Female empowerment and celebrating the achievements of hardworking women has always been an important thing to me. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that this past International Women’s Day, I launched an exciting contest asking my followers to nominate some of the inspiring women in their lives. From community leaders, career women to those who simply put others before themselves, the response was truly overwhelming. I read through all the nominations and handpicked ten winners, who all went home with an ultra cool Hidrate Spark water bottle.
But it doesn’t end there. Celebrating the achievements of these women shouldn’t be reserved to just one day out of the year. Which is why I’ve decided to launch a series on my blog called “WOMEN In The City”, a feature that profiles entrepreneurial and hardworking women from all walks of life.
Kicking off the series is one of my lovely contest winners, Amaryllis Jones. Nominated by her fiance, take a look at his sweet nomination:
@amaryllisjones is a strong, inspiration. woman that I admire (& my fiancé) who puts others before herself and motivates me to be a better person everyday. She is so busy with her professional career, a PT MBA, wedding planning and yet she finds time to give back to our community and even supervises a tutoring program for underprivileged and at risk youth. Her dedication to others and herself never ceases to surprise. She is a powerhouse and @amaryllisjones I hope you know it so grateful for you & don’t kill me for nominating you!
Now without further ado, here’s our first WOMEN In The City profile on Amaryllis. We dig into her career, inspirations and what #GirlPower means to her.
Danielle: What do you do?
Amaryllis: I am a Trade Marketing Manager at Procter & Gamble (P&G) in Toronto. I manage the market strategy, sales execution and innovation outlook for the Canadian Dish Care brand portfolio: Dawn, Cascade and Ivory dish soap.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your life and/or career?
Career progression is easily limited if you can’t embrace CHANGE. Less than a year into my career at P&G, I found out that one of the brands I worked on, Duracell, was being acquired by Berkshire Hathaway. As part of the acquisition, I was placed in scope to transition to The Duracell Company… either that or walk away from my job. It was the most challenging transition in my career thus far, but looking back I am so grateful that my journey curved down that path. I had the opportunity to explore roles in sales, market strategy and negotiations while travelling across Canada to grow the business. Looking back to 2014 when I was told I was being divested, I would have never imagined the opportunities this “change” would have sparked in my life.
How do you exercise self-care?
I’ll admit, I could do a better job at being more deliberate in this area. I exercise self-care through incorporating wellness habits: healthier, whole foods, exercising and SLEEP! It is so easy to get carried away by the hustle and bustle of a busy work (and school, in my case) day but a good night of sleep always does the trick. I’ve also become more intentional about blocking my work schedule for lunch and power walks; this improves my energy levels and ensures I take a break from my computer.
How do you balance your work and personal passions?
I prioritize my personal passions in the same way that I prioritize work. To be honest, I perform at my best when I’m pursuing my passions, volunteering in the community for social justice and empowerment initiatives. I block time for these initiatives in my work schedule and align with my manager to ensure we’re on the same page with my priorities. When you have a good support team, it becomes easier to make choices without feeling guilty…it’s a choice, not a sacrifice.
What does “girl power” mean to you?
To me, “girl power” means the ability for females to empower themselves and those around them to strive for excellence. It also required the individual to leverage this power to amplify the abilities of others.
If you know an inspiring Canadian woman who would be a great fit for this feature, we want to know about her! Feel free to connect with me for a chance to be featured in our “WOMEN In The City” series.
