The Other Side
"Nadine sure likes to talk" - every report card she brought home
Nadine has been talking for 47 years, and en route to pickleball can be overheard asking "So, what's your deepest wound?" Not known for her subtleties, she's a born story-collector and learned storyteller who decided to mic-up and take you along for the ride.
Listen in as Nadine chats with folks about their lives, zeroing in on those messy parts as we get ourselves from one point to another. Covering things like friendships, careers, deaths, and divorces. There's nothing she won't ask in hopes that other people's experiences can help you through your own.
We're not experts; we're just humans having a human experience we think you can learn from. Or relate to. Or laugh at. Or cry over.
So hit download, dive in, and hear how folks found themselves on THE OTHER SIDE.
nh x
The Other Side
TOS of Event Planning
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Amanda Ruddy knows how to throw a party. But this conversation isn't really about parties.
It's about growing up the oldest of five kids in six years, in a house that was always a gathering place. It's about spending years wondering if your name opened doors that your talent was supposed to. It's about losing your mom three weeks before the biggest event of your career and showing up anyway — because she would've wanted you to, and because what else do you do?
Amanda is the founder of Amanda Julia Events, one of Ottawa's most trusted event planning companies, and she is warm and funny and refreshingly honest about all of it. The loneliness of entrepreneurship. The hard conversations she'd rather not have. The event hangover that hits every time. And the two minutes before the doors open that she lives for, every single time, no matter the event.
We also talk about what actually makes a great event (hint: nobody remembers the linens), what people get wrong about this industry, and how she survived COVID by driving around Ottawa tying ribbon on boxes and refusing to disappear.
This one felt like sitting across from a really good friend. Settle in, folks x
@the_otherside_pod
Welcome to the Other Side Pod. I'm Me Dee. We're not experts. We're just humans having a human experience we think we can learn from, or relate to, or laugh at, or cry over. So hit download, dive in, and hear how folks found themselves on the other side. Consent. Okay. I hope you consent, Amanda, because we're recording, baby. Amanda, if you had one last meal, like AI robots are taking us now tomorrow. What is your last meal tonight?
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's a great question. Can I have two?
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01That's the best answer. I'm gonna have three. I would I'm gonna take a whole day of meals. I would have the Riv burger from Riviera. I would have the carbonara from Cantina Gia, and I would have the steak frit from Gitan.
SPEAKER_00Oh my god, I love this. Can you take me with you?
SPEAKER_01Yes, you can come with me. And then we would need to finish with a sweet treat. I don't know what that would be. That might be as simple as like a McDonald's vanilla cone.
SPEAKER_00Okay, listen. If the world's ending, I'll eat dairy because I don't care if I'm sick for the next few days because perfect it won't matter. But you know what I'd still want to do? Oh gosh, well, what I want for dessert. Oh gosh, I know. Who asked these questions? Terrible. I would want, oh, you know what's coming to my mind? Anything lemon flavored. I'm like, I'm all in. Like a lemon sounds so like I'm an I was always an 80-year-old woman. Listen, a lemon square, like a really tart lemony. I know. Oh god, I see myself.
SPEAKER_01It's so funny. I'm working on an event right now, and the the birthday girl is 13, and all she wants, or sorry, she's 12, and all she wants is lemon squares.
SPEAKER_00She's my soulmate. Okay, tell us who you are.
SPEAKER_01Amanda. I own an event planning business in Ottawa, born and raised here from a very big family. I'm the oldest of five.
SPEAKER_00A lot of five.
SPEAKER_01Uh five in six years. Like my youngest sister was brought home from the hospital on my sixth birthday. No multiples, just parents that apparently love to have children. How did that go? You could have to ask Alexander that question. She doesn't celebrate her birthday as big as I do, I think, because she was like, okay, we're good here. Sorry, I'm still sorry. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She had nothing to do with it, but you know, it's a cross she's had to bear her whole life. Yeah, I mean, I love to support local businesses. I love going out. I love being by a body of water. I'm a cancer. I like the sunshine and water, whatever's happening outside here over it, very over this winter. But yeah, I think in a nutshell, that's that's who I am.
SPEAKER_00So you were born in Ottawa. I was, yeah. Right. What were you like as a little kid?
SPEAKER_01I think, I mean, I don't remember, but I think people would probably describe me as a bit of a ham. I loved getting attention. I don't know if it's because I'm the oldest girl or what. I was also like I have two cousins that are older than me, but then I was kind of like the new baby around, like 11 years later. So I think I got a lot of attention. The the lore is that I'd get a birthday cake every month until my second sister came around. Yeah, so I'm a bit of a hand, very outgoing. My siblings would definitely describe me as Blossy, I'm sure, as a child. Me probably now still knew what I wanted. I was ready, I was here. And big emotions. Big emotions.
SPEAKER_00A little bit big emotion.
SPEAKER_01Big big feelings, yeah, over here.
SPEAKER_00It kind of makes sense that now you're like, yo, I'm gonna be in charge of the scene. I'll know what the vibe is, I'll be able to set this up to Amanda's standards. Okay, wait, before I even get into that, yeah, yeah. Amanda, Amanda Julia is the name. Amanda Amanda Julia Vince. So where's Julia come from?
SPEAKER_01Uh so Julia is my middle name, actually. I am named after one of my dad's sisters who I never had the opportunity to meet. She passed away before I was born, but I was given her name and I love it. And she was actually she was an artist, so I find that the creative type, which is interesting. So I never got to meet her. But when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to name my business, I really wanted it to feel like me. I come from a big family. My dad's a lawyer, my mom was a dermatologist, my uncle has a big I don't make the right word to use, like presence across Ottawa. So my last name is something that I am very proud of and I love, and I came from amazing people, and I'm got to grow up with and learn from and be mentored by obviously some of my favorite humans in the entire world. But when I was building my own business or thinking about what I wanted to do, I think certain things stuck with me from different jobs from when I was younger. And I've been very grateful and very lucky to have so many incredible job opportunities in my life and that have led me to here right now. But a lot of commentary comes along with that from other people that are like, oh well, you got it because your mom knew this person or your uncle donated to this or that happened. Like it takes away the credibility of me if people just think that like my name got me somewhere. So when I was thinking about how I wanted to build this and make it my own, there was a real, I don't know what you know, but it's the first thing that I have with mind. I again I grew up with four siblings. Like there was lots of sharing. And so I think when I was kind of putting it together, I was just like, well, here I am. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna be the one running it, doing it, planning your events, meeting with clients, doing all of that. So that's why my last name isn't part of it. And I think I also think part of those comments to give give me a bit of a complex of like, is that why? Is that the only reason why I have missed job? Is that the only reason why people keep me around? You know, so I think this was also like a little previous to yourself, too.
