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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Canada's podcast.
[00:05] SPEAKER_01: Hello, I'm Mario Toniguzi, managing editor of Canada's podcast.
[00:10] SPEAKER_01: Today on Edmonton's podcast, my guest is Jackie Barrenka, who is owner of JB Ventures
[00:16] SPEAKER_01: Retreats.
[00:17] SPEAKER_01: Thanks, Jackie, for joining us today.
[00:19] SPEAKER_01: Hi, Mario.
[00:20] SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for having me.
[00:22] SPEAKER_01: Well, let me just start by asking you, maybe explain what JB Ventures retreats is and
[00:27] SPEAKER_01: what you do.
[00:29] SPEAKER_02: Okay, so JB's kind of a plan, words, or I guess that's my initials, first of all, but
[00:34] SPEAKER_02: I have joined Venture because I do different things with different companies, so I kind of
[00:38] SPEAKER_02: just work to well together.
[00:40] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so, and then the retreats.
[00:42] SPEAKER_02: So just basically, I put together a company that encompasses wellness.
[00:49] SPEAKER_02: So just from my own experiences over the past couple of years and different things that
[00:55] SPEAKER_02: I was going through, I realized there was a real need for something.
[00:58] SPEAKER_02: Like this.
[00:59] SPEAKER_02: So I started meeting with people and hotels and getting all the logistics together.
[01:05] SPEAKER_02: And then I just jumped in, you know, jumped in, and here we are.
[01:09] SPEAKER_02: And I've got my first retreat coming up November 8th to 10th.
[01:13] SPEAKER_02: And it's at the beautiful Fairmont Shatou Lake, Elise.
[01:16] SPEAKER_02: So it's an all inclusive women's wellness retreat.
[01:20] SPEAKER_02: So I can tell you more about it if you want to know the speakers and that kind of thing,
[01:24] SPEAKER_02: but that's the premise and that's how it all started.
[01:26] SPEAKER_01: Well, let me just ask just a backtrack for a second.
[01:30] SPEAKER_01: So, you know, what brought you to this?
[01:33] SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, maybe explain the background to, and the reasons why you've started this.
[01:41] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so it's been, I'm journey, like I said, over the past couple of years.
[01:45] SPEAKER_02: So I've always, you know, been an entrepreneur on my life doing different, had different
[01:50] SPEAKER_02: businesses and things, but there was a little bit of a time where I took a break.
[01:55] SPEAKER_02: And during that time, certain things were going on personally in my life.
[02:00] SPEAKER_02: So my mother-in-law, who is a very close to me, she, I was basically her main care giver.
[02:06] SPEAKER_02: So for, and I was like two years ago, so basically 22.
[02:10] SPEAKER_02: I spent a lot of time with her.
[02:12] SPEAKER_02: She did pass away.
[02:14] SPEAKER_02: Then after that happened, I wanted to take just kind of like a little mental break.
[02:18] SPEAKER_02: And we went on this beautiful holiday.
[02:20] SPEAKER_02: And we, and in the time too, we built a home during COVID, which was taxing in itself.
[02:26] SPEAKER_02: A lot was going on.
[02:27] SPEAKER_02: We had all of our stuff organized pre-COVID, pricing and trades and all of that.
[02:32] SPEAKER_02: Then we started in boom COVID head and everything went crazy.
[02:37] SPEAKER_02: So, you know, that was, that was a stressful time.
[02:41] SPEAKER_02: Prices doubled.
[02:42] SPEAKER_02: It was took extra long because of the trades all well.
[02:45] SPEAKER_02: And still, you know, looking after the parents and my kids and trying to build this house
[02:50] SPEAKER_02: and run a business.
[02:51] SPEAKER_02: So, very taxing time, but wonderful.
[02:53] SPEAKER_02: I love our place.
[02:54] SPEAKER_02: It's a beautiful home.
[02:56] SPEAKER_02: So then there was sort of that whole stress, then a build up with my mother-in-law.
