Ania Sponaski on LinkedIn: #olympics #paris2024 #newrole #steppingoutofmycomfortzone #soulutionary… (2024)

It's time for the Olympics!! I looooooove the Games. They've been part of my life for so long. But for the first time in almost two decades, I'm enjoying them just for me. It's allowing me to see them less for the money that can be earned and more so for the value they can offer us in our every day pursuit of being the best version of ourselves.This evolved perspective is motivating me to take action. The kind of steps that I never imagined I'd take. Inspiration should push us towards new things. Here's to overcoming your own limits and becoming your own hero. The Olympics are far from a perfect idea and execution but they represent many of our best qualities. To that end, we should be looking at them for what they can teach us and how they can inspire growth and progress. I've summarized some of these ideas here but I'm also trying out something new, so please follow along on Instagram.#paris2024 #olympics #olympicgames #inspiration #careertransition #entrepreneurshiphttps://lnkd.in/gR2S_Exd

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Hi friends! I'm back. Well, I didn't go anywhere but I majorly geared down for a while. Now I feel ready to venture back into this world. For now, I'm letting my fingers do the talking. I'm loving writing more frequently and am eager to share with you all. I feel proud. Let's call this piece the first in a series about my career transition with much more to come.You see all the posts about career transitions and probably think to yourself “how do they make it look so easy?”. Well, I’m here to make it clear; this sh*t ain’t easy. But when it’s necessary for your own good, the universe has a way of making things happen. The grind is killer. Most of you know what I’m talking about. When you prioritize the job, you de-prioritize yourself – most notably your health and happiness. So many of us are giving everything we have to something that views us as (sorry to be so blunt but…) little more than an expense. Less money for the shareholders at the end of the day.Maybe some of you are thinking about or have already taken the leap into the great unknown. Maybe some of you are searching for the right inspiration. I’ve found a lot of healing in sharing my journey. Here’s a little look at what the last 18 months have revealed for me. I hope you can take something away from it. I know I’ve been somewhat MIA but I guess you can say I’m officially stepping back out of the shadows. More to come soon…#careertransition #entrepreneurship #besoulutionary #followyourdreams

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Hello LinkedIn Community. Launching a new path takes a lot of effort and though I'm still tinkering with next steps behind the scenes, I'm compelled to reach out to this community that I know is working on a number of incredible projects and initiatives. While I continue to work towards an exciting future, I know my skills and talent can benefit work that's happening now - especially in an Olympic and Paralympic Games year. If you're in need of temporary support, I'm available immediately. Please just reach out and hopefully we can collaborate. I've missed so many of you and would love to hear what you've been up to. Bring it!

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I'm an F1 fan. I'm a visionary. And I've recently had a lot of time to think about what matters most. These were the three gears I shifted into for the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend. And it opened my eyes to the kind of hidden potential F1 has yet to unlock. Second only to the ultimately successful on-track product, the volume of noise generated by the event proved the endeavour to be the success F1 owners hoped it would be.This tells us F1 matters. And if I was Liberty Media or an investor or a brand partner, I would want to better understand why that is.Read on for my thoughts on how F1 still has so much room to grow -- beyond the increasing spectacle that's dividing followers and distracting from F1's more unique assets.#f1 #f1lasvegas #LibertyMedia #leadership #businessgrowthstrategy #marketingthatmatters #hiddenpotential

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One of the things that continues to amaze me on my mental health journey is how clearly others can describe what I’m experiencing. But don’t confuse this with feeling understood by everyone.Just as much as I’ve felt seen and heard by a comment, an article, a post, produced content or even fate, I’ve also felt completely disrespected, manipulated and attacked by those who’ve claimed they want to help.Let’s be clear. No one has the ability or the right to know what you feel or what you think. This state of coping uniquely belongs to you and we each have our own methods we’ve explored, adapted and put into effect. Gaslighting, ignorance and false narratives are not help.So if everyone’s journey is so tailored to them, how am I seeing my own reflection in words and statements shared by others? They’ve been where I am. And they’ve come out the other side fuelled by the desire to embrace those who are feeling so lonely and lost. I know that drive. For a long time I’ve believed I have a purpose to share what I’ve learned. Now I know there’s a lot of us out there. All my life I’ve been in caretaker mode (for others, not for myself). Being open and vulnerable about my struggles with my mental health is finally allowing me to spread that care to include me too.Back to accurate descriptions, this Fast Company article is another winner. If I could choose one word to describe my mental and emotional state at the start of this journey, it would be GLOOM. Unfulfilled in my personal life, I naturally turned to my work. But, unsurprisingly, that dark cloud grew even bigger until it completely suffocated me. Gloom turned into doom. When I took time off, many considered it a privilege. Imagine risking a successful career to try to save yourself and reclaim your life before it’s too late. We have different definitions of privilege.Some of you may grow tired of me continuing to draw attention to the need for change in workplace culture. But it isn’t only my mental health that will continue to suffer without it. With more acknowledgment (like this article) and more genuine voices leading the movement, I believe we’ll open ourselves to the wholesale benefits of a more compassionate and accepting work environment. I think it’s time we created the right conditions for us all to bloom. #leadership #mentalhealthmatters #workplaceculture #bethesolution

