January

APeeling in January is full of real stories by real people with real solutions for life & work - Finding purpose, values, sales tips, communication, healing,

APeeling

Leaving

2020

Finding

Purpose

Sales

Tips

Digital Magazine

Appeal to the marketplace

January 2021

Publisher: MarketAPeel

Editor: Shanon Peel

Design: Shannon Peel

APeeling Magazine is published by

MarketAPeel

939 Homer Street Unit 411

Vancouver, BC V6B 2W6

778-839-0521

magazine may be reproduced into

any information retrieval systems

without the written permission of

MarketAPeel. The publishers are not

responsible in whole or part for any

errors or omissions in this publication.

All opinions and views are those of

the writers and not of the publisher.

ISSN:

Photo by Blake Peel

Shannon’s

Thoughts

I went to bed early on December

31, 2020 and woke up when the city

around me went crazy.

First, it was a party horn be-

ing blown, then the screams of cel-

ebration, followed by “Happy New

Year” hoots and hollers. The sound

ebbed and owed as other buildings,

streets, and neighbourhoods joined

their voices in celebration. The

downtown core of Vancouver was

vibrating with energy at the end of

2020 and the beginning of 2021.

It displayed how we can come

together to create something bigger

than ourselves.

The instigator blew their party

horn outside the window, then came

the people who like to encourage

others to participate. They were fol-

lowed by those who enjoy participat-

ing. Then there are those like me,

who sit quietly on the fringes taking it

all in as the observers and recorders.

As I lied their half asleep, I

smiled because the noises of others

enjoying themselves reminded me I

am not alone and am a part of a larg-

er vibrant community.

When we feel connected and

are a part of something, we know

we matter. Without this we become

disconnected, withdrawn, lonely, and

depressed. We look at our life as a

pointless rut going nowhere and we

become lost. We all need to know we

have a purpose in life.

For some, their purpose is rais-

ing the next generation. Others want

to change the way we live, with new

innovations and ideas. A few dedi-

cate their lives to social change and

helping the less fortune. Everyone’s

purpose is different and unique.

Embrace Your Purpose.

The Apple Peels are

link buttons.

I made changes to help readers

nd the stories they want to read.

First Section

Each page is the start of an article so you can see if you

want to read more of it. At the bottom of each page is a

peel to click to go to the full article.

Second Section

This section is two pages listing the contributors and the

clients of MarketAPeel who are featured in this issue.

Click on the images to go to the appropriate pages.

Third Section

This is where the articles start and you can experience

the magazine one page at a time.

Click the Peel to go to section one

Click the Peel to go to section Two

Click the Peel to go to section Three

How to Navigate

APeeling

Question for You

Know those people who knew

what they wanted to be at the

age of 10 and were hyper fo-

cused on how to be that per-

son, have that job, and made it

all look so easy? If you are any-

thing like me, that is not what

happened. Most people strug-

gle to nd their purpose in life

and work at a job they could

nd instead of the one that lls

them with a sense of purpose.

What is purpose? Simon

Sinek wrote a whole book and

nding our “Why,” our reason

for being, our purpose. He

says our, “WHY is the purpose,

cause or belief that drives every

one of us.” He helps people

understand why they get up,

go to work, and nd passion in

their daily lives to help orga-

Finding Your Life’s Purpose

Click the Peel to continue reading

by Shannon Peel

Why Teams Need Candor

spend a lot of time speak-

ing with leaders at different stages

of their careers, across industries

and sectors and from companies

at various stages of maturity. I ask

many of them to share their top

leadership lessons and challenges.

One theme that comes up often

is being honest in giving difcult

feedback.

One senior leader, who

has had a long career in a large

organization, shared that one

of their greatest leadership

challenges has been helping

their colleagues address their

blind spots. While this leader

came to recognize that being

direct in giving feedback was a

responsibility that comes with

Click the Peel to continue reading

by Shakeel Bharmal

Colleen loves Real Estate

it’s more than a career, it’s a

passion she has enjoyed for 16

years.

She likes to help those who

need her expertise in contract

law and real estate. Colleen’s

service is for everyday peo-

ple who are selling the home

they’ve lived in for a lifetime,

people who are new to Can-

ada, or someone who is just

starting out on their home own-

ership journey. Selling or buy-

ing a home might seem straight

forward, but it is lled with

many pitfalls if the contracts are

short on details and don’t ac-

count for the what ifs that hap-

pen in life.

Meet the Realtor: Colleen Shorter

Click the Peel to continue reading

You Got to Feel it to Heal it

Everything we want is outside

of our comfort zone and will

bring up uncomfortable or un-

pleasant feelings as we go for

it.

If you’re like I used to be,

any time you feel an uncomfort-

able feeling, you try to move

yourself to a better feeling

place.

Sometimes that might

mean doing something con-

structive to try to change your

feelings.

Or you may have learned

to positive your way around

“bad” feelings aka spiritual-

ly bypass. Spiritual bypass is

when you use spiritual princi-

ples or personal development

Click the Peel to continue reading

by Alaina Schwartz

In his twenties, with a wife,

a newborn, and a toddler de-

pending on his income, Jordan

Uytterhagen did what most

consider unthinkable, he left a

secure job with a government

agency to start Cadence Solu-

tions an IT consultant rm.

During his time working

with the municipality, he wit-

nessed the inefciency of large

vendors processes, broken

promises of their sales teams,

and the waste of resources

pushing a project over budget.

He believed there had to be a

better way and he was going

to provide it. What he didn’t

foresee was how frustrating

it would be to compete with

Staying True to His Values

Click the Peel to continue reading

by Shannon Peel

Cold Calling Best Practices

Choose the phone – it may

seem silly but train yourself by

using the phone to gain con-

dence. For regular everyday

tasks consider using the phone

rather than an email or text.

Write your script by sitting

down and planning what you

want to say. Rehearsing the

script makes it seem more natu-

ral when you call. Put the script

in front of you to stay on track.

The beauty is they cannot see

what’s in front of you. Consider

this, which is worse, sounding

scripted or, muddling your way

through it?

Practice - Rehearse your

internal script with the best

version of yourself, share what

Click the Peel to continue reading

by Craig Lovell

There is only one reason

small businesses fail — NO

SALES. Without sales there is

no cashow and without cash-

ow there is no business. Most

small business owners and en-

trepreneurs are not professional

sales people, they are better at

doing what they are selling, not

selling what they do.

Since they need to work on

their projects, they cannot be in

‘sales’ mode all the time, which

results in a feast and famine

existence. They get the client,

focus on the work, and stop

lling the sales funnel. Proj-

ect comes to an end and they

have no prospects in the pipe-

line. This is a common cycle for

Sales? Shoot me Now

Click the Peel to continue reading

by Shannon Peel

Thank You Coronavirus

Strange, isn’t it? To be grateful

for a pandemic that killed over

a million people?

