Erin's Journals

First of all, I want you to join me in wishing Olivia Newton-John a happy 70th birthday. As you probably read recently, she’s fighting a new battle with cancer. If anyone can win, it’s Olivia. Please send love. I’ve always remembered her birthday because I happen to share it. Oh, and statistically? This is the most common birthdate on the planet. I’m afraid my parents were just a bit predictable….
 
Here’s a favourite picture from last year when I had a chance to meet Olivia, along with my friend Amy Sky and Beth Nielsen-Chapman in Tacoma, WA. They have compiled an album of songs about death, strength, coping, recovery and hope called Liv On and the opening track, “My Heart Goes Out to You,” was inspired by Lauren’s passing. So it was a special meeting. Again, my best wishes to Olivia – such a special lady on her 70th birthday. Lots of Love, Liv. xox
 

 
Another amazing woman who is truly one of a kind turns 81 years old in December, and there’s a documentary about her that I am so looking forward to seeing. What I love most about her is her take on life and that’s what we get to experience in Jane Fonda: In Five Acts, which just became available this past Monday on HBO. You can click on the photo below to watch the trailer.
 

 

 
Jane Fonda appeared recently on The View and I had to stop the PVR and write down her words. Since I happen to be marking another trip around the sun today, the issue of aging has been a little more top of mind than usual. (My stance is to do it as gracefully as I can, get help when and where possible and to live my remaining years – hopefully plenty of ’em, as I’m just 56 – in a way that would both honour Lauren and maybe delight/bug the hell out of Rob.) 
 
There are people who still just despise Jane Fonda and she is most apologetic for some of the misguided things she has said and done. About others, she is still proud and I respect her for her convictions. So she was asked about the documentary and what she hopes people will come away with, what realizations they’ll have. Here’s her response and I just LOVE it:

I don’t care what they understand about me. What I hope they take away from the movie is, it’s never too late to become who you were meant to be. Live an examined life. Keep saying, Can I get better? Can I learn more? Can I grow? Is this a situation that can move me forward? If not? Leave. Keep moving. I know it’s not always easy – ’cause I’m white and I’m privileged and it’s easy for me to say – but I wish that I had seen a movie like this when I was younger, ’cause I maybe wouldn’t have made the mistakes I made.
 
That’s another thing: own it. Take responsibility for your mistakes. Learn from them or you can’t grow.

Jane went on to add that late blooming is advantageous, in that we live so long (her awakening seems to have come in her 70s when she says she realized she didn’t have to make her life all about pleasing men and meeting their expectations). 
 
I just loved the message behind what she had to say. “It’s never too late to become who you’re meant to be.” What a wonderful way of looking at things! I took it to heart because, like so many, I’m in the process of a rebirth. Things I never thought possible (for reasons I cannot have imagined) are on the precipice of becoming reality. Doors that I did not even know were there are beginning to open.
 
And it’s a wonderful thing. I will not grouse or complain – not often, anyway – about aging. Every cellulite bump, every sag, every unwanted hair (even the invisible one from your chin that threatens to catch in your airplane seatbelt) has been accompanied by a lesson or a little bit of wisdom. 
 
At least, that’s what I hope. Have a lovely day and I’ll be back with you tomorrow.
 

You’ve seen ads like these. They are everywhere. 
 

 
And it’s not just Marilyn Denis. It’s Tracy Moore. It’s Dina Pugliese. It’s Michele Romanow.
 
I spoke with Michele about it just last week and she said it comes with the territory: unscrupulous people making up ads just to get unwitting readers to click through and find out why their favourite personalities are in trouble or have quit or are going to start up a cosmetics line.
 
It’s nothing but lies. Out and out LIES. And I am furious on behalf of these women. When I first saw the Marilyn story, I knew that it was bogus. After all, she was (at the time) gearing up for another season of her hit CTV show and there was absolutely no chance she was leaving.
 
Then another ad started showing up and it was photoshopped to look as if she had a black eye. And then more ads, like the ones you see above. All of them different but all with the same message: she’s leaving TV and here’s why. “Fans are shocked!” the garbage click bait says. I know if it was about me, I’d be jumping out of my skin. But there is very little, if anything, these women or the companies that employ them can do.
 
