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From Sri Lanka to Elmira: Cultivating Community and Inclusion with Abby Cooper · Behind the Business

• 0:00
  Ian McLean: Welcome to another episode of Behind the Business presented by Gore Mutual.
• 0:03
  Ian McLean: I'm your host, Ian McLean, President and CEO of the Greater Kitchen Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.
• 0:08
  Ian McLean: This podcast is recorded on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabe, and Haudenosaunee peoples.
• 0:14
  Ian McLean: Each week I sit down for candid conversations where we go beyond the boardroom and behind the business to uncover the real stories of Waterloo Region's business community.
• 0:28
  Unknown: Music
• 0:33
  Ian McLean: Today's guest is Abby Cooper, founder of Hope Hearts Open for Everyone.
• 0:38
  Ian McLean: Abby shares her journey from Sri Lanka to Elmira, what inspired her to launch Hope, and how mindfulness, leadership, and community building all come together in her work.
• 0:47
  Ian McLean: We talk about the impact of events like the Multicultural Festival of Elmira, the importance of partnerships, and her vision for the future of inclusion in Waterloo Region.
• 0:57
  Ian McLean: Join me in this episode as we go behind the business with Abby Cooper of Hearts Open for Everyone.
• 1:03
  Ian McLean: So, Abby, let's start at the beginning.
• 1:07
  Ian McLean: Can you share a bit of your journey arriving here from Sri Lanka as a child?
• 1:11
  Ian McLean: You grew up in Toronto.
• 1:13
  Ian McLean: And what ultimately brought you to Waterloo Region and in particular, Elmira?
• 1:20
  Abby Cooper: Well, from Toronto, what was great about that was that it was a very diverse place and I got a chance to be exposed to that.
• 1:30
  Abby Cooper: And not a lot of people get that, I realize, after the fact of coming to the rural area of Elmira.
• 1:38
  Abby Cooper: But yeah, so coming from Sri Lanka, I so I was born there and it was during the war.
• 1:46
  Abby Cooper: So, you know, our our house was burned down.
• 1:51
  Abby Cooper: A lot of our valuable items were gone.
• 1:53
  Abby Cooper: So when we came to Canada, it was literally my parents just trying to find a better place for their kids.
• 2:00
  Abby Cooper: So my dad was a lawyer in Sri Lanka.
• 2:04
  Abby Cooper: But then when he came he had to start off as being a dishwasher.
• 2:08
  Abby Cooper: But that even took a few years to find as an immigrant and just seeing those struggles and learning about those struggles and understanding how intergenerational trauma can happen.
• 2:26
  Abby Cooper: I see how that can be reflected in the life that I've been through and all the things that I've experienced and how I've seen that through my eyes, through my parents' eyes.
• 2:36
  Abby Cooper: And all the things that they've endured and how resilient they've been throughout.
• 2:41
  Abby Cooper: He eventually ended up going to school and working for the government.
• 2:47
  Abby Cooper: Not quite a lawyer, but his dream was for his kids to take on that dream that he couldn't be.
• 2:54
  Abby Cooper: But it's okay.
• 2:58
  Abby Cooper: And they ultimately, at the end of the day, wanted to make sure that we were safe.
• 3:04
  Abby Cooper: And a lot of the things that I grew up experiencing was, you know, pretty challenging with all of the racism and discrimination and feeling like you don't belong.
• 3:16
  Abby Cooper: So, you know, in Toronto, you don't see that much of it, but there are bits and pieces where that tends to happen in my life.
• 3:28
  Abby Cooper: And even kind of moving to Cambridge, that was our first time getting into the Waterloo region I was commuting to Toronto and I worked in Bay Street at that time.
• 3:41
  Abby Cooper: So just kind of commuting two hours each way was challenging.
• 3:45
  Abby Cooper: So I tried while doing that, trying to find work in the region.
• 3:49
  Abby Cooper: But I was faced with a lot of racism and it was uncomfortable and really interesting to experience that and realize that, OK, maybe, you know, it just made me feel even more isolated in a town that I and I didn't feel like I belonged in.
• 4:06
  Abby Cooper: But then eventually we moved to, we had to find a place to find a better school for my son.
• 4:17
  Abby Cooper: So that's what it came down to, finding a place that had a good school.