While I am heartbroken for

all of the lives that have been

devastated by this virus, I am

also so grateful for what it has

provided in my life. Over the

past seven months, I, along

with the entire planet, have

gone through many stages.

Denial of the magnitude of

the situation. Fear of, well, ev-

erything! But also, relief to be

quarantined and locked away

with my family. You see, I spent

so much of my life busy, with

my schedule packed full. There

were days I’d leave the house

at 7am and not return until

Click the Peel to continue reading

by Marjorie Chapman

From Singapore to Spain to

Senegal to Saskatchewan, it’s

something we’ve all been ea-

gerly waiting to do. To cast this

monstrosity of a year into the

dustbin of history, and get back

to life as we once knew it.

But leaving 2020 is more than

simply a turn of the calendar,

ushered in with socially-distant

champagne drunk through a

mask. It’s a state of mind.

It’s leaving behind the

crushing weight of hopeless-

ness, sadness, despair, discon-

nection and depression that

have been the dening hall-

marks of 2020.

Hallmarks that I became

intimately acquainted with over

Leaving 2020

Click the Peel to continue reading

by Geoff Woliner

Meet Lindsay

Oh my head. The light’s

too fucking bright, fucking sun.

Hangovers are the worst.

I roll over and who is this?

My hands connect with

a hard body. I open my eyes.

Well he’s cute at least. Maybe

25. He’ll wake up all hot to trot

and my head feels like a freight

train ran over it. I got to get

him out my condo without too

much fuss. I roll over. My eyes

begin to focus.

Where the hell am I?

It looks like a dorm room.

Really, a dorm room? I’m at the

University? Well this is the only

way I ever get on campus. Shit.

I slip out of bed and try to lo-

Turn it Off

Click the Peel to continue reading

By Shannon Peel

Digital Magazine Newsstand

MarketAPeel

Visit the Newsstand

What is your life’s purpose?

Know those people who knew

what they wanted to be at the age of

10 and were hyper focused on their

purpose in life and made it all look so

easy? If you are anything like me, that

is not what happened. Most people

struggle to nd their purpose in life and

live the life that found them instead of

the one that lls them with a sense of

purpose.

There is nothing wrong with work-

ing for the sake of a paycheque so you

can pay the mortgage and pay for your

kid’s hockey or dance class. Your pur-

pose isn’t always in your paying work.

What is purpose?

The dictionary says purpose is the

reason something exists. According to

the University of Minnesota, purpose

can guide life decisions, inuence be-

havior, shape goals, offer a sense of

direction, and create meaning. Other

denitions I found are, a goal or inten-

tion, a plan to do something, the things

we strive for, and determination. My fa-

vourite denition, purpose is the reason

we do something.

Simon Sinek wrote a whole book

on nding our “Why,” He says our, “WHY

is the purpose, cause or belief that drives

every one of us.” He helps people under-

stand why they get up, go to work, and

nd passion in their daily lives to help

organizations move forward. His popu-

larity is a sign that people are seeking

purpose, a reason for living, and to know

what they do matters.How can you know

what your purpose is?

You feel jealous

Have you ever cringed with dis-

comfort and envy when someone told

you what they did for a living or how

Finding Your

Life’s Purpose

By Shannon Peel

they were changing the world? Do you

wish you were? When I met someone

who was a writer, I’d have a gut wrench-

ing physical reaction. Yet, I would push

the idea away and continue to live the

life I had, not the one I needed.

Is it a Hobby?

Do you spend your free time on

the fringes of your purpose? My hob-

bies were like putting a toe in the water

of storytelling. It wasn’t a waste of time

because the skills I taught myself, came

together to enable me to design digital

magazines and write the stories to pub-

lish inside of them.

Do You Feel Joy?

When we feel joy, we are living

within our purpose. When my kids were

growing up, I felt joy every moment

they were with me. For a period of time

my only purpose was to be a mother

and I loved my time with my kids.

Then they grew up and needed me

less and less and I needed a new pur-

pose. Finding my purpose wasn’t easy.

Do you Lose time?

When you are engaged in doing

something do you lose track of time

and become so focused on what you

are doing, you forget to eat and push

until you fall asleep? When I’m writing, I

lose time and I forget everything around

me because I am getting the thoughts

out of my head and onto paper.

.What did you do as a kid?

Think back to when you were a

kid, spending time on your own, what

did you do?

I spent a lot of time alone as a

kid because of where we lived and my

personality. When I think back to how I

entertained myself, the ribbon woven

throughout my childhood is story. I was

always telling myself stories.

Recently, my mom and I were go-

ing through my memory box to purge

stuff from her basement and she found

these books I’d written in elementary

school. The memory of writing them

made me happy. Thankfully, I was 6

hours away watching her go through

the box via zoom, because if I’d been

there, we never would have gotten any-

thing done. I would have sat down with

those stories to relive them and been

inspired to go upstairs and write.

Scared to fail?

Is there something you wish you

could do, or you want to do, but you

don’t because let’s face it, if you fail

then that’s the end of a dream? Some-

times having the dream keeps us safe

from ever having to do it because we

can say, “I could have been a <insert

your purpose> if I’d really wanted to.”

By doing nothing, we can blame

others and circumstances for never em-

bracing our purpose instead of trying

and learning that we never had what

it took to be <insert your purpose>. I

could write as a hobby and make scrap-

books, read stories, and continue with-

out ever being a writer or storyteller.

I could play it safe because the

choice to be a writer is always there

and there is no evidence saying I wasn’t

any good. For years, I hide from my

purpose because I was scared others

were right and I wasn’t good enough

to be a writer. Yes, people did tell me

I wasn’t good enough and I believed

them. I’d allowed knee jerk comments

to hold me back for too long.

If you aren’t living your purpose

because you are scared you will fail,

be embarrassed, or lose something –

you’ve already lost. I know I’m a writer

because I keep writing and putting it

out there into the most judgemental

and cruel of places - the Internet. I can’t

stop. I am compelled to keep trying.

What Happens when you Hit a Wall?

Everything we do has prob-

lems that need to be xed and

sacrices which need to be made.

If the sacrices and problems drain

you and leave you rolled up in a

ball hiding in the closet from them,

then it isn’t your purpose.

When I was writing Thirteen

and That’s Life, (formally 40 some-

thing) the problems were moving

the storyline forward, the sacrice

was time, the risk was

rejection.

<- Click button

Make an Impact

You are here on this earth for a

short period of time and yet your choic-

es will leave a big impact on future

generations. Is there something you are

passionate about and want to change

in the world? Is there something you

want to leave for your children or

grandchildren?

I have always loved history and

the story of humanity. When I was in

London UK, I saw a wall built a thou-

sand years ago and whoever built it

made an impact on this world. They

built something that I could touch a

millennium later. The wall is proof of

their existence, though I don’t know

their names or their stories, they mat-

tered. They did something to move hu-

manity forward and to remind us they

lived.

Some are driven to make a bigger

and longer lasting impact, so they seek

to change the world, fame, or innova-

tion. Others are content with mattering

only to their partners and their children.

