Courage and Resilience: The Saga of a Young Lawyer Conquering Challenges| MAG015

Hello, hello. Hello wonderful people. Welcome back to Magnetize podcast. It's your girl Grace Oben. So today I have one of the most special guest. The most special. And it's my own daughter. Yes, you heard me. So she's a lovely young lawyer, very successful, and for that matter, and the discussion today will be so interesting. And I want you to sit back and enjoy every bit of it. So, welcome to Magnetize podcast Diale How are you doing?

Good afternoon, Grace. Thank you for having me today. I'm really excited to be part of this podcast session today. And I'm looking forward to all the fun times today. So thank you for having me. I'm doing awesome. To good day in Calgary. I mean, the weather is not as good, but it's a holiday. So yeah, we're grateful for that.

Awesome, so Okay, so you are a lawyer? So do you want to talk to us a little bit about that?

Yes. So I know you're my mom, you need to hear. But I'm excited to be here. So I'm going to be as an as a normal guest. Yes, I'm an associate lawyer with Sir John Smith lawyers here in Calgary. I was got, I got called to the ability bar on October 21 2021. So I'm just in my third year right now. And I've been employed as an associate with my law firm since the beginning of January 2022. They pick me up all I'll say I got as data with them at the beginning of my career. So it's been amazing. So far, we are a full service firm. However, I focus more on family law, which is about 50% of my practice. I also do employment law, real estate, commercial and corporate matters. I do civil litigation as well.

So Diale as a young lawyer, you know, I mean, you know, in a field that is so demanding. So what are some of the what are some of the challenges that you face or you have faced in the past? Or you're still facing? And how have you been able to navigate that, that waters?

I mean, in terms of like my professional experience, which blends with my personal experience, given that we live in a world where there are lots of social barriers, and also cause like a restriction on the level of advancement that most young professionals face in, in our society today. You know, being a young female person from African descent, and having a dark skin, it sometimes poses some challenges to me, but over the years, I've learned to navigate those social barriers to work my good instead, when you being this young and female, like I said, most people can hardly predict my level of competence, or they just feel that instant superiority over me on tip them in court. So they never see common, right, which is good for me, because I can show my powers in the room rather than showing it to the opposing counsel. It's been very, it's kind of been a mixed blend of experience, good and bad, you know, working with 12 lawyers, also having about 25 staff members, it's not easy to, to just grow without having to, you know, compete against each other on an ongoing basis. But the level of growth that I've experienced in this past three years has been more coming from a personal point of view, just learning my to apply my vibe, my personal values, just being very spiritual and above my, my goals and praying about it, I do pray and fast and also, I do my partnership in church, I do a lot of contribution to my church and my community, which helps to bring for those blessings upon me and favor. So what I can say is personally, like my good level has been influenced by the external factors the support that I get from family, the support that I get from friends, the support that I get from my community, and also my spiritual influence, the favor and grace of God upon me, someone else with the same number of years of experience could say different I could give a different account of what the experience however, I'm speaking on me, just me personally, I've represented clients at three levels of court Canada has four levels of court about our court of justice, the Court of Kings bench, we have the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. And as successfully, in just three years of my practice represent the client, the Court of Kings bench about our court of justice and abita, court of appeal. And those have been very, very inspiring moments for me, I go to court on an ongoing basis. So what I do is, I just learned, I have mentors. My employer, who is also my boss is, is a mentor. He's mentored me even before I became a lawyer, and he continues to provide a mentorship. I have other lawyers outside of my firm who I reach out to issues, and they're always always ready to provide me with that guidance. And my mom. Yeah, I mean, she's, you guys can see who she is. So I didn't come to play, like my mom always say, and that has been my focus that two ways to go about life, you have to succeed. Or you succeed, there's no other way live, the challenges will be there. You cannot remove the social barriers that are present in our society. So you just have to learn ways to navigate them, and use them for your bedtime and right while you're opening the door or leaving the door open for those who come after you. So is it easy everyday? No, it's not. It's very, very challenging. But those challenges are made easier based on my personal goals and direction and the support that I get I get from people around me and my own world. Yes. So it's an ongoing struggle. It's an ongoing struggle, that's all I can say is long hours.

It's long hours, but we're thankful for it. I praise God for it. And I thank my parents for the opportunities that they continue to give me under support. So thank you, mommy.