SPEAKER_00You wanted to carve your own path, right? From a lot of people around you. And this is it sounds like this is the first time you took something on all by yourself, and you were like, I just need to like separate this from all the other voices in my life who I love dearly and and figure this out for myself, just based on Amanda, not on Amanda Ruddy. Yeah, 100%. That's really beautiful. I mean, I also just want to take a moment, and I think you know this, to say other people's comments have nothing to do with you, right? Like it's all about their own securities and their own uh-huh. Yeah. 100%. 100%.
SPEAKER_01And I but I still think that's important to like reiterate. I don't know about you. Sometimes, I mean, like entrepreneurship and running a small business can be a very lonely little game. And it's and it's always been hard for me to like get out of my own head and get out of my own way sometimes. And I have a tendency to like ruminate on things that people have said, or that you know, some comments just like hit a little deeper, add a little salt to a wound that you're like trying to work through as an adult now. So you're absolutely right. Anything that anybody has to say about me, go nuts. But in their comments, that's fine. And I also understand that somebody's name can get you in the door, but that's not what keeps you there. I understand that now. I learned that. That's such a good way to put it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. If you were shitty at your job, it would quickly fizzle out. Yeah, like you can only ride, you can only ride that wave so long. Yeah. It's so much.
SPEAKER_01Well, anybody with enough influence to keep me around if I'm doing a real crappy job. No, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I like how you say entrepreneurship's a really lonely job because it really is like you're almost like opening up your journal and you're like, here you go. Have like a proofread my journal entry of today, because everything we put out there is so personal. It's so vulnerable, even no matter what you do. Yeah, totally. Yeah. Because it's all coming from you, right? You're like, maybe I'll try this. I'm gonna plan this event, I'm gonna take this on, I'm gonna make it this kind of theme. It's coming from Amanda, and like all of your ideas are basically in the public eye for people to criticize. Yeah, I know. And you criticize yourself enough, I'm sure. Like, I'm sure every post-event, you're like, okay, what went really well, what didn't go so great, what would I change? What would I definitely do again? What vendors are really great to work with? We're always criticizing ourselves just to just to constantly grow and get better and learn. Yeah. Okay. Tune out the noise. That's a good, that's a good lesson there. How did you try? At least try. At least try. I know. Listen, daily work, life's work. Some days are very near the mother. Yes, agree. How did you know you wanted to be an event planner? Like, where did this all come from?
SPEAKER_01That's a great question. I did not know that that's what I wanted to do at all. It's funny too that you asked this question because I was always like, oh, those people that are like, oh, I just fell into it. I was like, what do you mean you just fell into it? I did. I fell into it. It's exactly what happened to me. So sorry for every time I rolled my eyes at anybody that ever said that when I was like struggling to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, a career. And yeah, I I really fell into it. So I think like context-wise of me, again, huge family. We love to get together. We literally lived down the street from my grandparents' house. Like, so there's five siblings in my house. My dad had five siblings where there's lots of cousins, and everybody was really close. And that was a gathering, like my grandparents' house was a gathering place, and then our house quickly became a gathering place. My mom, you know, the older I get, the more I appreciate that she always made sure that these days and events or holidays was special in some way, and she kind of like brought that magic. And I think that is what I'm trying to like carry through a little bit. So always in a very social setting, my whole life. And then I took politics with an English minor because I at 17, when you have to decide what the hell you want to do with your life, at 17. And at that time in my world, there was like four jobs that existed, right? You could be a teacher, you could be a lawyer, you could be a doctor, or you could be, I don't know, like an art teacher, like an artist, whatever. So I thought I wanted to go into law and so took politics. Exactly, that's what you do. Anyways, then finished my undergrad, did my master's in communications, still not really knowing. I never came out of school being like, oh, I know exactly what I want to do. So, anyways, started working on the hill, worked on the hill for a little bit, kind of quickly was like, I don't love this. So then I ended up at the National Arts Center Foundation, started as the executive assistant to Jane Watson there and learned a lot and was in for a year. And then the events team and the fundraising like sponsorship team for their signature events. So at that time, they had the Governor General's Awards, the NEC Gala, and then they also had some different like private fundraisers that they did. And both teams were short and they needed help kind of managing event logistics from one side and then also managing all of the like sponsor benefits that and making sure that, like, okay, like I don't know, randomly like B modated, make sure that everything we promised them in the agreement is executed on a Med Day kind of thing. So then they were like, Oh, would you be interested in trying this out? And I was like, sure, yeah, that sounds great. This does sound like something I'd like to check out. Fell in love with it. It was the first time I was like, oh, I'm like good at this. Like I have a natural like instinct for certain things. I'm super organized and like detail-oriented, and like I needed to rely on all of those qualities to make sure that I wasn't messing up, you know, anybody's sponsorship or messing up like what table they're sitting at, or you know, things like that. And I was really lucky to be on two teams. Like I had to kind of work on two teams and work with uh very directly with two women who have now become two of my closest friends. And they trusted me. They let me run with something, they would let me have ideas. If it didn't work, it didn't work. But it was kind of the first tie. They're like, oh, great idea. Like, how creative, love that. Yeah, try that out, see what that would look like, price out what that would be, that kind of thing. And so it I think it was the first rule that I felt I ever had some rope to show off what I could do. And that came to life, right? Like, and that came to life and you could see it. And my favorite moments still of one of my favorite moments of any event is the two minutes before the door opens and the two minutes after it opens, are still, I mean, I have many now favorite parts of an event, but at this point we can't do anything out. Like everything else is gonna be like you react as you need to, but right now we have controlled everything we can control. This is the prettiest listener's gonna look because people haven't been in here yet. Uh this is the moment that you kind of like I mean, then you can. I'm I'm speaking as though I have all the time in the world to stand and take it all in. You don't, but it's one of my favorite parts of every event, no matter what size, no matter what type of event, no matter it's just there's something so special about that moment because that's everything you've done to this point in real life. Here it is playing out.
SPEAKER_00What a moment. I would be probably a whirlwind of stress, be like saying I'm like, oh my gosh. I wanted to be an event planner for a hot second when I was 20, because 23. I'd planned events for my old business and I hated it, honestly. Like, I I was excited to have an event, and I'm like, this is gonna be amazing. And I knew how I wanted to go, but it's so much work. Like, yes, uh after the event, it's I felt like every time I'd want to go hideaway for two days. I don't know how you feel. Let me ask you. After a big event that's gone really well, how do you feel the next day and the day after?