Whatever your purpose is, it is evi-

dence that your life matters.

When in Doubt, Try.

You don’t know until you try. Go

out and do different things until you

nd the thing you like to do. Today,

you have the internet to nd groups,

classes, and ideas. Throughout history,

people gured out what their purposes

were without the resources of today.

If you always wanted to be a

dancer but you never took a dance

class, how do you know that is truly

what you want to do? Take some class-

es and see what happens. You may not

become a Prima Ballerina, that takes

dedication, youth, natural talent, and

Subscribe to APeeling

super-human focus. However, there are

other ways to fulll your purpose.

I applied for writing jobs. I tried

to get the gatekeepers, agents, and

hiring managers to see my purpose.

They didn’t. Many said I wasn’t good

enough, but I kept going and then one

idea led to another one, which led to

someone who believed in me. Now

I’m publishing APeeling and creating

magazines for professionals who have

a brand story to tell the world. Sure, I

didn’t become my generation’s version

of Hemingway, but I still can say I’m a

writer and have a purpose..

When I Retire

What are you waiting for retire-

ment to try? There is no guarantee

you’ll make it to retirement and the way

the world is going many of us will never

be able to retire, unless we want to live

in abject poverty. So, why wait?

You don’t have to make a living

out of your purpose. It can be a hob-

by or a cause you volunteer for. Lots

of people work to earn a living so they

can live their purpose on weekends.

When we don’t Live our Purpose.

When things fall apart or you

continue to come up against brick wall

after brick wall no matter what you do,

life might be telling you something.

When my life was in transition and I

didn’t know my purpose, I felt like the

ball in a pin ball machine being thrown

from one thing to the other and never

getting anywhere.

I was meant to be a writer. I am

supposed to be telling stories. Even

though others were not willing to hire

Download

Finding Your

Purpose Worksheet

No email - free no strings

Want to Improve Your LinkedIn Results?

Chuck Hester is offering 21% off

his LinkedIn 1-on-1 training

Click button on Peel to ask him for details.

me as a writer, I am still doing it. I

found a different way where I did not

need the approval of gatekeepers or

hiring managers.

My purpose is to record real sto-

ries by real people with real solutions

for life and work. The platform and

community I create will impact the

world positviely and help others when

they are struggling through the difcult

times in their lives.

We all need a reason for living, a

purpose, a why. The thing which gives

our lives meaning and makes an impact

on the world. Figuring out what will

bring meaning to your life is a process.

It can take time for the stars to align and

life to open the door to opportunity.

Until then, know your existence matters

and you have a purpose for being here.

Like this article? Share it ->

Click Peel to

Comment

Photo by John Vincente (Unsplash)

send

Click Here to improve

Introducing “Your Own Magazine”

Stand out with a

customizable digital magazine

View

Introducing “Your Own Magazine”

Stand out with a

customizable digital magazine

Learn More

Click to View

I spend a lot of time speak-

ing with leaders at different

stages of their careers, across

industries and sectors and from

companies at various stages

of maturity. I ask many of them

to share their top leadership

lessons and challenges. One

theme that comes up often is

being honest in giving difcult

feedback.

One senior leader, who

has had a long career in a large

organization, shared that one

of their greatest leadership

challenges has been helping

their colleagues address their

blind spots. While this leader

came to recognize that being

direct in giving feedback was a

responsibility that comes with

leadership, it never got easier.

Another leader, who is at

an earlier stage in their leader-

ship career, indicated that their

greatest challenge is managing

staff performance issues, partic-

ularly related to behaviour and

conduct. They are still working

their way through this and ex-

perimenting with different ways

of speaking their mind.

For me, giving difcult

feedback has required a delib-

erate effort and development. I

have become stronger at it with

experience and age, but I am

still studying the art of being

honest and direct in delivering

difcult feedback.

I expect that this is true for

many people. Whether it be at

work, in volunteer roles or with

friends and family, we are not

always honest with our feed-

back. There is a built-in dilem-

ma in our lives.

Why Teams

need Candor

By Shakeel Bharmal

On the one hand, in order

to achieve the best possible

outcome, to collaborate well

and solve problems effective-

ly, we need full information

and open sharing of views and

ideas. Misleading and withhold-

ing information and feedback is

detrimental.

On the other hand, so-

cial forces work against always

being honest. We sometimes

rationalize that the reason we

hold back from giving difcult

feedback is that we don’t want

to offend or be impolite. Other

times, our fears and the lim-

bic-driven instinct for self-pres-

ervation holds us back.

Ed Catmull, President of Pixar

and Disney Animation, in his

book Creativity Inc., dives into

this topic to share how his com-

pany attempts to overcome

lack of honesty – which he re-

labels ‘lack of candour’ – in the

service of producing the best

possible movies.

He says, “A hallmark of a

healthy, creative culture is that

its people feel free to share

ideas, opinions, and criticisms.

Lack of candour, if unchecked,

ultimately leads to dysfunction-

al environments.”

He acknowledges that

there may be good reasons to

be careful about what you say.

A person may want to be polite

or respectful or they may not

want to appear to be a know-it-

all.

More often, though, hold-

ing back comes from fears of

saying something ‘dumb,’ of

being judged or of an emo-

tional reaction or retaliation.

Catmull says that these are the

tendencies his team works hard

to overcome at Pixar.

Brené Brown, the vulner-

ability research professor, has

commented on this in her work

as well. Her ndings are that

delivering honest feedback

requires a balance between

both courage and vulnerability.

It makes sense, right? Giving

honest feedback requires put-

ting yourself in an uncertain po-

sition. You don’t know how the

other person is going to react,

so you feel vulnerable. Doing it

anyway requires courage.

A few years ago, Google

initiated a study called Project

Aristotle to understand why

some work teams were more

effective than others. The goal

Listen

was to gure out how to pre-

dictably create the perfect

team.

There were many hypoth-

eses prior to completing the

study: better to put introverts

together, perfectly balance

individual competencies, put

highest performers together,

people that got along socially

work together more effectively,

etc. After studying 180 teams,

researchers could not nd a

consistent pattern based on

any of the hypotheses.

What they did determine

was the most effective teams.

The most important dynam-

ic was “psychological safety,”

which Harvard Business School

Professor Amy Edmondson de-

nes as “a belief that one will

not be punished or humiliat-

ed for speaking up with ideas,

questions, concerns or mis-

takes.”

Putting it all together (Cat-

mull, Brown, Google) suggests

that the most effective teams

are made up of people who

have the courage to be vul-

nerable and have leaders and

members who explicitly discuss

and re-enforce norms of psy-

chological safety. Not easy to

do, but worth the effort!

about Candor

Like this article? Share it ->

Click Peel to

Comment

Click the Peel to Listen

to the Navigating Disruption

Podcast

World

to impact the

Live with

Purpose

Introducing “Your Own Magazine”

Stand out with a

customizable digital magazine

Learn More

World

Purpose

Meet the Realtor

Colleen Shorter

Colleen loves Real Estate

it’s more than a career, it’s a

passion she has enjoyed for 16

years.