When I tweeted about Marilyn NOT leaving, and wondering why @BellMediaPR wasn’t doing anything about it, they kindly responded to my tweet:
 

 
Last week I got an email from Marilyn thanking me for being such a staunch defender on her behalf. (No problem – I’d want people on my side if I had a profile big enough to be hit with these kinds of lies.) I tweeted about it a month or so ago but thought the lies had died down.
 
Then, just this past week, I was talking with a woman in Regina and she remarked that Marilyn sure had some changes coming (like I’d undertaken in my life and career). I asked her to clarify and, sure enough, she believed one of those stories, as told after clicking the shocking so-called headline. So the misinformation is still out there.
 
On the weekend, I spotted a tweet directed to Kevin Frankish that said, “Oh no, Kevin – first you leave (Breakfast Television) and now Dina?” followed by many crying emojis. So I wrote that it’s a hoax and a lie and none of the prominent women being targetted by these bogus posts is leaving. I added that, whatever you do, don’t click through to find out why they’re alleged to be departing their posts. 
 
Please share this blog with everyone you know – or at least my FB post – as we try to get a little bit of a truth bomb out there. I know people love to throw around the term “Fake News,” but that has come to mean (at least to me) truth that the reader finds distasteful. And I always hear it in Trump’s voice. Ugh. In this case, it’s outright fraud and lies. That’s not even fake news. It’s a crime, is what it is.
 
And why can’t they stop it, all of these high profile media company’s lawyers? Because you can’t hit a moving target, that’s why. That’s what Michele Romanow (CBC’s Dragons’ Den) told me: the IP addresses – usually based in China – are constantly changing.
 
It’s nearly impossible to nail these bastards. As Michele put it with a shrug, “I just hate people wasting their money on these products.” She’s right. In her case, the ads suggest that Michele left DD because she found this amazing product through her show and wanted to endorse/make money from it. Same song for Marilyn, Tracy, Dina and more. It’s a sham and a scam and I need you to help me share the truth.
 
I know I have hated being lied about in the past – albeit not on as nearly wide a platform – and that’s why I’m so indignant on behalf of these women. 
 
(By the way, if you ever hear any rumours about me or have any questions, you need only write and ask. It gives me a chance to answer them honestly. Like the one last week assuming I’d quit radio to write a book. Stuff like that. Let me give you a head start, though: I am definitely having an affair with George Clooney, but Rob’s okay with it as long as we’re discreet and it doesn’t interfere with his hockey. There.) Talk to you here tomorrow.
 

My thoughts – and yours, too, I’m sure – are with the people of the Ottawa region who were hit so hard by two tornadoes on Friday. As I write this, Phil, Brooke and Colin are safe and cozy at home in one of the areas affected by the storms, but are in Day 3 without power. That’s a lot of wasted food, I’m afraid. And they’re without WiFi, too, which Brooke tells me is the hardest part.
 
But they’re safe – that’s the best news. I hope that all of my Ottawa friends and acquaintances, a few of whom I saw in Regina with CREA last week, are also faring as well as one can after such a devastating series of weather events.
 
Travel can bring the best and worst out in people. That’s no stark, revelatory statement; just talk to anyone who flies a lot and they’ll tell you horror stories, pet peeves and tales to make you vow to keep your feet on the ground.
 
I learned something on a recent flight and that knowledge just added to my increasing ire. I ended up landing in lovely Victoria in a rather foul mood. I’m sure Rob thought it was him, although how could you be angry with someone who buys you dahlias when you’ve only been gone for 32 hours? (I definitely should have taken the Dalai Lama’s words to heart.)
 

 
While flying home from Regina on Thursday afternoon (and this was the view out the window of our small Air Canada plane)….
 

 
…my seatmate and I were offered drinks. As he paid for his wine with a credit card, I asked our flight attendant if airlines would ever allow payment by Tap. In case you’re not familiar, Tap is a method I use constantly. You load your credit card info into your phone and then, provided the purchase is under $100, you simply hold your thumb to your ID button, put your phone near the payment device and, just like that, you’ve paid. I love it and thank Michelle Butterly from CHFI for teaching me how to use it! (She’s always been way ahead of me on the app curve.) 
 