• 4:22
  Abby Cooper: So after much research and talking to community members in Elmira and really learning about the community, but also how friendly they were, community a big thing here um do people talk to one another do people feel like they belong and those are things that I was looking for um at the back of my mind I also knew okay this is a predominantly white neighborhood or a community and it's there are a lot of Mennonites here am I is my son gonna feel like he fits in so that was also a concern for me as well but I just at the end of the day if people are kind and open and willing to learn then maybe it'll be okay so we took the chance and honestly people have been so wonderful we got we came during the pandemic and funny enough we spoke to the most amount of people during that time um we were just out and about and i think just meeting that human interaction was so important um but it also um allowed me to connect with the Elmira downtown Elmira BIA so then i became the non-voting member there and i really wanted to do something for the community and be part of the community.
• 5:36
  Abby Cooper: So that sort of...
• 5:37
  Ian McLean: So, you founded Hearts Open for Everyone or HOPE for short.
• 5:41
  Ian McLean: What was the defining moment or what led to you creating HOPE?
• 5:48
  Abby Cooper: Yeah.
• 5:48
  Abby Cooper: So I guess what led me there was starting off learning about the community and really understanding, hearing business owners and community members' thoughts and feelings towards the um, everything in Elmira and, and, um, all the challenges that people face, um, and really just being open.
• 6:14
  Abby Cooper: Um, I spent a lot of time and reflection on myself, uh, lots of self-help books, lots of, um, just learning and digging deep in myself and improving myself.
• 6:26
  Abby Cooper: And, um, that's sort of how that opened up my mind to sort of see what else is out there.
• 6:36
  Abby Cooper: And for the longest time, I really wanted to bring community together, but I just didn't know how.
• 6:41
  Abby Cooper: And then somehow out of nowhere, it just came into place.
• 6:46
  Abby Cooper: It all just kind of connected.
• 6:47
  Abby Cooper: And I just was hearing stories of, you know, from racialized people in the community.
• 6:53
  Abby Cooper: And I thought, you know, why are people, there's a sense of chameleonism that's happening where people are having to, to blend in and take away all of their identity just to belong and fit in.
• 7:13
  Abby Cooper: And I just didn't feel like that was right.
• 7:15
  Abby Cooper: And whether that's through community or just you as a person, people should feel like they can be their true selves.
• 7:21
  Abby Cooper: So that's sort of where that came from.
• 7:24
  Abby Cooper: And I had also been doing a lot of meditation and all of that.
• 7:28
  Abby Cooper: So that sort of, I think that leads you
• 7:31
  Ian McLean: to here.
• 7:32
  Ian McLean: So you had a career.
• 7:34
  Ian McLean: marketing.
• 7:35
  Ian McLean: So you were, you were Bay street, you worked downtown Toronto, you facilitated workshops in like a corporate setting.
• 7:41
  Ian McLean: Um, I mean, was it, was that helpful in terms of, uh, that background helpful and influencing the way that you try to do community building now?
• 7:52
  Abby Cooper: Yes, it does a lot because I learned a lot about in marketing, especially, you know, at the end of the day, you're thinking about the end user.
• 8:02
  Abby Cooper: What are they feeling?
• 8:04
  Abby Cooper: What are their emotions.
• 8:05
  Abby Cooper: And I always look at it from the psychological aspect of it.
• 8:09
  Abby Cooper: And I'm always trying to understand what their true feelings are and connecting everything that I do to that.
• 8:16
  Abby Cooper: So that's been sort of my goal through this work.
• 8:21
  Abby Cooper: And, you know, I ended up starting up my own digital marketing business.
• 8:27
  Abby Cooper: And even through that work, I learned a lot as well.
• 8:31
  Abby Cooper: But what I'm bringing to that is that, like, organization, event management, you know, leadership skills and all of that.
• 8:39
  Abby Cooper: But really, it's just, I'm just putting my whole heart into this.
• 8:43
  Abby Cooper: And I think that's mainly what's helping in growing this organization.
• 8:48
  Ian McLean: Well, you got to be passionate about whatever you're doing, whether it's business or a new organization like Hope.
• 8:52
  Ian McLean: Your organization is dedicated to fostering inclusivity.
• 8:57
  Ian McLean: And so how do you balance, like, that's a lot to bear as an emotional job of advocating for folks that may need more help in feeling more included in our community.
• 9:16
  Ian McLean: But you're still, day to day, you're running an organization.
• 9:20
  Ian McLean: You've still got the business side of it as well as the emotional side.
• 9:23
  Ian McLean: How do you kind of balance those things?
• 9:25
  Abby Cooper: Well, I feel like that mindfulness aspect is so important because with this work, it can get heavy.
