Lora Cerulli

The full conversation with Lora Cerulli, transcribed. Lightly formatted for reading.

So, Laura, I can't wait. I'm very excited to have you today. Thank you so much. Because I know you.

You're a beautiful person. Your story is amazing. Thank you. You're so sweet.

And I'm happy that you're here. Oh, I'm so honored. Look, I get teary-eyed. Look at that.

I get teary-eyed. Sorry, I'm honored. Thank you so much. So tell us your name.

If you can present yourself to the audience and what you do. Sure, sure. Well, my name is Laura Cerulli, and— or Laura Cerulli, if you want to say it in the Italian And I'm president and founder of Group PCV, PCV which stands for Personnel Chez Vous. And this is a headhunting and recruitment company that I founded and started over 15 years ago.

Nice. Yeah. It's a long time ago. Oh my God, yeah.

I can't believe it. And then how did you, how did you come about to say, you know what, I'm going to launch myself in a business? Oh my gosh. Well, I always felt that I was an entrepreneur.

Like, I always, you know, even my— the past positions I've held. I'm a finance graduate. Okay. And I worked my way up over the, you know, as a young adult in finance.

And I got to a stage where I was a venture capital wholesaler. Okay. So that means I paraded, you know, all of— from Bay Street all the way down to, you know, from Toronto up to Peterborough and then back down on the 401. My territory was all along the 401, then up into Ottawa, and then back down again to Montreal, all the way to Quebec City.

A lot of traveling. A lot of traveling. And basically, I loved it because I was the master of my calendar, of my schedule. And I would meet with— I had my quota and I would meet with financial advisors and brokers and discuss and wholesale my venture capital mutual fund that I was representing.

So, I loved it and I worked my way up in that field. And recruitment just, I got pushed into it. Ooh. I got pushed into it.

I never thought I'd be in this type of field, but I'm glad I got pushed into it because it's my calling. Well, by the time I had my first child, Amanda, when I had her while I was on mat leave, unfortunately, My employer one day called me and told me that they are restructuring, quote unquote, which means basically, we got to fire you. You're too expensive. We're cutting costs.

We're getting rid of you. Basically, that's what it was. And it was such a blow to my soul and my heart because— No doubt. I've always, you know, this is a position that I always strived for and I finally had it.

And I worked so hard to get it. I had moved to Toronto as well for a little while and then moved back to Montreal. Anyways, it was just devastating. And how long were you in that position?

In that field? Oh, in that position in particular, I must have been in that position finally, oh, a good 4 to 5 years. 4 to 5 years? Yes, I remember my 30th birthday.

It's like, yay, that's my biggest gift, getting this final big promotion in corporate Canada and being a venture capital wholesaler. So that was my big gift. Oh, I was delighted. I was just over the moon.

Anyways, about 4 or 5 years after, they restructure, quote unquote. So I was just devastated. And I'm on mat leave. And even though I'm on mat leave, there was nothing I could do because they were using the word restructure.

So while you're on mat leave, then you get the call. I am— my daughter was 6 or 7 months old and I'm packing her up in a, you know, the chair, the— oh my gosh, the car seat. Yeah. The car seat.

And we were on our way to the airport. My in-laws were coming any moment to pick me up 'cause I was going to Vancouver. And I was going to Vancouver for my company's national hoopla, right? And I told them, even though I'm on mat leave, I'm still part of the team.

You know, I'm still involved. So, you know, they said, no problem. So for the big national meeting, I had bought my tickets. And so I'm packing my daughter up in the car seat and the phone rings.

As the phone rings, I see my in-laws from the window. I see them riding up to my driveway. So I pick up the phone and it was my boss. And I said, you never call me.

What's going on? Like, this is not your style. What are you calling me for? And he says, oh, this is gonna be very difficult.

Hold on, I'll pass you to HR. I'm like, what in— like, what's going on? So HR gets on the phone and says, oh, Laura, I'm really sorry. We're restructuring.

Mm-hmm. The doorbell is ringing. And I said to Miss HR, I said, Miss HR, I won't use names, but I said, Miss HR, I'm on my way to Vancouver, literally, with my baby. My baby was gonna be babysat by cousins that we have in Vancouver.

Mm-hmm. And I was gonna stay with them, saving corporate money on hotels and all that. And she said to me, oh my God, Laura, I completely forgot that you're coming this week. I forgot.

I said, yes. I said, okay, you just, You know, you just destroyed my whole world right now. Because all I'm thinking as I'm getting fired, I'm thinking about my mortgage. I just had a baby and I want to buy her baby clothes and enjoy all that stuff.

And I'm thinking, I'm just thinking about the future. Like, it's just looking bleak, right? I mean, we got a mortgage, we're a new family. Mm-hmm.

So anyways, she says, oh my gosh, Laura, I'm really sorry. I said, listen, Miss HR, We're gonna hang up now. 'Cause my in-laws have now rang the doorbell 3, 4 times wondering when am I gonna come to the door. I said, you're gonna put me on first class.

I was so mad. I said, you're gonna put me on first class and you're gonna do this properly face-to-face. And we'll talk, you know, in Vancouver. Mm-hmm.

She said, oh, no problem. You know, so my in-laws, I go to the door and my mother-in-law is like, what's going on? Why are you crying? I'm like, oh no, it's just hormones.

You know? And I couldn't wait to get into the private lounge at Air Canada. to call my husband to tell him I got fired. He doesn't even know yet.

No, because now my in-laws are picking me up. I can't go. I don't want to tell my in-laws and upset them. So, and literally I was packing up the baby in the car seat.

Anyway, that's— it was just devastating, devastating. So I really understand the pain of getting, uh, you know, laid off, fired, you know, and it was unjust, but, you know, I'm not gonna start fighting. You know, they're using that word restructure, so Whatever. Restructuring is the word.

We're restructuring. So, you know, my husband says, oh, we're gonna fight about this. And I said, oh, it's such a waste of energy. Instead of fighting and taking years in court or months and getting more frustrated if you lose, I said to myself, deep down inside, something inside of me says, no, just focus on something positive.

Start to recreate instead of like thinking and spending that energy on, I'm gonna fight the court. I'm gonna— why don't you just take the time to say, all right, you're 30 years old or 32. I forget what age I was. What are you going to do now?

Yeah. You know, what are you going to do now? And a lot of people are in maybe right now or have been in your situation. It's a big switch because then you're like, what's next, right?

It's been 4 or 5 years in that position that you aspire to. Well, that's it. Because that position, it's few and far between. There is not an abundance of that role here in Montreal.