That's, that's amazing. So you, you spoke about a lot of challenges or the different kinds of challenges. And I know that for sure, because it's it's been quite a journey from when you started your attic clean. Till now, and but how have you been able to endure in the midst of all of these challenges? How have you been able to remain focus?

I will say prayer is a big part of me. And I'm not just saying this to make people feel good about me or see me as someone who is very spiritual, I am spiritual. And the truth is, prayer is a huge part of my existence and my growth, there is nothing compared to you being able to call for that advancement from the spirit because then that's the only part where it's not easily exposed to the world. And the influence of society or the external factors that we face in the society can be impacted, right. So once your, your growth and your focus has been caught from within, you discover the powers that you have you and you bring it out through prayer, you bring it out through speaking in tongues, you bring it out true, focusing on the values that were instilled in you as a person, not just what you're seeing out there. My journey to becoming a lawyer was one of the most challenging journeys that I've ever experienced in my life in my how many number of years of existence but I mean, I used to, I couldn't get articles in Calgary. So I live in Calgary right now. I couldn't get articles in Calgary in 2020. So I had to go look outside of Calgary, I was able to secure a position in Red Deer, which is about one hour 30 minutes to one hour, 45 minutes drive from Calgary. And I made that drive every day for about eight months my car but as that car it was a very difficult time for me. I experienced a lot of health, physical health issues because of the driving back and forth every day. I got few tickets for speeding by pay them off quickly. I remember a police officer pulled me over one time. I was paid in like 30 minutes over the normal speed limit and he was like, Are you don't you want to get home? It's like whatever you rushing through is not worth it, you have to make sure that you get there. I did that for eight months, my principal was very, very hard on me, but he was hard on me in a good way. Because he was not just a mean person, but he was somebody who was very intentional about my growth. And my advancement as a lawyer, which helped me now help, it continues to help me because my colleagues who have similar years of experience, you know, my peers have, they can speak of that same level of growth, just because the foundation and and the journey that they had was slightly easier compared to mine, but in this field that I am in, is Yeah, doesn't help you to get anywhere, right, you have to push. So I continue to push, I have to have lawyers in my office, most of them have like 20, or more years of experience than I do. So it's a really, really strong competition out there. When you get into the call room is just between you and the judge. They don't care what firm you are from, they don't care what your background is, you have to be sure what you're saying your client is watching you, right. It's an open court, that people in the gallery that watching you, so you can't mess up. Being conscious of that, and also being conscious of who you want to be. It's all about what kind of lawyer I want to be, where am I going right? And what impact do I want to create on on this world? It's not about me just being a good lawyer getting a good pay and living a good lifestyle. But then I have a community that coming out community that lawyers coming through it as well that people need their hands to be helped through the whole process in Canada, I have, I have a family. So what am I creating for the society that I live in, so that whenever I pass on, and I'm not able to practice as much anymore, what doors is open for those who are coming after me. In Canada as well, where it's very challenging to become a lawyer, it's a long process of eight years, not everybody is able to have that patience and, and determination to go through it. But if they have someone who is creating some resources for them, and with providing them with some guidance and mentorship, then they're able to feel it easier, and are able to see that it's worth it process. So that's my goal. And that's how I've been able to in my life, I still receive feedback, even from my own assistant, if I do something and I told her I needed a second pair of eyes, and she's always able to just go through it at a typo. So it's not about depending on myself is about dependent on all the support that I can get.

Absolutely, it's just amazing how you spoke about when you are going to your your attic, clean how your principal was hard on you, but then you you kind of like tie that to the growth that you've experienced within this very short time that you begin, you started, you've been practicing. And even like even how, because one of the when I when I speak, one of the topics I speak on is growing through what we go through. And it's just amazing how you kind of use that, to, to grow, you know, the experience you had, it was in Pleasant, because I know there were days that you cried, there were days that you felt like this is just too much to handle, this is too much to do it, that it is so beautiful, how you've been able to see that you've been able to grow through that. Isn't that discouraging? You? You use that as a fool you use that as a as a tool to grow. Right. And also, you also now use it in a positive way. Because you also see in it as you went through what you went through during that time for a purpose, and you are using it for the purpose for which it was intended for right. You're using it to guide other people. Right. Which which is amazing, because it's just great that you mentioned that I just wanted to add that piece. So what does magnetizing your dream life mean to you? And how did you discover this concept?