• 9:32
  Abby Cooper: There's a lot of emotional stories people bring their their troubles their challenges to some of the workshops you hear some really sad stories and you really just want to reach out and help them and I think that that part of me is just constantly like how do I help this person how do I do this how do I do that and I'm and I think that what makes this work even easier is that my team is awesome like I don't know how I was gifted with such amazing people, but they all brought their heart and soul into it and they all each bring their individual expertise.
• 10:13
  Abby Cooper: So I don't have to carry all that weight on my own.
• 10:16
  Abby Cooper: I have a team to work with and share these ideas with and share these experiences that people are sharing with us.
• 10:24
  Abby Cooper: How do we work together to make this a much more welcoming and inclusive place together?
• 10:30
  Abby Cooper: So,
• 10:31
  Ian McLean: yeah.
• 10:32
  Ian McLean: So you launched in 2023 Hope.
• 10:35
  Ian McLean: So you could still say it's in its startup phase, right?
• 10:39
  Ian McLean: You're in the first couple of innings of a baseball.
• 10:43
  Ian McLean: Pick your analogy, but you're in the first period, whatever the analogy is.
• 10:47
  Ian McLean: So how do you define and measure success, right?
• 10:52
  Ian McLean: Like, is it individual?
• 10:53
  Ian McLean: Is it like, do you have goals of how many people you want to help?
• 10:57
  Ian McLean: Or is it getting your arms around the size of the problem that exists?
• 11:00
  Ian McLean: Like, what are the things that you'll measure to...
• 11:03
  Ian McLean: in your own mind, feel like it's a success?
• 11:08
  Abby Cooper: So again, this is me bringing my marketing background in there because all I do is measure things and I can't see success if I'm not seeing numbers.
• 11:16
  Abby Cooper: So we've always made sure to collect feedback after every program, after every workshop and event.
• 11:25
  Abby Cooper: We're always trying to improve.
• 11:27
  Abby Cooper: We have to come into something knowing that, you know, leave your ego out at the door We want you to be your true self.
• 11:37
  Abby Cooper: And, you know, we really need to come in knowing that we just want to learn.
• 11:43
  Abby Cooper: We just want to make sure that everyone is happy.
• 11:45
  Abby Cooper: And so we're always trying to improve and work together to figure out something that fits perfectly for our community.
• 11:56
  Abby Cooper: So, you know, we get lots of positive feedback.
• 12:00
  Abby Cooper: I see the things that people say and just have how people are interacting with each other.
• 12:06
  Abby Cooper: And it's so lovely to have someone come up to me after workshop and say, you know what, this is something we really needed.
• 12:13
  Abby Cooper: And it's, I'm so grateful that you brought this here.
• 12:16
  Abby Cooper: And like, so these like small comments mean so much to me and it just keeps reminding me that we are doing something that was definitely needed.
• 12:24
  Abby Cooper: The
• 12:26
  Ian McLean: Behind the Business podcast is made possible through the support of our title sponsor, Gore Mutual.
• 12:30
  Ian McLean: Proudly Canadian, Gore Mutual has stayed true to one purpose We're grateful for their continued commitment to our local communities and the positive impact they make every day.
• 12:51
  Ian McLean: You've woven the mindfulness, and you've talked about this, you mentioned this a couple of times, into your DEI work.
• 13:02
  Ian McLean: Describe how the mindfulness shaped not just the programming, but also your leadership style.
• 13:11
  Ian McLean: I would think it's sort of the two or one side of the coin, or two sides of the coin.
• 13:17
  Ian McLean: In terms of bringing your DEI work, the mindfulness into that programming, how is that been sort of accepted or how has it been received, I guess, by the community?
• 13:33
  Abby Cooper: Well, a lot, like all our members are community members.
• 13:38
  Abby Cooper: So it's wonderful to see that our team continues to grow.
• 13:43
  Abby Cooper: I must be doing something right if people just want to keep joining our group.
• 13:49
  Abby Cooper: But, you know, I honestly, I don't, I feel like a lot of how I lead is just listening and hearing everyone's story.
• 14:01
  Abby Cooper: And I, my number one thing is, you know what will make this a valuable experience for you you're putting time into this out of your day um you're volunteering or you're you're a paid volunteer what can make this very valuable to you so you're not leaving the end of the day thinking oh can't wait for this to be over um so i gather that kind of in like those insights and i try to build on something specifically for each person so that i know that they're taking away something that valuable and meaningful to them.
