Kasia Siwak Episode S01 EPS 310

Hello, and welcome to the Empowerography Podcast. This is a platform created for women's voices to be heard and a place to share their stories, journeys, and successes with the world for the purpose of helping other women who might be on similar journeys. We are empowering women one episode at a time. I'm your host Brad Walsh, so kick back, grab one of your favorite beverages, and enjoy the stories. If you're looking for jewelry that makes an impact on your self-care routine and your style, Empowerography would love to offer you a discount code to one of our exclusive partners, Courts & Canary Jewelry and Wellness Company. Please use code Empower15 to receive 15% off upon checkout at www.courtsandcanary.com. Courts & Canary is truly the place where spirituality meets style. Hello, there Brad Walsh here, your host of the Empowerography Podcast. Today, my guest is Kasha Shevak. She is the owner and founder of 401 Gold Inc. How you doing today Kasha? I'm doing fabulous. Thank you for asking. Excellent. I'm so happy to have you here. Thank you for taking and making the time to be here today and share a bit about your story and your journey with us here on the Empowerography Podcast. I'm honored to have you here as a member of the Empowerography Community. I appreciate you. Thank you, Brad. I really appreciate what you're doing and I'm really excited about what you're bringing forward in the platform that you're building. So I'm really honored to be here today. Thank you. So let's jump in Kasha. So as mentioned, you are the owner and founder of 401 Gold Inc. You started and previously owned a Montessori school called Inspiration Montessori. You hold a degree in CFR childhood and family relations and a degree in psychology. What were you doing for a living before you decided to open your own Montessori school? Well, I started life running. I didn't walk. I just started running. So I was literally finishing up my Montessori teaching degree and just loading up my gun ready to start, you know, shooting at the world. And that's what I was doing. So what inspired you to open the Montessori school and how did that opportunity all come about for you? So because I was doing a double degree at Western, I had to juggle a lot of different courses. And one of them was a political science and another one was education and marrying the two, I had to go look at alternative teaching methods and I went to a Montessori school to observe that day, change the entire course of my life. I knew leaving that Montessori school that I did not want to teach in an institutionalized system period. I wanted to teach the whole child and to create an environment for children and not like a come into your classroom, sit down, listen to me because you're an empty vessel. So I was more of, hey, what interests you and how can we bring that forward? So when I left that Montessori school, I changed my whole path. I was going to law school, I was studying to do my LSATs. I actually did my LSATs. I got into law school, but I didn't get into Teachers College, which was a blessing in disguise because I wasn't meant to go to Teachers College. I was meant to go to Montessori Teachers College. And that's what I did basically. So I was the catalyst for you. Yeah, that was the first day of my new path. That's amazing. The LSATs holy shit. It's a completely different trajectory. That is a wild. So my whole mission was the rights of a child and rental parental rights. So I touched on the regular institutionalized education, which I personally think the system is incredibly broken and then Montessori. So can you explain a little bit about the difference for those that don't know between the educational path of Montessori versus your regular institutionalized education? So institutionalized programs, they have a goal and their goal is to make worker bees basically. And it's a government agenda. Right. And so they're trying to push everybody through this curriculum that they've created. They think is the end all be all and they try to push us on to children. Some that aren't meant, you know, it's like the whole square peg and the round hole. Yeah, it just doesn't work. And so that's institutionalized. And that is basically what I call the factory model. It's been around the same program since 1960s and our kids are going to be retiring in 20 65 and we are just now starting to bring in coding to really like revamp some of the programming in the high schools, but elementary hasn't changed. So this for me, you know, when you think of what's in the future, I think possibilities when I think institutionalized education systems, I don't think possibilities. When you set up a Montessori proper and true and you don't water it down, what it does is it allows the child to explore everything from cosmic education, the sciences, botany, all sorts of nomenclature that they wouldn't have access to. Otherwise, and this opens up a child's curiosity and their mind to many different possibilities. And so basically we're creating the Elon Musk, the world makers, the big thinkers, the, you know, people that want to change the world like me. You know, and all logic, I probably can't change the world, but I can change my world, right? Yeah. And so creating a world where you teach the whole child is just so genuine and authentic and doing right by the children. So that is the difference there, a political agenda versus a human agenda. Yeah. So they basically they want to create drones, robots to just not think for themselves. And that's it. That's right. So if you don't pass these standardized tests, you don't get this piece of paper and some of the greatest people I know never graduated high school. You know, it's funny. I was I interviewed a woman a little while back and she's based in the US and she has two children. I think they were nine and seven at the time or seven and five or something like that. They were in school. And they came to their mother and said that they don't want to be in