She likes to help those who

need her expertise in contract

law and real estate. Colleen’s

service is for everyday peo

ple who are selling the home

they’ve lived in for a lifetime,

people who are new to Canada,

or someone who is just starting

out on their home ownership

journey. Selling or buying a

home might seem straight for

ward, but it is lled with many

pitfalls if the contracts are short

on details and don’t account for

the what ifs that happen in life.

She went to school to study

law where she earned a parale

gal diploma and then worked

for a large real estate developer.

Experience on the developer

side of Real Estate gave her an

insight into strata plans and de

tails like airspace, commercial

entitlements, covenants, ease

ments, and statutory right of

ways. She understands how all

these legal rights will affect the

sale of the home or the lifestyle

of the purchaser. She knows

what to look for to ensure her

clients are protected.

Real Estate is complicated

and too often a buyer doesn’t

know what questions to ask to

ensure they will not be on the

hook for an unforeseen expense

or living in a strata that restricts

their lifestyle. Colleen knows

what to look for, how to write

a good contract, and has ad

vanced training in real estate law

to help her protect her client’s

interests.

There is more to selling a

home than exchanging cash for

keys. The process can be frus

trating and if one is not careful,

it could cost you more than you

expected.

Discover why

she loves Living

in Vancouver’s

North Shore.

Look Inside

About Cameron Chell

Cameron Chell is considered

a ‘serial entrepreneur’ with his

rst ventures beginning at age 14

and a trajectory in business that

spans more than 25 years. He is

the co-founder and CEO of the

Business Instincts Group (BIG) and

BUILD Impossible. He has launched

numerous successful tech start-ups

such as Dragany Innovations (CSE:

DFLY) (OTCQB: DFLYF), ColdBore

Technologies, Raptor Rig, Urthe-

cast, KODAKOne and Currency-

Works (TSXV and OTCQB: CWRK).

His entrepreneurial success is

based on principles of clear vision,

quantiable results and tireless pur-

suit of goals.

A sought-after speaker, Chell

has addressed audiences of thou-

sands in settings around the world.

His presentations include speeches

at the United Nations, Tony Rob-

bins, and TEDx Montreal Women.

His talks touch on themes ranging

from technology to homelessness

as he shares his life experiences of

overcoming hurdles and doing “the

impossible.”

Cameron Chell

Gets Schooled

Discover the APeeling

Social Media Content Package

Monthly

Content Package

includes 10 social

media posts

Download a pack

Graphics PLUS a written story,

a tweet, and writing prompts

for each image for you to use

on your social media platforms

Available

on Amazon

Can you Find 16 Differences?

Answer key - click Peel

Introducing “Your Own Magazine”

Stand out with a

customizable digital magazine

Everything we want is out-

side of our comfort zone and

will bring up uncomfortable or

unpleasant feelings as we go

for it.

If you’re like I used to be,

any time you feel an uncomfort-

able feeling, you try to move

yourself to a better feeling

place.

Sometimes that might

mean doing something con-

structive to try to change your

feelings.

Or you may have learned

to positive your way around

“bad” feelings aka spiritual-

ly bypass. Spiritual bypass is

when you use spiritual princi-

ples or personal development

techniques to avoid facing your

painful feelings, unresolved

wounds, or unmet needs. It is a

way to AVOID feeling the feels.

It’s a state of resistance. And

what we resist persists.

I used to be the Queen of

Spiritual Bypass, till I learned

how to feel my feelings.

When my dad passed last

year, I felt grief, not just for my

dad, but for the identity I cre-

ated to constantly achieve to

prove myself to my dad. I was

afraid if I felt the full extent of

my grief, I’d lose momentum

in my business. I was afraid I’d

be consumed by my grief. My

coach at the time advised that

grieving WAS my business.

You’ve got to

Feel it to Heal it

By Alaina Schwartz

Contrary to what I believed,

my business growth would be

stied if I didn’t allow myself to

grieve fully. It was painful, but

the breakthrough that came as

a result was profound.

One of my clients recent-

ly told me that she kept med-

itating so she didn’t feel her

anxiety anymore. The point of

advising her to meditate was so

she would feel her anxiety, not

try to get rid of it. Once felt, it

would quickly move on by it-

self. We did the simple process

below and in a matter of sev-

eral minutes, she no longer felt

anxious.

Often, many people re-

press difcult feelings or numb

out with alcohol, drugs, TV, sex,

shopping, etc. If we repress or

numb out, it may ease the dis-

comfort temporarily. Not only

do the feelings NOT go away,

but they get louder. It’s like

holding a beach ball underwa-

ter. The moment you stop hold-

ing it down, it pops up and hits

you in the face.

From a Quantum Physics

perspective, we are of .00001%

matter and the rest (.9999%)

energy.

Thoughts and feelings are

energy too. When we resist

feeling an emotion that is un-

comfortable or unpleasant, that

energy gets stuck in our bodies

rather than continuing to move

through us. And the more you

resist it, the more the energy

gets dammed up in your body.

As a result, it will stop the ow

of energy moving through your

body and you will feel worse.

This is what causes most

disease of the body and mind.

Stufng your feelings will man-

ifest in chronic stress, disease,

emotional issues, relationship

struggles, self-sabotaging be-

havior, etc.

So what do you do with all

these feelings? You feel them

to heal them!

But what about the idea

that what you put your focus

on grows? If you focus on chal-

lenging feelings, will you only

experience more of them?

Which is it? It’s both. I’m

not suggesting setting up base

camp with your feelings, only

having tea with them and really

being present with them. If you

do this, you will move through

your emotions in a constructive

way.

How do you do that?

Here are 5 Steps to practice

that will allow you to feel and

resolve difcult emotions:

1. Become aware of what

you’re feeling. You don’t need

to label it. Just notice it...i.e.,

I feel this restriction and tight-

ness.

2. Notice where you feel

it in your body. Allow yourself

to feel all the feelings and fo-

cus your loving attention on

the part or parts of your body

where you feel it. For example,

I feel this restriction in my bel-

ly. It feels like there’s a ton of

heavy rocks piled up in my bel-

ly. Then focus your loving atten-

tion on your belly.

3. Have compassion for

yourself and anyone else in-

volved. Everyone is truly do-

ing their best based upon the

world view they have at any

given moment.

4. This next part may seem

out there, but trust me it works!

Speak to the feeling in your

body. Ask it what it wants you to

know? What would make it turn

Think

Differently

APeeling Readers

Leather Journal

25%

Discount Code:

BookAPeel

down the volume? What does it

need from you? It’s mind-blow-

ing how much incredible action-

able information comes from

this Step 4. And the truth is, if

you think you’re making it all up,

it doesn’t matter.

