I’m currently writing this newsletter in a pitch-black house with a small flashlight resting on the table for light. The tornado that hit Ottawa this past Friday has affected our city and its residents in a way we never expected. We are going on night number three without power. It’s been an inconvenience to say the least, but I have nothing to complain about. My heart goes out to those who have lost homes and businesses and for those who remain in hospital injured during the storm. I grew up on Craig Henry Drive and my mom lived on that street for over 30 years – the fact that the devastation hit so close to home has been difficult. The photos and footage of what occurred in Dunrobin is mind blowing. I think as Canadians we are prepared for major snow storms and the prospect of “being snowed in” but we aren’t wired to think a tornado can whip through the middle of our city. Mother Nature is a beast when she wants to be.  Despite the fact that I am still without power, I know everyone at Hydro Ottawa and all our emergency service workers have been working around the clock and I am truly grateful for that

With that being said, I still managed to get to make my way over to some friends’ homes over the weekend to borrow their showers and power so I could get out to my events. It was a busy weekend which started early Friday morning helping sell Tim Hortons’ Smile Cookies at the Carp Fair. The fundraising dollars from the sale of the cookies in Ottawa go directly to The Snowsuit Fundwhere I have been a board member for well over a decade. I raced from the fair to the EY Centre for the Fifty-Five Plus show and met up with Expedia CruiseShipCenters Ottawa. We were able to chat with people about the “Lianne & Friends Wellness Cruise Along The Danube” in October of 2019. From there I set out to Bayshore Shopping Centre to host “Glow – Beauty Inside & Out”. The first night we talked fashion, style, makeup and beauty with top influencers in the city. Glow lasted two days and the second night we hosted Melissa and Lainey from The Social for an intimate evening. The girls were great and the women in the room had some insightful questions for them! Melissa and Lainey were genuine and authentic and the room appreciated it. Sunday was spent at Saunders Farm where I have joined up with them as a Brand Ambassador for their incredibly popular “Haunting Season”. More than 70,000 people will make their way through the gates for the Fall Festival and will be entertained, spooked and scared by over 300 seasonal employees. The staff and the Saunders family continue to step up their game at the farm. My family joined in on the fun and I’m looking forward to sharing some of the videos and discount tickets with you in the next letter.

Natural Food Pantry’s big Family Day festivities and workshops were canceled this weekend due to the power outage – however I do have segment number two with Natasha and our “Back To School Lunches” series. Here’s a look at some great alternatives for snacks. Also, I will be the first to admit, that after the segment was done I immediately went and purchased the multi-vitamins 😊

The latest release of the “Living Your Life with Lianne Laing” podcast with ExecHealth President Sanjay Shah, is on my website. Thank you for your continuous support of the podcast and for taking action once an episode resonates with you. Dr Lewis who was on a few weeks ago talking about “Burnout and Self Love Mom” mentioned the response was amazing after our episode and she is taking bookings into the new year. This feedback makes me smile knowing that the information is getting through to the listeners and people are taking action. Thank you and please continue to share the link and podcast with friends and family so we can continue to see it grow.

This week’s podcast is with trainer, speaker, athlete and founder of Greco Fitness, Tony Greco. Tony has just launched his book Strong Mind, Lean Body. Despite having known Tony for almost two decades, I learned a lot about him in this podcast and how his background shaped who he would become and gave him the drive to achieve his goals. We talk about the evolution of the way people train and workout and how he shaped the incredibly popular “lean and fit” classes. His “celebrity trainer” title has given him access to new clients but the foundation has always remained the same. The way we eat, what we consume, how we train and the way we live will always shape how we look and feel.

I hope this is a much easier week as power is restored to the city.  See you back here next Monday!

Much Love,

Lianne xo