The head office was in Vancouver. That's why I was going to Vancouver for the big national hoopla. So these positions are few and far between, you know, and it's all I knew. Exactly.

And I'm like, what am I going to do now? You know, I don't want to be a financial advisor. I loved wholesaling the products. Now what?

Now what? And that was always the question for weeks and weeks. Now what? Now what?

So we know the end story. We know you have a business now in recruiting. So now Tell us the gap. You know, you got fired.

How did you open the business? So I was incredibly, again, incredibly depressed. So I came back from Vancouver and looking at my husband, now what? Now what?

And one day my husband came back and he was frustrated. And he says, I'm so frustrated. What an awful day I had today. I said, my goodness, what's going on?

Meanwhile, I don't even know if I even brushed my teeth that day. Because that's a type of, you know, that's the type of emotion I was living at that time. Yeah. Just so depressed, you know, raising this baby, thinking about, oh my gosh, you know, what are we going to do now?

At the time when I got fired, my husband knows that I like to splurge on this and that. So he had taken away all my plastic, as we say, and he would just give me an allowance. He says, I know this is terrible, Laura, but we're on one salary now and I'm giving you cash to use for the week. Make it last for diapers and groceries, and that's it, you know.

So think about it twice before you go to the pharmacy and get yourself 3 more lipsticks because you can't decide on one color. Just don't, don't forget it, you know. Anyway, but jokes aside, that's how we were living. So anyways, he came back discouraged and I said, what's going on?

You know, because I'm so upset, you know. He says, I'm an IT architect engineer and I get a call from a recruiter today and she's wasting my time. She got me an interview, but then before the interview, I had to conduct so many tests. She's testing me left, right, and center because, you know, basically she sent me to a coding position job, like a real data, like entry-level coder, because I'm an architect, I'm an engineer.

And he says, I'm so frustrated, she wasted my day. And he was really upset about it. And I said, but my goodness, like, how hard could it be? Like, I said, that's so ridiculous.

Like, how hard could it be for that person to just go a little step step extra, an extra step and say, hey, you know, my client is looking for this type of technology or ability. Do you have— pardon my ignorance, but do you have that? I'm so sorry, I'm not an IT person. Yeah.

You know, you seem very versed in IT. You're an architect, you're a software— sorry, we have this opening. I beg your pardon. I don't want to insult your intelligence, but would this be a match?

How hard is it to ask? So my husband just looked at me and he says, well, there you go. That's why you need to be a recruiter. And I'm like, I'm in my pajamas, my teeth probably not brushed.

I'm like, what are you talking about? You know, because, Laura, I'm telling you, you need to be a recruiter. You're a natural at this. I said, oh, Mike, shut up.

Like, really? You know? And he says, no, Laura, I'm serious. Because he says, you're very social.

Yeah. And he made a joke how I'm very kumbaya. That's how he calls me. You're so kumbaya because I put people together and I'm just jolly and positive and I want everything to work out nicely.

And so he says, you know, this would be perfect for you. So I said, okay, whatever, Mike. Well, I wouldn't— I didn't know this, but then my husband sent my CV to an agency and I didn't know that. Wow.

So randomly, I'm in bed one day. I was really depressed. I have like these— these are days half days in bed type of depression. And also you just had a baby, so that could be postpartum too.

Yeah, and that's why I felt so bad for this baby. Like, I just wanted to, you know, baby girl, I want to go to the— I want to go to Fairview Pointe Claire and just get her some baby clothes that are fun, but I can't have that extra splurge, right? I don't have that discretionary income anymore. Yeah, and it was just insulting to me because it's like, I worked so hard, you know.

I'm a finance graduate, worked hard toward that position I just felt like, what is this? You know, I just— anyway, I was just devastated. So I get this phone call and I was in bed and they said, hi, you know, we got your resume. I'm like, you did?

Like, who are you? You know, we're in this agency, this recruitment agency, and we'd like to interview you. And I said, all right, what the heck? You know?

So I went to the interview and of course I was hired on the spot because they— why do I say of course? Not because I got a big ego, I don't. Because she interviewed me and they wanted to start a new division in accounting and finance. And because of my background, they said, this is wonderful.

You understand what our clients are looking for. You understand the positions. We'd like you to head that up. So I got the job.

Now, I did have an ego at the time because I was so upset thinking, oh my God, no, I can't believe it. It's half my salary, you know, of what I used to earn. And I was so— that too, still my husband did not give me back any plastic yet because of the way we were living, the mortgage we had, you know, and the salary was half of what I used to earn. But, however— Something.

Did I ever find my calling. You know, I never forget the first time I placed somebody as an account technician. I found them the position, and I matched that person with the employer. And it was the right match because the person knew how to do the job, but also the character was a great fit for that working environment.

And that working environment was a great fit and satisfactory for that person's lifestyle and abilities. I never forget that day at the desk. I actually had tears in my eyes when the client says, oh, we'll hire this person you presented us. And I said, oh my God, this is such a great feeling, you know?

And I really felt like that was my calling. Nice. So then you're working there for some time and then that enabled you eventually to go on your own. Yeah, I get teary-eyed too.

Like, it just moves me. Yeah, it's ridiculous. I'm crazy. Look at that, I'm crying.

No, you're not. But it moves me. It really moved me. And that's when I thought, Wow, I found my calling.

That's my calling. This is wonderful, you know? Yeah. But then I started off on my— I went off on my own after that.

Yeah. After 6 months. After 6 months. That's pretty quick.

It's pretty quick because of the business acumen I had. Again, I don't have a big ego, but just because I've been around venture capitalists, I was around a lot of engineers. Oh, sorry, I'm crying like crazy. I was around— I'll let you maybe— No, it's okay.

You know, when I sold venture capital mutual funds, I would bring with me— because we're investing in entrepreneurs, we are investing in a doctor's patent, we are investing in an engineer's new technology. So, you know, what we would do is we'd bring along— I would bring along these engineers and these doctors with me on the road to introduce them to financial advisors and say, here you are investing in this man's idea. You know what? Have the doctor explain it to you, what he is, what his patent is all about, or what he has designed.

You know, like, you know, there were so many things that, my God, that we represented. So my point is, because of that business acumen that I had developed over the years, there's things in a large agency that I did not like. It's a Laura thing. Yeah.

It's a Laura thing. I don't— I feel like, you know, there's a lot of bureaucracy sometimes or just unnecessary meetings. Like, I just want to get to the point. Like, let's— client calls, I need a controller, I need a new engineer, I need a new, you know, clerk, I need a new accounting technician.

All right, get the specs. Let's do this. Let's find that person. We don't need, you know, to stop for 10, you know, meetings on policies and in-house this and in-house that.