[03:00] SPEAKER_02: Then finally, you know, we're nice and we're settled on this trip.
[03:03] SPEAKER_02: And then our daughter, who we knew this time was coming, but she'd been with her boyfriend
[03:08] SPEAKER_02: for quite some years already.
[03:10] SPEAKER_02: Phones is in Costa Rica and says that she's going to, they're going to move out and she's
[03:14] SPEAKER_02: going to build a house.
[03:15] SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, and I hold school and I'm like, okay, I knew that was coming, but I kind
[03:18] SPEAKER_02: of thought she would be with us a few more years until she got married, but the teenage
[03:23] SPEAKER_02: kids do things differently.
[03:24] SPEAKER_02: So I was like, on holidays trying to prep myself, I get home and literally two weeks later,
[03:30] SPEAKER_02: they found a house, they bought it, she put it out.
[03:34] SPEAKER_02: And then in that time too, and I have to backtrack my dad during this time, during this past
[03:39] SPEAKER_02: four years was diagnosed with dementia.
[03:41] SPEAKER_02: So the decline of my dad and everything my mom was going through, that day, father's
[03:48] SPEAKER_02: day, she moved out, father's to hand it up in urgency.
[03:52] SPEAKER_02: And I spent the next six months at the hospital.
[03:56] SPEAKER_02: Then my daughter gets engaged.
[03:57] SPEAKER_02: So I was just like, you know, I didn't even have time to mourn my daughter leaving.
[04:02] SPEAKER_02: My dad was in the hospital and then my daughter's engaged and her life is exciting and starting
[04:07] SPEAKER_02: a part of the new house.
[04:08] SPEAKER_02: So I was just like this Mario like up down, up down in my emotions, right?
[04:11] SPEAKER_02: So you just kind of go on autopilot, get through, I knew I had to be there strong from my
[04:16] SPEAKER_02: mom because she really put her life on hold for the past two years just to accommodate
[04:21] SPEAKER_02: the house and do everything to make it accessible for my dad, right?
[04:26] SPEAKER_02: So anyways, six months go by and then I was with them thankfully till right to the end.
[04:33] SPEAKER_02: So he passed away with my brother and I holding his hand and that was November last year.
[04:39] SPEAKER_02: Then we get through the funeral and all of that and the whole time too, I'm getting calls
[04:43] SPEAKER_02: from the Alzheimer's Society and just you know, checking in or you doing okay.
[04:47] SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, yes, I'm like totally good.
[04:49] SPEAKER_02: Like understand what's going on all this stuff.
[04:51] SPEAKER_02: But really I was just functioning, just getting through and then in February is when it really
[04:56] SPEAKER_02: like this year that all of a sudden all of that's done.
[05:00] SPEAKER_02: The funeral's done.
[05:02] SPEAKER_02: My mom's kind of now getting used to her new normal.
[05:04] SPEAKER_02: We're getting used to it and it's like, holy it hit me, right?
[05:07] SPEAKER_02: It actually hit me at that point.
[05:08] SPEAKER_02: It hadn't really breathed even the loss of my dad or when somebody has Alzheimer.
[05:15] SPEAKER_02: If you know, you kind of they explain to me, you lose that person twice.
[05:19] SPEAKER_02: So really I did because my dad didn't know who I was in the end and I was just that lady that came to visit.
[05:26] SPEAKER_02: So and I didn't think of bothered me and then it finally when I had time to just slow down, I did.
[05:31] SPEAKER_02: So that's when I realized everything kind of hit me just that my daughter moving out.
[05:37] SPEAKER_02: My mother-in-law, my dad, my mom, caregiver, my daily activity of going to the hospital every day.
[05:43] SPEAKER_02: Like it was like, now that's not there.
[05:45] SPEAKER_02: So it's like, what's my purpose now?
[05:47] SPEAKER_02: Like what am I doing now?
