Jeanette Duncanson – A Woman Soaring in Manitoba Business

At Fit Communications, to say we are passionate about supporting strong, powerhouse women is an understatement. We love sharing information specifically for women about nutrition, fitness, parenting and business. Over the summer, two articles really hit home with us that we shared throughout or social media. The first, from Forbes Magazine bringing light to the fact that Serena Williams in the only female athlete in the Top 100 Paid Athletes in the World. And in fact, she’s ranked pretty far down the chain for such a well-recognized and established athlete at #63.

The second article was from the Winnipeg Free Press showcasing the top 10 City paid Winnipeg positions – whereby ALL were male.

Between the two of these articles it had us shaking our heads asking WHY is there still such a disconnect? Why is the hill for women still so high to climb? And better yet…who is doing this RIGHT?!

With our boutique marketing agency, we work with some of the largest food manufacturers in the province. In doing so, we get to meet some really great people who are mega passionate about what they do. Case in point? Jeanette Duncanson with Sysco.

I met Jeanette is a meeting with one of our clients, and she noticed my notebook was from SHEDay. In February of this year I was asked to be part of a panel on health, to the sold-out SHEDay conference. I was there to give my thoughts on physical health. It’s such a massive topic, with so many elements, and I was thrilled to be a part of the day. Jeanette and I quickly realized we had lots in common so I thought it would be great to sit down with her another time to chat about Winnipeg women in business.

Jeanette, a born and bred Winnipegger has been with Sysco for fourteen years, and currently in the position of Regional Marketing Manager for Sysco Prairies. A mother of two, she has seen the company grow not only in Manitoba, but across Canada in massive ways.

As it turns out, Sysco is one of the companies that is totally ‘doing it right’ when it comes to women in business. Some of their highest ranked positions in their company are held by women. To name a few, the President of Sysco Prairies is Kim Doherty; VP Corporate Multi-Unit, National Sales is Janice Gagnon; VP of Merchandising is ChristineMoroz; and VP of Field Sales & Marketing for Canada is Sarah Anseeuw.

With over 300 people employed in their Winnipeg site alone, and the largest food supplier in Manitoba, Jeanette is part of a massive team doing big things in our province. Sysco is truly an A to Z business. They can supply a business with everything from paper to food to training to equipment. They have a full business resource team, specialists, and culinary resource team all there to help businesses thrive and grow. They are more than just an order taker and order maker kind of company. From leadership training to cost control to help building menus, Sysco is there for their customers in every way.

I asked her what she thinks makes Sysco different, especially as it relates to women in business. Jeanette said, “Kim Doherty has played a huge role in having females put into power positions. She helps put strong confident women in these positions, she’s a role model and mentor and helps pave the way for other women. Not only for Sysco, but for the food service industry overall. Diversity, inclusion, and the Women’s Food Service Forum are all big pieces of Sysco culture. They are a broad, open minded company that strives to be a leader.”

There’s a saying ‘We can’t be what we can’t see’ when it comes to kids, especially girls, when talking about having role models in place. If a girl only sees women as hairstylist, nurses and teachers (which these are all incredible positions don’t get me wrong!) then she might not be able to see herself as a lawyer, a doctor or the Prime Minister of Canada. We need to showcase the women in these positions more often to young girls so they can have big dreams for themselves and truly feel like there are NO limits on what they can be or achieve.

According to Jeanette, the best way to do this is to be passionate about what you do. The rest will come if you follow your passion. Give things your all, follow your dreams, don’t give up, work hard and stay dedicated. Sysco is a place that really encourages its team and employees to grow and continue to learn. She loves that. For not only her work life but for her own self development. The better ‘Jeanette’ she is, the better employee, mom, friend, all roles – she will be.

We love writing stories about women in our community who are killing it. If you have someone in mind who you think would be great for us to write about, let us know! You can sign up for our newsletter here or email us at info@fitcommunications.ca

 

Cacao Now – My New Favourite Nutrition Secret

 

 

 

 

On the advice of my brilliant nutritionist, I started to add more raw cacao to my health regime earlier this year. I purchased raw cacao powder and planned to put it in my morning concoction, which is a mixture of a green supplement, maca powder and now this. I found the combination worked really well to get me through my workouts, as I do intermittent fasting and need a boost. But the mixture was far from tasty. I could get it down, but figured there must be another, tastier option for the cacao. I wanted to find something that was raw, real, organic, and tasted awesome. Sounds impossible right? Wrong.