the classroom because it's like they're taught to just sit there, listen, memorize and regurgitate what they're taught. They wanted to be homeschooled. So the mother said, okay, let's homeschool you. And that was that. And but the fact that a seven year old had the foresight to see what was going on is just incredible to me. I love that. I think it's amazing. Sorry, you're bringing like tears to my eyes, but when you try to explain that to people that don't understand. And what I used to do is I send my parents to sit on that stool like I did. And just because you just don't get it. They are not empty vessels. They're little human beings that are processing the world around them. And when you start having the respect for child that they deserve your whole mentality and your whole perspective changes. Absolutely. It's incredible. I was just blown away by the fact that this child had the foresight to see and realize what the fuck was going on in institutionalized education. It's crazy. Yeah, and that young age. Yeah. So I had a three year old that I taught to read. And she was our youngest. So we she was actually two and a half. And she was a twink. It was a boy and a girl. And I taught her to read. And her mom thought that she had memorized the books. So she went and got other books at home because she thought that she memorized them and presented her with those books and Amelia read them to her. And she. I love it. Well, like this crying because she never realized that she was holding back her child. And so it was just so grateful for inspiration of serving around and having that little, you know, it was a small school 25 students that little, little, little love. It just turned heads. It really made a difference in my little world. So Montessori is one way of shifting the thought process and mindset around education for our children. But what do you think some of the other ways like I mean this is like pushing a boulder uphill going against the government with this, this way of our education system. How do we continue to change it so that our kids aren't turned out as drones or robots. How do you think we continue to do that aside from Montessori. I think teacher training is really key. So students can only be as strong as their teachers. Right. And when I was a consultant for Montessori schools, my passion was in teaching teachers to teach. And when you empower the teacher, you empower the classroom, you then empower the children. And when you empower the children, the entire class run differently than a teacher led classroom. I really strongly believe that we need to reinvest in our teachers because the teachers college, you know, and I really know it's two years that they have to do. And there's different loops that they have to jump through, but it's basically the same program. And then it's teacher by teacher classroom. So like I could send my daughter to grade five in a school by my home. And then I can go somewhere away from my home. It's supposed to be the same, but it's completely different because every teacher has the power within their classroom to do sort of a loose guideline of the curriculum. So if we could empower the teachers, I think that's how we could change the education system because this whole revamping the system, revamp updating the textbooks and stuff, like updating the standardized testing, like, let's update the way people are thinking. Let's teach our students, let's teach our children critical thinkers. Like stop waiting for someone to tell you what to do and look around and see what needs to be done. And like Brad, you know, I have six fosters and four children. And so sometimes I say to them is don't use my brain. Use your brain, right? It's easier to come to me and constantly say like, mama, what's this? Mama, what's that? And I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa. You can answer these yourself. Let's walk through the process, you know? And that's empowering children. That's how you do with that. If you constantly answer them and don't let them find the answer for themselves, then you're actually hindering and taking away their power. Well, I mean, when I was growing up a kid in school, if I asked my parent, there's the books, figure it out, go and read about it, learn about it. Back then, get the encyclopedias, go through the encyclopathy. I just have to figure out a book. Yeah, exactly figure it out. I'm not going to give you the answers. That's not what I'm here for. If you need help or guidance, sure, but I'm not giving you the answers. And I think we also need to change, we do, I think the curriculum needs to change as well. Teach these kids things that they can use in life, right? I mean, just have to stuff, these kids are learning in the traditional educational system. They're never going to use again. Teach them shit, teach them how to manage money. Teach them home ads, teach them shop, teach them auto shop, all of that. So hands on skills that they can use in life that will help them later on. Yeah, teach them to cook. Nobody told me it's an adult that I have to make dinner for myself every day. Why did that? Exactly. You want to tell me this when I was younger, but I'm prepared. Teach them about banking, teach them all that stuff. Yeah, the banking is perfect example. As you know, I run a lead generation company for the states. And it's in the financial services. When you see the situation of some of our neighbors, our fellow Americans, it's dire. And they're taking out loans that are hundreds of percentage interest that you never get out of. And I've spoken to this about to a friend of mine. And he is teaching newcomers about finances. And this sort of came out and I said, well, why don't we teach and reach out to children and teach them how to do finances. And I bet you some of the kids could teach us some things too. Yeah, exactly. Pasha, I want to get a little bit more into in depth and into your personal story. I know through previous conversation that you've got quite the personal