Cait Gannon

The moment I decided to forgive my Dad, our relationship changed.
I no longer expected anything of him and therefore was no longer disappointed. I know that sounds kinda sad, but it honestly helped.

I think I was 12 or 13 when I decided to forgive him for not being around, available or generally show up for me.

I even wrote him a letter, telling him I forgave him and decided that he was "doing his best" even if that wasn't true because it helped ME.

I didn't forgive him to let him "off", I forgave him so I could let that s**t go.

If you don't do anything differently, you can't expect anything to change.

🧐Trying to get pregnant? Practice all you like!
If it's not 'happening' and all you're doing is practice... maybe it's time to change something: throw out anything with 'fragrance' listed, drink more water, eat organic, exercise, do something that brings you joy.

🧐Trying to lose weight? Intermittent fast all you like!
If you're not losing weight... maybe it's time to change something: eat 6 small meals a day, drink more water, swim or bike, lift heavy weights or try yoga!

🧐Trying to graduate school? Hire a tutor all you like!
If your grades aren't improving... maybe it's time to change something: get better rest, move your body, try to find something about your subject that excites you!

🧐Trying to save money? Put money in your savings account all you like!
If you're not increasing your savings rapidly (or at all)... maybe it's time to change something: Open a TFSA and lock that s**t, invest in stocks or crypto, take your $$ and start an automated business with no income cap.

🧐Trying to enjoy parenthood? Practice mediation all you like!
If you're not enjoying it... maybe it's time to try something new: stop multitasking, speak confidently to your children, explain everything in detail so they understand WHY, take deep breaths while losing your mind, play with them!

Point is: if you want something to get better or easier - try doing it a different way.

I recently caught myself subconsciously teaching my son to seek external validation.

You see, I would say "I'm so proud of you!" ...because I am!
But... the issue is that it takes away from how HE is feeling.

Now, I say: "I hope you feel proud of yourself! You did a great job!"

I'm conditioned to seek external validation and that's been a really big obstacle for me in entrepreneurship - because I don't have anyone giving me a pat on the back.

Learning to be self motivated come from being self validated.

I knew makeup wasn't "safe" to use just because of how it smelled... but I used it anyway!
Think about it for a second though - we're putting this s**t on our MOUTH AND EYES, two valid entry points for bacteria & toxins... yet we do it anyways AND without consideration...

Arsenic cannot be removed from Talc. They are bound. Scientists discovered that the make-up industry INTENTIONALLY uses microscopes that aren't strong enough to see the arsenic so they can claim it's safe.

BAAAAAAAAABE... if your make-up lists "Talc" as and ingredient -
throw that s**t out, now.

Go google the effects of Arsenic exposure if you think I'm being cray-cray.

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I am a Mom of two, living in a country where I sweat all day so I've given up on makeup BUT there are clean brands out there!

So Momma's - let's help each other out!
What's your favourite CLEAN makeup?👇👇👇 Bonus points if you're an affiliate!
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I've created a community for people to work together, get inspired and level the fuuuuuuu*k up.

It's called AIM for Abundance! (& you're invited!)
"Ascending Innovative Minds" is a collective group of people like yourself who are ready for the next chapter where time, location and financial freedom are the norm.
I wanted to share a bit about the foundation of this community and why it was started; which you probably already know - because you're here!
AIM was created so there was a space for expansion, for everyone, from every background; the only stipulation is that - 𝔂𝓸𝓾 - are the one who makes your own luck!
By simply joining this group, you're leaps and bounds ahead of thousands of people who are still 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 while you took 𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟!! Give yourself a pat on the back for making the first step towards ultimate freedom.
Here, I wanted to touch on the foundational principles about AIM - It's no secret we're here to level up, but what does that truly mean? What does that look like?
I've chosen a 4 leaf clover, not because of my Irish heritage, but because of 𝕗𝕠𝕦𝕣 key principles.
🍀Financial Security
🍀Family
🍀Health & Wellness
🍀Adventure
I believe all humans are inherently deserving of these four things and our s**tty culture has stripped it from us, so let's take our power back!
I'm so glad you're here!
Lets get this party started!!!
Share something about yourself below; whether it's a fact, an aspiration or something in between.
I'll go first:
It took me a long ass time to figure this whole "Network Marketing" thing out and I'm still learning! But I'm going to share eeeeeverything I've learned so you don't have to learn the hard way and can just sliiiiiide on through to the other side.
Xo

Knowledge is power, babe.
Don't forget to save this for later!

