E076 Jacqueline Armstrong Gates Mentoring is Rewarding
Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 76
Date: July 11, 2023
Participants: John Webster, Elise Seifert, Cameron Earnshaw and Sheila Webster
Guest: Jacqueline Armstrong Gates
Start times and Segments:
[0:00:35] What’s On Your Mind: Be the pond – a Zen Den Youtube video for children about a mindfulness strategy. You (and your mind) are a pond. Your feelings are represented by fish. You can observe all the fish, without having to be one of them. Be the pond and observe the fish.
[0:08:22[ Expanding Minds Interview: [Many areas of Wellness] We interview Jacqueline Armstrong Gates about the rewards of mentoring. She was fortunate to have mentors in her life. She received advice, guidance, exposure and experiences. There’s a nice cycle. Jay pays it forward to the next generation, who will in turn pay it forward in the future. Jay’s mentored dozens of women over the years: (1) University of Waterloo students; (2) professionals in the local community; and (3) colleagues in the law firm, Gowling WLG.
[0:24:50] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Cameron enjoyed collaborating with Matt, who plays the vibraphone. They’re working on a jazz piece. He also had a gig with his rock group, Shy Harry.
[0:28:49] Move That Body: There are lots of social medial post about replacing some habits with better ones. We talk about one, focusing on exercise and healthy eating.
[0:34:04] Running Popup: John was zoned out and missing the scenes around him on a run, then used a trick to get into the moment. He imagined what he’s focus on if it was his last moment.
[0:35:47] Flipside of the Coin: It’s sad to hear about and be affected by the forest fires raging in Canada. It’s a sign of the times. If we want to be environmentally friendly, then we must be environmentally friendly. Maybe this is a big eye-opener for us.
Quotes and Take-Aways:
Jacqueline – The best thing you can do is talk to people who are in the sphere you are thinking of for a career. Everyone is happy to give their time. Get a little taste of what it’s like.
Jacqueline – That’s something I would encourage. Just pop into a colleague’s office and say “hi”. It’s making the connections. Mentoring can be an official mentoring or an unofficial one.
Jacqueline – You can have different types of mentors. You can have someone mentoring you from a professional perspective, who are more senior. You can learn a lot from junior people. There are different aspect of mentoring. It’s everywhere.
Jacqueline – A woman I mentored thanked me. She was so excited on the day she became a lawyer. The best part was that she said, “thank you for doing so much for me, because I’m going to pay it forward.” That gave me goosebumps.
Jacqueline – What they tell me I do is give them a boost of confidence. I tell them that they’re going to get through things. I tell them that everyone’s written exams. I tell them if something is bad that day, the sun will shine tomorrow. Nothing’s as doomy or gloomy as you might think. I’m there as a sounding board for them.
Jacqueline – They need someone to talk to. They say, “I feel better after I’ve had this conversation with you. I thought I was on the right track, but it’s. nice to have a little bit of support, or someone to suggest I’m on the right track.”
Jacqueline – I love mentoring. Personally I believe we should be giving back. If I go back to where I started, I was very fortunate to have mentors in my life. They provided me advice, guidance, exposure and experiences. I’m feeling good about providing the same thing to mentees.
Bulletin Board Quote brought to you by Elise: I use it a lot when I’m being my anxious fish.
Guest Information: Jacqueline Armstrong Gates is a lawyer and partner in Gowling WLG's Waterloo Region office. She’s an experienced commercial litigator and the National Litigation Lead in Product Liability. She’s worked with public and private corporations in Canada and the U.S. Jay is repeatedly recognized by Best Lawyers, Lexpert and others as a recommended lawyer. She received University of Waterloo's Alumni Achievement Award and Waterloo Region Law Association’s Coulter Osborne Award. She does much volunteer and community work. In her spare time, Jay’s is a body builder.
Jay’s online bio: Jacqueline Armstrong Gates
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Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle and Julie