struggle and story. One hell of a story which has led you on quite the journey through life. Can you share a bit about your personal journey? Sure, it is one hell of a story. Every time I tell someone, I'm told to write a book, but I feel like it's so many. It's such a common story. And there's so many of us that have a very colorful story. And so I guess my story started when I was 24. And it was unveiled to me because I was pregnant and my family was very religious. I had to get married. I needed my original birth certificate. And this unveiled that my father, who I thought was my father, was not my biological father. And that my mother had actually kidnapped me at the age of two and a half from Montenegro, which is now Yugoslavia. I found out that my birth father did a few months later after this had all happened. He came to retrieve me. And when he was at the airport, the border security officer asked to hold me. And he was detained and deported for attempted kidnapping charges. And so my grandmother had called the border security full panic that they're kidnapping her granddaughter. And then shortly after that, they changed my name to Kasha Shivak, which is Katarjana in Polish. And my real name I found out it was Katarina Stanisiewicz. And I was really grateful because I had a tattoo with the initials KS in a tree of life. I was really grateful for two things. A, my birthday was the same day and B, my initials were the same. So, you know, the simple things. My dad, my, my, let's call my stepdad. So my stepdad canceled two appointments. And it was like, ticked talk. I needed to get the paperwork in. We're going to St. Lucia to the sandals to get married. And they needed this paperwork. And he had canceled twice. And so I just drove over to my mom's and said, what's going on? I need to know now. And that's how that came about. So I called up my stepdad. And I just say, I just called to say, I love you. Because I couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been for him in the shame that he felt because the entire family had lied to me. So my entire life, I believed that this man was my dad. And you gotta remember, my mom's blonde blue eye. My sister's blonde blue eye. My brother is blonde, he's alive. And my dad was dark with dark eyes. Yeah. And so I always was drawn to his side of the family. And so when I was 19, I even went over to Europe, had to do the love parade. And I had to find my family roots. And meanwhile, I was looking through my stepdad's family roots. I know. Right? So that sort of shook everything up. And then I got on a plane, went to St. Lucia, got married, got on a plane, and came back to Montreal. So I got on in Toronto. And I got off in Montreal. And when I got off in Montreal, pregnant as pregnant could be. I mean, I gained 86 pounds. And I was around. [LAUGHTER] Found myself alone. I didn't speak French. I didn't understand that there was such a battle between the French and the English. I had never felt so second-class citizen in my life. Montessori, there wasn't a Montessori teachers college there. The Montessori's there were watered down. They weren't authentic. I wanted to open up my Montessori school and a year and a half into my marriage. I'm ready to enter the workforce. And my husband at the time says, why aren't you happy? You have everything. Just stay home and be happy. And it was then I knew that I wasn't with the right person. I had done a yummy mommy photo shoot to sort of get his attention. And I started the photo shoot with the excuse of him and his birthday in mind. And that photo shoot actually made me realize and tap into cash. And say, hey girl, where are you? You're not staying home and making babies. And going to be under this Excel spreadsheet thumb of a life. And you got to remember, I was working four jobs, putting myself through a double degree, like Hosselin and Toronto, no one seemed. We bought our first little place. What is now Liberty Village. I find out he put everything under his name. I wasn't even on the mortgage. It just mind blown. And so I find myself in Montreal. I have no family. I have no friends. I don't speak the language. I go into every interview with my tail between my legs. I have tons of experience. And I can't find a Montessori job. I could find an assistant teacher's job. And so I took it. And I took the bus every day to work because he wouldn't let me have the car. That battle just became really evident of what I didn't sign up for. I didn't sign up. And so I decided to leave. And my mom didn't agree because he didn't drink. And he wasn't a gambler. And he didn't abuse me, she said. But she didn't know. It was financial abuse. It was a psychological abuse. And so a right. But to explain that to an Eastern European mom who was very old school, she drove down from Toronto and tried to intervene. And I just wouldn't have it. And so I moved out and she said, if you do this, you're doing this alone. And I did it alone to the point where I ended up homeless living out of my car. And then going to court to fight my ex-husband for custody. Well, she had custody. So we had she had custody. And he was going for majority custody based on francophone rights because I had Chloe at the Montreal, Jewish. And it was a nightmare. It was an absolute nightmare. And I had to make ends meet. I've always been an open-minded person. And because of my history and because of my family dynamics, I truly have no judgment. I just have a lot of love and no judgment. So a friend of mine called me up from Toronto. And it was the whole foot fetish scene and said, do you want to buy a client list and start the foot fetish seeing a Montreal? And I said, what's it about? And then he told me what it about. I said, OK, I had $450, which is what my list cost me. And that was a whole other world that I entered and started running foot fetish private parties, which would make about 6,000 every eight to 10 weeks. And organized 10 ladies and have all these private members come in. A lot of rules. Everything