5.If you get a response

that’s vague, like lighten up,

ask what that would specical-

ly look like. Keep asking what

it would look like until you get

specic actionable information.

If you trust this process, you will

get some action to take, even

if it’s get quiet and listen more,

that will help resolve the feel-

ings.

Feelings are a barometer,

they’re signals of what’s going

on. When we learn to read the

signs, they don’t need to stick

around very long.

Most importantly, be open.

Getting comfortable feel-

ing your feelings is like building

a muscle. It takes time to devel-

op the skills.

Now, these steps are sim-

ple, but not easy. And the rea-

son they are not easy is we

were not taught how to feel

our feelings. So it feels uncom-

fortable to feel our “negative”

emotions.

Spoiler alert: More often

than not, it’s not the feeling

that’s uncomfortable or pain-

ful, rather it is the resistance

to feeling it. Once you melt

your resistance to feeling your

emotions, you will realize that

they are not the big monster

we made them out to be. AND

they will move through you

pretty quickly.

When I learned to start

feeling my feelings, I was

amazed at how quickly those

feelings resolved. I’ve noticed

the same thing with my clients

too.

So I’m extending an invita-

tion to you. Feel your feelings

- ALL OF THEM! Without judg-

ment.

Like this article? Share it ->

Click Peel to

Comment

Subscribe to APeeling

Alaina Schwartz helps

high acievers make a big-

ger impact on the world.

Discover the APeeling

Social Media Content Package

Monthly

Content Package

includes 10 social

media posts

Download a free pack

Graphics PLUS a written

story, a tweet, and writ-

ing prompts for each im-

age for you to use on your

social media platforms

In his twenties, with a wife,

a newborn, and a toddler de-

pending on his income, Jordan

Uytterhagen did what most

consider unthinkable, he left a

secure job with a government

agency to start Cadence Solu-

tions an IT consultant rm.

During his time working

with the municipality, he wit-

nessed the inefciency of large

vendors processes, broken

promises of their sales teams,

and the waste of resources

pushing a project over budget.

He believed there had to be a

better way and he was going

to provide it. What he didn’t

foresee was how frustrating

it would be to compete with

global strong branded rms.

He was working for a mu-

nicipality in Alberta when the

city hired one of the big-name,

Staying true to His Values

Jordan Uytterhagen

global consultant rms to pro-

vide a digital solution. The

company’s salesperson prom-

ised their consultants would de-

sign what the city wanted, and

they were the best in the eld.

In the end the invoices

added up to over three hun-

dred thousand and there was

still no solution to the problem.

Leadership nally gave their

inside talent, who had never

attempted a project like it, a

chance to create the solution.

Jordan and his team were

up for the challenge to learn

open text and design the

solution for far less of a cost

than the consultancy rm had

charged.

Jordan realized that “As

a bunch of internal people do-

ing this for the rst time, we

exceeded the industry bar. If

we can start an organization to

do this professionally, to ll the

gap in the market, especially in

Western Canada where there

were no companies using open

text, we could be successful.”

He left a secure position for a

three-month contract in a dif-

ferent city, promising his wife it

would work out.

Cadence Solutions grew

by word of mouth because Jor-

dan stayed true to his values,

consistently solved his client’s

problems with efcient, produc-

tivity, time management, and

budget spending. One of the

ways he helped clients keep

costs down was to reduce the

amount of time he and his team

travelled to onsite locations.

It is regular practice for the

big consultant rms to send

their IT people to work onsite

in client’s ofces, the cost of

this practice is then passed

on to the client. At Cadence,

they work remotely as much as

possible to ensure their talent

is home more and they are not

wasting their client’s money by

paying for unnecessary hotels

and travel. When Covid hit, his

company was able to provide

seamless remote service while

everyone else was still deter-

mining how to transition.

Jordan chooses not to

waste a lot of time going head-

to-head with the global rms

on big government and corpo-

rate contracts where contracts

are awarded based on the size

of the brand more than on

Want to Share Your Story?

credibility, efciency, or ability.

He witnessed the bait and

switch tactics of the big sales

teams who promised rst string

talent to close a high-ticket

contract and then the company

sent a different team who wasn’t

prepared to do what was prom-

ised. Jordan refuses to play the

bait and switch sales game. He

knows he needs to raise the bar

in the industry by delivering on

their promises and exceeding

expectations whenever possi-

ble.

Jordan personally presents

the solution to his potential cli-

ents to ensure the client under-

stands what is being offered and

his team knows what is being

promised. This way the transfer

from sales to development is

transparent.

Cadence’s company values

are closely aligned with Jor-

dan’s values of efcient produc-

tivity and prairie farm boy work

ethic. He doesn’t waste the

time or resources of Cadence

Solutions or its clients and ex-

pects the same efciency from

both his clients and staff so,

they look for potential clients

who understand the cost-effec-

tive approach of remote work

and efcient productivity. They

work with clients whose teams

work hard and get the job done

because they are passionate

about delivering results.

Jordan has walked away

from projects, even though the

money was excellent because

the client didn’t align with their

value system. He wants to be

challenged and for his people

to be constantly learning, in-

stead of being a cookie cutter

one-size-ts-all solution. He is

building a lifestyle for himself

and his people and he is not

willing to compromise his val-

ues to obtain success.

There are always lessons

to learn and that one thing

we wish we’d done differently,

for Jordan, that thing is hiring

good people sooner. It took

him a few years to learn how to

hire the right people and as the

company grew their needs in

talent changed. At the begin-

ning, projects needed someone

with more experience because

Jordan wasn’t able to train the

new hire on the technical as-

pects of the projects. As the

company grew, they were able

to hire recent graduates who

would learn on the job.

Jordan looks for two things

when hiring, can he trust the per

son and do they have a strong

work ethic. Trust is the number

one thing he looks for during

an interview and he sets the bar

high. The interviewee needs to

pass Jordan’s version of the pup

py test; would he trust the per-

son to take care of his pets?

Custom Design

for your branding Needs

His employees become like

family and he needs to know

they are the kind of people who

will care about each other and

the job they are doing.

Did the interviewee come pre-

pared with a notebook, ques-

tions, and a printed resume?

He says that resumes tell

him, “They’re all smart they

graduated from the University

of Alberta. You got to be smart

to get in and you got to be

smarter to get out.” As long as

they have the education, they

can do the job, but can they

work at Cadence?

He wants employees who

are going to be around for lon-

ger than a minute. During the

interview he wants to learn what

they do on the weekend, what

they would do if a project is be-

hind schedule, and how they

react when a deadline is loom-

ing. To determine if they want

what Cadence has to offer he

asks, “Where do you want to

work and what type of work do

you want to do?” The answers

help him identify if they want

what global rms offer in terms

of lifestyle and money or if they

want to be home more and

work hard because they are pas-

sionate about what they do.

He admits nding the right

people is hard and time con-

suming, however, it is worth it

because when you have the

right team you can grow, dupli-

cate, and delegate.

