#WeWantToKnow: Nathan Tam & Justin Dumitrescu of Caryl Baker Visage

Justin Dumitrescu (left) and Nathan Tam (right); President and CEO of Caryl Baker Visage

Caryl Baker is a pioneer of the beauty industry — a former fashion model and teacher, she designed a cosmetic line that would appeal to actresses and models as well as to women outside of the industry, and pioneered the concept of “try before you buy” when she created the free makeup demonstration back in 1969. The brand has been a reputable source for skincare services for over 4 decades, and the company’s CEO Nathan Tam and President Justin Dumitrescu, want to not only keep it that way and maintain the core customer that matured alongside the brand, but they also aim to revive it, give it a little facelift and inject a fusion of youth into the brand. It’s a pleasure to introduce you to Nathan and Justin in today’s #WeWantToKnow feature! 

Admittedly, Nathan and Justin are not exactly beauty-obsessed, but they do know a thing or two about recognizing a good business opportunity when they see it. The pair met and became good friends while attending business school at the University of Western Ontario, and they maintained this friendship as they pursued their separate careers working on Bay Street in finance, investment banking and private equity, a time during which they spent helping other businesses grow. They each eventually left Bay Street, Nathan having launched and sold a business in only 18 months, Justin leaving a few years later, and the friends decided their next move would be to create something together. Their plan was to look among the aging baby boomer demographic with a business that they wanted to retire from, but that their children did not want to take over — this was how they found Caryl Baker Visage, an established brand that could benefit from their business savvy to introduce it to the next generation. Nathan and Justin have been in their roles at Caryl Baker Visage for 5 years now (Nathan oversees operations and Justin handles marketing) and together they have breathed new life into the business. 

In order to ensure growth during the transition into their roles, Nathan and Justin strategically came on board slowly, spending their first year learning about the business and how it was run, observing how the employees operated (CBV is a franchise business with 33 locations all in Ontario with the exception of 1 location in Alberta), and treading lightly so as not to “break” any methods and processes that were working. They next focused on adding freshness to the brand by updating the look of several retail locations, the products, and by introducing a social media presence. They capitalized on the existing strength of the business, and that was the service offering — Caryl Baker Visage is not just a product retailer, they are full-service skincare specialists that get the clients in the seat and show them how to use the products. In the last 5 years, Nathan and Justin have upgraded the service offering by adding lash extensions and eyebrow services such as microblading in an effort to appeal to the younger generation (and their success speaks for itself — CBV is the largest eyelash extension provider in North America!). 

Caryl Baker Visage offers extensive training to their employees and they are extremely knowledgeable about the skincare products they use on clients (and Nathan and Justin are both incredibly boastful of the strong knowledge base of the team they acquired and quick to give praise). I’ve had a CBV facial and can attest to this knowledge — the aesthetician who provided the service told me about all the products she used, their ingredients and their benefits, and how I would use them in combination together at home. (My greatest takeaway that day were hearing her tips for exfoliation: she said that you should always dry exfoliate your skin before applying lotion, otherwise it’s like washing your feet with your socks on! A funny analogy that stuck with me, reminding me how important exfoliation is for good skin health.) Whether you’re a long-time customer of Caryl Baker Visage or just being introduced to the brand, their service offering has something for everyone. I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know more about Caryl Baker Visage’s new brand vision and the savvy businessmen who are bringing it to the next generation. 

Want more? Here’s what #WeWantToKnow about Nathan and Justin: 

Nathan: 

I can't start my morning without...a hug from my girls – my two daughters, Emma and Ellie and my wife, Jamie.

I have a weakness for...ice cream and popsicles.

Most people don't know that I... watch other people playing video games online.

Currently reading... The Martian because I loved the movie and heard the book was even better.

An important lesson I learned from a challenge I faced...life’s too short — only do good business with good people.

I want...Caryl Baker Visage to become a 100+ location beauty powerhouse within Canada and internationally.

Justin: 

I can't start my morning without...seeing my kids.

I have a weakness for...red wine and carrot cake (but not together).

Most people don't know that I... am a science nerd (they know the nerd part).

Currently reading... The Gene: An Intimate History.

An important lesson I learned from a challenge I faced...be the most prepared person in the room.

I want... more time.

Thanks Nathan and Justin, for participating in #WeWantToKnow! 