SPEAKER_01That's a great question. At the end of the event, I'm so tired, I can't wait to go home and wash my face and just crawl into sweats and like get into my bed and scroll for a little bit, or just pass out. Like, you're like, Yes, I'm sure.
SPEAKER_00Like Taylor Swift in the in the bathtub with all her like beautiful.
SPEAKER_01You know, and just like that's it, we're done here. But honestly, you're just like running on adrenaline for me, anyways. I find I'm like running on adrenaline for like hours after, and it's when your body's buzzing, and also I don't even think my brain goes there yet to like how great it was or what we could fix next time or whatever. It's just kind of like okay, this just happened. That was big, good for you.
SPEAKER_00Like, yeah, a buzz. I totally get it.
SPEAKER_01Have some water. Do you want some French fries? Like, what like your body needs something because you probably haven't eaten or drank anything all day. It's always sore. My body's always so sore because you're running around. Honestly, I think most events would agree. You have an event hangover, you're exhausted, you didn't drink any water the night before or the day before, your body hurts in places that you're like, what's happening? And also you've been really social all day, the day before. And that's also not just, I think sometimes it's easy to forget. Like, that's not just like if the event was five to nine, that's what you did. Like you were there at 8 a.m. doing that and running in and making sure and problem solving and making sure everybody has what they need. So you're tired, like emotionally tired. There's an emotional aspect to it for me, anyways. I got very emotionally attached to my clients and their events. And there's also a I'm hard on myself, and I will easily pick apart the next day, like, oh my God, how did you miss that? Oh my god, you messed that up. Like little things that you know you hope the next time you're gonna catch, or you're just like being pulled in so many directions, and not things that anybody else would notice, but things that my brain is like, oh hey girl, great event, but also you did this, like you forgot about.
SPEAKER_00You know, yeah, like four in the morning you wake up and it's like, hey, Amanda, table seven ran out of sparkling water, and you're like, right the worst. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And then they had it like three seconds later, but yeah, that one person would ask you for it, you know. So I think there's I want all of my events, like all of my clients' events, to go how I would want them, which they were my own. Like that's really important to me. Um, how we get there in the planning process is one thing, but like if this were my if I were to put myself in that client's shoes and be like, this is how do they, how would I want this to run if this were me? That's like an important piece for me, but also comes with like, you know, the chaos inside my own head about that. So it's yeah, the next day. There's a lot of drinking water, there's definitely takeout of some kind, probably watching some law and order and reality TV, just like quiet time. It's there's quiet time, or sometimes it's another event day the next day. So we get up and you hope that you weren't up until 3 a.m. running on adrenaline, and you get up and you do it all over again.
SPEAKER_00Okay. What is a favorite event to plan? Like what kind of event?
SPEAKER_01I it's a great question. I work every year on the Boys and Girls Club Glamp and Gala. I I think this is my fourth year doing it with them. It is one of my favorite events every year for so many reasons. It's fun, it's creative. We get to work with a lot of local businesses, a lot of local restaurants. It's always the Thursday before Labor Day weekend. So there's something about that that I love. Kind of closing out the summer. Oh, I hate to say that. Closing out the summer, but there is something we build that venue. It's outside, but we build it and we start building it on the Monday, the events on Thursday night, and it is just like I mean, it's insane. It's stressful, it's all these things. But let me tell you, before those doors open at 6 p.m. that day, that event day, it is like, wow, we did it. And so many people come together, and it's one of my favorites because of the scope of it. Every year it's a different theme. Every year people lean into it. It's it's an amazing organization. Obviously, the committee, the Gallic committee is always fun to work with. There's just something about it. So, like, that's one of my favorites every year. I love a good, like, milestone birthday because I feel like we need to be throwing more of these everybody. I love corporate events. Corporate events are fun because they're all different. So I think I don't I have so many, but it's so hard to choose because I decided early on that like I didn't want to like pick a niche. Like I didn't just want to do corporate, I didn't just want to do social. I mean, truth be told, I didn't want to do weddings. COVID had other plans for that. Like, that was the only event you could do. So, and I then when I started doing them, I didn't dislike them as much as I anticipated I would, to be honest. So now I kind of do all three. It keeps my life very interesting. It keeps things, everybody's different. Every client needs something different, everybody wants something different. Um, it's fun. I get to like really, I don't know, I get it's fun. It's really fun. And yeah, so my favorite type of movement really is like where clients like want to be creative, where they want to do something a little bit different. I think it's really important. Like, I understand tradition, I understand trends, I understand you see something, you're like, yes, I want that. But for me, what it comes down to, I try to say to my clients, and I actually spoke to a bride yesterday, kind of like running through this, is like, what feels true to you though? Because we can put every trend that's running on event trend running on TikTok into your wedding. Well, do you like it? Do you want to spend money on that? Is that what's important to you? I always try to I want it to look pretty, obviously. That's a huge part of my job as a big part of what I do. But what does this feel like to people? Like when people come into your event, what do you want them to feel? And when they leave, what do you want them talking about?
SPEAKER_00That's such a nice way to think about it. Sorry, I'm having an epiphany. I'm gonna talk to I'm gonna talk about the Enneagram again because I can't help it. It's it's what I love. Do it. I'm seven, and one of my shadow parts of a seven is we're very self-referencing. Sorry. Anyway, it's just a thing. And so when I think of because I've been thinking of my 50th, I'm 48, and I'm like, oh, I want to do this, I want to do that, I want to do this, and like kind of like yeah, there's a million ways I can celebrate it and be very happy. But I would really like my closest people in my life to gather together because I love a gathering. And so I've been thinking about it from my point of view, because obviously it's my 50th, but also I find it really beautiful to separate me from from myself and to be like, how do you want your best friend to feel when they walk into this place? And I think that's such a great way to stop somebody from getting stuck in their own lens and to be like, oh, right. It's just not my experience. And I'm not inviting people just to have Nadine's experience. I I can be self-referencing, but I actually really want everyone around me to have a very good time. But I think having that lens helps me see it from a very different perspective, which is so lovely.
SPEAKER_01So I had a Brawlstone birthday last year. So if I turned 40 last year, and birthday. Thank you. Thanks. Yes. We'll write it out until March this year. Yeah. And initially, you know, this is kind of like a perfect example. Like initially, I was like, I want to do a trip. I want to go to the Hamptons. I've always wanted to do like a big Hamptons summer trip. And do it for your 41st. I'm available. And amazing. Well, I didn't go. So this is the whole thing. I didn't go last year. So I was so excited about it. And I was like, love this. And then the more I sat with it and the more like complicated it became. And I felt like I was taking up people, I mean I would have cancer. So I'm end of June, like pick taking people's weekends in the summer. Like, I don't know. I just the more I thought about it, the more stressful it became. And I was like, I don't want this to be stressful for anybody either. Like, no, the more I sat with it, I was like, I want to do a big pool party. Like, that's what I want to do. All right, well, a pool party. Mother Nature had other plans. So it rained three days last summer. I had events on all three days. The rest of the summer we were in a drought. But then one of the events was your birthday? Your fourth day. Yeah. But as long as everybody else has nice weather and growth. I wasn't mad bad at all. The day before I remember my dad was like looking at me and he was like, I can tell some things are alone, but like I don't, I don't know what it is. I was like, it's supposed to rain 75 millimeters. Have you ever even seen that on the weather network? Yes, I have a man.