Knowing what Cannabinoids to utilize can make a massive difference;
Are you looking to combat pain, stimulate your appetite or sleep?
(If all of the above - THC is your guide!)

Did you learn anything new?
Tell me below!👇

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Are we having a 💙 or 💜 ?

FolkFest'23

T H I R T Y

3️⃣ is the number of harmony, wisdom and understanding. It also represents time – past, present, future; birth, life, death; beginning, middle, end

it is number of the divine.

This trip around the ☀️ actually feels special, which is rare for me. "bEARTHdays" are often just another day to me, but this year I felt the energy of excitement creep in and communicated that I wanted to do something special.

As it turns out, nothing needed to be planned because my sweet sonshine woke me up at TEN am singing "you are my sunshine" and if you've never heard the angelic magic of a 2.5 year old singing to you, I'll never be able to explain just how amazing it is.

This year I'll bring another star seed earth side and become a new Mom all over again.

This year my business is having an exponential growth period and I'll be able to retire my husband so he can spend all of these moments home with us.

This year, I'll dive into magical practices I haven't prioritized; because seeing all of this magic around me has inspired me to dive in, head first to the things that help me feel more, ME.

hello, to a new decade of growth.

I'm excited to meet the me on the other side.

These are the memories
I've dreamed of making with him;

Saying "yes!" isn't always as easy as it should or can be - I'm very blessed to have family happy to welcome us in, create special memories and recognize how magical lake life truly is.

I'm happiest in the water... or on it.
& so is MrGuy.

He hasn't stopped talking about going "so fast, so fast" on the boat with uncle Mike and keeps asking when we get to do it again.

This summer has been everything I hoped it would be and I'm so grateful to have a community of support helping make it all happen!

When you start getting comfortable saying "yes!" to opportunity, you never know what magic lies ahead.

Whether it's borrowing a car, staying in family's cabin, accepting a free meal or drastically changing your life with an investment - saying "yes!" is one of the most rewarding experiences you can give yourself. You deserve it.

A community member recently shared how Pink Eye made it's rounds in her house and that treating with eye drops wasn't working. She felt lost and didn't know what to do and reached out in one of our chats and was encouraged to try 2.5pH water instead.

& it worked!

She wet a paper towel, put it on the affected eye(s) and in the morning noticed a significant difference!

Another community member was horseback riding and her eyes became inflamed from the dust so she rinsed with the 11.5pH water and within minutes her eyes stopped burning, the redness and puffiness went away and she was AMAZED.

When you invest in an ionizer, you don't just buy a 'water machine'
you buy a lifelong friend, ready to support you and your family in every way.

Almost 2 Years Ago...
We left Winnipeg for Costa Rica and drove from Winnipeg to Vancouver to catch our flights! Driving cross country with a 10 month old was honestly not as difficult as I anticipated, my best advice is:
👌Stop every 2 hours and get out of the car
👌Have easy snacks for kiddo to eat in the car
👌Have lots of water easily available
👌Don't book a hotel room until you know when you'll be done; kids are impossible to read - there were days we could stretch our drive another 2 hours and other days we had to cut it short. Instead of cancelling and rebooking hotels, we simply found cheap deals near us as we came closer to the next City.

From TV shows and movies
to Mothers, Aunts, Grandmas, Friends and Cousins sharing their experiences, we are all inundated with the same message
"The only safe way to birth your baby is in a Hospital"

Unfortunately, this simply is not true and OH HOW I WISH IT WAS!

I do not know a single woman who left her hospital birth without any trauma.

The statistics of hospital births are alarming and appalling.

It IS SAFER for a woman who CAN birth at home, to do so.
It is also significantly cheaper, if you're in the US.

My wish is for EVERY Mother to be empowered with information and education so she can enter her labour with confidence, the ability to trust her intuition and the courage to advocate for herself and her baby.

Hospital policy is NOT law.

Here's your reminder that the small every day collective choices we make, matter!

Living more sustainably doesn't mean you have to live off-grid and only eat foraged plants - it simply means making choices that have a strong impact, over time.

If you can afford an electric vehicle, solar panels, a massive garden and know how to weave your own wool - that's awesome!..But that't not the reality for most of us.