#WeWantToKnow: Sherren Lee

Photo credit: Kristina Ruddick

Sherren Lee is a Toronto-based film director who I recently had the pleasure of meeting with and getting to know. We met up for coffee at a little shop local to both of us (turns out we live in the same neighbourhood!) and had a lovely chat about film and theatre while I got to know Sherren and about her newest film, The Things You Think I’m Thinking. It’s a pleasure to introduce you to Sherren! 

Sherren didn’t set out with a dream of becoming a director; instead, her childhood ambitions were to become an actor and she performed in plays throughout her young life through to her early university days, though she never saw it through to act professionally. I don’t think that Sherren was destined to become a professional actor, though, because it seems she found her calling working off-stage — she directed a play at McGill University (where she attended for business studies) after applying for an ad that was looking for a director and that was when she realized what she truly wanted to do. That moment was such an epiphany that she never acted again. Sherren also dabbled as a playwright and wrote the script for the second play she directed. After graduating from McGill, Sherren transitioned from theatre to film and spent the next seven years working as a production manager, all the time directing on the side. She gained a ton of experience and built up a body of work that allowed her to apply to the Canadian Film Centre and she was 1 of 5 directors accepted into their exclusive Director’s Lab in 2014; Sherren has been directing ever since. 

A scene from The Things You Think I'm Thinking, starring Prince Amponsah (left) and Jesse LaVercombe (right).

Sherren’s latest film, The Things You Think I’m Thinking, centres around Sean, a black male burn survivor and amputee who re-enters the world of dating and goes out with a regularly-abled man for the first time since his accident. The film was an official selection at over 20 festivals this year, including SXSW Film Festival, Outfest Los Angeles, and Slamdance Film Festival, and won several awards, including the Golden Sheaf Award For Best Director Fiction at the Yorkton Film Festival. Sherren was asked to direct the film by its writer and one of its leading actors, Jesse LaVercombe, whom she met through the Canadian Film Centre and had worked with before, having directed Jesse’s showcase piece at the end of his acting program at the CFC. 

Sherren in her element, directing on the set of Murdoch Mysteries

Working with actors is one of Sherren’s favourite things about directing. It’s possibly because she used to want to be an actor herself, but mostly because she just has so much admiration for actors, acknowledging that they are the most generous and vulnerable people on set since they have to be so present and reveal so much of themselves. It’s a special feeling for Sherren when she can communicate what she wants to elicit from an actor and can see that they’ve understood her — she appreciates these moments and they are what make her love what she does. Her goal as a director is to make a difference, and if she can move just one person significantly as they watch one of her films, then she feels she has accomplished what she set out to do. Sherren also gives back to the film community by teaching school groups ranging from grades 4 to 12 at the Toronto International Film Festival’s “Film in a Day” workshops, exposing kids to all the different jobs available in film. 

Sherren with actors from Murdoch Mysteries

Sherren is hard-working and very dedicated to her craft, and she speaks so passionately about film and the projects she’s worked on. It’s been a pleasure getting to know her and I’m excited for what looks like her very successful future as a director. If you would like to see The Things You Think I’m Thinking, a screening will be held at the Tiff Bell Lightbox during their shortcut series on August 2nd, 2018. 

Want more? Here’s what #WeWantToKnow about Sherren: 

I can't start my morning without... hot black coffee. 

I have a weakness for... noodle soup. 

Most people don't know that I...used to write my own songs. 

Currently reading... Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. 

An important lesson I learned from a challenge I faced...there are no rules. You have to figure out for yourself how you want to work, and how to live your life. 

I want... to spread as much love as I possibly can. 

Thank you Sherren, for participating in #WeWantToKnow! 

#WeWantToKnow: Christina Digiuseppe

“I’m fearless in my art and I’m going to keep creating for as long as I possibly can.” These were the inspiring words that Christina Digiuseppe, dancer and choreographer, left me with after we met up to chat about her craft and her upcoming show at the Toronto Fringe Festival called La Femme Kabarett. I arrived at Millennium Dance Complex in Toronto to watch the last 15 minutes of rehearsal before we chatted, and from what I saw, it promises to be a good show! Christina is a talented and passionate artist, and it’s a pleasure to introduce her and tell you more about her show. 