Like many business own-

ers, Jordan initially found del-

egating difcult and risked

overworking himself by taking

responsibility for tasks outside

his role’s purview. The key to

delegating he discovered was

hiring people whom he could

trust to get the job done when

asked and didn’t need to be

micromanaged. When he start-

ed delegating, every metric in

his business doubled, enabling

him to take on larger contracts.

Jordan’s favourite projects

are the ones where he learns

something new and solves a

problem for the client to make

their work more efcient. He

looks to work with compa-

nies who have a willingness

to change the way they do

things.

Their ideal clients are

open to new ideas, value ef-

cient productivity, and have a

https://youtu.be/0NnkB2lSU8Q

hard-working team who cares

about the outcome. They need

a, “Just get it done” attitude

over the, “We’ve always done it

this way” mentality.

The bulk of his clients are

from the private sector. It is

tough to go head to head with

global rms for government

contracts because they’ve have

the big brand name govern-

ment managers like. Govern-

ment agencies are not his ideal

client because they are slower

to change, waste resources, are

inefcient, and rife with the,

“We've always done it this way”

mentality.

These are all the reasons why

Jordan made the right decision for

his career and his family by leaving

the safe government job. A career

within the connes of the Public

Sector does not align with his core

values of hard work and efcient

productivity. By staying true to his

values and starting a company

aligned to his own, he has built a

successful IT Consultant Organi

zation that gives new graduates a

chance and provides a work / life

balance for his employees.

Discover how Candence Solutions

can help your organization.

Like this article? Share it ->

Click Peel to

Comment

Before the Call

Choose the phone – it may

seem silly but train yourself by

using the phone to gain con-

dence. For regular everyday

tasks consider using the phone

rather than an email or text.

Write your script by sit-

ting down and planning what

you want to say. Rehearsing

the script makes it seem more

natural when you call. Put the

script in front of you to stay on

track. The beauty is they can-

not see what’s in front of you.

Consider this, which is worse,

sounding scripted or, muddling

your way through it?

Practice - Rehearse your

internal script with the best ver-

sion of yourself, share what

excites you. Your passion and

enthusiasm can go a long way.

The more you practice the

more fears and anxiety dimin-

ish and your true self shines

through.

Make it a little warmer by

researching the industry, com-

pany, and contact. Use this in-

formation carefully and don’t be

presumptive. Assumptions will

work against you.

Environment - Find a quiet

place without distractions and-

plan your time to maximize your

efciency and ensure you take

breaks.

Have your materials, your

lists and call tracking sheets, at

the ready.

Cold Calling

Best Practices

By Craig Lovell

During the Call

Don’t lose them at “hello” –

avoid being too fast, unclear, or

not loud enough.

Perfect posture, stand up,

while calling people because

you will speak more clearly.

Smile, so your tone of

voice is more natural and light-

er. A smile will make you sound

happier and the person on the

other end of the phone will re-

act positively to your energy.

Be aware of the tone and

volumen of your voice. Did you

know that a raised voice at

the end of a statement makes

what you are saying sound like

a question or you are unsure

about what you are saying.

Be an active listener, give

them space and time to follow

you. Learn to pause. A three

second silence forces listening

and allows for response.

Learn to love objections,

true objections are natural and

are, in fact, a sign the other per-

son is listening. Anticipate ob-

jections and have a solution at

the ready.

Get curious, adopting a

“curious mind” will help avoid

being self-conscious and takes

the focus off ourselves and onto

others in a non-threatening way.

Focus, when calling be ful-

ly focused on task: Stay in the

zone. Try calling similar cate-

gories of contacts, structure an

appropriate time and place, limit

distractions.

Track calls and results –

CRM’s (customer relationship

management programs) are an

option but it doesn’t need to be

complicated or sophisticated.

Complexity = excuses. Just be

consistent.

After the Call

Follow up - thank yous are im-

portant. So is follow through on

your “small ask”

Review and revise your

script - its never perfect. Use

your notes to revise and get

better.

Celebrate your achieve-

ments – be honest, this is hard

work. Build in some rewards for

yourself.

As an instructor and facilitator, I

design and deliver engaging work-

shops on business fundamentals

specically directed to youth... and

the young at heart.

Do you have sales

tips or questions?

Like this article? Share it ->

APeeling members have access to a

content library lled with generic

evergreen content which they can use

for their own social media posts

What you do

in this moment

will determine

what happens

tomorrow

There is only one reason

small businesses fail — NO

SALES. Without sales there is

no cashow and without cash-

ow there is no business. Most

small business owners and en-

trepreneurs are not professional

sales people, they are better at

doing what they are selling, not

selling what they do.

Since they need to work on

their projects, they cannot be in

‘sales’ mode all the time, which

results in a feast and famine

existence. They get the client,

focus on the work, and stop

lling the sales funnel. Proj-

ect comes to an end and they

have no prospects in the pipe-

line. This is a common cycle for

small business.

Smile n Dial

My wonky career path has

included professional sales, the

smile and dial numbers game

type of sales. I kicked butt at

smilin and dialin, nding the de-

cision maker, and getting in the

door to meet. I had no prob-

lem making 40-60 dials a day,

regardless if the product was

Advertising, Online Review Plat-

form, Financial Planning prod-

ucts, or Chinese Pump Jacks

and Oil Pipe. I built qualied

lists, found business, and even

closed sales.

Today, I am standing on

the cliff edge. I know what my

ideal audience looks like, I know

where to nd them, and I know

how to build a CRM database

to manage these cold leads and

guess what —

Sales?

Shoot me now

by Shannon Peel

I’m frozen.

It’s not the sub zero tem-

peratures of a Canadian winter

that have me covered in ice…

It’s fear. OMG – I’m scared to

pick up the phone.

How did I go from a kick

butt cold calling appointment

setter to frozen solid on a cliff’s

edge? What’s different?

First, the product I am now

selling is – me – and my con-

dence took a hit during a long

job search.

I know I’m not the only

woman to have an issue with

self condence. It’s one of

those things we were taught

as young girls – “Don’t be too

loud.” “Don’t toot your own

horn.” “Don’t be so full of your-

self.” Little boys were to cul-

tivate condence, we were to

cultivate coyness and virtue.

Take the First Step

The rst step is identifying

who I want to meet. The key to

getting an appointment is to

not sell myself or my services.

The only thing I want to sell is

the appointment, so I have to

have a good reason for them to

meet with me.

Researching to nd out

why they want to meet me is

easy. This is where social media

and Google come in.

Who do they know? What

are they posting on social me-

dia? What do their reviews say

about them? And do they iden-

tify a problem I can help them

with?

Too often sales profes-

sionals hide behind research

and dive too deep into the in-

formation to avoid picking up

the phone. As soon as you nd

common ground, a reason for

them to talk to you, - pick up

the phone. If you can’t nd any-

thing within 5 minutes, pick up

the phone and ask if they have

time to tell you about their

business.