was brand like like a little like a fine ship, right? And so with this hustle and then this struggle that I was going through, I started taking independent contracts. And that just opened up my mind to business. So I love education. I love being a teacher. It didn't pay my bills. I couldn't make things neat. I didn't have any health care, dental care, anything like that. And so I had to come out of this bankruptcy as consolidation that I'd signed. And so I didn't have any credit. And this is what I had to do to get by. And so I was taking these independent contracts. And I came across a gentleman who was sort of in the same situation as me from Australia through Florida, met a Montreal woman in a battle of custody for his daughter. And he needed customer relationship management software processes. and so forth. And that's what I did. So I did all the relation management for him. And then that's how Liquid Webmasters and me kind of coming into Liquid Webmasters as a partnership began. And Liquid Webmasters was basically building your business on the internet. So internet business developers. So everything that has to do with the internet, we did back in 2009, 2010, you know, SEO, SEM that is so common now, was not then. And the people that I was introduced to were all the pioneers of AdTech and, you know, the VP's of Yahoo and Bing. And it was looking back now. It was on me like mind-boggling of the people that I crossed. So now AdTech is a huge conference, huge ordeal. It's global. And I'm tired. Like I'm tired of building other people's dreams. Right. So when you go to build a website, yes, you can go to Wix, yes, you can go and plug in all these wonderful things, but you don't own it. So I build custom websites or we build custom websites, which are WordPress websites. And these are engines. So these are lead magnets. And for the lead generation, the leads that we do, they're very, very high end. And so people are like, oh, I want clients. Everybody wants clients. Right. Everybody wants customers. Right. My question is, how much can you handle? Right. Can you handle it? And then looking at your website, can your website handle it? And then you just go into the whole rebuild and it just takes so much energy and time from you. And so in my travels and after Dan lost his mom and I lost my dad, I looked at my husband and said, like, we can't pass on the core masters to our kids or the lead generation or, like any of it, to be honest, we need to come up with something and we went to Australia, come back and COVID hit. So we came back January 20th. And I'm pretty sure dad had COVID coming back. He was sick and down for three weeks. After the three weeks, my grandmother goes to sell her gold watch to help up my aunt with digging the well deeper in the Halliburton House. And she gets less than half of what it's worth. Doesn't tell anybody. Tells nobody she's done this. I go to her house for a cup of tea. She starts crying. I'm like, what's going on? Tells me the whole saga of what's happened. And I go back home and I said to Dan, do you remember how we talked about currencies and what's been a staple? And we mentioned gold. This is what just happened to Buccia. And honestly, you remember selling your necklace when we had to make ends meet. I remember selling my gold to get out of my car and into an apartment. How does that feeling still sit with you today? And that's how the whole research and everything into gold started. And that was 2020 February. So that was the catalyst for the start of 401 gold ink. That was. And so we start, we just start as 401 gold. We started as easy go, easy to do. Yeah. And so 401 gold came to me in September at a woman's retreat, an empowerment retreat, calm to chaos. And the third day before I was like, where's my license? Why am I not getting my license? Like, about 401 in Wharton. What's the problem? I don't understand. These cannabis shops are popping up everywhere. I don't understand why I can't get my license. I had a zoning officer come out and I was talking to my husband. He's like, well, 401 in Wharton, maybe you should start for the 401 and duffer location. And this 401 kept repeating. And I was like 401 gold. And so he's like 401 gold. 401 metals. 401 401. And that kind of echoed. And that's the Thursday night. Friday, I leave to go to this retreat. These ladies are all wearing plaid. Everyone's complaining about the traffic on the 401. Get up to phrase bridge, right? And I was like, that's it. Changing, amending, flipping around. Let's go. Who can remember easy go and how to spell it? Nobody. Like, so let's do this. Called up the lawyers, called up the accountant, amended it. And that's where 401 gold was born. And easy go, the website was so polished that people didn't know what to do. It didn't look like a pawn shop. It looked like a bank. And people just didn't know where to go. So we do a lot of research, A&B testing. And with 401 gold, we really made it simple. We dunged it down to two buttons, basically like, whether you want to buy yourself, it made it really accessible for everybody. And I think that's what we need in our lives is simplicity is, you know, I feel like the scammers complicate things. And so we need to uncomplicate it to become transparent, to allow people to build that trust again. And our whole like hashtag is, you know, trust to transparency. And I strongly, strongly believe in that. For sure. So what's your long term goal then for 401 gold ink? You know, I've already got projects in the pre-blind because my mind doesn't stop. I would love to beat out the process and make it a franchise specifically targeted towards women. So if you're a woman who wants to get into precious metals, wants to get into investment, currency trading, you know, kind of sit with the big boys at the big boy club. As I used to call it, I want to make that possibility available for you. And so being able to franchise this across Canada would be the long term goal. What led you to up the most about work that you