So first, I mean, my mom is the creator of this whole great idea. So she's, you've done a lot to push me to involve me throughout the things that you do. You're always dragging me to like conferences, you're always dragging me to networking events, just because you're very focused on my advancement as well as a parent is been unconditional. So I've been following you on the steps that you take because you involve me in take, just so that I have had that experience and guidance, continuing guidance from you as a parent. So that's how I've grown as a person, and also grown to know this, how to not only be a resilient person, or have that resilience in your growth, but also to ensure that the way that the direction that I go, I go through once it's paved in a way that, you know, it's understandable, and it's clear. So magnetize is all about calling forth something, you know, it's like, what you have in magnetic force, it pulls, right. So I'm pulling from all angles, I'm pulling from inside, I'm pulling from outside, which is why I talked about all of my external support that I continue to get, what am I pulling together to create that formidable force? For me, and that picture that I see for myself, that is, that is how I build my growth. That is how I quit my direction, I quit my path, right? So it's all about mergers, we can do it all. Sometimes it's very hard when you depend on your soul, energy, or you wake up and you say, oh, I can do it by myself. And yes, we're strong enough. But what comes out of you sometimes can be very limited as well. And it just needs a little bit of motivation year and inspiration from year. And in order to, I'll say, in the Greek word lamp, I know you love bamboo from everywhere means you, you grab your Grabbin, which is like a jungle, and that is the truth of my profession, you can be laid back, if you're laid back, you're going to be a mediocre lawyer, you're gonna be mediocre person, or you're going to experience mediocracy. So if you want to experience a level of growth, or advancement, or you want to grow from a lawyer, to senior associate, or partner, you want to become a charge or, and also depends on the level of code that you're targeting as a judge. That is the focus and the push that you have to bring in. So it's an end in force, which means I'm grabbing for my mom, I'm grabbing for my dad, I'm grabbing for my family, I'm grabbing for my colleagues, my mentors, I'm grabbing from people that I meet in the community, I meet at business events and grabbing from every sometimes I just go to the court room, not because I have a matter of being heard that day because I just want to watch people and watch lawyers the way they make submissions, and I'm like, wow, I want to be like this person, right? But then there are some lawyers who make submissions and like, oh, no, even as a young lawyer, I do not appreciate that. But that's the learning process. Magnetizing. To me, it's about learning on that on a daily basis, you learn from everywhere. And that's what people that everything you come in contact with every opportunity, every opening every person, if it's a little kid, they can teach you some wisdom, by just say something random, and you be like, Oh my God, that makes total sense. And then you grab it, and you implement it in yourself. People's diverse backgrounds come with different things. And they actually use so if you're open to grabbing from people, positive energy positive things. What about them? Do you admire? How do you speak to them and get them to transfer some of that to you? Right? I have colleagues who speak so eloquently as soon as I go to them, I'm like, Dude, I really want to know how come you're so calm in your speaking and how you do it. And they just tell me tricks or you make sure to speak maybe with a lozenge in your mouth, or use some kind of technique, right? It helps you when you practice it, and you're like, oh, wow, it really. So that's what magnetizing means to me just being like a magnetic force where you're drawing from all angles. And you'll be surprised at what you get, at the end of the day, if you can tap not just from yourself and from inside, but from everyone around you write support is very good. And engaging with other people in the community is very good. You cannot be good just by yourself. You cannot just be good by sitting on your couch to your computer, and just say that, Oh, I don't need anybody's help no delegate. Because from delegating work to people. They bring in ideas when they complete those tasks. And they are like, wow, I didn't think of this. Right. And that is how I was taught. Going back to my principal for my articles. You can go to him with a question. You have to go to him with a solution. It's either you have two things that you're trying to decide about as solutions and then you're trying to get his opinion on which one is better. But you asking him a question. He's like, Are you kidding me? Where other research resources that you have? Why not call this? Why not call that and then you're like, oh, okay, I could have done that. He pushed me to be very independent. And I really do appreciate that. And that is something that I do appreciate even now I call him sometimes he Thank you, sir, for everything, and he tells me you are my best student, not because he wants me to feel very good about myself. But he means it because he's had so many in his 12 years of experience as a lawyer, and he can tell me that you were able to learn the things that I was impacting on you, right? So magnetizing is that openness and ability to learn to grab to bring forth positive things into your life. So that's, that's my understanding. And that's my, my interpretation of, of this whole process. Yeah,