👌Bring reusable containers to restaurants instead of packing your food up in a single - use container (styrofoam or biodegradable - neither are great options)
👌Get yourself a nice re-usable water bottle and bring it with you everywhere
👌Can you bus, bike or carpool instead of drive to work solo?
👌Support your local farmers!

Please stop willingly spraying endocrine disruptors on everything.

If you want to freshen up the smell of your home: clean it with 2.5pH water from your ionizer and for a scent boost, add in some Lemon, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree or Peppermint EO!
-OR-
Do what I do, and spray 2.5pH water (hypochlorous acid) mixed with my fav EOs and -am- house smells great AND it kills bacteria, viruses and pathogens ; yenno - they same things Febreeze claims it does - 100% non toxic!

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Vulnerability Ahead:

This is what giving birth in a Hospital in 2020 looked like.
👎Alone
👎Scared
👎Frustrated

I was told I HAD to be induced due to "too much amniotic fluid" to which I instantly replied "NO." Then my Midwives convinced me I NEEDED to (spoiler alert: medical midwives have to agree with the recommendation of OB's...) so I went to the Hospital for my "scheduled induction" at 9AM on November 17/ 2020
👎I wasn't allowed any support ('rona 1984)
👎I was told to go for 3 separate 30 min walks in Downtown Winnipeg in the winter
👎There was no where for me to walk SAFELY inside

I was sent home for 12 hours as I wasn't progressing, and returned at midnight, November 18/ 2020. I lied and told the Nurse that my Dr gave me permission to have my husband with me "because I'm being admitted" & they let him in.
👎The yoga ball they gave me was deflated
👎The triage bed was uncomfortable AF
👎They wouldn't feed us because I wasn't 'admitted' and also didn't want to let my husband leave to get us food. We stayed in Triage until 7PM as there were 'no beds available in L&D'

We were finally moved up to L&D at 7PM and they started Pitocin at 8PM
👎My nurse called Pitocin "Oxytocin" to make it seem 'natural'
👎She didn't wear gloves inserting my IV
👎Her hands were shaky AF and I told HER that she's ok and breathe...

My waters released at 10PM and shortly after I had regular contractions and asked to go in the tub for hydrotherapy - I was told I couldn't because they had to monitor us, which.. is a whole post in itself.
👎They asked my husband several times to consent to me having an epidural
👎They inserted a fetal electrode monitor to my son's head without consent
👎They did cervical checks without consent

𝕊𝕠, 𝕘𝕠 𝕒𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕒𝕤𝕜 𝕞𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕪 𝕀'𝕞 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒 𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕓𝕚𝕣𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖...

I successfully delivered my sweet baby ay 9:51AM November 19, 2020 despite all of the buuuuuullllllls**t. I was NOT an "easy patient" because I was armed with education and advocated for myself as much as I could.

ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴡʜʏ ɪ'ᴍ ꜱᴏ ᴘᴀꜱꜱɪᴏɴᴀᴛᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ꜱʜᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ, ʙɪʀᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʀᴇᴀꜱᴛꜰᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ.

Whenever I post about cloth diapers I always get asked what my favorite brand is!

In full transparency: the only brand we've tried is

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PLEASE comment your favorite cloth diaper brands below! If love to create a post for parents to make an informed decision about which brand will work best for them!
---

I bought ours off Facebook marketplace (because Sustainability is important!) for $200 for I believe 14-16 (I honestly can't remember) diapers.

The diaper is a shell with a cotton opening where you insert the liner(s). When MrBaby was teeny, we only used 1 liner and switched to 2 when he was having bigger pees and poops!

The diapers (& liners) are SO easy to wash. The diapers have fit him from 8 weeks to, well, now - and we still have some room to grow! They're super easy to change sizes and we love them.

---
My first recommendation when buying cloth diapers is: see what you can find second hand.

The ones we found happened to have only been used ONCE and were excellent quality.

Once you know what's available, go on the website and see if you like them!

This way you're practicing sustainability in both your purchase and use of cloth diapers!
---

If you don't like second hand, do not fret. Most CD companies have a sustainability initiative anyway 🥰

Once Upon a Time,

There was a Vendor Boy and a Café Girl who really loved traveling.
They'd use their credit cards to travel every year and pay it off by the time the next adventure rolled around.

They didn't know they'd be LIVING in Costa Rica less than 10 years later. They didn't know they'd become parents or buy a house.