• 14:36
  Abby Cooper: And so that aspect of mindfulness is also just always staying in the present and always being in that moment and appreciating each moment that I have with each of my team members.
• 14:52
  Abby Cooper: They're all wonderful people.
• 14:53
  Abby Cooper: But also even the experiences we share together at the workshops and events, you could see it in their faces and in the things that they say to each other and to me, how much value that they're getting out of this.
• 15:08
  Abby Cooper: So that to me is something that's worth everything, really.
• 15:14
  Abby Cooper: Now,
• 15:16
  Ian McLean: I think our region is pretty blessed to have some pretty, you know, really exceptional, incredible local businesses, but also thought leaders and those that are community activists as well, who make a difference.
• 15:28
  Ian McLean: So in your, you know, as I think about that, in your experience, what's the most effective way for business leaders to partner with community groups like yours, with government and grassroots charities or organizations to make a meaningful impact?
• 15:47
  Ian McLean: Business has a role to play.
• 15:49
  Ian McLean: They can't do the day-to-day, but how do they support?
• 15:53
  Ian McLean: Obviously, financial is one, but are there other ways that business and individuals can support the work that you and others are doing?
• 16:03
  Abby Cooper: I think it's important for that conversation to continue on rather than it just to be like, hey, here's some money.
• 16:08
  Abby Cooper: But no, we want to see that you're actually following the same kind of values that we do.
• 16:14
  Abby Cooper: Are you showing that you care about others?
• 16:19
  Abby Cooper: Are you showing that compassion and empathy towards the real challenges that are coming into place for various different communities that exist in Waterloo Region.
• 16:34
  Abby Cooper: And one of the things is like, you know, immigrants that come here with degrees, I'm hearing it's still happening now.
• 16:44
  Abby Cooper: Nothing's really changed,
• 16:46
  Ian McLean: you know?
• 16:46
  Ian McLean: It's a tremendous shame that whether it's in healthcare or engineering, there's lots where there's a lot more that needs to be done for foreign credentials to be recognized.
• 16:59
  Abby Cooper: Yeah.
• 16:59
  Abby Cooper: And it's just really just learning from from others that are really the grassroots organizations that are down there doing the work and really gaining that understanding of how you can better your organization from the inside.
• 17:14
  Abby Cooper: Whether that's updating your system, the systems that are in place, having accountability, developing better processes and updating your policies, things like that that would really work towards improving the lives of the people are currently at the business but also people who may want to look to work at the company right so like you know bringing in new expertise and sometimes even if you think of like resumes there's so much restriction there and they're limiting to you know very few things and if you don't have XYZ then it just won't you won't fit the bill but imagine all the amazing people you could bring in if you just opened your eyes to seeing like the value that that people bring and so and that that's um you know includes diverse voices so
• 18:15
  Ian McLean: so so one of the things that that you've also had a big hand in and you created and we've had a great tradition in Kitchener Waterloo of having the KW Multicultural Festival you founded the Multicultural Festival of Elmira and it's now I think it's third year third year, and it's coming up.
• 18:35
  Ian McLean: It's coming up, actually, September 30th at Gibson Park.
• 18:39
  Ian McLean: So beyond the celebration, because it obviously is a celebration, what do you think events like that or this event are so important in creating long-term impact in Waterloo Region, like in terms of developing relationships and have better understanding between people right across the region?
• 19:03
  Abby Cooper: Well, I feel like it's a really great chance for learning in a very different kind of environment.
• 19:08
  Abby Cooper: You're seeing firsthand many different cultures all in one place, but you're not just seeing, you're tasting, you're experiencing, you're fully immersed in that.
• 19:24
  Abby Cooper: And that's what we try to do with our festival in that it's not just something you come and see and then that's it.
• 19:31
  Abby Cooper: You're taking away a lot of education of learning and maybe maybe like rethinking your biases and your just like your your lived experiences the things that you thought were true may not be true about a certain culture or you know there's certain things certain aspects that people take away and we've gotten a lot of great feedback too because what we want to know is that people are taking away something really valuable from our multicultural festival.
• 20:09
  Abby Cooper: So a lot of people have said, yes, I learned about this culture.
• 20:12
  Abby Cooper: I didn't know this culture did this.
• 20:13
  Abby Cooper: And I didn't know that culture did this.
• 20:16
  Abby Cooper: So those are things that I really love to see because then it's like, okay, now they'll probably go share that with the next person.
• 20:22
  Abby Cooper: And so the idea is for that to trickle outward and to bring people inward into accepting each one another.