that's amazing. You spoke more, I spoke a lot about learning and growing. And it's so it's so true. It's so because you, you attract what who you are right, you, you you attract who you've become, you attract who you become, you attract what you are what you want. And you have to also position yourself, if you want to attract success, you can just lay around and expect that success will happen. So miracles somehow will happen. I always say it's not, it's not like a package, even a package. But it before a package shows up in front of your door, something must have happened, you you must have placed an order and make some payment, right? Then you have that package in front of your house, you know, so someone might be listening to you. And they might be in the process of maybe they might be going through, maybe they just started their their profession, they're going through some difficulties with it. And they're just like, oh, my gosh, I didn't realize this is how difficult it is. This is nobody told me it's this hard. You know, they have the passion for it. Because I know you have so much passion for law. I remember, as young as you were like five, when I asked you what you wanted to be who you wanted to be, you said you wanted to be a lawyer. And that has been consistent all through. So that speaks to your passion for law or practicing law. And there might be someone who's listening to us, and they are trying to follow their passion, and they're facing some difficulties. And they're beginning to feel like oh, my gosh, I didn't know this is this difficult. And they're contemplating whether to continue or to just change to something more easier, or something different. So what did you do when you are going through those difficult and those challenges right during your articling? And was that anytime you feel like giving up on if you did what kept you going that you didn't give up?

You know, the way you're talking about people feeling how difficult processes are. I was just laughing because I mean, you know a larger part of my story than most people in my life. At every point in my life. I've felt I've given up at some point. Primary School, I'm in primary school, you're much younger, you don't really have that psychological advancement or independence to make decisions for yourself. So you're going to be whatever your parents choose for you. But from attending college in Canada, to you need to law school. At every phase in my life, there was a time when I felt like maybe I could do something else. What if I just go into another career or have patience? Or what if I just don't do anything? Right? I'll tell myself my parents are here. I'm an only child. So like, I don't have to do as much as most people have to. But one thing that kept go kept me go and is I had a picture for myself and I still do. Every milestone that I achieved, I create a new picture or expand on the picture that I have. It's not about me, dependent or that right now that I know if I'm content, but I have this picture of me. I want to be a judge on a be a chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, or as soon as a member of the Senate right? The picture that I have for myself, I don't want to sit and I have to depend on my spouse. When I do get married. What do I want to leave for the for my own children, right? What legacy do I want to leave for them? What do I want to leave for bye society, what axes are want to quit from a society where you get to a point where you feel like giving up, it's okay to feel that way. Don't judge yourself like, Oh, I'm lazy, or I'm not doing enough, or people are gonna see me as someone who is not being too fit. No, everybody gets to the point that so many people will cry in their bedrooms on the pillows every night. But you don't see it because they do it in private. However, everyone has a moment where they feel like it's too much. It's overwhelming. on an ongoing basis, it's never going to stop this moment. So keep calm. And when you advanced when you grow in life, the challenges get worse, right? Because you get to different realms of your existence, where is different levels of competition is different levels of access is different levels of buyers, for levels of social barriers, just, you know, overwhelming you. Now, you look back at yourself and ask why you started this in the first place? Why did you want to become a lawyer? Right? So when I was in college, I've always been in the legal field. My college diploma was in legal administration, I did work as a legal assistant for a little bit. And then I went to York University, and then did my undergrad in Health and Society before going to law school. I tried to build my life in a way that was so focused on my goal, and the picture that I created for myself. It's very important, sometimes it gets more difficult, or we feel like giving up more if we embark on journeys that are not exactly what we picture for ourselves. Don't let what society is giving you become what you see for yourself, create a Picture Stick to it no matter how difficult it is, if at any point, so you're going through school. And this topic is so challenging, or you're taking a course in law, state constitutional law, the material constitutional law, trust me, it's like, it's so huge and extensive that you can feel like, okay, do I need to know all of these things in order to become a lawyer. And some days you have to go to class at 7am, you know, you're making a lot of stuff is you're not going out with your friends, because you have lectures in the morning, or you have this to do for for your schoolwork. You just have to think of why you're doing it. What's the purpose? What is your purpose that you've created for yourself? What do you think is your purpose that God created for you, because if you understand your purpose, and the picture that you have for yourself, nothing is going to stop you. You could face an overwhelming moment, but then drink a little water, meditate, do catch little breaks in between, you know, talk to someone who is in that field, or who is like a role model to you and try to learn the techniques not to those sorts of success is very random people just see it as an umbrella way of just say, Oh, these are the tools of success, but not speak to someone who can give you circumstances as to how they apply themselves to different circumstances, and how they were able to navigate those overwhelming moments. Because I can't tell you, they're not gonna be there. You'll feel the warmth every day, even right now. Sometimes I work till 8am 8pm. And the time that I go for, like a whole week will speak into my mom, she's I mean, she's a witness to that