do? I love wowing people. So when I help somebody, when I also want to realize their worth and their wealth and they light up and they're like, why hasn't anybody done this before? That is what lights me up. I love it. Now you being a woman and being an entrepreneur, what are your thoughts on the landscape of entrepreneurship and women run businesses now? I mean, it's come a bit of a ways. I come from a corporate background. So seeing women in that world, not getting equal pay for doing the same job as their male counterparts and not enough women in C-suite level positions in these corporations, this is obviously your 1940s old boys club mentality way of thinking. And yeah, we're starting to see a shift. We've seen a bit of a shift over the last while I would say since COVID, it's started to shift more. But what are your thoughts on the shift and the landscape of women run businesses? So I believe that women have always gathered to gossip. And I believe women now are gathering to heal and to rise. And I believe that this has been happening for a while. It's just been an undercurrent that hasn't come to surface yet. I believe that women for decades now have been fighting for equal rights and have been standing up for what is wrong and the injustices and trying to fix, you know, essentially what's a parliament level? So when I think of entrepreneurship and I think of women, I believe it's their time. It's our time to rise. It's our time to stand up. It's our time to unite. And it's our time to demand equality. I'm not asking for it. I'm demanding it. I expect it. And I will not accept any less. You know, I was with my brother just a few weeks ago, setting up the new shop and we went past his friend's place to pick up some furniture pieces and he's all of 30 something just bought this lovely home off of Bayview. And his wife was home with their son who is now 15 months. And he says, you know, after a year of her being home, I just wanted her to do something. So I told her to go get her real estate license. I just wanted to do something. I turned around to him and said she is doing something. She's doing something that you could never do. She has created a human being and is raising them to be a global citizen. She is doing something. And I turn around and I turn back around. And, you know, and they're 30 something. Okay, like 31 to be exact. And so that is the cycle that needs to be broken because it's generational. So I believe, you know, the women's right movement has been strong undercurrent and it's just going to become a tidal wave that's going to become a tsunami that is going to just have to lock the world. Yeah, one day it's just going to have a little flip, light switch on. And like let's go because some of my coaches, my mentors, there's some badass women and they've made some movement, you know, and their movement that they've made has made a lot of stride opened a lot of doors, but it's not enough. And we need to unite on a global level. What can women do to continue to push forward with this and get rid of this way of thinking, this mentality? How do women continue to push the envelope and continue to reach for and grab all that they deserve? Stop apologizing, right? Stop apologizing. You know, when you walk into a meeting in Suria, I'm late. I don't say Suria, I'm late. I say thank you for being patient, you know, and we are constantly apologizing and accepting less. And so I think by teaching women to say no, it's okay to say no, it doesn't make you that bitch or you're not being a snob by saying no, it's okay to say no, and they're frank than that. I think that's definitely important. For sure. So I know through previous conversation and obviously this conversation here, you're obviously a big advocate of women's empowerment and self love and all of that amazing stuff. Can you speak a little bit about what each of those things means to you on a personal level? Sure, which one do I start with? Let's start with women's empowerment. Okay. So empowerment, let's break it down, right? So to empower is to give someone authority. So if you put me in a position of authority, I'm empowered. Empowerment is the process, right? So the process of gaining courage, of gaining strength. And so there's different types of empowerment. There's social, empowerment, educational, empowerment, economical, political, psychological. When you take these five realms and like the whole child, you empower the whole being, that in itself becomes power, which becomes change. - So speaking of empowerment, how do you define that word? What does that word mean to you? Just empowerment, not women's empowerment, but just the word empowerment. What does that personally mean to you? How would you define it? - For me, it means giving the authority. So it's like giving you the right to love yourself, giving you the right to know that you're worthy and allowing you to say no. So just, it's authority of giving you power basically, is how I would define it, right? And what do I see as power? Power is control. So if I'm able to take control of my life, if I'm able to control of my actions, my thoughts, my decisions, then I can gain that confidence, gain that strength and stand up on my own two feet and yell at the top of the mountain. - Beautiful, I love it. What do you think your unique skill set or superpower is that's helped to become successful? (laughs) - So I am brutally honest. I don't know if it's helped me or harmed me, but I'm also very empathetic. So I have a big heart, but I've learned that my kindness is not my weakness. So in that there's power. - Beaking of the word success, successful. What does that word success mean to you? How do you define that word? - Success is happiness. - Plain and simple. - Yeah, plain and simple. If you have found happiness, if you are happy of where you are and what you are doing, that is success. If you are unhappy, if you go to the mirror and you go check in with Peggy, and Peggy is not happy. (laughs) Peggy needs to change