Just Show Up

InnerVoice panel 1.0

By InnerVoice

June 2^nd, 2017

Goal: take the inspiration offline!

On May 29, we gathered four of innervoice.life's most inspirational alumni for a sell-out live event at TurF in Vancouver. The objective: to bring our unique style of first-person storytelling to you in an engaging, interactive format. What ensued was a night of thought-provoking, motivational Q&A with plenty of laughs along the way.

Consistency is sexy

"The common thread of the highs & lows that sport brings into our lives was really palatable. The fact that we all continue to march on and chase the next start line, proverbial or otherwise, not to mention, those 4 athletes are insanely talented!"

"Elle was great on the door. Travis was outstanding as a host. The questions were great. The guests were superb. The food and drinks were excellent."

Kate Gustafson

Marathon Runner | Advocate for Women in Sport | Coach

"I have a lot of admiration for "Kate the Runner" yet learning about "Kate the hockey player" and "Kate the scholar" and "Kate the devoted female athlete living to inspire the next generation of female athletes" was truly next level! Everybody has a story that brought them to who & where they are today; Kate's journey is pretty rad!

Kate, If you had to write a letter to your 13-year-old self, what would you say?

I’d love to sit here and read Solange Knowles’s recent letter to her younger self, but I won’t do that. And if you haven’t read it, I strongly encourage you to find it. So this question, a letter to myself at 13 years old. I did a little digging...

Taking us all back to ‘97-98, a few important things were happening in the world: Princess Diana and Mother Teresa died, Madeleine Albright became the first female Secretary of State in US history. And women’s hockey became an official sport at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

And this event, seeing these women, sparked something deep down inside me. I saw these women be something I wanted to be. They knocked down so many doors for both myself and thousands of girls across Canada.

Here is what I would write to that girl, to myself:

Though your world is small now, you’re going to step foot on, and explore, six of the seven continents by the time your age flips digits and you turn 31.

Hold onto that belief that all of your dreams will come true when you write down that your goal is to represent Canada on the National Women’s Hockey Team, that dream will propel you to play NCAA Division I hockey and earn a world-class education.

Read, read, read, and read as much as you can.

Pay less attention to boys, if you can, you won’t meet your match until you’re much older living in Toronto working for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Play as many sports as you can and tell your parents "thank you" more often for driving and flying (but mostly driving) you all over Minnesota, North Dakota, Ontario and Manitoba to help you chase your goals.

Pay attention to your mom on the way to hockey practice when you tell her that you’re “not sure it’s worth it” or that “it’s not fun anymore” and she pulls over on the side of the road to tell you that it is.

Your attitude matters and it’s contagious. Be positive.

You’re going to give everything you’ve got to hockey for as long as you can but don’t worry when it’s over. You’ll find many more opportunities to share your love for sport with girls in the future. You’ll rediscover running and it will be incredible. Don’t worry about predicting how it all plays out. You’ll find so much fulfilment from the months, building on years, building on decades of participation in sport.

It will not always be easy but it will be a ride worth sharing with others. And lastly, surround yourself with people who believe in your goals. Leave behind the ones who do not. You will always have more to give – to others, to the world, and to your pursuits.

Jamie Armstrong

Co-Owner Method Indoor Cycling | Community Builder

"Jamie's energy is infectious, he has built a movement within the 4 walls of Method and beyond. I walk in feeling like I'm a valued and important part of the community. He's an inspiration and someone I look up to."

Rob Smith

Co-Owner Vancouver Running Co. | Founder VRC Flight Crew

"Rob is articulate, inspiring and passionate about his community. It's always a joy to spend time with him. Entrepreneurs, young and old could learn a lot from Rob and the approach he has taken in building VRC and the Flight Crew"

Steph Corker

Professional Triathlete | Co-Founder The Corker Co. | Coach

"Steph is a beacon of light. She inspires people on a daily basis, I am so happy to have heard her share her story of never giving up. I want to develop that amount of 'moxie and grit'"