They just knew that there was a lot of love; love for each other, this planet and for adventure.

What they didn't know was that it IS possible to have it ALL.
🥳Family
🥳A face and comfortable house
🥳Land!
🥳Living in Central America full time
🥳Working from HOME with an unlimited income cap
🥳The ability to travel freely

I cant say the "single best thing I ever did" was start my online business; but it's definitely top 5. To have Time, Location& Financial Freedoms means more to me than I can describe. We're both home, making memories with our son, instead of leaving for 10H a day.

When you want better for yourself, you have to DECIDE.

I know it can seem like there's no damn point, but hear me out!
When we all commit to micro-practices our collective DOLLARS do make a difference!
There are huge businesses profiting off us while simultaneously poisoning our planet.
TOGETHER we can affect change by affecting their bottom line.
💧Invest: Make money and use it to have a voice. Make money so you can afford the more sustainable option. Make more money so you can have the freedom to spend your dollars at places you feel aligned with!
💧Thrift: Before purchasing something new, ask yourself "can I borrow this from someone or buy it second hand?" I promise you'll surprise yourself!
💧Garden: When you grow ANYTHING on your own you become more grounded and in tune with your environment. A huge back year garden or a tiny kitchen Herb garden - it doesn't matter: just grow your own!
💧Drink: STOP BUYING PLASTIC BOTTLES OF WATER - drink from reusable containers and for an extra boost, drink ERW from glass! You won't regret it.

Why bother?
🐣Better for the environment
🐣Cost Effective
🐣Healthier for the baby
🐣Cute
🐣Easy to use (can be used as a swim diaper, too!)
🐣Faster transition to toilet use

Disposable diapers wreak havoc on the environment as they are created and again when disposed of and in between, those hard chemicals are leeching into your baby as our skin the the bodies largest organ.

Overall - disposable diapers are toxic and dangerous and should only be used in case of emergency.

Cloth diapering is SO easy now, even when my son poops in public, I just put the soiled diaper in a biodegradable bag, tie it up, toss it in the diaper bag and deal with it when I get back home! No smell, no extra mess, no problems.

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Have you tried cloth diapering?
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I had no idea I would miss feeling cold.

Between the humidity, El Nino and the record breaking temps - I'm longing to be back at Lake Louise in September.

The crisp fall air, the bone chilling breeze coming off the water; the smell of pine...

It's true what they say: You don't know what you got 'til it's gone.
I really never appreciated life in Canada as much as I do now and I'm also flipping this thought pattern and be grateful for everything Costa Rica has to offer, too.

For me, it's not healthy to dwell and do the should-have's and what-if's.

I know without a doubt we made the best decision at the time for ourselves, our health, our happiness and that this chapter of our lives went exactly how it was meant to. I was pushed (thrown) out of my comfort zone time and time again and I have learned and grown so much.

Is it the pregnancy hormones mixed with the heat that longs for a disgusting Canadian winter? Or is it because it's in my bones...
I have NEVER in my life wanted to be bundled up, freezing cold... until now.

We go back to Canada (Winnipeg) in THREE very short weeks and I have a strong sense of knowing that I'll be able to really decide what I want when I'm there.
Last time we were there (in September) I was ready to leave shortly after arriving - I'm curious to see what intuition tells me.

There's a lot going on "behind the scenes" regarding giving birth, registering baby and getting a birth certificate, residency & Midwifery, Doulas, Home Birth, Medical Bullying and not knowing what the 'right' vs 'easy' answer is. It seems no matter which way we look, there are insurmountable obstacles in our way, pushing me even more to lean in and trust my body fully, to do what she was made to do.

For now, I sit in gratitude: for my family, our home, our lives, the ocean, our family, our community and the hydrating water that keeps my body in optimal health.

-and so it is-

NINETY PERCENT!

90% of people who deliver their babies in a hospital setting end up with a medical intervention, most of which are wildly unnecessary.

From Pitocin to Episiotomy, YOU have the final say. Always trust your intuition and remember that "No." is a full sentence - yes, even when talking to medical professionals.

You are not only allowed to advocate for yourself and your baby, it's vital that you do.

My L&D nurse told me they'd induce me with "oxytocin" and when I said, "excuse me, I'd prefer you use the correct terms when talking about what's happening; you're referring to Pitocin..." her face flushed and in that moment she KNEW what kind of patient I was.

