What we are thinking about…Oh, the places we’ve gone!
We should have taken more photos of all the places we have travelled for work. From hosting our Work the Pond! book launch in Washington, DC to speaking on a seasick-inducing stage aboard a Princess Cruise from Vancouver to Los Angeles (we have new respect for ship performers), to presenting at an international women’s conference in Monterrey, Mexico we’ve had 20+ years of amazing experiences, some more memorable than others.
We’ve raced between buildings in downtown Calgary in minus 40 degree Celsius weather (that is take-your-breath-away cold) to get to a now very-late-night presentation after a Snowmageddon delayed our flight. We’ve driven up a highway in Quebec (with the smallest detour signs imaginable) on a pitch-black night, in the middle of nowhere, to get to a gig in a tiny ski resort. The list of road warrior glitches could go on forever!
We had the privilege of hosting a business networking presentation in a very grand room at Canada House in London, England but also been screened by Uzi-carrying Swiss police at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Then there was the cross-Canada road trip taking us to some of the world’s most iconic hotels in the most beautiful settings like the Chateau Lake Louise and gorgeous St. Andrews By-The-Sea in New Brunswick.
And the worse times? They actually make the best stories. There was the time our presentation slides kept moving ahead on their own because, as it turned out, our remote was on the same radio frequency as a presenter in another room. Unfortunately, we didn’t figure that out until after the presentation was over! Or The Not Ready For Prime Time Room (see photos below) and Is This The Only Hotel In The World That Doesn’t Have An Elevator When Gayle Has A Huge Suitcase?
How we roll.
We have been lucky that we’ve done a lot of it together―we tell audiences, “tag teams are fun” and it’s true. We complement each other. Judy is a CPA so she’s the organized one. She does all the bookings and manages the expenses, so Gayle feels like the late-Queen Elizabeth—she doesn’t carry money. Her job is the driving, white knuckling it in a rental car through a blinding snowstorm or navigating crazy rush hour traffic to get back to the airport to get home.
Audiences, they surprise you.
We learned some interesting things about audiences. You just never know… one audience, lots of them are intently taking notes! Then a few days later, same presentation, same company but different city, and that audience sits listening, nodding, but nada with the note taking. One audience laughs at all your jokes. Another audience, not so much.
When you are wet behind the ears.
Early in our career, while the audience was doing a group exercise at their tables, we noticed a woman frowning and looking very serious throughout our session. We were both thinking…this person really dislikes what we are saying. Then after our session, she started walking towards us. “Oh no, here we go”, we thought, as we braced ourselves for the negative comments. Instead, this is what we heard, “I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the session. So many things you said resonated with me, things that I could have done differently, it really made be think. Thank you so much”. It was a good lesson for us, everyone processes information differently.
We do it because we love it.
700 gigs later, lots of airplane rides (some scary ones!), lots of hotels (always do the bedbug check, you should too), and the opportunity to see so much of North America (and the world) while doing something we love—now that has made for an exciting, interesting ride.
We’ll admit there was a time when both of us were nervous about public speaking, but after a myriad of experiences we know that once we have been introduced and are welcomed to the stage—whether it’s an audience of 100 or 3,000—we have something to share that’s valuable. For some maybe it’s two or three really good takeaways, but for others they tell us it has been transformational. That is a very good feeling!
― Gayle and Judy
The Not Ready For Prime Time Room – Judy’s recollection
We are tired. It was a dark, rainy drive from the Vancouver Island ferry terminal, up the highway through Ladysmith (hi Pamela Anderson!) to the small town of Duncan, BC. We find our motel and get checked in. Room key in hand, we park our car and duck under the scaffolding (not a good sign), to get to our room. It’s like a million other motel rooms everyone of us have stayed in (don’t need to paint a picture).
Gayle takes the bed by the window (we have a routine). After hanging up my clothes for the next day’s gig I sit on my bed. It immediately collapses to the floor. This is not looking good. We call the front desk and the night auditor, the only person on duty, tells us he is on his way to check out the problem. A few minutes we open the door, he comes in, toolbox in hand, and immediately begins to fix the bed. Accountants, I think, they can do anything!
Is This The Only Hotel In The World That Doesn’t Have An Elevator When I Have A Huge Suitcase? – Gayle’s recollection
We fly into Montreal, this most cosmopolitan of North American cities, pick up our rental car and head out to small town a couple of hours drive. I tell Judy, this is going to be great, the Quebec countryside is so pretty, and I know we will find a charming authentic French country restaurant in the town where we are speaking. We get to the ‘quaint little town’ and it’s not looking good. I don’t see those cute little restaurants I promised Judy, just lots of combo pizza and chicken joints. Then we find our hotel for the night. Things are looking grimmer. It’s on the edge of a truck stop/doughnut shop/restaurant that serves eggs. The name gives it away—Eggcellent.
We usually travel light, but I am going on to the States the next day and have a very large, heavy suitcase. I cheerfully ask the gal at reception, “Where is the elevator?” “Oh, we don’t have one.” She points to the stairs, and they are really tall and steep. Right. Tired from a 6-hour flight, a 3-hour drive, and now this. Really? When was the last time we’ve been in a hotel without an elevator? Is that even legal? The nice woman helps me drag my suitcase (filled with anvils) up the stairs while Judy captures the scene. Then to top things off, after much googling “cute French bistros” we walk between big-rigs gassing up to the Eggcellent restaurant where we had, you guessed it, omelets—and wine out of a box. Judy’s comment? “I guess all the charming French restaurants are back in Montreal”.
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Gayle Hallgren and Judy Thomson
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