[05:48] SPEAKER_02: Like what do I want to do?
[05:50] SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
[05:51] SPEAKER_02: Just trying to figure out my next steps.
[05:53] SPEAKER_02: So really I had put my life on hold for quite some time.
[05:57] SPEAKER_02: And I think Mario, not no disrespect to them.
[05:59] SPEAKER_02: But women really, we are.
[06:01] SPEAKER_02: Like I feel like we're typically more so the ones that are the glue that holds it all together.
[06:06] SPEAKER_02: The ones nurturing everybody, looking after everybody and sometimes we forget about ourselves.
[06:11] SPEAKER_02: So that's what happened to me.
[06:14] SPEAKER_02: And so I thought, you know what, this isn't like me.
[06:16] SPEAKER_02: This is I'm not feeling myself.
[06:18] SPEAKER_02: I don't like how I'm feeling.
[06:19] SPEAKER_02: I think to a hormonal change, the parry menopause was happening.
[06:23] SPEAKER_02: So I was like I said, a basket of every emotion you can imagine.
[06:27] SPEAKER_02: So my cousin who had lost her dad said, you know what?
[06:30] SPEAKER_02: I started doing all these things.
[06:32] SPEAKER_02: You should try this breath work.
[06:34] SPEAKER_02: It's really amazing.
[06:35] SPEAKER_02: I've done meditation and I really had an effort about it.
[06:39] SPEAKER_02: And I know, yeah, I was thinking, okay, my mind races a million miles an hour.
[06:43] SPEAKER_02: I don't know if that's just an entrepreneur thing too.
[06:45] SPEAKER_02: But you know at night, I'm laying there.
[06:46] SPEAKER_02: My mind's thinking, but I'm tired.
[06:48] SPEAKER_02: So I started trying all these different modalities.
[06:51] SPEAKER_02: So that's kind of what led me to this whole retreat.
[06:55] SPEAKER_02: So then while I was at these different, you know, groups and, you know, women groups and women talking,
[07:01] SPEAKER_02: it became very clear that obviously I wasn't alone.
[07:05] SPEAKER_02: Many women share this, whether it's the emptiness feeling or grief, caregiver,
[07:10] SPEAKER_02: like whether you lose a spouse or a parent, it's a tough and it's hard to kind of wrap your head around.
[07:16] SPEAKER_02: So I thought, here I am jumping from meditation to yoga to sound back and it's all over the city.
[07:21] SPEAKER_02: And these are all great modalities.
[07:23] SPEAKER_02: Let's put it together.
[07:24] SPEAKER_02: Let's just put this all together.
[07:26] SPEAKER_02: So women can really come just take a weekend together.
[07:29] SPEAKER_02: And women really find comfort in talking and bonding and community.
[07:34] SPEAKER_02: And that's what I wanted to create.
[07:36] SPEAKER_02: So that's the whole premise.
[07:38] SPEAKER_02: So it was from a self-journey of myself and discovery,
[07:41] SPEAKER_02: what helped me and what I wanted.
[07:43] SPEAKER_02: And then I wanted to put it together for other ladies as well.
[07:46] SPEAKER_00: Discover the latest trends, strategies, and success stories in the ever evolving world of business.
[07:53] SPEAKER_00: Canada's podcast.com subscribe now.
[07:56] SPEAKER_01: Tell me a little bit about this upcoming retreat and what that's about.
[08:02] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so it's in the only clue.
[08:04] SPEAKER_02: So it's two-nates accommodation at the beautiful Firmont,
[08:07] SPEAKER_02: Shutter Lake Police.
[08:08] SPEAKER_02: Your meals are included.
[08:10] SPEAKER_02: We've got a welcome reception, sway bags, door prizes.
[08:14] SPEAKER_02: They have three amazing lady guest speakers and then we have five different presenters.