I stumbled across a company called Cacao Now founded by Tove Redeby and found a plethora of options to try. As I read more about the products and business, I found myself pretty fascinated with the woman behind the company and thought she would be a perfect person to interview and highlight in our FIT Women & Girls blog and social media. A super strong, healthy, environmentally-conscious woman…just our type!

“I have been interested in optimal eating and whole foods, as well as organic living and the environment for as long as I can remember. I have a diploma in nutrition, and I have always been fascinated by the power of food, REAL food. I believe that the foundation of most of our modern health issues are connected to what and how we eat, and that we can ultimately heal ourselves through our eating choices. As an avid all-around athlete, the connection between great food and great performance has also always interested me. My most important education has taken place in the mountains and in the kitchen, and my work is in service to both,” says Tove.

Let’s take a look at the health benefits of cacao:

  1. Cacao contains the highest concentration of ANTIOXIDANTS of any food in the world!
  2. Cacao seems to be the number one source of Magnesium.
  3. Cacao contains enough CHROMIUM to help reverse deficiencies in this mineral.
  4. Cacao is an excellent source of MANGANESE and ZINC.
  5. Cacao has an very high value of Vitamin C.
  6. Cacao is high in FIBER.
  7. Cacao contains essential omega-6 fatty acids. Once the cacao bean is cooked, the chocolate product automatically contains rancid omega-6 fatty acids (trans fat).
  8. Cacao contains Phenylethylamine (PEA). PEAs are a major class of chemicals that our body produces when we fall in love. This is one of the main reasons why love and chocolate have such a deep relation (this relation is not merely a myth). But, as PEAs are heat sensitive, they are not as present in cacao that has been heated.
  9. Cacao is rich in serotonin.
  10. Contrary to popular belief, Cacao is a poor source of Caffeine. Cacao contains Theobromine, a close relative to Caffeine.

Starting to sound like gold isn’t it? But how does it taste?

I have tried three of Tove’s Buddha Bars – Raw Chocolate Vanilla Bean, Raw Chocolate Peppermint and Raw Chocolate Orange Zest. The orange zest reminded me of the Christmas orange chocolate you get at the holidays. If that flavour is your jam, you’ll love this one. The vanilla bean is a subtle hint of vanilla, and if you are a big dark chocolate fan this one is for you. But that peppermint option – whoa! It’s delicious.

So here’s the cool part. I honestly felt the effects from eating this bar almost immediately. It gave me an energy boost, but not a jittery shakey boost. It seemed to just uplift me. This might be the most perfect pre-workout snack I can imagine. I at times workout twice a day with how my schedule is, and find that I need something to give me that extra umph! I completely avoid any sort of pre-workout supplements as I find them often riddled with chemicals and make me feel jittery and gross. I don’t like to eat too much before a workout as I find it makes me nauseous. Behold the solution! And here’s why this particular brand company is where it’s at:

There are absolutely zero refined sugars in Cacao Now products. Everything is sweetened with dates and/or raisins. Sugar is seriously the devil – avoid it as best you can. The cacao comes from raw cacao nibs, not a processed cacao mass, and therefore no fillers or ingredients we can’t pronounce are included. And Tove genuinely cares about what she is making and who she is making it for. She “deeply believes in the energetic connection between human and food” and in such energetically cleans her space before making her products.

Made in Squamish,BC, much of her product line is only available to the rest of Canada on her website. But don’t think for a minute that this woman plans on stopping there. With an upcoming expansion of her product line, she hopes to be in health food stores across the country soon. She is on a mission that I feel many of our readers can relate to. “My mission is just as much to share my knowledge and my passion for conscious living; to share the wisdom and healing powers of food and specifically of cacao; to spread good vibrations and LOVE; and ultimately to do my little part in making this world a “better” more loving place,” says Tove.

We love supporting strong, entrepreneurial women doing great things across our country. Eating real food, listening to your body, and eating mindfully are the words of wisdom Tove and Cacao Now want to share with you.

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