Christina in her element

Christina is a natural-born dancer. She started to develop her love of dancing at 5 years old when she would spend Friday nights with her best friend who was in dance school, and this friend would teach Christina everything she learned, and the two of them would create dance routines together then put on a show for their parents. (So relatable — Christina just described all of my childhood New Year’s Eve celebrations, LOL!) Realizing how much her daughter loved to dance, Christina’s mom enrolled her in dance class the following year, at first taking classes for fun, then getting more serious and training at TNT Dance Force, and then attending Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts in Toronto for high school. Christina spent her first year after graduating in LA, getting to know the dance scene, but just six months in she realized she didn’t want to be a performer, she just wanted to create. She returned back home to Toronto and earned a business degree but she never stopped creating and continued to dance as well as teach. Christina loves teaching and has been doing so for the last 15 years, teaching jazz, contemporary and ballet to children at the CDM Dance & Music (Conservatory of Dance & Music). 

La Femme Kabarett dancers show off their masculine side

Dance is a language that can tell powerful stories, and this is what Christina achieves through her choreography. Her latest show, La Femme Kabarett, is a fusion of French and German styles of cabaret/burlesque, and represents the “empowerment of women and the journey we go through in life to find our own identity as a woman.” The performance questions what it means to be feminine, and explores both the vulnerability of women as well as the masculinity of women. The show begins with the all-female troupe of dancers coming onto the stage wearing suits and ties, holding whiskey glasses and cigars, playing up their masculine side, then shifting to express the vulnerability and emotional side of women as the dancers slowly shed the layers of their costumes. The performance concludes in a celebratory mood of having fun and being flirtatious, and emphasizes that having strength and vulnerability are two sides of the same coin. 

La Femme Kabarett dancers show off their feminine side

Christina has assembled a talented cast of dancers whom she speaks very highly of. Christina chose being a choreographer over being a dancer because there’s something personal for her about being on stage that she doesn’t want to share with others, so she respects the intimacy that exists when others open themselves up to her through dance, and appreciates the beauty that exists when she connects with dancers. Mentorship is a priority for Christina and she invites youth dancers to take part in her shows, giving them the opportunity to gain exposure and to build maturity as dancers, since they often end up spending more time in the studio than on the stage. (For La Femme Kabaratt, the ‘youth dancers’ Christina is bringing in are older, between 16 and 18 years old, due to the mature nature of the dance style.) Mentorship is so important to Christina because she knows the value it brings, having been taught by two highly influential dance instructors as she was growing up, and she credits Tracy Steadman and Vlad for being strong mentors to her and making her the dancer she is today. 

It’s always inspiring to speak with another creative who is passionate about what they do, and Christina was glowing with the love she has for dance and choreography as she told me about her lifelong love of her artistry and about her new show. La Femme Kabarett is showing at the Toronto Fringe Festival with seven performances between July 5th and 15th. For ticket information, visit the Toronto Fringe Festival website here. 

Want more? Here’s what #WeWantToKnow about Christina: 

I cant start my morning without…a tall nonfat misto with one raw sugar and cinnamon dolce sprinkles on top from Starbucks. 

I have a weakness for…my dog Mango and cheese boards.

Most people don’t know that I…have been writing poetry since I was 11 years old. I’m also left handed! 

Currently reading… Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously by OSHO

An important lesson I learned from a challenge I faced… I’ve learned that the only way to live a fulfilling life is to make a beautiful mess out of it. One of the toughest lessons for me was realizing that sometimes you need to choose yourself for your own happiness. If you want to live a fulfilling life than you need to have the courage to let go of what no longer serves you. Life is all about endings and new beginnings. The more we stay connected to that, the more strong and resilient we become within ourselves. The universe is always on our side.  If we want to manifest a beautiful life then we have to be willing to do the work.

I want…to share my artistic voice with the world and create a positive impact in people’s lives through my gifts and talents. 

Thank you Christina, for participating in #WeWantToKnow! 

#WeWantToKnow: Sarah Hampson

Photo credit: June Black Photography

 It’s an honour to introduce accomplished writer Sarah Hampson in today’s #WeWantToKnow feature. Sarah’s writing career spans four decades and she’s worn many different writing hats during that time — she’s written television commercials, magazine features, newspaper columns, a non-fiction book and, most recently, she published a children’s book. She has led a fascinating life and I was so pleased to be introduced to her (by her husband, Mark Raynes Roberts, a friend of mine and a crystal sculpture artist who I profiled in a previous #WeWantToKnow feature). It’s now my pleasure to introduce you to Sarah. 