[08:19] SPEAKER_02: So we are doing, and it's more if also just an educational session too,
[08:24] SPEAKER_02: learning about how does meditation help you and how do you actually do it's not just sitting there
[08:29] SPEAKER_02: staring out.
[08:30] SPEAKER_02: But so we were doing meditation.
[08:31] SPEAKER_02: Then we're doing yoga, facial maneuvers.
[08:35] SPEAKER_02: We have a dance session, 90 breath work, which is really something different,
[08:39] SPEAKER_02: not a lot of people experience it.
[08:41] SPEAKER_02: And then we are ending with a beautiful candlelight sound bath on Saturday evening.
[08:47] SPEAKER_02: And then my speaker, ladies, so I have Christina Patel,
[08:49] SPEAKER_02: she's the founder of KB and Co.
[08:52] SPEAKER_02: So her story is just about the power of resilience and faith and believing in yourself
[08:57] SPEAKER_02: and pursuing that as an entrepreneur or whatever it is in your life.
[09:01] SPEAKER_02: The next speaker, we have is Tracy Bateman.
[09:04] SPEAKER_02: And she is the co-founder of Melissa Medispa here in Edmonton and she's also personal coach.
[09:10] SPEAKER_02: So she talks about work-life balance and stress management.
[09:15] SPEAKER_02: And then her third speaker is she's a multi-word-winning TV producer.
[09:18] SPEAKER_02: And her name is Jessie Shuchak.
[09:21] SPEAKER_02: And her topic is, I think you might know, Jessie, yes, is on Minipot.
[09:27] SPEAKER_02: So it's basically called from burnout to breakthrough.
[09:31] SPEAKER_02: A Minipot's journey of self-discovery and radical healing.
[09:34] SPEAKER_02: And it's a really impactful topic for women that sometimes get misty.
[09:39] SPEAKER_02: No, smart.
[09:40] SPEAKER_02: You know, this is a woman thing that like,
[09:42] SPEAKER_02: are honestly we wonder sometimes, you know, are we going crazy?
[09:46] SPEAKER_02: Am I forgetting this and why am I?
[09:47] SPEAKER_02: And it's really our emotions and a lot of times it gets misty.
[09:51] SPEAKER_02: No, it's like people, oh, you're anxious or you're just depressed.
[09:54] SPEAKER_02: It's actually just our hormonal imbalance.
[09:56] SPEAKER_02: And until you talk to other women and really understand what's happening,
[10:00] SPEAKER_02: you don't know.
[10:01] SPEAKER_02: So that's those three ladies are amazing and they're going to be there as well.
[10:06] SPEAKER_02: And yeah, so that's kind of, it's from Friday.
[10:08] SPEAKER_02: It's over the long weekend, which gives ladies the Monday off.
[10:12] SPEAKER_02: For the ones that you have to...
[10:13] SPEAKER_01: The date to...
[10:14] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, November 8th to 10th.
[10:17] SPEAKER_02: So check in and everything starts about 6.30 on the Friday with a welcome
[10:22] SPEAKER_02: cocktail reception, introductions, all of that.
[10:25] SPEAKER_02: It's a little day, Saturday, at 10.30 and then we're going to wrap up
[10:27] SPEAKER_02: mid afternoon about 1.30 to 1.30.
[10:30] SPEAKER_02: So it still gives ladies time to look around like Louise, go to BAM,
[10:34] SPEAKER_02: take your time to get home wherever they're from and then still have a sort of a nice
[10:38] SPEAKER_02: slow day on the Monday.
[10:40] SPEAKER_01: Now I smiled when you mentioned Jesse because Jesse was one of our, one of my guests
[10:45] SPEAKER_01: within the past year as well.
[10:48] SPEAKER_01: Probably one of those.
[10:49] SPEAKER_02: Amazing.
[10:50] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, great story.
[10:51] SPEAKER_01: Great story.
[10:53] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, great personality.
[10:54] SPEAKER_01: It was fun podcast.