something. - Yeah, very true. - Right? - Yeah, for sure. What would you say is one of the most important things you've learned in your life? And what was your life like before learning it? What was your life like after learning it? - Your perception is your reality. If you change your perception, you change your reality. I wish my parents were immigrants, very deep people, but simple people. I wish I had that higher being that spoke to my inner child because I strongly, strongly feel that. - What would you say is one of the best pieces of advice you've ever received? - The best piece of advice I ever received was on my first wedding, my first marriage. Well, I know where she did a concert for us the night before. And we had the radio station from Toronto there. And one of the wives, she told me, in life, you're gonna fall in and out of love many times. The most important thing is to never fall out of love at the same time. The best thing to do is to help your partner when they're at their little. Don't go down to their little with them, advice versa. And I've carried that through. - Very wise. - Josh, what is your personal motto? - Live life to its fullest, a carpet-diam. - For sure. We only get one go around at this life, so your mights will make the best of it. - And I know people say that often, but I don't think people realize until COVID hit, your friend calls you up and is like, "Hey, come on down to the bar. You're on tired. I'll come next time." You know what? And next time to encounter. - That's right. Absolutely. You're right. There's a lot of people who talk about living that way and preach about living that way, but they don't truly live that way. They just talk about it. - Yeah, I'm promptive. I am the impromptu queen. I always have flip flops, bathers, sunglasses in my trunk. You never know what is impromptu spa might come about or something, you know? - Yeah. - You gotta be ready. - And prepared good stuff. I love it. (laughing) - Kasha, who in your life has had the biggest impact on you and why? - I have thought about this a few times, actually, recently. I don't think it's one person. I think it's many people over the course of time. And if there were two people that, you know, keep looping back, it was my high school English teacher, Jeannie Parking and the Visser family. Her name is Shelley Visser. She was my boyfriend's mom. I dated a guy for two and a half years named Jeannie Visser and, so from my 16 to 18, and it was a very pivotal time in my life. These women were very strong and they spoke to me. Like, they didn't speak at me, they spoke to me. And so they helped me with my application to Western because I went right into a program, the CFR program, which was under high demand then. It was a brand new program. So I had to write an essay and my English teacher always said, I'd be a grade four elementary school teacher. And I always told her that I want to be a lawyer 'cause I got to change the world. I got to like protect kids and I got to change the world in low and behold, I love teaching grade two, three, four. And grade one, grade one, two, three, four. That is why those are my golden opportunities. So these two women were really pivotal. And I also had a neighbor across the street. Her name was Diana McNeill. She taught me to read. So in grade three, English is my third language. I was behind. They were going to fail me. And she took me under her wing and taught me to read. And had this woman not done that, I don't know where I would be today. And so I'm very, very grateful to these women in my life that came through the universe. Honestly, I believe in the universe. I believe that things happened to you for a reason. I've always felt that even when I lived out of my car, nobody knew. Nobody knew what I was going through at the time. That's crazy. That's amazing. Now these three women, you had them to rely on and help guide you and teach you. I should reach out and let them know that they were essential. And those times in my life, my parents were divorcing. My stepdad had back operations. Was a heavy drinker. Was a violent man. And I was like I mentioned, I was always working. And doing my own thing. I mean, shelly Vester basically fed me dinner every night almost. And I don't know how I'd feel if my kids had their boyfriend or girlfriend over every night for dinner. And they just did it so graciously. They took me up to their cottage. And that was just an eye opener of how life could be, rather than my dad working three jobs, my mom working two jobs. And that sort of latch key immigrant child process that we go through. We didn't go out to restaurant's eat. I never went to the movies. I'd go into the movies. This is for him. We don't go to the drive in with our barbucci. But that is what we do. We don't camp. We went fishing. That was a big thing for us to do. The cottage, Seedoo's, wakeboarding, all his extreme sports that I fell into was all because of them. I started snowboarding with boys equipment. I started competitions. I did have some injuries and stuff. And my mom said no more. But I remember going to sporting life and there was no girls equipment. It was just boys and kids. So I took boys, kids boys equipment. And that's the way it was. So for anyone who's listening, if there's any message that I could pass on, it's just have a little bit of more patience because you just don't know where that child in your home may go in the future because of patients and because of your love. For sure. What would you say is one of your biggest failures or we'll call life lessons or teachable moments? And what did you learn from it? Divorce. People are afraid to talk about their divorce. It is a shame. It's like a failure. It's a shameful topic. You don't talk about it. It's something that you fail. That if there's one thing that I've learned is have do shame. I've, by opening up and talking to so many different people, I'm working with outreach programs and women from violent and abusive situations. The more I share, the more other