My life is unfolding beautifully, and I have learned to fully trust my journey. I am exactly where I need to be regardless of where I may have thought I should or wo ..read more

Power in Men and Women  power is not to be used to overpower, but to bring the best out in each other. We are all leaders.  There are many misconceptions of power as it is related to men and women in leadership roles. Leadership is associated with masculinity, so as long we continue to correlate the two, we can expect female leaders to be evaluated in a negative way, even when their performance is higher than their male counterparts, an ..read more