[10:56] Speaker UNKNOWN:
[10:56] SPEAKER_01: So let's talk in general about retreats.
[11:00] SPEAKER_01: And you know, obviously, you know, we live in a fast-paced world,
[11:04] SPEAKER_01: you know, that's non-stop.
[11:06] SPEAKER_01: There seems to be a lot of enough hours in the day for people, etc.
[11:13] SPEAKER_01: No important is it.
[11:15] SPEAKER_01: For people in general, just to take that time off and even consider doing a retreat in whatever
[11:22] SPEAKER_01: manner that may be.
[11:24] SPEAKER_02: Well, I think that's so important.
[11:26] SPEAKER_02: That's the whole point is too because we are so busy in our daily lives and we are running
[11:30] SPEAKER_02: from here to there, checking our phones and social media.
[11:33] SPEAKER_02: And it's just like, it's a non-stop, right?
[11:37] SPEAKER_02: Activity and a buzz constantly.
[11:39] SPEAKER_02: And it's, and that's how I felt for so long until I really had time just to kind of be quiet
[11:43] SPEAKER_02: and silent and mindful and had time to really think about like, what am I doing?
[11:49] SPEAKER_02: What do I want?
[11:50] SPEAKER_02: And what do I need to work on?
[11:52] SPEAKER_02: And that's the purpose of this, just to give the ladies that opportunity.
[11:56] SPEAKER_02: I know it's just a weekend, but that might be enough just to take that little break, right?
[12:00] SPEAKER_02: From the kids, the pets, the driving,
[12:02] SPEAKER_02: chauffeuring parents, constant work, engage,
[12:05] SPEAKER_02: dancing commitments, like this is just a time to learn some new things.
[12:10] SPEAKER_02: And maybe it won't resonate with everybody.
[12:12] SPEAKER_02: They may not like breath work or they may not like meditation,
[12:15] SPEAKER_02: but at least you've been introduced.
[12:17] SPEAKER_02: It's about experiencing something new, maybe that you haven't already,
[12:20] SPEAKER_02: and just connecting with others too.
[12:22] SPEAKER_02: So yeah, it is very important to take a break and just be present.
[12:25] SPEAKER_02: I find we live so fast and even though you're with your family sometimes,
[12:30] SPEAKER_02: you're not always present with them.
[12:32] SPEAKER_02: Everybody's checking their phones or they're, you know what I'm saying?
[12:34] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, like, and it's like, no, put the phones down.
[12:37] SPEAKER_02: Like, let's just chat, right?
[12:38] SPEAKER_02: Let's just have some family time.
[12:40] SPEAKER_02: So, yes, and with, you know, and I think too,
[12:43] SPEAKER_02: since COVID, the hybrid working environment has changed so much,
[12:47] SPEAKER_02: that people don't have that human contact as much.
[12:51] SPEAKER_02: Like, you can work one or two days in the office,
[12:53] SPEAKER_02: but then the rest can be at home behind your computer.
[12:56] SPEAKER_02: And people love the community and being around one another.
[13:01] SPEAKER_02: And that's also, that's what this retreat's creating.
[13:04] SPEAKER_01: It's tough for people, though, to be still and to be silent.
[13:09] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[13:10] SPEAKER_01: I think it is.
[13:11] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[13:13] SPEAKER_01: Any suggestions for people like how to approach something like that?
[13:18] SPEAKER_01: You know, how to approach and be prepared for a retreat?
[13:23] SPEAKER_01: Because for many, you know, it can be intimidating in the sense that,
[13:29] SPEAKER_01: you know, they need all those distractions and their lives.
[13:33] SPEAKER_01: But once you try to get rid of all those distractions,
[13:37] SPEAKER_01: it's kind of out of your, I don't know, comfort zone in some ways, I guess.
[13:42] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it is, especially if you're a high-paced individual.
[13:45] SPEAKER_02: And that, honestly, that's what I kind of was all in my life.
[13:47] SPEAKER_02: And still am.
