LEARN MORE ABOUT LAUREL

What’s the one quality that people most often speak of when they describe you?

My optimistic, pragmatic, can do approach to solving problems and getting things done.

What’s an impression people might have of you that really isn’t like you at all?

Perhaps it’s my South African/British/Canadian accent, but I’ve been told people think I’m aloof and stuffy when they first meet me.  They’ve also said when they get to know me that their first impression was completely wrong.  It just shows what our personal biases can do to our thought processes.

what book, movie, or tv series would you recommend? why?

Two books I read recently have really resonated with me: The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cylka’s Journey, both written by Heather Morris.  They are both superb works that infuse life with hope and optimism even during the most desperate of times.  I highly recommend them.

what’s a personal or life skill you’d like to acquire or get better at?

I’m a closet artist.  I started painting in acrylics later in life and haven’t had any formal training in how to paint – or any art for that matter.  As I’ve ventured along my artistic journey, I’ve learned that art is a gift that can create a huge sense of well-being when it’s practiced.  Now I’d like to learn to draw – something I’ve never been particularly good at but a muscle I’d like to flex more.

what’s the most out-of-character thing you have ever done?

I live life quite cautiously and tend not to take great risks that make me uncomfortable.  The decision I made as an adult to leave the land I was born in and move halfway across the world in search of a better life in a foreign country where I knew no-one really proved to me that fear can be overcome and we really can achieve anything we put our minds to.  That was likely one of my most courageous acts.

what’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

“Your boss will not be the person who changes your bedsheets when you’re on your deathbed.”  Work is important, but it can never be more important than our personal relationships with family, friends and ourselves, and it’s vital to our well-being that we make time in our otherwise busy lives to nurture these.

 Another piece of advice that’s right up there for me is “what you put into it is what you get out of it”.  It’s only by applying myself to my dreams that I’ve been able to achieve what I have.

What quote or slogan would you say best describes your life to this point?

Just do it!

What are the top five things on your bucket list?

I’d love to travel more and I’m sure travelling could fill the top ten spots on my list 😊.  Places that are high on my priority list right now are Spain and Portugal, Greece, England/Scotland/ Ireland/Wales, Croatia and the Dalmatian coast.

what is one thing you believed at the start of your career but think about differently now?

I used to think everyone will get ahead in life if they apply themselves and work hard.  After emigrating to Canada, I have come to realize that none of us is an island and it’s the quality of our relationships that really enriches us and makes the difference in our lives.

what one place have you visited in your travels that you would visit over and over, or would even like to live?

I’m not sure I’d like to live there, but Turkey fascinated me.  I love learning about the culture and history of places I travel and was intrigued by a visit to Istanbul.  I’d enjoy going back there to explore more of the country. 

London, England is the one city I could go back to again and again – I love the culture, the history and the general feel of the city.

what has been your biggest regret so far and why?

That’s a tough one.  I try to live my life without regrets.

What has 2020 taught you?

To be comfortable in online video meetings – I used to hate turning the camera on, particularly on those bad hair days!  But I’ve learned to love the camera as a way to connect with others, particularly when we can’t all be in the same room.