I find that I just wanted to run my own business where the client is my boss. Yeah. I feel— that's how I feel. I feel like I want to render a service where what I do, I don't need other bosses but my clients to be the boss and what they need and just render the service.

So that's why I just branched out and did it my way, you know? And one day there was one thing that did happen at the agency that really got me fired up. So I was pregnant now with my second child, Alex, and very pregnant. And my boss came to me and said, can you put an ad up?

It's for an account technician. I said, oh, lovely. We have a new mandate? She says, no, we don't.

We just need to fill up our database. I said, what? You want me— am I going to be lying? Like, Laura, stop asking your questions.

Just do it. Mm-hmm. So I did, and I hated it. So finally, this one gentleman came downtown and met with me for this job.

And we get in a boardroom and he says, I really hope I get this because I just arrived to Canada about a couple of years ago and I got 2 kids and I really need this job. And you know, there's no job. There's no mandate for it. I couldn't do it.

Oh. So I said, listen. I said, there is no job. This is not a real job.

And he's like, what? I said, please don't get upset. I said, what we're going to do is the following. I really want to clean up your resume.

Your resume needs help. Your resume needs to get more attention. And I'm going to shape it up that you'll get more phone calls. So let's sit down now.

Let me work on your resume. And after we're done, I said, I'm going to walk down with you because what I've said, I'm quitting. I'm leaving. Really?

You're going to— I'm not joking. I said, you're going to wait for me at the elevators. I'm going to ride the elevator down with you. He goes, you're kidding me.

I go, I'm not. So I worked on the resume. Then I went back to my desk. I got my purse and I left.

Wow. I left with him down the elevator. What a huge decision. So then I got into the train on the way home.

And I told my husband, I quit! He's like, what? And he says, oh my God, Laura, I'm going to kill you. He goes, okay, well, first of all, you're going to give me back the plastics.

You know, you give me back everything. He says, and tomorrow, Laura— and I never forget, I remember this scene like it was this morning. And I was on the train. I remember very well.

And he says, and tomorrow you're going to go downtown and you're going to open up your own business. I said, I sure will. I said, Mike, I could do this in my sleep. This is so much fun.

It's so easy because I told you so. He says, you're going to go downtown and you're going to call the company Personnel Chez Vous. And I'm on the phone going, oh, that's such a good name, Mike. Really?

He gave you the name? Yeah. Wow. He goes, you're going to call it Personnel Chez Vous because you're personable.

You're personable. And also you find personnel. And chez vous is cute. Everyone across Canada, you know, Anglos, Francophones, we all understand chez vous.

It's cute. He says, and that's what you're going to do. I said, okay. He goes, and you're not spending any money.

You're going to give me your card until you bring it in. I said, all right, shut up. And I just hung up. And that's how it started.

Wow. Personal Shivu started. The name came up on the train. Wow.

I mean, your husband, I have to meet him. Like, handshake. You must. Yes, you must.

Anyway, so that's how it started. But that's a lot of support from him. Definitely. Yes, it's a lot.

We're very— yeah, I guess we are. a power couple, more like really supportive. I mean, we are all we got, you know. I don't have any other support apart from just from him and some good friends that I've been blessed with over the years.

You know, both our parents are elderly. You know, I've got an estranged family, you know, so it's just him and I, you know. So, yeah. Well, that's a good segue into the next part where we're going to dive in a little bit Now we understand the concept, how you started the business, right?

What a big switch that you had to make being an employee. Now you switch to become an entrepreneur just like that with the support of your husband. Oh my gosh. And that's all new territory because I thought, how am I going to even get clients?

I had a million questions. How do you even start a business? You know? But to go back to your family a little bit.

Yes. Do you want to talk to us a little bit about that? Well, you know, what can I say? It's Oh my, it's just sad.

It took years to overcome because being an entrepreneur, I mean, you got to have a lot of confidence, right? Yeah. And even on days like you don't believe in yourself, you got to even be able to say, wow, today I'm not really believing in myself, but it's okay because I believe in myself. You know what I mean?

Like, there's a lot of self-talk as an entrepreneur because there are days that you're not— you're like, oh, can I really do this? And you got to be confident. confident enough to nurture yourself. Yes.

And say, I know now you're not feeling confident, but I'm confident you're going to find that confidence again. So just do the next step, please. I like that. You know, but, but that takes a lot.

That, that's nurture. And I think that maybe like as a— well, and as a child, maybe I wasn't so nurtured, if you will. So, you know, I grew up with, you know, I was like the last child in my family, the youngest. And I was told sometimes that I was a mistake.

So sometimes I was told I was a mistake, that I was definitely not a planned birth, that's for sure. I was not a planned child. My sisters are much older than I. How many sisters do you have?

I got 2. 2 older ones. Yeah. So, you know, I think that my birth now in retrospect, as I get older, I look back.

First I was like, so you know, really angry and sad and frustrated because I really did lack a lot of that family nurture. You know, like, you know, I had 2 kids, I have 2 kids, and I had 2 C-sections. And, you know, like, wow, where's the help that I thought I'd get? You know, just, you know, you hear your friends where their moms are going over or their sister went over and brought them soup and, you know, I didn't have any.

They're going to stay with them for like 2 months. Oh, they stay. Oh my God. If they could even just bring soup, you know, because after a C-section, you know, it's It's hard to move.

Yeah. The pain that you endure is ridiculous. And you have to, now I had a toddler at the time. With my second child, I had a toddler and then my baby, and it's hard to move around.

And I thought, wow, you know, like I was really on my own. So for many years I felt really, you know, unloved. You know, I saw, I think growing up, I always seeked for validation 'cause I didn't know how to find the validation from within, right? seeking validation, one that seeks validation can be quite an annoying person, right?

So that's when people say, oh, you're so needy. Mm. Yeah, you need validation because you don't know how to get it from inside, right? So just a lot of things like that.

I don't know why we are the way we are, unfortunately, in my original family. I don't know. I was born last. I don't know, maybe it's a bunch of wrong characters smushed up together.

I don't know. But I didn't get that. I didn't feel loved or ever supported or ever validated. Mm-hmm.

But I definitely never felt very loved, you know? And that's tough because, you know, you going into business too, it's like, you know, like growing up, many times I was told, you know, you're ugly, flat out. You laugh ugly. You cry ugly, you know?

And it's like, what can I do? That's my character. If I'm passionate, I cry. See, I've cried twice today, like, because I'm touched.

I'm touched you invited me. I'm touched by my story, of my love for what I do. That's who I am, you know? Like, but, you know, I'd be condemned for that many times.