SPEAKER_00I'm from Newfoundland. You're right.
SPEAKER_01But I'm like, I think we've seen that here. But I was like, I just can't believe it. I was so upset. And he was like, okay, are you turning four or 40? And he was big feelings. Get aboard. Oh, exactly. And he's not new here. He's been here from the beginning. So and he was like, Well, I mean, I guess the way we should look at this then is how lucky are we that we have a house that's big enough for you to house a house party? And so we took the party inside, and it was the revival of the house party. And let me tell you, now I want everybody to have a house party. It was so nostalgic for so many the amount of house parties we used to have in that house because there's five of us and five of us in six years. So all of our friends here all knew each other. We would have Rangers in that house. And I was like, we're bringing back the Ruddy Ranger. I'm like, we're doing it. And it was one of the best nights I've ever had in that house. And we got to make it out to the pool area later in the night. It was smaller. Everyone was fine. Everything was fine. But just and now I'm like, oh God, I'm so happy I didn't go to the Hamptons. I'm so happy I had this like wonderful experience in the home that I love that brought me so much joy with all of my favorite people. And then did like a smaller kind of getaway the next two days later with my best friends. They have a cottage and they hosted a smaller group of us, like 10 of us, and they turned their whole cottage into Amanda's Beach Club. So I got to have my Hamptons getaway in compute.
SPEAKER_00Oh, I love that. If I were to plan, if I came to you to say plan a wedding, what is the one piece of advice you'd give me?
SPEAKER_01I would remind you that this is about you and your partner at the end of the day. You are going to be bombarded with opinions, decisions, contracts, this, that, and the other thing. And at the end of the day, it's really important that this day is about you. And what you two want, what your story is, what you want to see unfold, how you want people to feel. How do you want to feel that day? Who's taking care of you guys, you know? So I think it's so important to, and you know, my sister got married last August, and she is one of the most indecisive people I've ever met. She knows I'm not saying anything, but she knows this we included it in the wedding speech, and then also learned that her husband is apparently very indecisive. He's like, anyways, they played a wedding in a very short time, and you know, I remember one day she called me and she's like, There's just like so many decisions. I don't know what I'm supposed to do, what's the right one? And she's, you know, it's overwhelming. There's a lot coming at you, and a lot that you're not familiar with because you've never done this before. So I just said to her, if you think about the year before we had my brother got married and my cousin also got married. And I said to her, I was like, when you think about those two weddings that were last summer, what do you remember? Do you remember the color of the linen that you had? Do you remember what fork you had? Do you even remember what the appetizer was? Right. Do you remember the flower color? Do you know what flower did they have? Right. No, but you remember that you had a hell of a good time on the dance floor, or that the DJ was really good, or that the wine was expensive, or that you didn't wait in line for a drink. Right. You remember probably what the weather was. You remember probably, you know, they you would have remembered if the feed was really bad.
SPEAKER_00Right. We get caught up in the smallest of details. Because I like a detail, I like a font. Like I can imagine getting very hung up. That's why wedding planning to me or event planning would give me a heart attack because very detailed, which I'm sure you are as well, but like I wouldn't handle it as well as you do. But you can get so lost in that. Yeah, you can get so lost in it. And you're right. If I think of the last wedding I was at, what I remember, I definitely remember the music. You're gonna remember bad food, bad drinks, yeah, bad music. And you know, maybe not like depends on who's at who's at the table with you, but you can also make your own good time.
SPEAKER_01But you're yeah, and I'm not to say I'm not trying to say those decisions are important, they're important to you, and they're important to the couple and the bride and what you want, but what that's not what people are going to remember. So I always try to take it back to what feels like the two of you, what traditions, trends, fonts, colors, what do you two want? And then we got to tune out the noise and the opinions. And I always say, I'm like, let's blue sky this. Send me a mood board, tell me your biggest ideas that you want to have, we'll price it out, we'll see what's what, and then you make decisions with all the information, right? Because the wedding world is insane. What things cost is insane. It's kind of like you take the list, you now have all the information you need. Like, what do you want to spend? Ultimately, what do you want to spend? And it becomes a need versus what game. Okay, and I think that's why it's important to kind of have full picture going into it because it's so easy. Again, like you're of course, you're excited, you're engaged, you're in love, you're this is so exciting. What a fun time! What a great milestone that we get to walk through and plan together. It's overwhelming, and there's so many things at the end of the day. What makes the most sense for you and your guests?
SPEAKER_00What's a current wedding trend on TikTok?
SPEAKER_01My god, there's plenty. I'm still loving this like saxophone idea where a sax with live saxophonist plays with a DJ and has that Santa France feel, maybe. There's, you know, like instead of the grooven just walking down, they're like handing man like a tequila cart and they're giving shots to everybody. I love the idea of a second dress. That's still a big thing. I think that's fine, like changing into a party dress. But I'm also like, how much did you spend on the first one? Are you sure you want to come out of it?
SPEAKER_00I know. Could we have it where like you wear it another day?
SPEAKER_01You know, and then there's crazier ones of like brides cutting their hair off between like they yeah, they do like a whole not just a dress look, they like cut their hair. And I don't think I can ever do that, but like, you know.
SPEAKER_00Wait, wait, who's cutting it?
SPEAKER_01Because like they'll have they'll have their like hairstylists there, like so during the dress stop, they do a full new haircut as well.
SPEAKER_00David, we're getting married. I'm pulling.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, there's just so many fun things that you can do. A big trend now is a wedding weekend, like it's not just one event. If you're having everybody kind of from out of town, you're doing a welcome party, you're doing a brunch, you're doing whatever. Again, it totally depends on the couple, the venue, what you're comfortable with, budget, all of those things. Yeah, I think, you know, like different runway, like or ceremony seating. So I have a lot like shifting the way that you're not just all in a chair looking at the bride and groom. Looks more like a runway, or you're using different lounge furniture, whatever. There's so many different trends, but not every trend is for you. Yeah, and not every trend is gonna be worth the money and the logistics that you're gonna have to the headaches and the money that you're gonna have to deal with.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's so expensive.
