Christine Lauzon - September's WonderWoman - Month of Mentorship

Posted by Avanti Women Aug 30, 2017

Christine Lauzon is Avanti Women's Director of Mentorship and our WonderWoman of the Month! 

Christine is a relationship builder, woman supporter, program facilitator, coach, mentor, community builder, speaker - awesome wife, mom and friend!

1. What‰Ûªs my story?

As a mom to two great kids I believe my mentoring really started with them. You might agree that raising children is a life-long mentorship program. The older your kids get the better you get at being that mentor because that is where the true mentoring starts. Education has always been an important agenda item in my life. I work in education but more importantly to me is that I promote education, learning, and developing yourself to the fullest. My friends and family chuckle when I tell them ‰ÛÏHey, I‰Ûªm back in school‰Û. Surely, they know by now how important it is to me to work on yourself and what this means to me. Working through personal development, micro-learning, and through education, I feel that living through example is one of most important methods for which you can walk-the-talk. As the Director of Mentorship for Avanti Women, I feel this role is a key piece to being able to walk the talk and apply it to directly helping others. People in my life have done some pretty amazing things with themselves and their careers and my hope is to keep on demonstrating that you are never too old to develop, learn and grow.

2. If I could give advice to my 20 year old self- what would it have been?

At the risk of sounding like a broken record about education, I should have done my degree first instead of when I turned 50. My feeling is that education (any education) is worth it. Why?  Education opens your eyes and mind to the bigger things in the world. I have completed four college diplomas, and a Bachelors degree in Adult Education- that‰Ûªs a big deal to me and something I‰Ûªm extremely proud of. I would also advise my 20 year old self to travel more as travelling is just like education- full of education and value in opening up your world lens. I would have also advised on working Internationally. Anyone I‰Ûªve talked to who has worked outside of Canada has been a more well developed person because of it.

3. What is the one thing I can‰Ûªt live without?

People in my inner circle might suggest this is coffee. I will of course say that my children are the very things I cannot live without nor could I picture my life without them. Kids are a great touchstone for the verification of all the ‰ÛÏstuff‰Û you‰Ûªve done in your life- before them, with them, and after they‰Ûªve left the home. It only asks for one but some other things might be chocolate, wine, cheese and my husband Richard.

4. If I could change one thing about myself what would it be?

I would have changed my approach to my career far differently. If a mentor was offered I would have taken it. If I had guidance and direction from a woman whose career was spectacular, I would have liked to have thought I would have learned alongside her. A woman‰Ûªs career is often important and choosing to be what you want to be is difficult. One of the best things in careers now is that you don‰Ûªt need to stay in one single career if you choose not to- there is so much variety that it really is up to you to decide.

5. What am I most excited about?

My reaction to this question is…whoa-so many things.  As someone who is naturally curious about everything (except math-sorry Dad), I feel that getting excited about things in your life is what keeps you young. The opportunities I have each day to have an effect on people‰Ûªs lives excites me. The opportunity to learn excites me. The chances you get in life are sometimes more about how you‰Ûªve created them then what you do with them.

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Nominate October's WonderWoman! Send your submission by emailing info@avantiwomen.com.


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