You know, you cry ugly, you laugh ugly, you're fat, you know, uh, whatever. So many things, you know, flat out. Yeah. But anyway, but through the years, you know, you work it out.

And I find that till one day you realize that you got to really remove the toxicity, you know, to move on. Because all those years, like, that's the thing. I mean, there was one day, you know, we were vacationing. It was actually in Myrtle Beach with my husband and my 2 kids.

My kids were very young still at this time, maybe— How old were they? Oh, I don't know, Amanda must have been 9, Alex 7. And I told my husband, okay, the kids are good on the beach. We could see them.

I got to take you for a walk. He's like, what? I go, I got to take you for a walk. We got to talk.

And I said, you know what, Mike? Because my husband was always frustrated with me. He saw, he sees, he saw so much potential in me, but I'd always be handicapped by the slack. Okay.

And I'd be chasing after something that I'll never get. And he told me, you're never going to get what you want. You don't have family members that will give you this nurture. It ain't going to happen.

Stop trying. Stop chasing. Stop trying to— let's talk about this or let's— it's not going to happen. That's how it is.

Anyway, so I had— It's not easy to hear those words or the reality. It's not. It's not. You feel bad.

My kids don't have aunties that really care. Nobody ever calls them call them for their birthday, even when they were first born. Even when they were born, they got like no visits, or— it's just so weird. Mm-hmm.

It's just heartbreaking. Anyway, so one day, finally, I don't know how I got courageous enough, and I told my husband in Myrtle Beach, on the beach, I said, I have to talk to you. I said, you know what? I made a big decision right now that I have to cut ties.

And that means that you're gonna have to stop reminding me Because my husband, when he met me, that's the type of guy he is. He recorded everybody's birthday, everybody's anniversary, you know. I said, you got to stop that because you don't get a phone call for your birthday. You know, our kids don't get a phone call.

Nobody tells us, congratulations, it's your wedding anniversary today. Yeah. So stop that. So I'm cutting ties.

So you have to just stop it. We're not going to even ponder celebrating, you know, holidays. I have to start quickly, quickly. I have to start integrating my own values and traditions for my kids because my kids can't see me once again go to a family function on Christmas and walk out of there offended, crying, you know.

Yeah, because that's what's hap— that's what happens. All the time, right? And so then you're told, oh, but you're so sensitive. Maybe you're so mean.

I don't know. And maybe I am sensitive. But can we not— like, if I am sensitive, if you know I'm sensitive, then maybe don't talk about those nasty things. Maybe refrain.

You know, it's hard to tell somebody, oh, toughen up, you know, I'm only kidding. Or it's not a joke, you know. Of course. It's not a joke, you know, to be called certain things or whatever.

Yeah. Anyway, so that's it. But you know what? They're wonderful people.

And maybe, like I said, we're just a bunch of characters all smushed together and maybe it doesn't work. I don't know. But individually, they're fantastic. But removing myself from an environment that created toxicity for me— toxicity for me means made me cry, made me upset for weeks.

Of course. It's a huge decision. Weeks. Yeah.

But removing myself from that environment I find that the heavens just opened up. You know, the heavens just opened up because now you're feeling— well, I had to re— I talked about that validation. I had to find my validation again. Yeah.

And that's only myself. It's only me that I could give my own validation to myself, right? So stop seeking it from others. You know, now it's not important.

And it makes me feel good if a client says, oh, I'm so glad you helped me, it was great. But I'm not waiting for that person to, give me that compliment, right? It's— I'm not seeking, right? Who you feel.

Because I know what I can deliver as a friend, as a mother, what I can deliver as a business owner. So I had to just start from scratch and just falling in love with myself again. Because I think up until now, I was letting everybody dictate to me who I am. This is what you are, and showing me.

But I wasn't that. I was not fat and ugly. You know, like, I just am who I am, you know? And so I had to just go back a lot and just have a rebirth, if you will.

Yeah, it's a big rebirth. Huge. Yes. Yes.

Because cutting ties and making the decision to cut ties is tremendous. Yes. First Christmas was depressing. Huge.

But I had to do it. It's like some— it's like that bad medicine you need to take. Yes. And I took a lot of the bad medicine to get where we are today.

And I had to take it. I had to do it. I had to do it. I find your story very— like, it inspires, it motivates people too, because there's a lot of— probably could be other wives, could be teenagers experiencing any— some sort of abuse at home.

Abuse. Exactly. Because it's every time— like, now, you know, I've come far from it, so I don't feel that pain much anymore. But when I was in that pain, I would feel So frustrated because sometimes things that were said to me, it's like as if you want to go to the law enforcement and say, you know, I got hurt, I got abused, but I don't have the scars on me because the scars remain on my soul and my spirit, you know.

So what advice would you have for somebody who's going through something like that? Oh my gosh, the advice is take stock. First of all, realize what's going on here. Mm-hmm.

Realize that if you feel sad because of what somebody's saying to you, that means you're giving this person a lot of power. And that means you haven't fulfilled— you have to fill your own cup. So realize that. Knowing that now, you have to now take a step back and practice cutting away from that individual, you know, or limiting You know, my husband would say, oh, come on, you know, even if they say this to you, we're gonna— we're driving over and they're gonna say this or that, don't take it so personally.

Yeah. I hate that. You know what? I'm sorry, but I take it personal.

That's how I was born and that's how I'm gonna die. My husband is different. My husband is a software engineer. He's logical.

His brain works differently. He's not offended. And I told him, you were raised differently. You probably got some type of nurture that fulfilled you as a child.

And today it's like, you think that of me? Whatever. Off your shoulder. For me, no.

At the time, I've gotten better at it. But at the time, you know, I don't know what it is. Maybe because I was the last kid and I, you know, and they'll tell you that I got spoiled and they'll tell you that I got spoiled with attention. You know, it's the wrong attention sometimes.

Sometimes a child just needs to have a one-on-one, you know, eyeball to eyeball and talk. Talk about feelings or how are you? How's it going? You know, not talk about, you know, physicalities, you know.

But do you believe that somebody can do that alone? Like, did you go about this because— all right, so you're walking on that beach and then you say— did you make that decision on the spot or were you thinking about it? I was thinking about it. I was miserable driving to Myrtle Beach.

I was absolutely miserable. And I was thinking, what am I going to do? Like, you know, and I kept pondering, like, what's wrong with you, Laura? Why are you upset?

Okay, who cares? She said this and she said that. Who cares? And I'm like, yeah, but I care.

But, but why? Well, because, you know, I desire so much to have, you know, love from, you know, your, your relatives. And why am I not lovable? Why can't it work?