[13:48] SPEAKER_02: I just feel like it's go-go-go, you know, especially being an entrepreneur.
[13:51] SPEAKER_02: Because you wear so many hats, you have to do everything, right?
[13:54] SPEAKER_02: Right now, I'm your classic candidate.
[13:56] SPEAKER_02: I'm like, do I ever need a break?
[13:58] SPEAKER_02: I mean, I just need time to relax.
[14:02] SPEAKER_02: But yes, it can be intimidating.
[14:03] SPEAKER_02: And if you've never just really taken the time for yourself,
[14:07] SPEAKER_02: I know it might feel like a selfish thing.
[14:09] SPEAKER_02: But I think in the end, you have to nurture yourself before you can be willing to give back,
[14:14] SPEAKER_02: right? You can't pour from an empty cup.
[14:17] SPEAKER_02: And if you just are sort of burnt out like Jesse's speech,
[14:21] SPEAKER_02: you don't have much more to give.
[14:22] SPEAKER_02: So, you know, I welcome, I invite ladies, I always say, you know,
[14:26] SPEAKER_02: bring your mom or your friend or your sister or a girlfriend.
[14:29] SPEAKER_02: Like, let's do this together, experience it together.
[14:31] SPEAKER_02: You can engage in as much as you want.
[14:34] SPEAKER_02: You can stay quiet and just, you know, absorb.
[14:37] SPEAKER_02: There's no, you know, no pressure to do anything.
[14:40] SPEAKER_02: You can take in as many of the sessions as you want or speakers,
[14:43] SPEAKER_02: or you can do one or two. It's up to you.
[14:46] SPEAKER_02: So, I think it just allows the ladies that giving them, you know, the chance that just
[14:52] SPEAKER_02: take that time, investing yourself, your worth it.
[14:55] SPEAKER_02: You do so much for so many people.
[14:57] SPEAKER_02: Take care of yourself, and then you can give that.
[15:00] SPEAKER_02: And I don't know if you have known two or giving that, speaking of that,
[15:05] SPEAKER_02: because I believe mental health is so important for all of us.
[15:09] SPEAKER_02: And so, I have partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association,
[15:13] SPEAKER_02: and part of a, or a small percentage of the proceeds will be donated back to their charity.
[15:21] SPEAKER_02: And part of that too, we're hosting a contest.
[15:24] SPEAKER_02: So, anybody that buys a ticket, they can then nominate somebody that they know
[15:28] SPEAKER_02: that is very deserving of a free retreat, whether it is that, you know,
[15:32] SPEAKER_02: burnt out caregiver or somebody in their community that's gone above and beyond,
[15:36] SPEAKER_02: or the mom that just can't take the time, or they can't afford it.
[15:39] SPEAKER_02: We're hosting this contest to be able to give that a free retreat to somebody very deserving.
[16:03] SPEAKER_02: So, I've done many things.
[16:05] SPEAKER_02: So, lots of sales from my life have been in different sales positions, but
[16:10] SPEAKER_02: for eight years, I had a partner and I and we ran a business called Uberistic,
[16:14] SPEAKER_02: and it was an online HR company that it was all about self promotion and letting yourself be seen.
[16:21] SPEAKER_02: I find, it was sort of like take the monster, the work where you apply for jobs,
[16:27] SPEAKER_02: it's like this random resume that goes out in the world and you never know if anybody's seeing it or
[16:33] SPEAKER_02: excuse me. So, yeah, we built this online portal, so we worked that for eight years, so we let people
[16:40] SPEAKER_02: be seen and heard, it was a one minute video pitch, you sending your application, and then you had
[16:44] SPEAKER_02: a full data, like you could see the whole process, was it actually received?
