Listening, Learning, and no BS!

Lisa Kates is one woman whose M.O is learning, listening, and no BS!

I first met Lisa Kates (@lisa.a.kates) virtually through the classes that I take from The Akira Concept (@theakiraconcept).

I then asked Lisa to be a mentor in Get Up. And I’m so glad she agreed because what she shared was a goodie!

And of course, I wanted to know more! Who is Lisa Kates? What does she do and what is she all about? And most importantly, I needed to know what she meant when she answered the question:

“What would you tell your teenage self?” in the book Get Up.

As it turned out, there are more layers to Lisa than an onion. That’s a lot, in my opinion. And the best part about what I found out – and what you will too – is that when it comes to Lisa Kates, it’s all about listening, learning, and no BS!

Who is Lisa Kates?

I am a work in progress. There’s always something new to learn, things to see. I’m an adventurer and prefer newness to the same old. I embrace change.

People see me as an extrovert but I’m the person you’ll see sitting at a cocktail party, observing instead of participating. I enjoy being with people with who I can connect and have good conversations that flow back and forth.

The flip side, as a good friend once said, is that I have a strong BS detector and have little to no tolerance for it. 

I am creative, love being behind a lens, and am looking for a subject I can really sink my teeth into to create a photo essay. 

It’s taken a long time but I’ve learned that failure or missteps are not all bad; you think, you pause, you move on. Life isn’t stagnant so I can’t imagine not keeping up in ways that I’m comfortable with. 

Tell me about your very first job. What did you learn from it?

My first part-time job was when I was in my teens. I worked at Loblaws in Lawrence Plaza so that I could earn enough money to get to Florida with my best friend. I was young but old enough to know that I shouldn’t be called “hey kosher” by the manager when he needed returns put back in the kosher food aisle. How did I react? I rebelled in little ways such as not putting things back on the right shelves. 🙂 This experience didn’t scar me, but it did stick with me for all of these years. I will never forget it.

My advice is to always respect your employees, you want to have a positive impact on them no matter what the job or task is. 

What is Building Roots and how did you become one of the founders?

Building Roots (@buildingrootsto) is a social enterprise that focuses on providing fresh food at no cost. At the present time, we are working with the areas of Moss Park and Downtown East, through our Moss Park Market. A brightly coloured shipping container on Queen east of Sherbourne.

We offer art focussed programming with partners such as the Canadian Opera Company (@Canadianopera) and Story Planet (@storyplanetto) and we have a large Bookshare program.

In season we are very fortunate to have an urban farm in Ashbridge Estate where we grow food for the market. 

I became one of the founders (Darcy Higgins (@darcyhiggins) is my Building Roots partner) as a result of numerous conversations about how people would have no access or ability to grow food when developers gobbled up every parcel of land they could get their hands on to build condos.

That was over 8 years ago and slowly with focussed intention, we built a charity that is as resilient as the people are in the communities we work in. 

When you create a social enterprise it’s about community building. Successes are not about how you feel about yourself but about how the community trusts and respects the work you’re doing. It’s about creating resiliency and solid foundations that will hopefully last for years. 

Toronto needs organizations like ours to create positive on-the-ground change. We work with other organizations because it’s always better together. Having said that I am enormously proud of Building Roots and the trust that we’ve gained. 

What is your typical day like?

My days vary depending on work. Typically I have a slow morning stretch from The Akira Concept. I then enjoy my breakfast while reading the Globe and Mail, NY Times, and listening to the CBC. I am addicted to the NYT word scramble and don’t start my day without it!

Next comes the reading of the emails and then my workday begins! Darcy and I will have meetings with various people throughout the week. We are presently in fundraising mode so right now that’s how much of our time is being spent.

I am on social media and will scroll in the morning and late afternoon or evening but have cut down on the amount of time I spend there. 

My workday ends at 5 when I make dinner for my husband Aaron and me while I listen to the CBC. Sometimes my kids, who are all grown and are no longer living with us, will join us for dinner, which is great because it gives us time to catch up. 

Then it’s relaxing with Netflix and reading whatever book is on the go.

Weekends are interspersed with farmer’s markets, maybe an art gallery or hike, seeing friends and family, and eating yummy food. Sometimes I have nothing planned and that’s really nice too. 

How do you like to unwind?

Walk, walk and walk! Preferably out of the city away from traffic and noise. I meet friends in person and have pulled back from platforms like Facebook because online relationships have become wooden and unsustainable for me, especially post(ish) Covid. 

I am keen on dancing in my kitchen or living room. It’s very liberating. Through the amazing team at The Akira Concept, I’ve learned that “exercise snacks” are my daily go-to for varied stretching and safe movement. 

Travelling is up there in what I do to unwind and I’m happy to be getting back to it. There’s something relaxing and gratifying in being able to see what is around the corner. Walking by an ocean is a pinnacle of relaxation. 

The most meaningful lesson in your life?

Cultivate patience and tolerance. The rewards are enormous. 

Let’s unpack: What did you mean by: “Listen to your inner self and follow your dreams.”

We need to trust ourselves more and be in tune with what makes us happy, gives us satisfaction. If it’s resonating with you but not a friend or it’s not what’s being promoted by the larger world then that’s ok.

I do hope we are becoming more tolerant of what the flip side might look like. If you have a burning passion for something then try not to let outside noise dim it. It’s your journey, it’s your dream.

If you want to walk up a mountain and write a novel then do it. If you want to walk away from a job that’s causing enormous anxiety then listen to that voice that’s going to give you permission to move on.

It’s about knowing what’s right for you, not inserting yourself into someone else’s journey.

Listen to yourself, trust who you are to make the journey that will make your dreams a reality. 

Lisa Kates is one woman who has such a refreshing outlook on life that we all can learn from. Myself included. Contributing to the community and helping so many, while also taking such great care of herself. Learning, listening, and no BS! Now THAT is the way to live.