You know, what's wrong with me? I know what's wrong with me because she said this and that, and she's right. I am maybe this. I am.

So now I got into this really dangerous zone of hating myself. I hated myself for many years. It's like a bad brainwashing that— Yeah, terrible, terrible programming. Yes, terrible.

To this day, I even have a hard time breathing because I would be told, you're so fat, tuck in your stomach, you're fat. So sometimes I don't even breathe properly, you know, take those deep breaths. Yeah. It's just psychological.

Yes. And, you know, I don't know why, People do what they do. Maybe I inflicted it too. Like I said, you know, last kid, maybe I have a character.

Nobody's perfect. Maybe I'm a jerk too. Like, who knows? But it's just so sad that we could never meet up and say, hey, you know, I don't like what you said.

Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it like that, you know? But what I found impressive is that, so you made that decision and you stuck with it. You said, we're not going back.

Yeah. That meant that you went So low at a point, like, you're like, I've had enough. This is it. So low.

So for somebody who could be experiencing something similar, so maybe do they have to reach to a point like that? Because sometimes they don't even realize. True. Sometimes they don't even— well, you do realize it if you're not happy.

If you find yourself having— I call them yucky feelings. So if you find yourself feeling all of a sudden jealous, envious, worried. You know, these are very yucky feelings. And then you have to stop yourself and say, whoa, what's going on here?

Why am I feeling envious or jealous or worried? What's wrong? Okay. And then if you take that step and you realize, well, or sometimes, you know, why am I feeling sad all of a sudden?

Ask yourself, why are you sad all of a sudden? What happened? Oh, yes, because I just had that phone call with so-and-so and she told me this. All right.

Do you believe it? Yeah. Yeah, I do. Really?

So it's a lot of self-talk. Oh my God, I talked to myself so much. Because, you know, Cathy, in this process, I did realize that many scenes came into my head, some scenes of hurt. So all of a sudden, you know, I'm washing a dish and all of a sudden, a scene of maybe when I was 3 years old and I was told something would come up to my mind.

Or when I was 9, something would come. Yeah. An upsetting scene, an upsetting conversation, an upsetting remark, an upsetting look. Yeah.

And I had to work through all those scenes. And when I would replay those scenes, not that I went to go fetch those scenes, they would just come to me as you're washing the dishes, taking a walk. Yeah. And I had to talk to myself and say, okay, Let it go.

You know, you know that's not true. And then I found myself talking— I know I'm going to sound kooky now, but talking to my small self and my young self many times, you know, because those scenes, you know, show up in my, my mind of maybe when I was 7 or 10 or 12 or 21 being told, oh, you cry like an idiot, you know, your ugly cry, or, you know, and it's not a joke. Yeah. And I had to, like, in that scene, intervene in that scene as Laura today and say, no, you're not ugly.

You were not ugly. You're so silly. You're not ugly. So do you find that— A lot of self-talk.

Yeah, it is a lot. Definitely. So for sure, people listening to you now, they see where you are today. So definitely there is hope.

Oh my God, for sure. Somebody can deprogram all that nonsense from the past. Absolutely. And transcend themselves and become somebody new.

Like you said, rebirth. Oh my God, Kathy, like 6 years ago, if I'm telling you these stories, I'd be on the on this table crying. Mm-hmm. For sure.

I don't even feel pain now, even remembering those scenes. It just is what it is, you know? I'm not mad at it anymore. You have to take the step.

You have to take that bad medicine. And if you can, remove yourself from that person. If you can't deal with it, if you can't, you have to— or think of that person that is hurting you or saying abusive things, forgive them and say that they don't know any better. It's not about you.

It's not about you. But you have to really nurture yourself. Even if you cannot get away from that person, that's okay. But as long as you can make that conscious effort to nurture yourself.

And do you find because of those bad experiences, do they affect or did they affect the way that you would view other people or the relationship, especially now in business? Right. Well, my gosh, I always viewed everybody as better than me. And that's one thing that my husband, when he met me, even in our relationship early on, he would say, oh my God, you always think everybody's better than you.

Everybody's better than you. You're not so bad, Laura. You know, I'm like, no, but, you know, she's got this and she does that and he does this and he does that. He's like, okay, Laura, and you did this, this, and that.

What's the problem? Oh, I guess. Okay, so I had a lot of that. So I always viewed everybody else as better because I was always told I'm not that great after all.

Yeah. Right? So, you know, I was called like, I'm the troublemaker, the whatever and whatever. You know, what can I say?

It's a lot of self-talk. But I know, yes, so it wasn't easy. It was bad. Yes.

Do you find anything that because of the way that you do business today, the person that you've become today, what part can you say, okay, you know what, because of all this baggage today, that made me, I don't know, stronger or— Yeah. Oh, more compassionate. More compassionate. Even more.

I told— I was told I cry ugly. I cry even more now. Who cares? You know, more compassion, much more compassionate.

You know, even if somebody is rude to you or off, you could understand, okay, it's not about you. They're having a bad day. They're having a bad day. You know, people go through things.

It's not about you, but much more compassion. Yes. Which you need in my line of business. For sure.

Because I'm dealing with people that got fired, laid off, or they want to— they're frustrated. They want to move forward in their career. And then I'm dealing with employers that are just— they just want good people. to stay with them and work well and help them become even more prosperous and work with them.

And so it's a lot of compassion, you know? Yeah. So now your business is doing well. You have kids, a husband at home.

I got my credit cards back and I can pay them by myself too. Yay! So far, so good. I'm happy for you for sure.

Do you believe that there is such a thing as work-life balance? As a mom and a business owner? Yes, there is. Absolutely.

You have to set boundaries. You have to put the boundaries. You have to tell yourself, okay, like for myself, I could work nonstop because, you know, I could talk to candidates, especially in the evenings where sometimes, you know, candidates are working during the day and they're hard to reach. So I could take my time into the evening and, you know, but no, after a while, But I tell myself, okay, as of 6, that's it.

You know, because what happens is then I don't have time to exercise. And, you know, children need to be picked up and spoken to. You gotta be present with your kids, right? Yeah.

You can cook a meal. So I just set boundaries. And it's also being very organized too. So like, for example, and my day is crazy, but then I'll say, all right, you know, it's 3:45, the kids will walk home soon.

Let me just go put some food out and say hi to them. And I know that by 4:15, I'll be back at the desk. So, you know, I could have that next interview at 4:15, 4:30. I could go on till 6 because the kids are fed.

I know they're doing their homework. You know, you just— management and learning to say no. Learning to say no. Learning to say no and to ask, you know, sometimes Sometimes people say, oh, let's meet at this time.