SPEAKER_01So, yeah.
SPEAKER_00What does a hard day look like for you? Like, what's one of the days you look back on and you're like, I hate that day. In your job. I think there's a lot, yeah. I think there's a lot of them. It's also important, people. If you're gonna own your own business, yeah, there's gonna be a lot of those.
SPEAKER_01There's gonna be a lot of those.
SPEAKER_00Really, really hard days. Okay.
SPEAKER_01I think hard days for me as a business owner is days where you have to have conversations that you don't want to have. And sure is this is gonna sound shocking to people that know me. Well, I don't actually like confrontation and like I don't like having. I think hard conversations are important. I think being a business owner has taught me how to have them and the importance of having them and why it's important for them to happen sooner rather than later.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Say that again louder.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, like why the hard conversations, yes, are because the longer you sit with, the longer I sit with it, the worse I feel, the worse my anxiety gets, the worse I'm creating situations in my head or playing a conversation back with never happened. No, you know, I think I've also learned that like you make up a lot of things that you think happened or are gonna happen in response to what you have to say. I think hard days for me are when I have to have hard conversations. I think hard days for me are when you realize that not everybody's gonna show up how you do. I think hard days are when trust is lost between you and somebody, whether it's a client, a vendor, a friend in these situations, the hard days are when the big things that you don't want to deal with and you're like, why do I have to deal with this? I think I wear my emotions and my heart on my sleeve a lot, and I think sometimes it's really hard for me. The hardest days are the days where I have to hear in my head my dad saying, This is business, this isn't personal. But to me, they're the same. And having to separate those two things, because he is right, you do have to separate the two things. They are in hard situations where you have to have hard conversations, it is two different things, but I think it's really hard for me to separate those two things, and it's really hard for me to keep my emotions and my heart out of it. So that's those are the hardest days for me.
SPEAKER_00I just want to bring something into this just to like throw a curveball there, yes, and I think it is still personal in that that's who you are as a human in the world that you're like, I want to deliver this as Amanda at her best would deliver it, not Amanda at her most stress, because generally when those things are happening, it's like you at your most stressed, right? I imagine. I do think there's something about yes, personal and business, but I do think there's a place. I think a lot of women are told to not bring your emotions to work. And I want to be like, fuck off. You know what I mean? Like maybe we learn how to do that. If somebody knows how to do that, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I've never seen it.
SPEAKER_00Maybe we need a little bit more emotion at work, actually. We don't we like I get what your dad's saying. I'm not saying that your dad's wrong.
SPEAKER_01No, I think it just means more like this is it a reflection of you as a person or like how this is happening, you know, or like how you're approaching it. Like, I think that's what it means. And I take it. But I agree with that.
SPEAKER_00Sometimes I feel like a lot of women in in workplaces are told to like it's not so emotional. And I'm like, yeah, except this is our lives playing out. We spend so much of our lives at work with with these people that we work with, which we create relationships with anyway. I can go down that's a whole other thing.
SPEAKER_01Well, then the two of us decide to name our businesses after ourselves, it doesn't get more personal than that. So not just as like our name on the door, it's like we're there, we're dealing with it, there are relationships, it's our reputation, it's our like final. Like at the end of the day, who does this come back to? It is emotional.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's very emotional. And if it's a relationship that you've worked really hard to build with a vendor that you care a lot about, and something happens, of course it's gonna be emotional. But yeah, it's not gonna show up in a fit of hysteria that is not gonna move the business forward.
SPEAKER_01So yes, it's it's so there's this like a weird balance, but it's still really hard for me to find that balance. I find hard not to take things personally, I find it hard to have conversations with people that I have built a relationship with and trust and have let into my little world and my little side of the event planning world. And it's really hard, but there's going to be conflict, there's going to be hard conversations, there's going to be misunderstandings and miscommunication and all of those things. And I think all of that should be addressed and needs to be in order for things to happen. But I think I don't know, as a highly emotional and like big feeling person, it's hard for me when people don't show up in a way that reflects how I show up for them, I think. Right. And I know that looks different for every person. I've had to learn that I've been in therapy for a long time, you know. But I had to learn that it's not always gonna look the same, but it has to like match.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, fair, you know. Is there an event type that you're like lose my number? I'll never do that.
SPEAKER_01Is there? I don't think I mean I don't never say never because I think that's also like a risky game in my business, but I think that it's not necessarily an event type. It's kind of like that. This is the answer that I have to give. But it's like a budget thing, right? Like again to go back to what kind of what we talked about at the beginning. Like, yes, the event would be your vibe, your style, what you want, but I also have like a standard of event that I want to plan and showcase and be part of and pull off for you.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I get it.
SPEAKER_01We can't do that, we can't do that kind of thing. So I don't think it's I don't know. We're gonna get off this call and I'm gonna be like off of that event. But no, I don't think there is because I think there's just like so much. We're having fun, we are throwing parties and we are bringing people together, we're celebrating people in some capacity, right? Like in some capacity, we are celebrating somebody or something or someone or some cause. Like, how lucky am I that? And this is something that I have to tell myself on those hard days or days where I'm just so in the weeds that I'm like, what why did I choose this? It is like people trust me to bring their most special moments to life. People trust like that. Is a huge that's a big undertaking. That's a big testament, that's a big compliment. That is like you're asking me to help plan your wedding. That's crazy. You're you're your wedding plan, your 40th birthday. Try how lucky you might that people and I have met the most favorite part of my job is the people I have met and the clients that I've met and the vendors that I get to work with. And I have just like I've always had a big network in terms of like who I know. My family is very big family, so you know all these people, but it is just getting to like meet you at International Women's Day. Like, thank you, Amanda Thurkill, for doing that event and asking me to come on board and meeting all these lovely women in one day. Like, it's just the best, but like that extends to every event I ever do. I get to meet incredible people and talk to them, and they trust me to be like, This is what we're thinking. Can you make that?
SPEAKER_00And to realize you are part of people's milestones. I never thought of that side of it either, which is really cool. Yeah, you get people like I'm sure there's stress and a lot beforehand because everyone wants it to make it go well. Everyone wants it to go well. It's so stressful. You get to be a part of that celebration, that joy. You get to see the faces like on on friends' faces as they watch their like best friend get married. Like, that's really special, right? You get a what a nice job, actually.
SPEAKER_01Like that is I my job is stressful, and some days I'm like, oh my god, what a decision you made. But at the end of the day, I get to do a really fun, happy, positive thing. And I get to meet incredible people. And if people are gonna trust me to do this, I'm gonna do it to the best. I don't know how to not do it to the best of my ability, but I'm going to do it to the best. You are trusting me with a huge thing, regardless of how big or small your event is. It's a big deal to me. Yeah, it's really yeah.