people open up and the more you realize that even the shift that happened in the 1940s, 1950s, it's still happening. It's just now we're talking about it. Now we bring it to life. Nothing is new. Everything's already happened. You know, adultery, whatever it be, it all, it's all, you know, in the past, it all happened before. So there's one thing I've learned is don't be shameful. Don't hide in the darkness. Come out shine bright. You are a beautiful bright light. Reach for the stars and know that you're not alone. Well, when you talk about these things, it gives other people permission in your circle to stand up and talk about them. And community is formed in healing starts and all of that that comes along with that, having the courage to stand up and talk about it and not be ashamed of things like that. Yeah, exactly. When I shared that how I got scammed on the old, when people started opening up and telling me all the various stories, some of them honestly brought me to tears. Like you're already going in feeling horrible 'cause you're in a difficult situation. And then you leave feeling even worse. And it just breaks my heart that this process works like this and it doesn't have to. And so I feel like the more I talk about the reality of what I've been through. the more people come out and they're like, hey, they can meet you movement. - Yep, for sure. - Okay, they're not alone. - That's it. How's it? What drives and motivates and inspires you to keep going and keep pushing and excelling it all that you do? - I dove into this of one of my coaches and I realized that even in high school, I've had a social injustice bug. So for the Dufferin Separate School Board, I created the injustice social committee, the social committee, and I've always had this injustice bug. So if I see something wrong, I need to fix it. And if I can't fix it, I will find someone who can. (laughing) This is what drives me. So I always teach the kids that he can be helpful or hurtful, choose to be helpful. - Yeah, for sure. Okay, we're gonna jump into a little rapid fire section here. So the next grouping of questions, just be two, three, forward answer type thing, okay? - All right, here we go. - If you're writing your autobiography, what would the title be? - The unknown story. - What was your dream job as a child? - Lawyer. - What's the first thing you think of when I say the word future? - Possibilities are endless. - How would you describe yourself in one word? - Fearless. - If you could teach the world one thing, what would it be? - To love with all your heart. - What's one thing you want, but cannot buy with money? - More patience for stupid people. (laughing) - That's a good one. (laughing) There's a lot of stupid people out there. - Oh my goodness, I just, I've saw it patience for children and people going through difficult situations, all the patience in the world, for a stupid person, for anyone I'm ready to blow up. (laughing) - If you could change one thing about the world, what would you change? - Resource equity. - What would your family and friends list as a couple of your best characteristics? - I have no ageism and I have a deep passion for honesty and my favorite way to unwind is. - My motorcycles, throttle and repeat. (laughing) - You never see a motorcycle in front of a psychiatrist's office. (laughing) - Never thought about that. - Right? - That concludes our rapid fire section. Now back to our regularly scheduled program. - What would you-- - I'm a big fan of it. (laughing) - What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? - Correct, you need to have the courage to be consistency is really important and self-discipline. So research, research, research, you have to discipline yourself to do that research, to find the courage, to have the consistency, to take the lead and to know that you are worthy of greatness. - What would you say is the most entrepreneurial thing about you? - Leadership, I take over everything. (laughing) - You're not bossy, you're a boss. - That's right, I'm not bossy, I'm a boss and I want everyone to be a boss. - What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your career or entrepreneurial journey that you know now? - To ask for help. - That's a big one. A lot of people struggle with that, whether it's pride or fear for being rejected or whatever the case may be. That's a huge struggle for a lot of people asking for help, but I've found in my journey that more often than not, people are more than willing to help you. All you have to do is ask. I mean, they can't read mine as they don't know you need to help. So open your mouth and ask for it. And honestly, when you think about it, the worst they can say is no, I can't help you. - That's right, that's right. And even just having the permission to ask, ask away. - Yeah, and if they say no, you'll find someone that will say yes. - Right, yeah, I don't accept no as an answer. - Yeah, there you go. (laughing) - There you go. - It's so true. - What would you say isn't unexpected blessing or occurrence in your life that you're grateful for? - I have ADHD back in the day. I was always on my report cards. You would say, you know, Kasha is a creative person. Kasha is an unleashed sort of thing or I wish that would have been recognized. And then I also don't wish it was a bit recognized 'cause then I would have put our drugs to try to manage it. And now we know better or so we should know better. - Yes. - This is a gift. And so I'm grateful for it. I manage it, but it also, you know, I tell people about it because like some people are like, why is she so weird sometimes? And I'm like, because I'm like a squirrel, squirrel, squirrel, and I'm like, I have a tattoo on the back of my neck that says, keep up for a reason. It's because I am like in sixth gear all the time looking for seventh. And so it's just, thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for understanding that you gotta bring me back to the question because I can go, you know, in left field and in the