And I know that, no, that's when I exercise. I can't meet you at that time. I'm thinking— It's self-care moment. You got to have that self-care moment and say, and just try.

It doesn't hurt to ask and say, Jimmy, can't meet you at 9:30 that day. How about 11? Is that okay with you? You try to work it out.

Sometimes people just say yes, yes, yes to everything. take the time to not completely say no, but maybe ask and see, hey, is there another time by chance that we could meet? Because they don't have to know that that's the time you finally get to exercise. They don't have to know that.

But, you know, it doesn't hurt to ask because that moment of exercise is so important. It's going to give you so much fuel for the rest of the day or whatever it is. It could be a walk. It could be that that's when you like to go get your facials or your nails done.

It doesn't matter. But it's important that you take that time. For yourself. Because then what I— because what I notice is that that when I would just say yes, yes, yes to the world, then I had no time to exercise or to do my nails or just to even take a walk.

And I'd always be frustrated and angry. And again, I taught myself to always ask myself the question, okay, what's wrong, Laura? Why are you angry now? What's going on?

What's going on? And I'd be like, yeah, what's going on is that I didn't get my time today. Hmm. I didn't get to play.

You know, you're right. So what are we gonna do about it? So go in your calendar and block that time. I like how you talk to yourself like that.

I talk to myself. I'm kooky. I talk to myself all the time. And what are some of the challenges that you face or you faced growing your business?

Oh, well, my goodness. The very first— so when my husband says, you know, you're going to start Personal Chez Vous, and I said, okay, great. Now how am I going to do that? Love, nice name, Mike, but how am I going to do that?

And he says, well, when I get home, we'll talk tonight. I said, all right, whatever. So the next few days, okay, I went downtown, I opened the business. And then the next few days he says, great.

So, you know, the first child, Amanda, was going to la garderie, was going to daycare. We're so franglais here. Sorry. We're going to daycare.

She's going to daycare. And I had my baby who was not yet in daycare. And I was depressed saying, my God, you know, how am I going to— okay, I started personal chef. I quit.

Oh my God. Okay. And now what? Here I am again, now what?

And he says, I don't care. He says, you're gonna get out of bed, you're gonna bring this baby to my mother's in Saint-Léonard, the east end of Montreal, and you're gonna sit in her dining room or go to the local library. And he says, I don't care what you do. If you stare at your screen for 6 hours, I don't care.

Just get out of this bed and go to my mother's. Or you go to the library and you're gonna figure it out. Just sit there and figure it out. I don't know.

How do you start your recruitment business? I don't know. He says, you worked at the agency. You figure it out.

Yeah. You do your research. Figure it out. So I'm like, what a guy.

I hate him. But you know what? That's what I did. So I would actually go in this Italian home, my mother-in-law's St.

Leonard home, and she's taking care of my baby and I'm upstairs. And, you know, the big, big dining room table with the plastic cover on top. And I put my computer on it, you know, and I'm like, oh my God. And then, you know, it's lunchtime.

She's like, Laura, you want some meat? You know, I'm like, no, I don't want lunch. I don't want anything. I'm feeling miserable.

I don't know what to do. What am I doing? I have to figure this out. Oh, Laura, Laura, you gotta eat something.

No, don't come to me with food. Nothing. You know, anyway, but slowly, slowly I figured it out. I said, you know, I started to write to some companies and, you know, I worked on my writing skills and approaching and probing.

And, you know, then one day somebody says, yeah, I'd love your services. Sure, I need an account technician. It so happened to be. I said, oh my God, my first mandate, you know.

And that first mandate, I told the client, that potential client, I said, well, that's wonderful. I said, I really would like to come meet you because for me it's so important to meet the employer. to step into their world, to grab that essence of the employer, the essence of the work environment. That way I could tell candidates, hey, you know, your boss is this type of funny or this type of seriousness, or the vibe is this way, the vibe is that way.

It's so important to tell candidates. You take it very seriously. I take it so seriously. Absolutely.

Because how are you going to tell, you know, Shirley that she's up for this accounting position and then Shirley's going to say, well, what's the boss like? You owe it to your candidates to say, "Oh, I think you'll Shirley. You are a bubbly person, and you're going to adore your boss, your potential new boss. He is so bubbly, just like you.

" Anyway, long story short, I told this gentleman I'd like to come see your workplace. No problem. So I got there, and I walked out with five mandates. Not only did he need an account technician, he needed like four other positions filled.

And I said, "This is amazing! Like wow, my first client, and it's a big one. " My first big client, you know. So I started to work on it, fulfilled all the mandates, and then he happened to be, you know, just, uh, yeah, it happened.

He ended up being a little bit pesky and, um, put me through the wringer and didn't want to pay half my fees. Just wanted to like nickel and dime me, maybe because I showed a lack of self-esteem because it was my first client. So I, I don't know what came— I don't know, but I had to get a lawyer involved. Oh my God.

And I thought— Being in business is not easy. It's not easy, but you know what? That was my first mandate as a true blue entrepreneur, and it took me through the whole wringer. And it's like as if God or the universe says, are you ready?

Yes. Because I'm going to take— I'm going to trash your hair all over this. You ready? You want to be an entrepreneur?

I'm going to take it to— I'm going to show you from A to Z what it means. How, you know, getting from cold calling to getting the client to doing the job and fulfilling the mandates, then dealing with the client that doesn't want to pay, getting the lawyer involved. I'm going to take you through it. do it.

And after all that, I still loved it. Yes. You know, because it's within you. That's what you said.

It's within me. Yes. And the original mandate for this client was the accounting technician, and she would tell her boss, Laura is so nice, why are you doing this to her? Pay all her bills.

Why do you have to nickel and dime her? And that's how he was convinced to then just pay me so I didn't have to get the lawyers involved anymore. Because of my candidate, my first candidate that I filled for personal shavu, told her boss, my client, just pay her. Because she's— I see what you're earning here.

Give the girl a break. Nice. Yeah, because you, you took care of that candidate. That's why.

Yes. Like everybody. And I was surprised, you know, like, you know, anyway, but that's what I'm saying is that when you remove yourself from toxicity, from a toxic relationship, an environment, even toxic food. You know, when you just ask yourself, why am I not well?

Why am I grumpy? Why am I having a yucky feeling? What's wrong? Ask yourself that.

What's wrong? Why am I bloated? Why am I constipated? Because you're not eating well.

Why am I not feeling good? Yeah. There's something not right. And you take that step back and just ponder, is it a toxic food you've ingested?