is just because the challenges don't stop and tells you is going to get that those challenges will go away. They're lying to you, right? They're not telling you the truth. Most people will tell you how success they've done this, oh yeah, this is very good, you should do this, or they'll tell you about something else. But they're not giving you the entire truth or the entire picture of it. And some that could be a distraction from what you want to do. So if at any point maybe from school or from home, you're facing any challenge that is impacting your journey, your career, your personal journey, take a 15 minute break, walk around, you know, sometimes listen to music, you know, it eases the pain, but the pain is not going to go away. You have to face it. Now it's for you to decide, do I want to face it and become this person that I want to be that I am interning for myself? I don't want to give up. When you give up on something. I'm going to something guess what, that's how Challenge is waiting for you in that other thing which you have to face. So it's all about a personal decision of where you're going, or what your focus is, what impact and legacy you want to leave behind you, right? It helps to motivate you and inspire you. Don't be afraid to talk about your challenges. Don't be afraid to ask for help from people who are in the same field or similar field. Don't be afraid to use community resources. Don't be afraid to use social resources to elevate your personal self. Like for example, you know, hanging out, we call it phones in a while we're not islands. So we need to interact with people. Now, you just have to choose what kind of interaction you're engaging in. But there's some that are very productive, and positive attend events, that so many networking events that have a social aspect of it, because you're not just talking about business, or what this person is making this year and what they're making this year. But they're also talking about family life, they're also talking about skiing, they're also talking about retreats and stuff. So those are positive social involvements that help you to grow up. And you also build your network. At the same time, you don't have to go to the club, to decompress, you don't have to do shisha or, you know, vaping, to decompress, those are things that will impact you negatively, things that will empower you so positively in the social interactions that you do. So don't give up. If he gets hard, you get harder. He looked for ways that will make you become the toughest person that you can ever think of. So that when those challenges show up, you already have an idea or 10 ways to resolve them, one of those ways will be very, very productive. And you might not always have the answer, which is not bad. But now when you face a challenge, where you don't have an answer, or you can get an answer, try to see how you can do without that challenge that you're facing. If you need to create an item that you need for your work or you need, you're dealing with a file, for example, when the client is so difficult, right? That tends to you I practice family law that tends to drive you crazy, but you can't blame them. Because they're dealing with a separation, there's a little bit more that dealing with kids and child support. And they've spent 30 years with this person with now, you know that separating for them. So it's a lot of emotional tomorrow and tomorrow on them. Instead of feeling angry, and the feeling the overwhelmingness of the situation or whatever is impacting on you. You try to see how you deal with that client's personality, instead of dealing with the legal problem in only you think of we speak to people who are ahead of you or your colleagues and say, Okay, have you ever had a client like this. And then once you learn to deal with a personality, it is is the challenge that you're facing with the clients, we got problems, reason being the clients behavior was impacting your sense of judgment, in addressing the legal issues, and you were presenting them. So the challenge was not coming from the fact that you're not competent about the work that you do, or you don't know how to go about it. But some external factor being the client's behavior was impacting the way that you apply yourself to that work. So you know, once you figure those things out, it could, it could get easier, I mean, a learning process myself every day, some days I cry, my mom may cry. But I can say that the cry over the years, as I grew as a person, I learned a lot in my personal life, and also how to build my interpersonal, my personal self and my relationships around so it helps me that level of maturity that I experienced also helps me to apply in my professional realm. And one thing that I will say is that when it comes to our journeys of career growth, because it's usually different from our journeys of personal growth in personal life, love relationships and stuff. Sometimes you can distinct the two but sometimes you can't, however, for your professional growth in your career and your occupation or so. Challenges We usually come like I said, not from the work that we do, but from the things around us colleagues behaviors, people are passively aggressive towards you. Maybe somebody's being mean to you or trying to demean the ability that you have, and that you take those things personnel and you're like, oh, they don't like me, oh my god, I can deal with them, I'm just going to remove myself from this place, I'm going to find another job. Who told you that the place that you intend to go to, you will meet a colleague who is going to be mean to you, you will make, even on the train in the parking lot in the mall, you always miss somebody with being mean to you, or just being not a good person. Right? So key personnel like it's about you, it's not because of you that acting that way is because of themselves. They are not just good people, and they pass it on to other people. Now, do you want to let that impact you and the way that you react to other people and the people that are mean to you? Or do you want to say, You know what, I don't have time for you, you're not part of my goal, you don't contribute whatever to my life. So you're not going to distract me from the focus that I have and the direction that I'm going, when you learn to ignore things about people the negative energy that they bring upon you or towards you, it makes them understand that they have no power over you. And they give up sometimes you see them retreat so early. And you're like, oh, my god, that was easy. And then that challenge is no more that right. So it's all about what type of challenge that you face? And how do you handle it? How do you not make it about personal don't take it personal. Even if it's a client's file, understand that it's a legal issue, you didn't cause the problem to the client, you can only do your best to represent them in the best possible way that you can write that don't let a client a client's affairs or issues take over your life, because then the client will use you like, a toy. in whatever direction I find yourself even be feeling worse, because you're not able to satisfy them. It's not about satisfying the client know, is about uh, you doing what is reasonable, within the reasonable outcomes that are available out there, right? Apply your best and leave the rest to God, pray about audit, don't let anybody control you, physically or emotionally or psychologically, people have their own problems. And they even show you the way that they may be treating you or acting towards you the way that they act in towards you not because you did anything wrong, because they have a problem. So let them fix that problem while you focus on yourself. That's yeah.