The aspiring writer visits the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice, Italy; 1983

Sarah can trace her earliest memory of yearning for the writer’s life back to her pre-teen years when she vividly remembers meeting a friend of her parents who described herself as a writer, and something about this woman and her lifestyle resonated with Sarah. A feeling came over her in that moment that it would be a wonderful thing to call oneself a writer. Sarah was further romanced by the writer’s life after walking past an open window and hearing the sound of a typewriter, and she fell in love with all the other elements of the writing life, too. Sarah’s talent for writing matched her desire to be an author — she excelled at English Literature in high school and continued her studies at Smith College where it wasn’t lost on her that she was learning in an institution that taught some of the world’s renowned female writers, with alumnae including Sylvia Plath and Julia Child. 

Sarah in a painting class at Smith College, Massachusetts, where she attained her BA in English Literature; 1979

Knowing she wanted to be a writer but not knowing exactly what type of writer she wanted to be, Sarah took a job in marketing writing television commercials and she found success there, winning awards, and ended up staying in this field throughout the 1980s. However, writing television ads for products just wasn’t fulfilling her, and, in the decade that followed, shifted her focus to magazine writing. The catalyst for the transition came after reading an article in Toronto Life magazine profiling a baseball player for the Toronto Blue Jays and Sarah thought, “Hey — I think like that!” She pitched an idea to Toronto Life about the trending urban line dancing scene, and they loved it so much that they put the story on their cover, contributing to the magazine being nominated for a national magazine award that year, and propelling Sarah’s freelance magazine writing career. In 1998, The Globe and Mail invited Sarah to write a social column, which wasn’t the type of content she wanted to write about, but her resilience paid off because a year later she was asked by the paper to write the weekly profile column that she became known for, having interviewed over 500 notable people, including Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Leonard Cohen, Margot Kidder and Scott Turow, among many other people of distinction. 

Sarah on the beach in Métis-sur-Mer, on the Gaspé, Quebec, her summer getaway sanctuary; 2016

Nearly 10 years into her weekly profile series, Sarah was struck by an idea for a new column that she pitched to The Globe and Mail — she had gone through a divorce about 4 years earlier and her idea was to write about divorce as a contemporary right of passage to maturity for women, a topic that wasn’t really being talked about openly at that time (this was 2007), and this led her to write a new column cleverly titled Generation Ex (all the while continuing to write her profile series). Generation Ex was a huge hit and ended up landing Sarah a book deal, and in 2010 she published Happily Ever After Marriage: A Reinvention in Mid-life. (And what a reinvention it was! Sarah met Mark just as she was finishing the book, and they have been happily married for seven years now.) 

Sarah enjoyed success with her non-fiction book, but she had always dreamed of being a fiction writer, so in the summer of 2016 she sat herself down and forced herself to start a novel. Despite having many ideas, she felt blocked creatively and needed to step away. Later that fall, she came across a piece on a photographer in New York City who had taken a series of portraits of pigeons that ennobled the species. This got Sarah contemplating on the problem with pigeons, and the juxtaposition of seeing them looking beautiful in the photographs while also thinking of them as a nuisance, and the concept for her first children’s book flowed from her. She submit her story to Kids Can Press and it was accepted just before the end of that year. Sarah’s children’s book, Dr. Coo and the Pigeon Protest, was published in the spring of 2018, a sweet story that teaches children about acceptance and inclusiveness. Publishing a children’s book is another dream come true, as ideas for children’s books often popped into Sarah’s head back when was pushing her babies around in their strollers (Sarah is the mother of three now-grown boys). 

Sarah is a prolific, award-winning writer who has had the chance to immerse herself in many different types of writing, and I’m sure that we’ll be seeing lots more from her. She has a substantial amount of experience to offer the next generation and does so via speaking engagements for journalism students — her advice for aspiring writers is that you need to have curiosity and you have to be fearless. She also strongly encourages that “when somebody passes you the ball, run with it” — that is, opportunities don’t always present themselves, so when they do be ready to run with them (she learned this from having at first turned down the offer to write that social column for The Globe and Mail, but look where it led her!). I’ve been writing professionally now for the last two years but I still feel so new at this, and I look at Sarah’s career with awe and I hope to achieve even a fraction of her accomplishments in my future. Sarah is an inspiration to me and it has been a privilege to share her story. 

Want more? Here’s what #WeWantToKnow about Sarah: 

I can't start my morning without…toast, fresh fruit and large cup of tea, brought to me in bed by my sweet husband.

I have a weakness for…a particular, late-afternoon slant of light that comes in the window in our living room. 

Most people don't know that I…believe in angels.

