Nykea
As a brand storyteller and marketer, Nykea specializes in writing, leadership and content creation, always with a focus on creativity. Finding the story in a brand, a movement, a life, is her passion.
35 Things I’ve Learned
As of a few days ago, I’ve been on this earth for thirty-five years. The math is stunning — 12,775 days, 306,600 hours. The logic of the numbers doesn’t disguise the bittersweet. My body is tingling with fear and excitement and loss. There is no way to know what percent of that time was spent doing things I loved, felt obligated to do, or were necessary. Those ticks on the clock matter, and they cannot be re-spent. Perhaps they can be made more meaningful by reflection in hopes of coming to a deeper understanding of their meaning. All those days on earth have given me a little perspective. And when…
The 37 Best Saskatoon Patios
Note this blog has been updated July 2022. Saskatchewanians are a people of extremes—the hottest summers and the coldest winters; months of drought and epic, light-up-the-night thunderstorms; bust to atomic boom; the kindest neighbourly smiles and roll up your sleeves, grind it out ‘til it’s done grit. Maybe it’s because we only get a few short glimpses into summer, a few months to soak up the sun, that Saskatoon folk take full advantage of the weather. Summer is extra special when you just get to taste it. And there might be no better way to enjoy summer than to sit on a patio with a cold drink in your hand…
27 Black Activists and Anti-Racism Allies Sharing Knowledge and Power on Instagram
It shouldn’t have taken another death to act as the catalyst for change. No one should have had to see the life be pressed out of George Floyd. We shouldn’t have needed the gut-wrenching 911 call from Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend. We shouldn’t have needed another death, another battle. But we did. People are speaking out and speaking up, learning how to become better allies, and promising to change the way we do business. Social platforms like Instagram have given rise to all voices, including black activists screaming that black lives matter. White people need to be there to listen. If you’re white and you weren’t listening before, now is the…
Birth Story | Hart Wilde
I didn’t appreciate a good birth story until I found out I was pregnant. After that, I became obsessed with them, asking everyone I knew to share theirs. It was weird and potentially inappropriate. Meet someone, find out they are a mother, ask them to share their birth story. I found, though, that most women loved to share. The word mother took on a whole new meaning, one I couldn’t grasp until I held my son. I have a mother, but what could it mean to be a mother? The same was true of birth. I was born, but had never given birth. The anticipation drove me wild. A nine…
Unravelling: What it Means to See Each Other
Day one of quarantine: My husband comes home from his first day of work at a new job to dinner on the table, for us and for the baby. This is unusual, as I make no claim to domesticism and rebel against it to ensure it never pins me down. My hair was done and I had makeup on. What a wife, I am! Even during a global pandemic, you see. Day two of quarantine: Husband comes home to me sobbing. I hate laundry and cooking and cleaning. I can’t believe you can leave me here ALONE! I can’t go out and I need to take care of the baby,…
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11 Good Email Habits for Working from Home Productivity
Working from home is the dream that allows your already good email habits thrive. Slip out of bed, grab your coffee, meditate, go for a run, and settle in at your computer for the most productive day you can imagine. It always works like that, right? Right…? Of course it doesn’t. Especially now — maybe you’re parenteaching, or your closet needs decluttering, or your dog expects a hella of a lot more from you now that you’re RIGHT HERE, or you’re now going to tackle healthy food prep at the same time, or, or, or. Whether you’re in the loving or hating wfh cohort, good email habits are likely a…
Staying Creative on Lockdown
We’re here. Stuck inside. In our homes. For awhile. Maybe anyway, the timeline is indefinite. People in regions of China have been stuck in their homes for two months now, and while there’s no telling how long we’ll be housebound (homeward bound?!), we might as well make the best of it and get creative on lockdown! Here are a few things you can do to stay creative on lockdown or quarantine. A big thanks to women in our community for sharing their ideas, podcasts, books and more. Take a course Maybe now is the time to brush up on some skills you’ve been meaning to learn. Take your focus…
Beaver Creek Baby Adventure
Though we all love a hot summer day, there’s something extra special about the fall. The return of the crisp temperatures marks a more productive season. The air is more invigorating and there’s an urgency to get shit done. Fall is some of my favourite weather for heading outdoors, and hitting up Beaver Creek Conservation area with some babies and a toddler was a perfect outing. A quick stop at the interpretive centre gave us some info and a place to fill our water bottles, and then we were off. Pockets full of bird seed, we set out down the Beaver Creek trails. The highlight of a Beaver…
Black Fox Distillery: Wild Flowers and Wild Babies
The mid-August sun was hot and the car ride loud. Fresh air blasting through the windows, a baby on and over the verge of crying and a puke stain on my shirt, we hit the open road. For about ten minutes anyway, out to a distillery just outside of Saskatoon. The static of in-between blared on the radio, a desperate attempt at recreating white noise in hopes of buying a few more moments of silence. And then there we were, Black Fox Distillery. Precisely 22 minutes from the door of our home to Black Fox Distillery, this adventure is accessible even if, say, you need to pull over and nurse…
Meaningful, Connected Goal Setting
We’re broaching the time of year when the pressure builds to do some goal setting. Make promises. Elevate expectations and maybe get a rush of energy (or anxiety!). I love this kind of stuff. But… Over many goal setting sessions, failures and achievements, I’ve realized that the normal goal setting I do has a way of burning me out rather than igniting a new fire. It’s driven by list making and not my deepest, most real and intense motivations. I have lists in notebooks with few things checked off, walls with peeling sticky notes and a burning desire to do be and see more. I want more. And that old…