Amazing. You said quite a bit. And I think one of the things that I wanted to I want to touch on is that the success part where you said, to connect with someone who is already doing what you are, who is already where you want to be. And I think that's that's really amazing. Who is a role model? Who is who inspires you? Who is already living the life that you want to live? does that person have a book? Do they have a course that they offer? Is there someone you can it? Can you connect directly with that person? Is someone you know, personally? And or do you know someone who knows them? Right? You want to follow that person on social media as well, to see what they do what they post what they say, because that's someone living the life that you are already living? Right. And I think it's important and of course, there are there are foundational success principles, which like discipline, being disciplined, being determined, being self motivated, being consistent, those things also play a role. They are not particularly providing information or direction in in specific cases. However, those are foundations that when someone what that someone needs that most successful people will say, I was consistent, I was determined I was disciplined and stuff like that. But I think I really liked how you said Who do you know, that is doing what you want to do or who is already living the life that you want to live? Who is already in the profession that you want to get into? You want to you want to connect with that person? Right, which I think that's that's absolutely true. Been a coach myself, because a lot of people even mentor people based on what they themselves have been through, right. So it is hard to see a soccer coach who has never played football in his entire life. Right Most of the time, you you they have a history of, of playing them by themselves and then got some extra training. So, for example, if so love soccer, right, you want to follow someone who is into soccer if someone if you saw as a passion for law that inspires you, you want to follow that person, right? You want to seek advice you want to seek for direction from those people who are already doing what you are. You want to do, right? Which I think it's so through a true word.

