You're making waves you can't see (yet) 🌊

Issue 22: 8 minute read

📚 Life Lessons: How to know if your money held at a fintech is actually protected | Sponsored by CDIC

🙋🏽‍♀️ Dani’s Doings: Navigating being home after 2ish years abroad + insecurities as a first-time entrepreneur

💸 Money Matters: More layoffs in record numbers, how to save hundreds of dollars exploring Canada this summer, and more

✈️ Travel Tings: A new digital nomad visa in a budget-friendly European country, the Poop Cruise, and a new travel scam to look out for

🫶🏽 Community Corner: A new $10k business grant + new slots available to chat with me privately

How to know if your money held at a fintech is actually protected 💸 | Sponsored by: CDIC

CDIC (Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation) protects your money if a member institution fails, up to $100,000 per category, per institution. It’s automatic and free. 

However, if you’re using a fintech, that protection isn’t always automatic. Fintechs don’t hold your money themselves. They often partner with a CDIC member who does.

💡 The lesson: when using a fintech (which I do and love!), it’s important to find out if your money is held by a CDIC member, how it’s placed at that member, and how much of it is protected.

Navigating home after 2ish years of living abroad

I’ve officially been back home in Toronto for a month after travelling abroad for 2ish years. Honestly? I’m SO happy to be back. I don’t think I realized how exhausted I was after living out of a suitcase for so long, not being close to my friends & family, and just not having easy access to the simple pleasures of home. It took me 3 weeks to get over jet lag, but I’m finally back into the swing of things and fully settled in.

My goal for the summer is to be outside as much as possible! This includes at socials, networking events, and collaborating with other Content Creators and entrepreneurs in Toronto that fit my niche. If there’s an event you think I need to be at or if you’d like to collab on something IRL (in real life) or virtually, feel free to reply to this email and let’s chat.

My biggest shock after being away for so long is 100000% the prices! I cannot believe how expensive everything has gotten. I wrote a loooong thread about it here. I’m happy to be home…but I miss being able to eat fresh, healthy meals for $15/day in Southeast Asia! 🥲

A lesson in visibility and impact

Can I be honest with you, friend? Since I was laid off from my once dream job in 2023 and decided to try the entrepreneurship route + move abroad to Spain, I worried that I was no longer as relatable to my existing audience who once followed me for my stories about navigating corporate life while living in Toronto.

As soon as I got back to Toronto, I made a commitment to start attending every relevant conference and networking event available to make new connections and to pour into existing ones. The first event I went to was a conference (called the Toast Summit) that was mostly geared towards women working a job in tech (or trying to land one). As soon as I arrived, I felt a bit insecure and out of place because a tech job was no longer my goal (especially since my last one had me burnt out so bad that I barely recognized myself anymore).

While I’m usually a social butterfly in the networking department of these types of events from the moment I arrive, I decided to be more reserved at this one as I eased back into my groove. I grabbed my seat near the front of the room to scope out the scene. I noticed the woman sitting beside me was holding the DJI Pocket 3 (the camera I use for my YouTube videos), so I decided to ask her if she was a YouTuber. We got to talking and when she asked what I do, for the first time ever at a conference, I didn’t name drop that I worked at a senior role at a big fancy Canadian tech company. Instead, I told her that I’m building my own business that helps burnt-out women take career breaks without breaking the bank, and that I coined the term “Liberty Leave”.

Her face immediately lit up and she said “Oh my God! I know you! I love Liberty Leave and I actually returned from my own Liberty Leave in Southeast Asia not too long ago! I love your content and your mission”.

friend, I was SHOOK. How’s it possible that THE FIRST PERSON I spoke to at this event knew exactly who I was and affirmed my mission? My mind was truly blown. That moment taught me that just because people don’t necessarily always interact with your content or reach out to you directly, they are most definitely watching, and you are, indeed, making a difference. Since then, I’ve been to a few other events in Toronto and it’s been the same story. So many people have come up to me to thank me for the content I put out into the universe, and I’m genuinely so honoured. I feel so seen. 🥹

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you’re making waves you can’t even see (yet). Keep going. 💪🏽

• It just got waaaaay less expensive to explore Canada due to the federal government’s introduction of the Canada Strong pass that runs until Sept 2nd. Read here about how to grab yours.

• A record number of people (especially those with remote jobs) are working side hustles to make ends meet due to inflation and rising costs. Details here.

• Microsoft just laid off 9,000 people in its largest layoff in years, impacting the Xbox division (among others). Details here.

  • 2025 layoff update: ~73,000 tech employees have been laid off from 150 tech companies. Full report here.

• The U.S. will soon stop minting pennies (like Canada did a few years ago). Here’s what that means.

• If you’ve ever considered moving to Europe for a year while working remotely, Slovenia (considered a budget-friendly country) is about to drop their new Digital Nomad Visa. Check it out here.

• There’s a new scam to look out for in airports called “Juice Jacking”. Read about it here so you don’t get your phone hacked into!

• A new documentary highlighting the infamous “Poop Cruise” of 2013 recently dropped on Netflix…and it was a lot. Here’s the recap from that truly horrible experience. I’m personally terrified of cruises moving forward 💩

• If you’re a Canadian looking for awesome flight deals, check out my roundup of the top 5 resources I use to find them!

• Mexico has officially banned dolphin shows (and the use of all marine mammals) in entertainment. I personally love to see it! Details here.

• For my fellow Black Canadian women business owners, SheaMoisture just opened up their 2025 Dream Fund that’ll provide 5 businesses with $10,000 grants. Details here!

• I just opened up my calendar with a few slots for Ask Me Anything calls. If you want to chat through any topics I’m a pro in (content creation/landing brand deals, travel, moving abroad, digital nomadism, personal finance, taking a leave from work, etc.) you can grab some time with me here! Limited availability.

• I’ve been LOVING TidyCal (the platform I use for calendar bookings) because it’s easy to use and only a one-time fee of $29. If you don’t like it, you can request a refund within 60 days. Grab it here if you’re looking for a low-cost calendar booking solution!

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