Cold Calling Tips

To be successful at smiling

and dialing, the best thing you

can do is warm up the lead.

Leave a voicemail with

your name and say you’ll call

them back. You don’t want

them to call you back because

they will always call when

you’re doing something else

and you won’t remember who

they are, not a good rst im-

pression. By leaving your name

you will start the process.

Connect with them on

social media by commenting

on their posts. Liking is not

enough to get noticed, you

have to consistently comment.

The rst call

is always the

hardest.

Connect with people who

might know them. You never

know who will be able to intro

duce you.

Send an email to their

business - but only one - don’t

spam the hell out of them. Find

a reason to email them, and

follow up with a call a few days

later.

SMILE. Stand up walk

around and smile. Be happy.

People want to talk to people

who make them feel good,

don’t over do it, be authentic

and friendly.

Hire a Professional

There are contract sales

professionals who help small

businesses. The different types

of contractors are:

List Builders, will create call

lists for you to call on. A good

one will research each lead to

ensure they meet your target

market criteria.

Appointment Setters, call your

list and make appointments for

you to talk to prospects and

sell your product or service.

Closers who will help you with

the sales process and close the

deal after you have presented

all the options.

Full cycle sales professional,

will handle the full sale cycle

from list to close.

Account managers will man-

age clients accounts and com-

municate with them for as long

as they are clients.

Have sales tips or

questions?

A Digital Salesperson

I created a multi-media

sales presentation which guides

readers through the benets,

solutions, and the product like

a real salesperson.

Still, it takes an actual per-

son to build the relationships

that lead to sales. A digital

salesperson is a tool sales a can

use to support their efforts, not

replace them.

I chose to hire contract

sales professionals because

sales professionals keep their

skills sharp and are pros at what

they do. This enables me to be

a pro at what I do and keeps

the sales funnel full.

Introducing “Your Own Magazine”

Stand out with a

customizable digital magazine

Learn More

Coming in

January 2021

Strange, isn’t it? To be

grateful for a pandemic that

killed over a million people?

While I am heartbroken for

all of the lives that have been

devastated by this virus, I am

also so grateful for what it has

provided in my life. Over the

past seven months, I, along

with the entire planet, have

gone through many stages.

Denial of the magnitude of

the situation. Fear of, well, ev-

erything! But also, relief to be

quarantined and locked away

with my family. You see, I spent

so much of my life busy, with

my schedule packed full. There

were days I’d leave the house

at 7am and not return until

1am. The pandemic was a gift,

that’s how I see it now. It forced

me to stop and focus on what

is really important. I realized I

was lling my time with things

that made me feel like I was im-

portant, not things I wanted to

do.

I’ve spent the past seven

months recalibrating and deep-

ening my connection to myself

and my family. I’ve spent time

honing the “muscle” of check-

ing with myself before saying

yes to anything. Sleeping.

Breaking the habit of pleasing

others and developing the sub-

tle ability to know the differ-

ence.

I’ve spent time with myself.

Getting to know me. Declutter-

ing the house and our land, as

well as my mind. Reading. Hav-

ing those conversations that

Thank you,

Coronavirus

Marjorie Chapman

really matter with my family

and friends. Reconnecting with

other friends who have always

been “too busy” and noticing

where I’m holding onto silly

things about people I really

love, and calling them to tell

them. And I’ve surrounded my-

self with people who are doing

the same, so the conversations

I’m in are moving us all forward.

There’s an allegory that

goes around every once in a

while, attributed to a Native

American elder. It goes some-

thing like this: A boy comes to

the elder and says it feels like

there are two wolves inside

him, one who is light and one

who is dark. He asks the elder

how he will know which one will

win. The response is, “The one

you feed.”

During this time, it’s easy

to feed the darkness, the fear.

It’s easy to feel like this year is

surreal and signicant. And in

many cases, it has had huge

impacts on all of our lives. My

family has been blessed to

not be medically affected by

Covid-19, but we have been

impacted by its side effects:

unemployment, crazy weather,

and a child grappling with anx-

iety and panic attacks. Still, I

count us lucky. We have a roof

over our heads, unemployment

only lasted three months, and

we have a strong community of

support. Even so, this has been

a rough time for us.

What has allowed me to

grow and succeed during this

time is being acutely aware of

the state of my mindset and

to remember that I am not

my thoughts, I can alter my

thoughts.

When I feel the worry and

anxiety creeping in, sparked

by the news or worry about my

loved ones, I have picked up

the phone. I tap into the skills

of my own life coach to iden-

tify what’s off screen running

my show. This allows me to

be and stay as empowered as

possible. I’m choosing to have

conversations that leave me

empowered, and I only spend

a little time in my conversations

around the hot topics (and boy

are there many!) so that most of

the conversation is moving us

both forward. I’m doing those

things I have been putting off

until “I have more time” and

I’m making sure to do those

things that I know feed my

soul. I’m reminding myself to

have grace for myself, my fam-

ily members, and my friends.

None of us know what to do

or how to be during this time.

We’re all brand new to this!

You got this. We’ve got

this. Find a way to tap into

your silly side. Do those things

you’ve always wanted to. Be

kind and loving, to others and

especially to yourself. Practice

gratitude, and, when you are

ready, maybe even nd some

gratitude for all the craziness

happening around you.

Marjorie Chapman is the Head

Coach and Owner of Love Out

Loud Life Coaching

Like this article? Share it ->

Click to learn more

Get more from

MarketAPeel

Members Only Content to download and post

on social media to help you tell your story and connect

with your clients

Level one Challenges to help you learn how to

tell your brand story, create content, and more.

Online Prole for SEO backlink and to let other

community members know about who you are, what

you do, and how you can help them.

Access to General Forum Topics to get

support for your branding and marketing

Access to MarketAPeel Group Chat to

get to know community members and make better con-

nections with like minded people

Leaving

2020

Geoff Woliner

From Singapore to Spain

to Senegal to Saskatchewan,

it’s something we’ve all been

eagerly waiting to do. To cast

this monstrosity of a year into

the dustbin of history, and get

back to life as we once knew it.

But leaving 2020 is more than

simply a turn of the calendar,

ushered in with socially-distant

champagne drunk through a

mask.

It’s a state of mind.

It’s leaving behind the

crushing weight of hopeless-

ness, sadness, despair, discon-

nection and depression that

have been the dening hall-

marks of 2020.

Hallmarks that I became

intimately acquainted with over

the summer.

This past July, I hit a pro-

found low point in my own

mental battle to persevere

through this year. I was able to

get through the lockdowns of

March and April with the belief

that this pandemic would sim-

ply be a bad memory by the

summer.

That, like a bad storm, it

would arrive, leave a trail of

carnage and tears, but then,

like all storms, depart swift-

ly and leave us to pick up the

pieces.

In July, it became abun-

dantly clear that this storm

made landfall, but had no

plans on leaving any time

soon. I had to accept the hard,

yet unalterable truth that this

would simply sit in place, and

relentlessly wallop us with one

lashing after another.