SPEAKER_00Leading up to it, like I'm picturing it, could be any event, actually. Like, let's picture this the boys and girls club gala. Yeah. I'm sure there's a lot of back and forth with like a key person that's that's managing that event. How I guess how do you create any boundaries the like weeks leading up to that, or is there none for a little bit?
SPEAKER_01Boundaries. What do you want to what is that?
SPEAKER_00Like, is there ever like a do not disturb past 7 p.m.? Or I'm gonna go to a a yoga class for an hour, turn my phone on, like do you? Yeah, I know it's so okay.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I'm joking kind of because I'm like, what is a boundary? Like, Mandel, little bizarre. Laura, I'm the first one. It is hard because yes, there are boundaries. Like, there are some weekends where I like doned my friend's cottage, and I'm like, oh, I'm doing this this weekend, or like, you know, I think a few boundaries that I have picked up, like after COVID, those first two years were insane. Like those first two summers, it was like two weddings a weekend, sometimes, like with events during the week. And I had no summer, I didn't know what summer was.
SPEAKER_00Like, and after that because after COVID, you could have events again, so it was and everybody wanted one and we loved that for them, right?
SPEAKER_01But everybody was also rescheduled into you know dates that worked. So it was a crazy time, but it was also after that summer. I was like, never again am I not going to have at least one weekend every month where I don't have any events. Because the hard thing is, is like you have weekends or sorry, events on the weekend, but that doesn't mean from Monday to Friday I get to turn off. Like there's other events, or there's admit things, or there's planning upcoming events like the next ones and all that. So that's a boundary for me that has been important and I stick to as much as there's like maybe one or two months where that doesn't work. But typically now I'm trying to do that. I do try to put my phone on Do Not Disturb when I am working out, or if I'm going for my daily mental health block, things like that. Then I'm just like, okay, or shall I tune out music only or whatever, podcast, whatever? But it's really hard for me to tune out. It's really hard for me to turn off. I think I put too much pressure on myself in that capacity. Like, I'm allowed to take a Sunday if I want to. Isn't that why I've started my own business to work whatever hours I want? You know, but I think too, sometimes I also get like a wave of like energy at like 8 p.m. And I sit there and like bang at work for three hours because it's like, okay, it's quiet. Nobody's emailing me at that time. I just have time now to like flush it all out. So it really depends. Like my year really does it is in season, like a men's season is like this, you know. Like this right now is the quietest my year is going to be until next January. So it's only going to pick up, it's only going to get busier. And I I love that.
SPEAKER_00I love it, and I also like the thing yeah, you gotta you like because when it comes to certain cycles, you can prep for it. And yeah, I do my best.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I do my best to do that. I'm not always great at that, but like, I mean, like joke, I don't know if this is a joke, but like last from like August last year till December, like my whole life, like I was just like all I was running on anxiety and adrenaline for six, like four months. Like, and it was so like I had so many new corporate clients which were amazing, dream like clients that like five six year. Ago, Amanda just starting, could have only dreamed of, you know, and it was like, there's no way I'm saying no to any of this. I'm gonna figure out how to do it. Sometimes I forget that I'm only one person. Sometimes I forget that, like, yeah, I'm only one person. Working on that. Working on that.
SPEAKER_00But I love that you just said, I need to, we need to pause here. Five, six years ago, clients you worked with this year or last year, you would have dreamt about having them. I think that's so cool because you've built something really lovely. And as an entrepreneur, I know we don't get a lot of pats on the back. So let me just like give you a one big giant pat on the back. Like congratulations, buddy. Like you built this and to be able to look back and be like, there's no way I would have landed that client six years ago. There's no, you just it's like consistency. It's consistency, it's consistency and showing up and doing the best job that you possibly can to make it Amanda Julia events, right? And then you get this client, and it's so, I think, so important to just pause and take a moment and be like, I would have dreamt about that six years ago. Cause I think we just get lost in the in the in the wheels of the thing, right? And you don't you don't remember to be like, oh, that I worked really hard for this, and I so I'm I'm doing a good job.
SPEAKER_01Like, good job.
unknownGood job.
SPEAKER_01And I that's something. Thank you. Thank you for saying that. And thanks, and thank you for the reminder to like pause because that is also something that I am terrible. I just go from one, it's like, okay, now one's over, like we're on to the next. Like, yeah, it's only one person, but it's you forget and I sit there at the end of the year in January, and I'm like, oh my god, but then you're still kind of like so burnt out.
SPEAKER_00So do this year, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I'm like, man, that was great. But so it's just like I'm so grateful. I feel so grateful, I feel so lucky. I feel and I know I built this, which is also just like the crazier piece of yeah for me. I built this, and I will I'll never forget the day. I think this is kind of what sparked our conversation about being on the podcast the other. Was I remember the day that I told my dad that I wanted to start my own business. And back when was it?
SPEAKER_00Set this set the scene. What year?
SPEAKER_01It was 2019. It was 2019. So I and the two years before that were really hard. I lost my mom in October 2017. And so yeah, I lost her then. And three weeks after that was the Great Cup Festival in Ottawa, and that was what I was doing at the time. My job was I was on a small, like there was four or five of us on the Great Cup event team, and I had I couldn't not do it. I couldn't, like, we'd been working on it a year and a half together. Like I couldn't, I couldn't not do it. So I it also gave me a way to push all that grief and loss and love and all that aside, but she would also like not want me to not do this. Like, I've been this is this is it, this is the big thing. Like, this is the big thing. And what was really hard about that was like I didn't tell a lot of people at work, like, you know, there were some people at work, obviously, that knew what was happening, but I didn't even know that's what was coming. My mom had been she had breast cancer for nine years, and that September she ended up having to hospital, and then they were like, Great, she can go home. And I was like, Wait, fucking great, and we'll have to come to the hospital anymore, perfect. And six days later, she passed away. Like, I thought she was coming home for I didn't realize what was happening. So sorry. And I don't know if it was like my brain didn't let me go there, if I wasn't paying attention, if I don't know. Anyway, so that's what happened, and then El Mamba was like the glue of everything. Like, you know, like she's everything. Like anyway, so then yeah, three weeks later it was breakout festival, and I was like, Well, you can't not do like this is insane, you can't all do it. So I just kind of pushed everything aside and did it, and then I just kind of kept doing it. To be honest, I just kind of kept pushing through everything and was like, have my full-blown breakdowns to myself, to my friends, to my family. Thought I was doing a really good job of like hiding of that, but it was for me at the time. I wasn't fooling anybody but myself. And then kind of like that sum the summer after basically went on leave. I couldn't, I I would have kept going, but basically, like nobody else was gonna let me keep going. So took a leave and then was like, Well, what am I gonna do? I don't know, kind of sat in it, still really sad, going through a lot of therapy at the time, like all that. And I I don't know, I don't know what it was. Like one day I was just like, Well, if I could do Grey Cup Festival, which was for anybody that doesn't know what that is, that's the festival that happens before the Great Cup game. So it's a five-day festival of back-to-back events, probably like 25 events in five-day period, like hundreds of pe hundreds of thousands of people. If I could do that at the worst time of my life, like literally, like peel me off the ground, worst time of my life, I can do this by myself. And I didn't want to go back to working for somebody else. In my head, I was like, well, worst case scenario, like if this doesn't work out, I still have all those skills, like I'm not losing anything. I've nothing to lose. I'm partnered up, I don't have any kids, I don't have a mortgage, I know, you know, like whatever. I was just like, what's the worst that can happen? What?