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How many of you feel like our corporate structure is designed in such a way where honesty and authenticity aren’t as valued as we’ve been told to believe they are? Although there’s much more dialogue these days when certain issues are exposed, overall it feels like we’re overlooking the need to get to real solutions. Why is that?We could all run off a laundry list of reasons: money/greed, dysfunction, misinformation, egos..., etc. But I think one of the biggest reasons so many of us are struggling to find purpose, opportunity and reward in our jobs is because, as a collective, we’re uncomfortable and/or fearful of speaking the truth.And if you’re the kind of person who commits your whole self to everything you do, it becomes increasingly difficult to check essential parts of you at the door and NOT bring them to the office – like your morals, your curiousity, your spirit, your trust in yourself.It was only some months ago that businesses were panicking because they couldn’t hire quickly enough coming out of the heaviest pandemic shutdowns. For once, employees appeared to have the upper hand but it was short-lived as the early warnings of a recession kicked in. And as top executives across the corporate world continue to profit at record highs, the rest of us are left wondering how we can simply make a living doing something that allows us to thrive in our own ways.As industry leaders, it’s our duty to be brave. And sometimes being brave means going against the status quo. So just what are some of these norms that we seem to avoid addressing in the workplace? And how are they preventing us from creating secure, equitable and vibrant work cultures that lead to better outcomes for all stakeholders? I expand on these thoughts here.#leadership #femaleleaders #business #marketing #workculture #purpose #mentalhealth

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For years I felt powerless. And in the face of so much tragedy around the world, I still do. But on this World Mental Health Day, I’m feeling hopeful. It’s obvious humanity is far from having reached its peak potential. And the more we stress the need for dialogue to learn and constant learning to grow, the more likely we are to build the future we want. Today, I want to honour those who are working every day to better themselves and, in turn, those around them too.Shoutout to those who are……embracing their vulnerability and facing the world as their most authentic selves;…acknowledging past trauma and finally taking the time and steps towards healing;…risking security to search for something more meaningful and inspiring;…never backing down to bullies - even when it feels like you’re facing them on your own;…trusting themselves more and not giving up on their dreams;…challenging the “norms” to create more accessibility and inclusion in all areas of work, life and play;…no longer sweating the small stuff while finding joy in brief moments; and…bringing their captivating ideas and creations to life in more ways than ever before.I see you all. I know the struggle. And I truly believe it’ll be worth it in the end. Just stay true to yourself and be kind - to you and to others.If humanity has proven anything, it’s that it’s resilient. On our darkest days, I know it might not feel that way but every action we take towards building solutions, the more likely we are to succeed.#mentalhealth #worldmentalhealthday #resilience #leadership

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Why do we do the things we do? Why do we like the things we like? These are just a few of the questions I’ve been asking myself while I’ve been on hiatus. When I finally opened my eyes to the ugly reality that my life consisted of almost nothing but work and I was completely miserable, I concluded that I needed to actually stop and think about how I was spending my time, talent and energy. And once I made it easier to think beyond what I was tasked to do, a lot of clarity began to emerge. What really got me going? Well...it kinda feels like we’re in a new era of enlightenment. And this gave me license to think as freely as I’ve always wanted to.Whether we’re all accepting this reality or not, our world is shifting. Rapidly. We’ve introduced so many different ideas and technologies and identified more and more common issues we must face together as humanity. Our world is so dynamic, it’s impossible to keep up with it all.Amid the chaos, we’re also witnessing glimmers of hope among the increasingly more progressive goals we’re setting for ourselves across sports, media, entertainment and business; in the growing number of organizations and individuals dedicated to facing our multiple global crises; within the flourishing catalogue of inspiring and relatable content; and among the challengers who are giving rise to millions of voices that have been silenced for so long. This represents our culture. And there’s a lot of incredible work underway. But the so-called culture wars, fuelled by lies and exaggerations, seem to always drown out the good that we’re capable of achieving.I understand that as marketers we have incredible influence. And it’s marketing and channels which serve marketing purposes that are exacerbating these culture wars.Rather than continue to knowingly or unknowingly feed the broken systems we work within, why aren’t we doing more to encourage the kind of growth and development that truly meets the needs of today’s societal realities? Yes, we’re having more dialogue around purpose-driven marketing but when we consider the term, what does it really even mean? Talking the talk is hugely important, but how often are we actually walking the talk and achieving meaningful progress towards our critical goals for humanity?If marketing is intended to influence people to take action, what if it also did a better job of defining what are worthwhile actions? Marketing can often be seen as wasteful (in many cases, this is a true assessment) and, at times, is even considered evil for the misguidance it spreads. But I like to think of it as a relatively new practice with still so much room to improve.With so much to study and analyze, my mind is constantly considering how we can be better. And so I think it’s high time we evolved the conversation to dig deeper. I'm starting with a brief snapshot on marketing today.

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One of the best people I’ve ever known, the one and only Rick Ramsbottom, is #hiring. He and his business partner, Garnet Nelson, have done an incredible job building a leading partnerships agency in Canada with global reach. I was lucky to work alongside Rick in the early days of my career. Now he’s one of my most trusted peers. This would be an incredible opportunity for an individual who’s not only looking for great experience but also to expand their skills and develop a strong business acumen. These days it’s more about the people and business you work for than the job itself. Let’s normalize talking about the people who make work better.

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