fast lane. - Yeah. - And so I am grateful for my ADHD because it has helped me in so many ways to be that person for big companies who have come to me and with problems at other board rooms, like 20, 30 people boring rooms is what I call them. - Yeah. - Okay, I come up with it. They have a 30 minute discovery call with me. They get off the phone and I'm like, pew, pew, pew, pew, pew, pew, pew. And I have a-- - That's a brain dump. - Yeah, it is. I call it a verbal diarrhea. - Yeah. - So Daniel, who is my dream maker, is able to manage that and then, you know, package it into a corporate, nice little corporate package and then build them for it. - So I'm grateful for it. - Beautiful. - For it because the way that I see things, I see solutions, I don't see problems. - Love it. That's a great way to look at things. What do you do to keep yourself inspired every day and inspire others? - Okay. So this is a little bit crazy, but I do one kind thing a day to pay for to a stranger. Like just complete strangers. I try to find every day one thing that I can do, to either put a smile on someone's face, to like make their days like today, two people receive $20 gift certificates from Tim Hortons that I just happened to care around my back pocket. - Love it. - Because they were just love, like love. And I just love their energy. And I went to my car, dropped off my Tim Hortons and they were, you know, in line waiting for their stuff. And I just, you know, gifted them that. And there's a basis to slide up under their mask. Their eyes light up. And I know that they'll pay it forward. And so if everybody, every day could do one time, even complimenting someone, like if I see someone and I like something, I will go out of my way and tell them, hey, those are great boots. - Yeah. - I'm really like your hair, you know, I don't know what it is, but you're glowing today. And I really like your energy. I have no fear that way. I was in a complete straight back pocket. - But you can, but you can make someone's day completely. You can turn their whole day around by doing something simple as that. - Yeah, I just, I'm on my Harley and there's kids and stuff. I'll pull up beside them, room, room, give them a little wave. They're face lighted up. They're weaving like fast. (laughing) And, you know, and that might inspire them to get on a bike one day and enjoy that freedom and feel that power, you know. Yeah. - Beautiful, I love that. Love it. We need more kindness in the world, that's for sure. - We sure do. - And it really doesn't take much to be kind to another person. As you said, even just something as simple as a compliment, even a smile. - Let somebody in when there's traffic down the ward and you want to do so much. Let them in. - There you go. - I'm learning this, which of mine over here, gets a little adjusted like people, the horns go off. - Oh yeah. - You're not gonna be on Don't worry, you know? If you had the opportunity to sit down and have a one hour conversation with one woman, any woman in the world, who would it be and why? - It would be Maria Montessori, because she sat at the round table with the great thinkers, you know, Alexander Graham Bell. Was a huge influence in her bringing the whole program to America. She brought abstract ideas into concrete materials. And I would love to know what her thoughts are, because remember, she's over 100 years ago. So 100 years ago, she created this fabulous program that we can use today to create our minds for tomorrow. What would she create today with all the digital tools and everything that we have access to? What wouldn't Maria Montessori come up with today? - Mm-hmm. - What does the best version of you look like, Kasha, when you close your eyes and imagine it? - I imagine myself as I am now. - Love that answer. Beautiful. If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that piece of advice be? - You are worthy of greatness. - That's an important one. That whole worthy thing, worthy factor. Knowing your worth, knowing that you deserve everything you get. - And you don't ask for it. - Yeah. - You demand. - There you go. - Yeah. - Lastly, Kasha, if you were to deliver your last 30 second speech to the world, what would that last 30 seconds sound like? What would you say? What would you tell people? - You have two choices in your life to be helpful or hurtful. I don't control your choices, only you do. Which one are you going to choose? If five years, if it won't matter, then you let it go. Carry kindness in your heart, patience wherever you can, reach for the stars and know that you are worthy of shining. So shine on. Is that 30 seconds? - It's beautiful. I love it. I love it. That so resonates. Very beautiful words. One an amazing sentiment. I love it. Kasha, thank you so much for taking the time to be here today and share with the Empowerography Community a bit about your journey and your story. I appreciate you taking the time. This has been a thoroughly enjoyable conversation. I'm honored to have you as a member of the Empowerography Community. So thank you for being here. - Pew, pew, thank you. Brad, that was me taking my guns off my hips. Two, two, two. I'm your phone. All a wonderful, wonderful day. Don't stop smiling. Even though I'm not a good person, I'm not a good person. under those last your eyes smile. Stay beautiful. Thank you, Kasha. Once again, my name is Brad Walsh, host of your Empowerography podcast today. My guest has been Kasha Shevaak. She is the founder and owner of 401 Gold Inc. Thanks so much, Kasha. I hope you have an amazing rest of the day. Thank you, Brad. Thank you for having me and have yourself a wonderful rest of the day. Much love. Thank you very much for listening to this podcast. If you haven't yet, please be sure to subscribe, rate, review, and share with all your friends. You can find me at Visiforia.ca, follow me on Instagram @empowerographypodcast and on Facebook @empowerography. Please join me next time for another inspirational story from yet another amazing woman.