Dianne Whalen

“I never think about why I can’t go.” – Dianne Whalen, 500 Days in the Wild

Oh dang… I missed my opportunity for a shameless selfie with Dianne Whalen. Although, I did get the opportunity to speak with her at the end of the PowHERhouse event, complimented with two hugs. What can I say? Dianne is an inspiration. She is wholehearted, positively optimistic, and genuine. I was so enamoured by her story at the 2014 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts. I was equally entranced by Dianne at the PowHERhouse Women’s Mixer & Fundraiser on March 13, 2015. Her mission is to spend “500 Days in the Wild“… that is, walking, biking, and/or canoeing across Canada… and documenting her journey. I love her deep belief in herself, her matter of fact points of view, and her fearlessness to embark on this mission to realize her vision. “Fake it until you make it.” I love that attitude.

I would also like to thank Charlene Sanjenko from PowHERhouse for initiating and orchestrating this Women’s Mixer & Fundraiser event. It was a full house… Wall-to-wall women… Standing room only. Nothing I like more than the ongoing chatter of women. There is teaching, learning, and leading when that happens.  Thank you to all of the women who attended the event and to the women entrepreneurs and local businesses for donating prizes to the silent auction. I won a few prizes. Yay me. It was so awesome to connect with so many women at the Gibsons Public Market. Furthermore, it was an excellent opportunity to hang out at the Community Resource Centre‘s table to share the Executive Summary of The Progress Plan and promote the Self-Employed Women’s Network with Cheryl McNicol and Liz Banks.

Women connecting with other women on the Sunshine Coast and listening to Dianne Whalen for inspiration, it equates to an evening of awesomeness. “Think about what yo can do, not what you can’t.” Makes sense to me. #thankyouDianne