I was the kind of patient that DID my research and knew what to ask and how to advocate.

I was the least optimal patient.

Go into your labor and delivery armed with education, intuition and above all: trust that your body is capable.

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My first mother's day I was almost half way through my pregnancy with MrBaby; similar to now with his sibling!

Mother
Mom
Momma
Mommy

Titles I wear proud.

I earned it; as all mother's before and after me.
Pregnancy, birth, nursing and mothering are all rites of passage in their own way. With each step in my motherhood journey, I've grown.

It's my 3rd Mother's Day and I'll tell you what I've learned:
-love them unconditionally
-hold space for big feelings
-toddler hugs trump any other
-being told " I love you " unprompted by the very human you created will blast your heart wide open

Hey, I'm Cait!

🌱I'm a Mom of a sweet little 2.5 year old who lights my day up.

🌱I'm expecting baby #2 in mid October and planning a home birth.

🌱My husband and I have been together 10 years and married for 6!

🌱We live in Costa Rica and are planning to go back to Canada for 6 months and snowbird in CR!

🌱 I'm an online business owner, which means my entrepreneurial creativity gets to thrive and is limitless.

🌱I've always been artistic, I love painting, drawing, pottery, writing, etc

🌱In highschool I won 2nd in a playwriting competition where my plays we're performed 2 years in a row.

🌱I had a mohawk, smoked w**d, dressed emo and was a cheerleader

🌱I love all animals. I'm excited for our homestead to come together: chickens, pigs, a horse or 2, goats!

🌱I was raised Roman Catholic and found spirituality to be more my speed.

🌱Neither of my babies will receive Jabbs and my husband and I declined the latest one for the C word.

🌱I'm an advocate for living Sustainably, cannabis use and Hydrating adequately.

🌱I have a green thumb! I love gardening and miss my house plants.

🌱I've never "fit in" which is fine by me!

🌱I don't know how many tattoos or piercings I've had. ...many.

🌱The ocean is my happy place 🌊

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Tell me something about yourself! 👇
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Whenever I post about cloth diapers I always get asked what my favorite brand is!

In full transparency: the only brand we've tried is

---
PLEASE comment your favorite cloth diaper brands below! If love to create a post for parents to make an informed decision about which brand will work best for them!
---

I bought ours off Facebook marketplace (because Sustainability is important!) for $200 for I believe 14-16 (I honestly can't remember) diapers.

The diaper is a shell with a cotton opening where you insert the liner(s). When MrBaby was teeny, we only used 1 liner and switched to 2 when he was having bigger pees and poops!

The diapers (& liners) are SO easy to wash. The diapers have fit him from 8 weeks to, well, now - and we still have some room to grow! They're super easy to change sizes and we love them.

---
My first recommendation when buying cloth diapers is: see what you can find second hand.

The ones we found happened to have only been used ONCE and were excellent quality.

Once you know what's available, go on the website and see if you like them!

This way you're practicing sustainability in both your purchase and use of cloth diapers!
---

If you don't like second hand, do not fret. Most CD companies have a sustainability initiative anyway 🥰

How do you ever really know?

Know what's best for you
Know what you want
Know where to go next
Know what's going to bring joy
Know what the "easy way out" is

I have no fu***ng idea what we're going to do next. I don't know the answer.

I'm about 4 months pregnant with our second child, living in Costa Rica and enjoying making memories at beautiful places while day dreaming about going back to WINTERpeg ManiSNOWba because something about this baby makes me feel called back home...

Logic reasons we should stay.
We have a house, a vehicle, pets, art, community, a pool, a garden and in all honesty, we truly love it here. My husband can work remotely and if we go back, he'd be back in the office 9+ hours a day plus commute.

Emotion tells me to leave.
We'd make so many people happy by returning, I'd have support from family and friends during my postpartum period and our son would have more friends his age to play with. I'm struggling with this heat and for some strange reason, miss the disgusting winter? How? Why?

Our starseed is due mid October, so we'd literally go from living in 30-40° weather to the EXACT opposite.

We'd have to figure out flights, paying cargo fees to return belongings we have an emotional attachment to and figure out how to both get our pets to Winnipeg AND... Where would we live?!

I'm throwing in the towel.
I'll never know the answers I'm seeking.

I allow the universe to guide and support me as it always has. ✨