All right, don't be mad at yourself. You know better. Don't do it next time. Don't do it for a while.

Is it a terrible conversation you had? And you know what I got better at? When I'm dealing with somebody and it's not authentic and I'm feeling it, I call it out. You tell the person.

I say, you know, this is like even a new prospective client. I always tell them after I tell them about our terms and conditions, I always say, I'm gonna pretend you're a client, Kathy. So Kathy, you know, these are my terms and conditions. You know, at the end of the day, we have to get along.

If you don't like me, it's not gonna work. Yeah. Because I'm gonna be servicing you and I'm gonna be talking to you every 2 days at least. So we have to get along, right?

And if something's like not authentic or they're skeptical, I call it. I'll say, Kathy, I feel like you're skeptical. If we're not right for you, it's okay. Yeah, you know, so the confidence that you have today— Because you call it, you call the emotions, you call it, you know.

And, uh, where do you see your firm a few years from now? What are your long-term goals? My long-term goal, I do— I would love, I really would love to teach others how to run a recruitment company from their kitchen table, you know, somebody who has I think that's really important. Yeah.

And I think that's really important for someone who has, like I did, you know, a low self-esteem, a lack of confidence, but had that— has that certain spark inside to be an amazing customer service rep. Because that's what my job is at the end of the day, right, is providing excellent customer service, doing the due diligence, finding the candidates, giving candidates excellent customer service, and telling them, okay, client is not going to meet you, this is why, or the client will meet you in a week, here's the interview schedule, or talking to the employer and say, all right, customer service. I haven't found anybody yet. You know, I know it's a week, but it's hard.

Your salary maybe is a bit too low, or can we adjust something? Or, hey Billy, I found a lot of candidates for you. Here are 5 that merit your time. That's customer service, always following up on both sides.

And, um, I lost my train of thought. I talk too much. You want to do consulting? Consulting.

I'd love to teach those that lack self-esteem but have a spark and would love to be the commander of their own time because they have that entrepreneurial, you know, shine inside. Yes. I'd like to teach them that. I'd like to help them and show them how you can run this business, how you could set it up, you know, from scratch and then from scratch find clients and find clients, how to service them, how to prosper.

Um, yeah, I mean, I have a client out in California. They're phenomenal. We've placed about 15 people for them. All of them are mostly engineers, a variety of different engineers, scanning, imaging specialists, specialists with shader languages and all this tech stuff, Kathy, that I still don't really— can't wrap my head around it.

I don't understand it because I'm not a tech girl. Yes. I'm from the world of finance. And I asked my client, and these are like, these are guys and gals that have 25 patents out there in Los Angeles.

And they're going to revolutionize the way, you know, film and imaging is going to be rendered for Hollywood. Interesting. So for example, something like, you know, a back scene of The Matrix. The scene in Matrix, that imaging probably took 2, 3 weeks to finally get it up and composed and right.

Well, my clients have patents that their software, their technology could render an image within a couple of hours for Hollywood, right? And gaming. and everything. I, you know, and I asked him, I still don't even understand what the heck you guys are doing.

Why are you hiring me, me in Montreal, you know, to, uh, to help you with, with finding all these engineers? You know that. And he says, it's because, Laura, you're efficient. You're efficient and you're approachable.

So this is what I want to teach others. I want to teach others not to be afraid to be out, to go out of your comfort zone. Mm-hmm. Not let anybody tell you— you know, for example, there's a doctor in Texas that through a mutual contact, she heard of me.

And this mutual contact said, why don't you call Laura? She gave me a call and she says, Laura, I'm a doctor here in Texas and I'd like to start my own recruitment company. I said, oh my God, that's amazing. She says, yes.

She says, I'd like to help doctors find a position in private clinics. Because here the doctors in Texas, I know they get very abused in the public systems, and we have specialists that would be remarkable in the private sector. I said, that's amazing. I said, I wish I was a doctor.

I wish I was an engineer. I mean, it would make my job even better and easier. I said, good for you. It's amazing.

Anyway, she called me a few months after that conversation and she told me, Laura, it's because of you that I really started my company. Really? I said, oh, come on. She says, Laura, everybody in Texas I was talking to many other recruitment companies and they all discouraged me from starting my business.

Because it's like a competitor. I don't know why. I said, no, they told her because you don't know the business. Why don't you start somewhere and learn it?

I said, but I couldn't disagree more because you as a doctor understand the pain of a doctor and the potential, and you understand the needs of a private clinic. It's so perfect. Anyway, she says, you inspired me and that's why I started. And I thought, you see, this is what I plan for my company.

I'd love to teach others how to do it. I like that. Did you feel like we missed anything from your story or the business side of things before we switch to the short questions? No, I just really want to be clear that, you know, if anybody listening out there, like anything toxic, Get it out.

Do yourself— and you know what I thought to myself one day? It really touches me because I realize that we're mortal. Yeah. And you have to live your best life.

And sorry, it makes me cry. It makes me cry because nobody's allowed. Nobody's allowed to talk to you Nobody's allowed to tell you you're ugly or you can't. Nobody's allowed to do that to you.

You know, nobody. Take your time. That's the message I want to give out. Nobody has that right.

Only you get to dictate. Nobody has that right. Yes. And I feel I'm crying because I feel so passionate about it.

Because we're mortals and you have to live your best life. And, you know, if you have something inside of you, you know, if you're an amazing— if you like to be of service, let it be in the military or as a doctor, or you want to be a recruiter, or you want to be an accountant, whatever your dreams are, whatever, the sky's the limit. Just go for it. Yeah.

And don't let anybody ever discourage you. And those that you feel wouldn't support you, Don't tell them. Don't tell everybody your dreams. Keep it to yourself sometimes, you know.

Mm-hmm. Maybe find a mentor that you can trust. Ask the right questions, you know. Instead of saying, do you think I could do it?

Ask the question, what does it take? How did you start doing what you do, Kathy? And just listen. Be a good listener.

Be a good listener. And listen to yourself first. Listen to your gut. You know, I like that.

And don't like you. That's why it makes me. It just not angry. Just I don't know why.

It just makes me cry. It's not fair. We're mortals. We have to live our best life, and we have so much to give to this world.

It's a shame to have you know your talents wasted, wasted because you're bothered by what somebody said, or you're handicapped by you. You're just just beside yourself by something rude or something, something negative that you ingested. Let it be verbally or by food or an environment. So get out of it.

Just get out of it. Take the bad medicine, get out of it. For me, it meant being lonely just with my family for a few Christmases, you know, but I did it because I wanted to start it. Now my kids ask me for our traditions because Laura created her own tradition in her And we're happy.