[16:48] SPEAKER_02: Where am I in the next step and all of this? So, I did that for quite a few years, and then we
[16:54] SPEAKER_02: then time it, just we went sort of different ways and had different ideas on how that would
[16:58] SPEAKER_02: advance. And then yeah, so I've just, and then I was in different sales positions, and my passion
[17:04] SPEAKER_02: also is in house building, and so we built 10 homes over the past couple of years, and we built,
[17:11] SPEAKER_02: so three that we personally lived in. We love, I love the whole process, the design, our daughters
[17:17] SPEAKER_02: also an interior decorator, and then our son was taking architecture, and my husband's
[17:24] SPEAKER_02: man of many trades, so it was, yes, we've done it ourselves, and that's a, that's a side thing
[17:30] SPEAKER_01: that we love doing. What's the attraction to that is it just building something from literally
[17:36] SPEAKER_02: ground up, right? Literally ground up, yeah, and you know, and we didn't divorce everybody's like,
[17:41] SPEAKER_02: oh my gosh, you people with your husband, you know, you know, what's for us? It is a labor of
[17:46] SPEAKER_02: all, like we just, I think it is like having this vision just like with any business and with
[17:50] SPEAKER_02: this retreat, and it's like, you envision it, and then you do it, and it's just so bright and fine,
[17:57] SPEAKER_02: and then you see this beautiful improv. I mean, trust me, there's a lot of little hiccups in between,
[18:02] SPEAKER_02: nothing's always, just like this last build with COVID, you know, the trade's nothing as always
[18:07] SPEAKER_02: as smooth as you hold, but yeah, it is, I, for some, you know, I guess it's not for everybody,
[18:12] SPEAKER_02: but we love the process, we love every step, working with all the contractors, and yeah,
[18:18] SPEAKER_02: and then the landscaping, we did all the landscaping, that's another passion, and I love just being
[18:23] SPEAKER_02: outside and being, you know, planting and just seeing everything, everything after three years is like,
[18:28] SPEAKER_02: I'm like, how big, look at those trees already, look what we planted, and now how it looks, and
[18:33] SPEAKER_01: yeah, it's fun to see that. You know, it's, it's funny you mentioned that because I was just thinking,
[18:39] SPEAKER_01: you're talking about the landscaping and being outside, and of course, you're upcoming retreat is in
[18:45] SPEAKER_01: one of the most gorgeous places in Canada. How important do you think it is for people to connect
[18:52] SPEAKER_01: with nature, especially in these days where everything is so technologically based?
[18:58] SPEAKER_02: Yes, I think that's something that's really forgotten, just to, you know, to get out and just
[19:04] SPEAKER_02: smell the air, like right now, the leaves, like when you just go for a walk, it's so amazing, and
[19:08] SPEAKER_02: that that's so healing, and they, you know, the grounding, how you, they just honestly take your shoes off,
[19:13] SPEAKER_02: and stand on the grass that is the most healthy thing for you. Yeah, I think for me, a lot of my,
[19:21] SPEAKER_02: when I used to call my meditation days, why haven't I dogged? The off leash is one of my
[19:26] SPEAKER_02: happy places, and just going and being in the trees and seeing the dogs in the pets run, like that,
[19:33] SPEAKER_02: that's where my mind just becomes present. I don't, I'm not thinking about work in this,
[19:39] SPEAKER_02: and what I have to do, it's like enjoying the moment of being in the nature, the smells, the sounds,
[19:44] SPEAKER_02: I love it. I think it's very therapeutic, and I encourage people to take time, not only for the
[19:50] SPEAKER_02: fitness aspect, but just for the mental break. It's very good for you. All right, wonderful.
[19:56] SPEAKER_02: Well, thanks, Jackie, for joining us today. Oh, well, Mario, thank you so much for having me.
[20:01] SPEAKER_01: I really appreciate it. All right, that was Jackie Berenka, who is owner of JV Ventures
[20:08] SPEAKER_01: retreats in Edmonton. I'm Mario Tonigusi with Edmonton's podcast on Canada's podcast
[20:13] SPEAKER_01: network. Thanks for joining us today.