We were going to be in

for an endless parade of pan-

icked headlines about spiking

case numbers, more cancelled

events and the probability of

further lockdowns in the future.

As an extrovert whose spirit is

animated by live events, new

experiences, and the energy of

a crowd, this may as well have

been a death sentence handed

down by a medieval king. Be-

cause while sheltering in place

in perpetuity would save my

body, it would undoubtedly kill

my soul.

So I had to get busy, and

nd a way out.

I couldn’t physically leave

2020 in July, so I had to discov-

er another path. And, like many

other tortured creatives, that

path was writing book.

I put out a call on LinkedIn

for people to contribute their

stories. What animated their

souls? What got them out of

bed in the morning? I needed

to see if there was, in fact, any

light left in this dark, defeated

morass of a world.

To my great (and thrilled)

surprise, I received dozens of

submissions from all over the

globe. Thailand, India, the U.K.,

Kenya, and all points in be-

tween.

I wanted to tell their stories

in a ctional book set against

the backdrop of 2020. Where

each of their stories would

come to life in their own way,

and help shine beacons of light

into the darkness.

The main character in the

book is a journalist named Sean

Gallo, a New Yorker who was

hit especially hard in 2020 by

losing his job, his connections,

and his only living relative to

Covid-19.

His mental health, already

shaken from decades of un-

treated depression, was now

sent over the ledge, literally

and guratively.

Sean could no longer nd

the will to go on. Like so many

others, 2020 had broken his

spirit beyond the point of re-

pair, and it was simply time to

leave.

Leaping from his building in

Manhattan, he enters a mys-

terious realm between life and

death where he encounters all

the aforementioned contrib-

utors from around the world,

each represented as a ctional

character (but with their real

rst names).

They all arrive with a story,

and a lesson.

A way back into the light.

A way to leave 2020, and

re-discover what it truly means

to be alive.

To not simply exist – but to

live. To create. To think. To

dream. To love. To imagine.

Writing “Leaving 2020”

was my own way of actually do-

ing so. It was a way of keeping

my mind busy during the lock-

downs, and to create some-

thing that could hopefully help

others who found themselves in

a similar state.

A way of letting them ex-

perience their own journey

through the eyes of Sean Gallo,

and hopefully nd the inspira-

tion to keep going through the

utter hopelessness of a year

with nothing to look forward to.

This book, like smartphones,

has planned obsolescence.

The hope is that one day,

2020 is truly nothing more than a

bad memory; something we look

back on with incredulous disbe

lief, a shared illusion that we can’t

believe actually happened.

And that this book is noth-

ing more than a curious time-

piece that reects the state

we were all in. Beaten, broken

and desperately searching for

something…anything…to get

us to the other side.

But until that day arrives,

the hope is that we can collec-

tively leave 2020. Before we

get back to “normal”. Before

the pandemic is over. Right

here, right now. Together.

Geoff Woliner, author of “Leaving 2020”,

is the Founder and CEO of Winning Wit,

a company that helps people deliver the

best speeches and presentations of their

lives, winning every big moment that

comes their way. Geoff has been fea-

tured on Fox 5 News, New York News-

day, WTOP radio and a host of other

outlets as a leader in speechwriting and

presentation coaching, and is a native

of New York City who really misses the

pizza.

Available

on Amazon

Meet Lindsay

Oh my head. The light’s

too fucking bright, fucking sun.

Hangovers are the worst.

I roll over and who is this?

My hands connect with

a hard body. I open my eyes.

Well he’s cute at least. Maybe

25. He’ll wake up all hot to trot

and my head feels like a freight

train ran over it. I got to get

him out my condo without too

much fuss. I roll over my eyes

begin to focus.

Where the hell am I?

It looks like a dorm room.

Really, a dorm room? I’m at the

University? Well this is the only

way I ever get on campus. Shit.

I slip out of bed and try to lo-

cate my clothes, which seem to

be everywhere. Thank God the

room is a closet and he sleeps

like the dead. I can’t seem to

nd my panties, was I wearing

panties? I doubt it. Hell, if I was

he gets a souvenir.

Opening the door slowly,

as not to wake the young buck,

I slip into a hallway lled with

young bucks. Damn. Well so

what. I look as young as they

do and they’d be lucky to get

with a woman who knows her

stuff like I do. I walk out of the

building with my head held

high.

Shit, there are kids all over

the fucking place. I need a

drink. Can someone please turn

off the fucking sun already?

Fumbling in my purse I nd my

phone and call a cab. I have

Turn it off

By Shannon Peel

The Novel #ThatsLife was written as a serial

series. Each Issue of APeeling will include a

chapter for you to enjoy.

got to stop drinking so much. I

try to piece together last night.

There was dancing and of

course drinking, lots and lots of

drinking.

Who’d I start the night

with? I check the calendar on

my smart phone. Date with Joe

and a number. I text.

What the hell happened last

night?

He still hasn’t responded

by the time to cab shows up. I

feel too crappy to be angry.

I call Charlie and tell her where

I woke up.

“What about this Joe guy?

Where is he?” She asks.

“I don’t know. I don’t

remember much about last

night.”

I like to party. I party all

the time, but I never get so out

of control I don’t remember

what happened. I’ve woken up

in men’s beds plenty of times,

but I always remember how I

got there, eventually. Last night

though is a complete blank.

Damn I don’t even know if the

kid was any good in bed, now

that pisses me off.

“What’s the last thing you

remember? Think Lindsay.”

“Drinks with Joe at that

new wine bar downtown, the

one we went to last weekend.”

“OK then what?”

“I don’t know. He was kind

of awkward, just kept staring

at me while I talked. He barely

said two words. Just asked me

Five Women

Navigating Life in

the 21st Century.

questions and stared at me like

I was the best thing he’d ever

seen, and damn it, I probably

was.”

“Where did you go after

drinks? Did you eat anything?”

“I don’t remember food, I

remember wine, plenty of wine.

The waiter kept lling my glass.

I think we left to go dancing.

I remember dancing. I don’t

know where. That’s it. I don’t re-

member anything else. I sure as

hell don’t remember hooking

up with that kid.”

“Well write it down. Get

some water into you, better yet

sports drinks, and write down

what you remember. I’ll be

by your place in an hour. Get

cleaned up”

That’s Charlie. She’s a law-

yer. She’s always telling me to

write it down. God like writing

it down is the most important

thing in the world. I’m not a

fucking writer.

“I’m ne.”

“Good ‘cause you prom-

ised to come with me for din-

ner at my sister’s today.”

Oh shit. I stumble into my

condo, paid for by my lovely

ass of a second husband, and

drop into bed. Finally, someone

turned the fucking sun off.

Discover the APeeling

Social Media Content Package

Monthly Content Package

includes 10 social media posts

Graphics PLUS a written story, a tweet, and writing prompts

for each image for you to use on your social media platforms