Currently reading… Sofie & Cecilia by Katherine Ashenburg and The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer.

An important lesson I learned from a challenge I faced…is that resilience is a skill.

I want…the energy to write books into my dotage.

Thanks so much Sarah, for participating in #WeWantToKnow! I hope to see many more books in your future. 

#WeWantToKnow: Courtney Taylor, Psychic Counselor

Courtney Taylor is not your typical psychic medium — in fact, she prefers the term modern-day psychic counselor, as her approach to counseling clients combines her scientific background in social work with her gifts for clairaudience and clairvoyance. When I met with Courtney, she could immediately sense that I was skeptical with an open mind about her abilities (she was right), but my beliefs (or lack thereof) aside, it’s how Courtney uses the unique way that she perceives the world to help others that fascinates me. Equally fascinating is how Courtney discovered her abilities and how she worked them into her career — I was rapt with attention listening to her psychic journey and I’m honoured to introduce Courtney and share her story. 

Courtney had her first clairvoyant experience when she was just 7 years old and woke up in the middle of the night to find the shadow of a ghost, a little boy, appear at the end of her bed. She was alarmed at first, but it also felt natural to have seen him. Even before having that vision and throughout her life, Courtney always had the sense that she knew things before they happened. She didn’t pay too much attention to her gift, though, and focused on her career as a social worker, but all the while she would help friends who asked for her advice (“Can you look into something for me and give me insight?”). Courtney began to get word-of-mouth referrals because of this and it eventually led to people outside of her friend circle asking for her advice and wanting to do sessions with her, but it wasn’t until a significant experience gave Courtney the impetus to work her psychic abilities into her career. 

Courtney, who has had lifelong struggles with mental health (for which she is an advocate for today), was going through a very low period in her life when she received her moment of clarity to use her gift more completely. Her mother recognized that she wasn’t doing well and urged Courtney to move back home to Ottawa from Toronto. While in Ottawa, Courtney reluctantly accompanied her mother to a spiritualist community gathering, and the guest speaker there picked up on her energy, singled her out of the crowd, and told her that she was gifted and that she needed to start using her gifts. This was the catalyst that transformed Courtney’s life and career, and she now provides psychic counseling to clients within the framework of the social work methods that she had already been utilizing. Courtney has been offering psychic counseling for close to eight years now, and incorporates four elements into her sessions: her social work counseling and psychic insight as mentioned, combined with energy work (Courtney is a Certified Reiki Master and Teacher) and crystal therapy. Though she has both abilities, Courtney considers herself more of a clairaudient than a clairvoyant (that is, her messages come to her through what she hears as opposed seeing visions) and has what she calls her ‘spirit guides’ who give her the messages that help her clients. 

Courtney bursts with positive energy when she talks about her clients (confidentially, of course) and is so passionate about her work — she feels so rewarded that her clients put their trust in her and in her spirit guides. She’s received immensely positive feedback from clients who are so grateful for the counseling they’ve received and the way it changed their lives for the better. Her vibe is joyfully infectious and I was excited and eager to learn from Courtney, especially when it came to her crystal therapy — she taught me a lot about crystals and I’ve since picked up a couple that Courtney suggested to me, which I’ve been dutifully wearing in my bra (!) on her recommendation (crystals offer the most benefit when they are touching your skin). I’m excited to see the positive effects they are known to bring. I may have walked into meeting Courtney as a “skeptic with an open mind,” but I certainly walked away feeling more enlightened, and I’ll never know if it was coincidence or not but something she predicted for me has since come true. ;) If you think Courtney’s services might help you, visit her website here. 

Want more? Here’s what #WeWantToKnow about Courtney: 

I can't start my morning without…morning cat cuddles. He’s the best kind of alarm clock. :) 

I have a weakness for…poutine. Such a Canadian thing to say. 

Most people don't know that...I’m a redhead. 

Currently reading…everyone’s minds! I just couldn’t not throw that one in here! 

An important lesson I learned from a challenge I faced…I can’t save everyone else, especially if not taking care of me at the same time. If I expect people to let me in to their world, I’m learning to let people in. It’s a challenge a lot of people can relate to I’m sure. 

I want…to keep advocating for the mental health community. I’m so excited about some of my big projects coming up, that will be raising funds for charities who provide support to those who are in need of immediate care. I want to be part of the bigger goal and that’s to eliminate the stigma.

Thank you, Courtney, for participating in #WeWantToKnow! It was a pleasure hearing your story and getting to know you.