All women in the room are asked to “ask”.

Laura Booker took us through a focus group and we worked on our asks.

We shared our asks and as a group we gave suggestions for this ask.

Government funded/supplemented tampons. We do have free condoms, why not tampons?

“Take off your shoes” she said. There was a bit of hesitation from the ladies in the room however they did comply. This was followed by lifting one leg off the floor while maintaining our balance. Point the toes, then next leg.

Then sit down on your chairs and get off using your core.

Here’s what some of the ladies were doing.

Laura Booker discussed Authentic Connections.  Laura considers herself to act and live authentically but in her younger years (she’s only 31 so we are not talking that many years ago!) she was reading a book which listed female leaders of Canada and found her aunt among one of the women listed.  This wasn’t one of those distant aunts whom she barely saw, this was an aunt whom she was close to.  She had to read in a book that her aunt was a leader for women in international business – the very career that Laura was involved with.  This revelation helped Laura realize that even with family, friend and collegues that we know (or think we know) quite well we really are not always interacting authentically with every opportunity.

Laura Booker

It was a defining moment for her and one we were grateful that she shared.  We have met a number of each other in this event but have we really connected?  I know I have only done so on the surface and can’t wait for our next break to be much more authentic for the rest of my day and every day from now on.  Thank you Laura!!!!!

The back inside cover is a journal of gratitude and acknowledgements

Belanie Dishong

Do you know where your connections came from? Do you know how you got to where you are today? How often do you go back to the first person to thank you for your success today?

If you are talking word of mouth we must do it from a place of authenticity. Stop looking for the right door or the right opportunity, you must create it. The next is acknowledgement and gratitude.

She has done a lot of work with the deaf community and have now have radio for the deaf community. It’s time to bring down the walls that bring down a culture. Be inclusive.

Thanks for the light, gratitude and acknowledgement.

Nancy Clark

Lisa Lajoie, President of Tapping Into It spoke to a room full of overworked, way too plugged into our BB women about learning to face our fears and love ourselves.   She reminded us about taking notice and listening to our intuition.  She made us realize we are our own worse enemy and we alone create our barriers to achieve our life purpose and dreams.   I have met and worked with Lisa and can state with certainty that she is one of best in her field and can help you tap into the knowledge you already know about solving and overcoming your barriers.

Social Media Showcase – connecting with the world from Connect the Dots Ottawa on Vimeo.

In all the craziness, excitement and anticipation Carrie took on an additional role and that was to just say thank you, inspire us and get us there to the finish line

So even though everyone is running around today she sent a beautiful email reminding us that we were here, Connect the Dots is a mere few hours away.

So thanks Carrie for taking time for those emails. Thanks to the awesome team for putting this event together and I can’t wait for it to all begin.

See you all tonite.

Twitter Expert Lisa Larter from Connect the Dots Ottawa on Vimeo.

My name is Lainie Towell, and I am a professional artist who specialized in dance from the nation of Guinea in West Africa. I have traveled to the tiny, impoverished country seven times to learn as much as possible about this powerful art form. That was where I first met Akra, in 2004. He was a drummer with the ballet that I was working with in. Over time, we fell in love. (Or so I thought.) We were married in Conakry on April 20th, 2007. When I sponsored Akra to come live with me in Canada, we were amazed that it took only a short time for him to be granted a Canadian visa. But just as quickly, things started to go wrong. One night, shortly after receiving his permanent resident documentation in the mail, Akra disappeared. I arrived home to find an empty closet and his wedding ring sitting on the bedroom dresser. It was clear that I had been duped into marrying Akra so that he could get into Canada. When I reported my case to Citizenship and Immigration they told me to try to forget it. Akra was in Canada to stay, and as his sponsor, I was on the hook for him financially. If he collected welfare, I would have to reimburse government. I decided I had two choices: become a victim, or speak the truth. I decided to go public with my story! My decision was a major ‘dot’ and led me to many other significant ones. Not only has Akra been investigated and issued a removal order for misrepresentation, I have become the poster girl for the issue of marriage fraud in Canada.

In April 2009, I staged a performance in the streets of Ottawa. I dressed in a wedding gown and walked for two hours with a full sized red door strapped to my back, from The National Gallery of Canada to Parliament Hill.  This powerful image performance landed me an interview on Canada AM alongside Canada’s Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. I was also featured in the Globe and Mail twice (including the cover of the Life Section), across Canada with Sun Media and in their free daily paper – 24 hours, Metro daily across Canada, The Calgary Herald, USA Today Online, CTV W5, Sympatico/MSN internet news, CBC Television, Radio- Canada, Le Droit, and in countless papers online and in print across the globe including Greece, Korea, Seattle, and St.Petersburgh Florida. My story is also now is part of two documentary film projects on marriage fraud  – one is in production for by CBC “The Lens.” As well, I was flown to Seattle to speak at the screening of “Point of Entry” by Pacific Lutheran University in Seattle-Tacoma for PBS USA. It is pretty amazing to see how far one performance can go!

When Akra walked out the door, he took with him my cherished dance practice. Suddenly, the very thing that had inspired me and nourished my soul became a hurtful symbol of the deceit and the pain that Akra caused. How could I continue to work in an art form that was so tightly bound to my fraudulent husband’s culture? I started to write and have since completed a book that is now being reviewed by a Toronto publisher. I also realized that dance was simply one medium for my true passion: creativity.

I successfully used my creativity as a vehicle for communication with the media and the government. Although I had never thought about blending art with public relations – I loved the idea!  This fall, I wrote a business plan for my new company, ‘Stunt Woman in a Pencil Skirt,’ the only Public Relations company in Ottawa to specialize in publicity stunts.

Last week, I picked up a copy of the Ottawa Business Journal and called them to inquire about an event that was advertised in their paper. I ended up meeting Susan Blain over the phone and shared my story with her. “Lainie, you need to meet Laura Booker and attend Connect the Dots,” she said. Laura and I did connect, and she invited me to share my story on the Connect the Dots blog. Despite the pain I experienced from my story, when I look back and connect my dots, I understand what Linda Chandler meant when she said: “When heart and mind connect with spirit and purpose, there is nothing we cannot do.” by  Lainie Towell, Stunt Woman in a Pencil Skirt