SPEAKER_00Honestly, I think after losing a parent, you're like, what's the worst that can happen? It already happened.
SPEAKER_01It already did.
SPEAKER_00Exactly.
SPEAKER_01And like, yeah, it already did. So I remember sitting at the kitchen with my flew my house and telling my dad, I was like, I think probably I'm gonna start my own business. I just remember looking at me and I was like, and my dad and I are probably the most similar, like in our like, I'm the most like my dad, personality-wise, in our family. And he was like, Okay, like, what do you know about that? And I just remember being like, I don't, but I'm gonna figure it out. And honestly, and he was like, Okay, and I think coming back to the line that like me and you telebonded over was like at that point, I was way too fragile for anybody to tell me no. I could have had way crazier ideas than that. Like, it was just I was so like one more thing would have just like I don't even know, you know. Like it was just like I was so, and I'm sure that's not how he sees it. Like, I'm sure he's like, okay, yeah, sort of, like, you know, she'll go figure it out, and then probably be like, I don't do this. But he has his own law firm, you know, like he my mom had moral practice.
SPEAKER_00I, you know, like you kind of grew up under the umbrella of entrepreneurship, right? Yeah. So yeah.
SPEAKER_01So then I then in November 2019 decided this was it. Right. And then, and then let's all remember, or let's not, let's all remember what happened four months later. So I had a launch party, did a whole thing, and then our our dear friend COVID hit, and I was like, wow, way to go.
SPEAKER_00You nearly just blew up your whole life, but were you like, oh okay, I mean I'm I'm gonna live on CERB.
SPEAKER_01I could oh, I couldn't because my business wasn't old enough. It was only two months old, so they were like, We're not giving you anything.
SPEAKER_00Oh my god, and then how did you survive actually? Like financially, how did you survive those years?
SPEAKER_01I moved home. I moved back home. Okay, okay. Yeah, I moved back home and so I moved back to the house I grew up in, and which is nice. My dad, one of my sisters that was in Toronto, she came home a lot because also, like, what's the fun of living in Toronto if you can't do anything in Toronto? It was nice. I think I didn't realize it took me a few, I think it was a few months, maybe yeah eight months, nine months into COVID that I was like, I can't keep like spending all this, like I'm just rolling money down the drain, like at this point. Like to build a business or yeah, but well, I couldn't make it. I had no income. I couldn't. Gatherings were not allowed. No go. So I did start putting together. I was like, how what can we do? What can I do? How can I get my name out there? How can I keep it? So I did start kind of putting together these like party boxes. So I would partner up with like local restaurants, local businesses, whatever, and we would do these themed party boxes during COVID. So like one of them was a what? What one of those was like a cottage we den thing. So like you had your own little cottage in a box. Then we did like a no shaga one, like a whole play on Oshega and music festivals weren't happening. So we did that. We did a Canada Day one. I did one in October for like breast cancer awareness, like Saturdays for the girls. So built out those. Then quite different people than the clients now, but at the time they were just like new, wanted to do them for as like corporate gifting over the holidays because like nobody could get together over the holiday, couldn't have a holiday party. So started to do those. Then people were like, Oh, we could do this for like a virtual party, like everybody could get a box, and then we all are aligned and can celebrate and open the box together and see what's in there and throw our own little party. So did a few bridal showers, baby showers, Christmas parties like that. It was a really nice way to connect, honestly, with local businesses, with restaurants. Like everybody in this industry. I don't need to tell you, like, COVID was a terrible time for a lot of industries, and like it was a really nice way to connect the people in my network already, collaborate with different vendors, restaurants, what have you, get their business names out there, do this together. It gave us all something to do, and then I would like package them up really nicely, have them delivered a lot of the time. Like for the first year, I just drove them around myself. Like, I've never got to know Ango better until I just drove around delivering these boxes. My like fingers hurt from like ribbon, like burns you the more you tie it. Just like things like that. But I was working hard to make sure that, like, okay, this is what we're gonna do right now. Like, this is not the business that I started, and I had enough meltdowns about that. But like, right now it's working, it's getting your name out there, you're working with really cool partners, you're making connections, building relationships, building trust with people. Not that important. And I don't think at the time I realized that, but now I realize that. And you know, post-COVID, when events and clients that wanted to do events like really started to come in. I was like, okay, like how do they need to let you in? Like, how do they find me out? You know, some people I don't, I don't know everybody, but it was a really it was a creative outlet for me. It gave me something to do as much as some days I hated it. Like, I was like, I hate this. I don't want to put one more box together. This is not the event business that I started, yeah, but you don't have a choice, and like it wasn't two weeks, so this went on for over two years, and we did them. So I learned a lot that way, taught me a lot about myself. So that's how I survived. I moved, I was lucky and fortunate enough that my dad was like, Yes, come follow and let me help you, and you can start your business, and like see it out. So I just I figured it out.