We go to bed happy. Kumbaya, as my husband says. Nobody cried, you know, and we're at peace. I feel like anybody who's watching that, you know, they want to jump, they're afraid, they should talk to you.

Talk to Laura. Anytime. Anytime. Anytime.

Oh my goodness. So Laura, let's switch a little bit quickly to the city of Montreal because that's where we live. I'm gonna cry. I should have brought Kleenex.

My goodness. You look good, Laura. What do you like about the city? of Montreal since the podcast is named after the city?

Oh, yes. Well, it's very vibrant. Cuisine is amazing. You can find good food anywhere in Montreal.

I love that. You know what I love about our city so much is that people keep their, their own heritage cultures alive. And I think that's so nice. So it's such a fun place to celebrate everybody's culture.

Like when it's Greek Easter, we all know about it, you know, and we're telling our Greek friends, hey, it's your Easter. Happy Easter. You know? or Ramadan, or, you know, it's nice that we all still— we're not like a melting pot.

We really keep our traditions. We celebrate diversity. We really celebrate diversity. So we have lots of fun with that.

That's what I love about our city. And that also it's very— we're very proud. I find that we're all very helpful, like even the business community. We all listen to each other.

We want to help each other. There's a lot of great networking. you know, networking clans out there, if you want to call them, or organizations that really support the growth of Montreal and help celebrate each other. You know, that's what— that's been my experience anyway.

And is there somebody or an entrepreneur or a business that you would like to endorse on the show that's in Montreal? Wow. There are a few. There are a few.

You know, all of my clients I would endorse. Because they're all phenomenal. I really work with wonderful companies that authentically want to strive and just, you know, go for it. There's so many.

Ben Levine, Levine Brothers is one of them. They've been in business for 100 years. It's amazing. It's amazing what they do.

And that's— they have little turnover, you know. Ben's called me a couple of times for a few little mandates to help them find some staff, but they have no staff problems, you know. Like, it's because, you know, maybe somebody had to be promoted or something like that. My clients too.

I mean, just recently I serviced one company that's really cool. They're called WCC— excuse me, they're called WC and Co. or WC and Co. Brand.

It's really cool because they are a branding company, but they are a main distributor for many Italian specialty foods that we see in the grocery stores. I just found them a sales rep and yeah, really proud of what they've accomplished. They're dynamic, they're incredible. Oh my God, there's so many.

I love my business lawyer, you know, Nadine Shalati, and her sister who's the notary, uh, Dalia Shalati. They are phenomenal. Uh, they're phenomenal because they have strong business ethics and they're straight shooters. What makes everybody phenomenal that I'm mentioning is because they're straight shooters.

, me being one of their suppliers and helping them find, you know, staff. They're straight shooters, they're fair, they're fair employers, and even what they deliver in terms of their services or products, you know, it's authentic, right? And that's what I love. It's just these companies that have the authentic— just being authentic with their products and services and not, you know, having no hidden agenda.

We'll make sure they hear what you have to say about him. All right, so quickly, one favorite book? Oh my God, my all-time favorite book that helped me get this started is The 1001 Principles from Jack Canfield. That book was really the book that kicked me in the butt and gave me that you can do this attitude.

You can do this. I love that book and I still have it. It's like my— it's like a business Bible for me. It has 1001 principles in business and one of them is like, you know, you're gonna get a lot of nos.

You know, you got to keep going at it. And one of the— and a few of the principles also in that book is authenticity. And I really believe that. I really believe that we have to be authentic.

Maybe that's why I'm such a big crier, because I'm authentically touched. You know, you have to be authentic, you know. Especially in business and all relationships. You have to be.

You know, if you want to sleep at night and you want your business to prosper, Of course your business is going to prosper if you're authentic with your staff, you're authentic with your clients, your suppliers. And authentic means, you know, with your supplier. If you think, hey, you know, this is a bit too expensive, can you— what do you think? Just ask the questions, right?

Be authentic. I find your product expensive. What can you do? Be frank.

Be frank. Be frank. Be authentic. Even with your employees, you know.

I find you look tired these days. What's going on? What's going on? Or is this job too— you're a smart person.

Is this job a little bit too boring for you? Should we talk about more responsibilities? Definitely be authentic, you know, be real, you know, be real. Stop putting a facade and pretend.

Just be, you know, and that's it. And have fun, you know. And anyway, that's— That's your take on it. That's my take on it.

Okay. And one of my last questions is, what's your favorite mistake Oh, my favorite mistake. Oh, my favorite mistake is letting people, uh, direct. Um, my favorite mistake is allowing people to— allowing people to, uh, tell me who I am.

Hmm. When it's not true, you know, allowing people, you know, it's just Taking things personally? No. Like, just taking— just allowing people to tell me, you know, whatever it is that did not make me feel good and taking it and not standing up saying, no, wait a second, I'm not like that.

Well, if that's what you think. If you think I cry ugly, oh well. Because you've moved past that. Yeah.

So that's my favorite mistake. And that was— and it cost me many years of— many, many years of depression You know, so I'm just so glad that I finally saw the light that day in Myrtle Beach, and I said, I have to cut it, you know. And that's when it all started to flourish even more. I know you gave us a lot of good, um, a lot of inspiring— how could I say— um, statements.

If there were one last thing you wanted for everybody to get out of this podcast, what would it be? One last message? Just be. Just be.

Just be you. Just be you. Just be you and do you. Just do you.

And I have a friend, I love what she says. Show me. Says, just stay in your lane. Just stay in your lane.

That's my friend Olga. Just stay in your lane. And she's right, you know, just do you. Do you.

Be you. Be kind. Share your light. First, give your light to yourself.

first, and then you could share it with everybody else. Because if you can't nurture yourself, if you cannot love yourself, nobody's gonna do it for you. I promise. Nobody.

Nobody's gonna show up. We come here alone, we're gonna leave here alone. So you have to be your own best friend and fill yourself up first and then just share it. And when you lack it, take a step back, ask yourself, what are you lacking?

Go get it. It could be that massage. It could be that exercise routine. Don't go for the donuts.

Don't do that. That's toxic food. But do something good and just be happy. I like that.

That was really nice, Laura. That was really nice. Very inspiring. Thank you.

Very encouraging because a lot of people have pain inside and they wonder, can I go up that hill? Can I do it? Yes. But you today, you represent— Yes.

You're like proof. If she can do it, I can do it. You could get out of that sticky mud and go up that hill. Yeah, you can.

Thank you for coming. Thank you. To the Montreal Entrepreneur Podcast (now The Vault MTL). Thank you so much.

Thank you.