Yeah. So just to what you say, and men, you know, mentorship is a two way street, right? So when you find somebody who is in a field that you intend to, or you are already in, and you're learning from that person, most times, that person is not just waiting for you to come ask them questions and give you answers that we're in for you to come with different issues or opinions that you've gathered, and that you're asking them in the opinion of what do they feel could be best. So they might not even be aware of all of that information that you currently have. But when you bring it to them, then you two as a team, because it's a team work situation, right, you two as a team, you guys look at it and you brainstorm on which one could be best. Which is why your mentors, they learn from you, and then they also guide you, they could be guiding you based on life experiences as well, because most times, the older someone is usually they have more wisdom. And that wisdom, they're able to apply better to the professional work that they do, which is why they can mentor you in being able to gather all the diff, see your personnel work, community and stuff and how to apply joined the so it's a two way learning process. Don't feel like the person will feel will get angry that Oh, you're just learning from them? No, they are learning from you. I'm a mentor myself, I do mentor to the future partner program. And most times, it's not lawyers who are trying to create their own business, and I mentor them. Do I own a business yet? No, I don't. But I do own a charity that I've been running for so long now. Just that I have that entrepreneurial spirit, as well as the position that I occupy and my firm. However, I'm looking at this young person who is sometimes older than me, and they're looking to set up a business. And they have all of these ideas that they've gathered and information and research. And I'm gonna Wow, this is very impressive. I don't have all of that, right. And just the fact that they already venture into that independent business of yours, it sets them ahead of me because I am still an employee, but they are now still looking to get skills for me that they do not have, I'm learning the process of starting a business from them, and the resources that they are bringing to my attention while impacting my own knowledge and skills on them on how to become successful in the business that are going to run. So it's a two way street. When you someone mentors, you always remember to mentor another person. Learning is not just us grabbing but us giving back. Because by giving back to people who are coming after us, we're paying, paying it forward, everybody pays forward, right? You get and then you pay back somebody else. And that's how the society gets better. So it's very important value to take.

It's just amazing how you spoke about your charity, because I was going to ask you about that, that since you're already spoken that in any new project that you're working on anything in the pipeline, any surprises coming up.

I'm gonna give this all prizes to myself for now. Not because I don't want to share but because I want to make sure that when we get back into our projects, it's really big this time. The last project, big project that we did was in 20, I believe was 2020s. So that's a couple of years ago. No actually 2021 My bad. And it's been a little bit because of course I had to make sure I'm putting things in place that can really benefit people. It's not just about having a name and having a charity that you run but that the work that you do a sustainable so that's where we are doing a lot of underground work in terms of registration with Canada revenue, so that we can issue receipts to people who do monetary donations we're getting, we're trying to get his pace so that we can store the material donations that we get. So by the time we get back into work, oh, my God is gonna be like, boom, people are already so excited to be part of it, I have even my colleagues who are like, Oh, my goodness, I really want to volunteer with you. Because I've seen pictures from before. They've even talked to some people who did volunteer services to the charity before. And it's not just about giving food and stuff, I also want to bring out my legal services to the community, know, do some pro bono work. I already do that to the law, society and to my firm, but I want to now take it out there and say, You know what, I'm going to be providing maybe five hours in a week to people who cannot really afford legal services, I can't deny the fact that because services are really pricey. And most people cannot afford it. So it's a setback for them in pursuing those legal proceedings. If you have to pay a lawyer between $250 to $500 an hour, depending on what law firm you retain, then you start thinking right, you rethink the process, do I have that money to pay them for how long can I afford to pay them? What if it's not successful, then I lose all of the money that I've spent in legal fees, right. And then we have court costs also for filing documents. So it is a really huge setback, we do have legal aid that subsidizes the services, but the client has to have to pay just at a lower rate. And not everyone can qualify for legal aid, right, they have the criteria, which has, it's really making it difficult for a lot of people and we can see the frustration, people will have legit causes of what's up because they don't have the financial resources to make them able to. That is what I'm working on bringing into my community. That is the input that I want to create, not through just through my office building in a lot of hours, or representing clients who come to my office, but also going out there to the community and telling them, Look, I'm here, talk to me, you don't have to book an appointment or wait two weeks, for you to talk to me in a consultation, right? We can have a 20 minutes, call for free. And I will give you an opinion not legal advice, because I can only advise you if we're creating that legal relationship, but I can give you an opinion. And then based on that legal opinion, are you trusting that I know what I'm saying, you can now determine if you want to move this further, is just one step at a time baby steps. And then yeah, we'll get there. But I do a lot of work in family law. I do volunteer with the Calgary, her. So I also volunteer with a Calgary legal guidance, which exposes me to real life issues. My York University undergrad degree was in Health and Society. So I had opportunity to field work on ageism, the social determinants of health, how income education, how your background, all of those things impact the level of growth and the pace at which you grow. So I'm able to now use them and apply them here. Most times where you see, I represent both women and men, and I'm not very particular about gender. But for example, you see a woman who was married for like 40 years to this person, sure the marriage didn't work, not because they were lazy. But it was a joint decision for for her not to work but to be a homemaker. And now, after 40 years, they're separated, and every property is in the husband's name. But she has stayed home to raise five, six children. She forgot her career advancement. She was having a really good job when the parties met. But now she can't even go back into the workforce. Because so many years have passed, she's in her 50s Maybe How does she start over right and that just looking at you pray in that you're able to understand them and able to get them the best possible action. And then once you get that property division, Sada you get a spousal support and child support, you can see in that spirit, and they think you because you've elevated a situation, they don't have to worry so much anymore. They have some assurance of a future that is not as good as what they will want to have been with the husband still but they have those things in place to help guide them maybe for the next 510 15 years until they get their footing back. Right. So that is also the direction that my charity is going to be take a lawyer now so I'm not just As an individual with owning a charity anymore, I'm a lawyer who is trying to give back to my community, through my profession, through my experiences, my competence using my licensing for good. Yeah. So it's a whole different ballgame. We get

amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing where you talk, someone can easily see your passion for advocacy, and just helping people, which it's something that has been a part of you from when you were a little girl. Again, so thank you, thank you jelly for your time, thank you for sharing your wisdom with us your passion and everything. So I know you are on social media, you're very active on LinkedIn, you're active on Facebook, and Instagram. So those are the platforms that if you want to see Diale, you can go there and connect with Diale and, you know, get to know more about what she does. And all those things. So any last word,

I just want to say thank you again, Grace, Mommy, for having me on. Yeah, it's really a pleasure being part of this great work they are doing and just being able to experience experiences with you as you go through it, and bring other people in. Life will give you a lot of things, a lot of things, some things that will kick you off your feet, as a young person, but still, given the things that I get involved in, it exposes me to way more challenges or experiences of life than most of my peers or people my age could have. But I just look at how I just think of what I think of what is inside me, I bring it out. And one thing like I said before, prayer, you have to pray. Most people think you have to be in the church to pray, no, pray in your home. Don't start your day without saying a word of appreciation and a word of praise to God. Because whether you are in your present in a church building, or family, you have to pray yourself for yourself, you have to create a personal relationship with God. Because just as we try to create relationships with people, with our employers tried to try to make them see us in good light. Try them to make them see us as an asset to the business or the firm. Or try to make our colleagues understand the levels of abilities that we have and how we can be in assistance to them. We have to also try to have a relationship with God. You don't have to publish it to everybody. But at the end of the day, it's between you to you and God. When you create a focus on your relationship with Him, people might not see but you know it, and that is how your blessings float because you give him what he deserves. And he gives you what you deserve. And then you'll be surprised people will be shocked at what you're able to do. But they don't know the source of it. They will read the same books that you read, they will go through the same mentorship and guidance that you get, they will work in the same places that you work or access the same resources that you access, but your output will just be at a different level and they will not be able to understand people will keep asking, what do you do that you cannot even tell. So spiritual relationship with God is very important. Your spiritual aspect of your life is very important. It influences your mental, your psychological growth, and it brings forth into the physical realm which also empowers your physical body. So don't start building a relationship with the Almighty. Don't stop learning from people you can never know too much. Don't try to prove yourself as being the best in every situation. Don't try to act as though you don't need anything from anybody else we do need and as long as you live on earth and as long as you want to experience grow, you're always going to need something new, a new information, a new resource, a new net worth. So stay open and willing to receive from people but filter what they're given to you as well. But don't ever show yourself as too much to learn or not being in it because that will cut off a lot of goodwill that are coming from people towards you.

Amazing. Thank you Diale. Thank you for the Wisdom thank you for everything. So it was a pleasure having you on magnetized podcast and yeah, it was a pleasure so thank you thank you thank you thank you thank!

Hello wonderful people again, that was Diale sharing her story, her passion. She's living her dream life, her dream profession. I don't know what your goals are. I don't know what your heart desires are. I don't know the life you want to live your dream life. Whatever you want. It's possible. Maybe you want to be a coach and author, a speaker, a lawyer. Whoever you want to be. Don't give up on your dream. Don't give up on yourself. Because no one will live your life for you. No one will achieve your dreams for you. You have to do that people will help he will support you will coach you will mentor you will guide you. They you at the end of the day needs to do the work to become who you are meant to become who you were born to become. So again, this was amazing. See you next week. So Grace Oben and till next week. Bye.