The answer to my question about getting Tap was “probably not.” It would mean installing cellular components on the plane just for that (this plane most definitely was not equipped for anything except getting off the ground, staying in the air, and landing safely). The equipment is said to be quite heavy and a small plane like this couldn’t handle it.
 
Also, she informed us that cellular signals on a plane can interfere with the pilots’ communication. She told us of a flight recently where, before landing, a passenger turned on his phone and was having a conversation which was actually picked up BY THE FLIGHT CREW up front. Yes, the pilot/co-pilot could hear the man’s phone conversation. Our flight attendant told us that they had considered making an announcement, but didn’t – not sure why.
 
Wow. It actually interferes with the communications between pilots and the tower. I mean, I assumed that, but this is serious.
 
I heard a passenger on another flight lament that “she has it in for you, dude” after being told twice to switch his phone into airplane mode. I was a bit incredulous: some people act like they’ve never been on a plane before or didn’t hear the announcement that it was time to switch off phones, etc.. Completely oblivious. For some reason, they think it’s some vast conspiracy to prevent them personally from having any fun and, obviously, the rules don’t apply to them. So they ignore them.
 
That was exactly the case with the man seated next to me on the blessedly short hop from Vancouver to Victoria Thursday afternoon. Dressed in a sharp suit and wing tip shoes, he had a neatly cropped beard and looked all business. Clearly he was important (!) as he had to be told by the flight attendant to put his phone on airplane mode. So he did. Then about two minutes later, he turned it on again and started texting.
 
Okay, I thought, we haven’t taken off yet; he’s just finishing up. Nope. He turned his phone on and texted at least ten more times in the course of our short flight.
 
I just wonder what it is that makes people think rules aren’t for them. The ones who blow through stop signs or think standing in line is for losers. Maybe it’s time the airlines were a little more graphic in the reason for their rules about turning off our phones. One article I read recently suggests that as many as 40 percent of air travellers don’t turn off their phones during flights.
 
I don’t care to die just because buddy next to me has to keep up a conversation with someone (and no, I’m not that much of a Gladys Kravitz that I was peering over to see what this important exchange was all about). 
 
But I don’t want his selfishness to affect my – and everyone else’s – safety. Is that so wrong?
 

Welcome in – and why not a Friday free-for-all today? After a week of travel, adventures and mishaps of my own making, I wanted just to wrap (and clear) a few things up.
 
I posted a picture of a heart-shaped bruise on Facebook on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, I didn’t say it was a bruise (just a reflection of how we all can feel at times) and some thought it was a melanoma. I love how caring you can be and am grateful for the advice and concern. 
 

 
But it was a bruise. My bad. I got it (and one on the other calf, too) because I haven’t quite got these handlebar brakes down yet. If you stop the front tire first, you can get bucked pretty well. And that’s what happened a few times when we were out late last week making some late-summer memories.
 

 
Also, I mentioned Terry O’Reilly yesterday and with apologies for sounding like a fan gurrrl (which I totally am) I would like you to know the date of his first road show: next Thursday Sept. 27. Here’s the info and I will personally refund your money if it’s not some of the best you’ve ever spent to hear a brilliant man just share wisdom and tell stories. 
 

 
And one more from Regina. I didn’t really get a chance to take in the city, but I sure saw one of its jewels – emerald coloured at that – Mosaic Stadium. It’s where our event was held on Wednesday night and the venue overlooks the field where the Saskatchewan Roughriders play. 
 

 
Unfortunately, I had a slip of the lip at the podium that evening: in listing Dragons’ Den star Michele Romanow’s accomplishments, I said, “I could go on, but we’d be here ’til the Riders win the Grey Cup.” I meant UNTIL NOVEMBER, but some in the crowd of 180 took it to mean…forever…?
 
I get folks who are touchy about sports teams (I mean, Toronto’s Stanley Cup memories are in black and white, for heaven’s sake!) but I did mean November, dammit! Haven’t been booed for a while. (Note to self: don’t make sports jokes. People could think you’re not on their side and that’s what a stranger coming to emcee does NOT need!)
 