SPEAKER_00So resourceful, so creative. Like, and and I can I can see you sitting there just tying those ribbons, being like, this is not the business I wanted to build. And I felt the same way teaching online. Uh to me, I always just wanted community. I just wanted people to gather. I wanted, I wanted people to be seen and heard and missed in a place. Like, there's nothing like going somewhere where you don't expect the person to remember you and they're like, Hey, me! And you're like, Oh, I'm not, I'm not an invisible, disconnected human. And yeah, to be able to create a space where other people could feel that, that actually what drove me and that's what got me out of bed. And it was, and to have that taken away. And also, my dad had just died as well. And I it was like, oh, what? It was so jarring. And then I remember being on a bike in the dark with a video camera teaching a class where I could hardly ride the bike because I was so exhausted because I was in such grief about my dad and losing the business at the same time. And I remember like I turned the camera off and just sob. And my husband would be there and I'd be like, I don't want to do this. This is not what I built this for. And he was like, babe, do you want to survive? Because it's not going to. And I'm like, and it's not that it paid the bills, it's not even that, because it paid nothing. It was more to, like you just said, to stay visible, to stay like a name in the community, to stay like to keep people to be able to stay connected. I know that was a real for people to to stay visible in the business landscape. And and so that when your doors reopened, it wasn't like, who? You know, so exactly. I think that's it's a testament. And a lot of businesses did the same, right? It was like this is not the business I want. But then but sometimes you just have to, I mean, hopefully do it anyway anytime in the near future. Oh gosh. Oh my god. Yeah, anyway. Yeah, okay. I just love that conversation because I know people are tired of hearing about COVID, but I'm I'm like, how did you survive? I find it I just find it so interesting and fascinating, and it makes me love a person even more. It me, I just like gosh, maybe one day I'll have this podcast in person because what I want to do right now is like hug you so tight. Right now, you did it, you know? Okay, before I let you go, because I have a million questions for Amanda because I find you just so lovely and thank you. Well, genuine and kind, and the warmth that emanates off your body is so lovely. Thank you. If someone was to get into this field and they could pick your brain, they they were Nadine in 2000 and I don't know, three, being like, maybe one day I have to do event planning. What would you tell them? What's a skill or what's a quality that they absolutely need to have in order to survive in this industry?
SPEAKER_01I think there's a few answers I can give you for that, but I think one of them is well, the first thing I would make sure to remind them is that event planning isn't glamorous. There are glamorous parts to it, but you are also going to be doing things that are not glamorous and they are not fun, and they are hard and they're physical. And so, yeah, sometimes you'll get to put on a nice dress and just go, but most of the times you won't. So I think that's something that like event planning is not a glamorous job. You get to create glamorous things, but what you are doing all most of the time, like 80, 90% of the time, isn't the glamorous piece that you might see on social media or in the movies or whatever. I think being a good relation, like good interpersonal relationships are important. You are going to need to build a network of people that, and not just, and I'm not talking client-wise, I'm talking about the people that you're gonna need to call and be like, oh my god, I messed this up, or we didn't do this, or the ladder's not tall enough, or we ran out of this, or they didn't plan for nip ice, or or or and you're gonna need to call these people at some point. You're gonna need to call them, and favors are exchanged, you know, like all those things. And what's been amazing, that's also like one of my favorite parts, is like building relationships with vendors and all of us coming together and all of us laughing it off or crying it off or yelling it off, whatever it is. But like you need to it is really important to me to build a vendor list where like you can be yourself and they get you and you get them, and we all understand the like pressure cooker that events can be, but also it's supposed to be really fun. Like, we're we get to have a lot of fun, and so and also why then wouldn't you want to have people around you that you have fun with? Yes, and in this town, there's so many of them. Like in this town, oh my god, there's so many of them. So, and then the other thing, too, two other things quickly, I would say one of them is like outsource what you don't like and don't want to do. I think that's just important for everybody, yes, you know, find your people, find the people that are good at it, and then trust them to do it. Trust them to do it. Because if you're going into event management, I'm sure you're kind of like micro managing, maybe a little bit. But you just have to trust it and that there's enough room for everybody, yeah? Like everybody and different people are like there's a lot of event planners in Ottawa. There's and I remember when I started, I was so intimidated because I was like, oh my god, there's so many, and you go on social media and you see everything that everybody's doing, and oh my god, how did they get there? Like one day you will get there too, and somebody's gonna be looking at your page, being like, Oh my god, how like oh my god, look at them, you know, and I think it's just like you have to do the work, you have to build the relationships, you have to put yourself out there. It's so hard, it's so hard to put yourself out there, but you have to just do it and don't do it in a way that feels fake because people are gonna know. Don't do it. But I think it's like you work hard, you build relationships, you trust people, you want to be open to it, and not every client's gonna say yes to you. And I always hated when people said that to me. I was like, Well, you but why why not? Yeah, but and it is you know, you are gonna take things personally that you don't need to take personally, but I think there's just every I think a lot of the other podcasts I've sent Amanda's Amanda Thurcos with you, and it's just like the community here, like people want to help everybody succeed. And like if you don't, or if you are coming across not in that way, it's obvious, like, but like there's enough room for all of us. Why I do believe in like community and collaboration over all this other stuff. There's enough room, and if you're working with more than one person, oh my god, the ideas, the ideas and the network and the relationships, and like your events better, you know. So I think there's just like it's hard, it's lonely, not glamorous, but also it's the flip side of that. Is it's so fun, people trust you to get make these creative events happen, and everybody's happy if you're doing your job right, and you get to meet really cool people and do really cool things. This whole industry event industry is human connection. That's it. So if you're not if you're not into that, don't do it elsewhere. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Last question How is Amanda doing?
SPEAKER_01Amanda is doing well, I think she's excited for a lot of big things coming this year, which is great. I'm very excited about that. I can't share them right now because they're all coming. But I feel I think there's always I'm too hard on myself all the time. But I think there is pieces of me that is are like starting to shift a little bit, and I'm being a little kinder, being a little more compassionate, giving myself a little bit more grace. I don't know if this is like age or now I've been doing this for six years. Like we're finding, I'm finding my own room. I'm learning what like should hit and what you have to release, and I'm feeling good. Like I'm so happy winter's almost over. This has been terrible. I can't wait. It means event season's coming, it means everybody's in a better mood soon. And I'm just like ready for the ride than it's 2026, I think. The devil knows what's gonna happen. But there's just like a lot of exciting things have been happening in my brand with my business. I'm stoked for all the events I get to do this year. I'm so grateful. The growth has been insane. I forget to look back at that. I forget that six years ago I was tying ribbons on boxes, and now I am planning events and working with clients that I could have only dreamed of when I was cutting that name ribbon, you know?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, I'm very happy you are where you are. I'm not surprised. I can see the drive.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. Thank you so much. I need to remind myself of that too. So thank you.
SPEAKER_00I appreciate it. I'm so glad we met. You're a dream human. Me too, you're a dreamy human, Amanda. I just love it. Thank you. Oh my god, that's the best compliment I think I've ever seen. One of the best compliments.
SPEAKER_01We've already seen it. A dreamy human, which I tell my siblings, they're gonna be like, Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_00They'd be like, oh my god. My siblings are like, you call someone a dreamy human, but what are you doing?
SPEAKER_01I love it. I'm very open and receptive to being called that. That's a thing. But we're taking it. Alright. Have a beautiful day. Thank you, Baby.