And so there you go. A few self-inflicted injuries: one on my calf, one due to a foot inadvertently put in my mouth. But mostly an end to an adventurous week. As always, I am grateful but, of course, the number one reason is because you’re here to share it with me.
 
Lots more stories next week – and enjoy these lovely last few days of summer. I hope you made some warm and wonderful memories. Have a great weekend!
 

And hello from the beautiful Hotel Saskatchewan. After a two-hour flight yesterday from Vancouver (following ten minutes in the air on an ocean/puddle jumper from Victoria) I arrived at Regina’s airport. Quite similar to that in Kelowna, I didn’t really have a chance to take in its offerings (but will today as I fly out early this afternoon).
 
My hopes of doing a little sight-seeing were, of course, sidelined by the more practical job that I was hired to come to Regina for to begin with! I checked in at 1 pm, made a coffee, put on my face and then grabbed a quick bite in the hotel restaurant with one of last night’s stars, CBC/podcast host, author and marketing guru Terry O’Reilly. I love this man.
 

 
And I’m certainly not alone; a woman who’s very busy organizing the Sidney Fine Arts Festival (which I’m hosting next month) is such a huge Terry O’Reilly fan that she was quoting him liberally during our first meeting. I brought with me a dog-eared copy of his book that belongs to her, so that she could have it inscribed by this inspiring author (that’s her copy of the book on our lunch table).
 
He happily obliged and passed on to me that he and his wife, along with Paquin Entertainment, are starting up a tour where he talks to business owners, sharing stories and wisdom from a career in advertising and marketing that has seen him cross paths with such stars as Alec Baldwin and Ellen DeGeneres. He’s a fascinating man and no matter how many times I hear him speak, I come away with just another spark for my soul’s pilot light. And getting to spend time just talking with this brilliant man gets me too revved up to sleep!
 
And speaking of inspiration…I wanted to introduce you to a book that I’m only halfway through, but which provided not only a wonderful bit of distraction on a cramped flight from Vancouver, but reminded me of just how a book can touch you.
 

 
Lisa Lisson is President of FedEx Canada (the first female in the company to hold that position and the first Canadian president). We met years ago when she was giving a keynote address at a women’s conference at the Metro Convention Centre and I was emceeing. (How lucky I am to get to cross paths with the most amazing people!) 
 
About a month ago, Lisa’s publicist reached out and asked if she could send me a copy of Resilience: Navigating Life, Loss and the Road to Success. I replied in the affirmative and have made time to read it. I’m so glad I have – and that she reached out!
 
Lisa’s book is that rare combination of life lessons from both a business and a personal standpoint. You read very clearly the direction of vision she had for her career from an early age (she was the kindergarten teacher’s helper) and how she rose from assistant in marketing to president of FedEx in just 18 years. Her advice ranges from specific to general, but all of it is enlightening: she tells of not even opening job or partnership applications from people who sent them via their competitors (like Purolator or UPS). That makes a lot of sense.
 
She also shares wisdom she has passed on to her children, whom she was raising with her handsome, healthy and young husband until a tragedy befell the family. You can Google the story, but you just may want to read it instead. Lisa has laid it out beautifully – going from business lessons and stories to the struggles she faced as her husband was in a hospital bed with machines helping him to breathe. It’s quite a story!
 
I am grateful to women like Lisa who share their stories with others. For people who think that those occupying corner offices in high towers have no challenges or painful decisions to make, who have not made sacrifices in their own lives to help make a mark on the world, books like this might provide a glimpse into the real stories of inspiration behind the trailblazers. 
 
Do yourself a favour and download or pick up a copy of Resilience.
 
As Lisa wrote in an email:

I have been reading your journals and thanks in advance for sharing resilience. When I talk with people about being resilient, I tell them that it can be learned (which I found out). It’s not one of these “have to be born with it” traits and that gives them great hope.
 
With love and gratitude,
 
Lisa

Believe me, the feeling is mutual. Have an inspiring day and I’ll be back with you to wrap up the week tomorrow.