• 20:31
  Ian McLean: Yeah.
• 20:32
  Ian McLean: Hope has received, which is always helpful because financial resources are a big part of getting, especially a new organization off the ground, but he received some funding from the Waterloo Region Community Foundation from their racial equity fund.
• 20:50
  Ian McLean: And so that's important in terms of, you know, the operations of organizations are really important.
• 20:57
  Ian McLean: But, you know, I think beyond that, it's great that the foundation has seen the importance of investing in inclusivity and diversity and the work that you're doing.
• 21:09
  Ian McLean: But why is Waterloo Region, whether it's the people, is it the culture, is it the opportunities that make this the right place for hope to thrive and succeed?
• 21:24
  Ian McLean: Is this the right place for it or is this just where you are and it needs to be done?
• 21:31
  Ian McLean: So what makes this the the right fit your community support is it is it the makeup of the community because we're a lot more diverse than we were even five years ago in with every passing day we look a lot more like Toronto than we do you know that we did 20 years ago
• 21:50
  Abby Cooper: so the way I've been looking at it is that in the rural townships there is the sense of protecting what I guess the heritage of the town, right?
• 22:05
  Abby Cooper: So in Waterloo Kitchener, people have access to so many programs and things.
• 22:12
  Abby Cooper: Whereas in the townships, people need that ease of having similar access, but not having to go into the city to get it.
• 22:23
  Abby Cooper: So that was sort of how I've been looking at this as well.
• 22:29
  Abby Cooper: But bringing all of these resources really great speakers to a little small town like Elmira and saying, hey, look at this.
• 22:38
  Abby Cooper: We can also offer these kind of programs as well.
• 22:41
  Abby Cooper: But what's interesting to me is that we get people that come from Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge.
• 22:46
  Abby Cooper: And so that just tells me, is there something missing in the city that people aren't getting there, that they would drive all the way to Elmira to be a part of these experiences?
• 22:59
  Abby Cooper: But what I think makes it so much more of a thriving organization is that having that connection to so many businesses in the region.
• 23:14
  Abby Cooper: And we've developed so many great partnerships and relationships with so many people.
• 23:21
  Abby Cooper: And honestly, people have been really supportive.
• 23:25
  Abby Cooper: And I don't think we could get anywhere with, we couldn't have gotten anywhere without that support.
• 23:31
  Abby Cooper: And Two, like when you go to these events, like whenever people hold events like, you know, WRCF has like, you know, little workshops and conferences and things like that.
• 23:44
  Abby Cooper: When you go to these things, you have those opportunities to not only learn, but also connect with other people, with like-minded individuals.
• 23:53
  Abby Cooper: So you're kind of, you're getting more of that exposure.
• 23:58
  Abby Cooper: And I think that is something that's invaluable when you're in that space So, yeah.
• 24:06
  Ian McLean: So looking ahead, I mean, you must feel like a whirlwind, right?
• 24:11
  Ian McLean: Starting in 2023, where you are today.
• 24:13
  Ian McLean: What's next for Hearts Open for everyone?
• 24:15
  Ian McLean: What's next for the organization?
• 24:18
  Abby Cooper: So, we're growing.
• 24:21
  Abby Cooper: So we've just become a registered nonprofit.
• 24:25
  Abby Cooper: And now our next goal is to become a registered charity.
• 24:29
  Abby Cooper: And so...
• 24:30
  Abby Cooper: Lots of work.
• 24:30
  Abby Cooper: Lots of work.
• 24:31
  Abby Cooper: Lots of work.
• 24:32
  Abby Cooper: Still in the process.
• 24:33
  Abby Cooper: And we have some great people that are helping us along the way for that.
• 24:38
  Abby Cooper: But also like just trying to look for better spaces where we can have these conversations and continue these conversations together.
• 24:49
  Abby Cooper: And, you know, eventually I'd love to have my own like hope space that's open to the community and a space where people can walk in and feel like they instantly belong there and they don't have to think twice of like, oops, maybe I should walk out of here.
• 25:07
  Abby Cooper: Cause I don't think this is the right place for me.
• 25:09
  Abby Cooper: No, like it's going to be a place where you walk in and you know exactly where you belong.
• 25:13
  Abby Cooper: You can access anything you'd like.
• 25:16
  Abby Cooper: If there's a room, there's like a mini library or something.
• 25:20
  Abby Cooper: So that's like a goal.
• 25:21
  Abby Cooper: That's my future goal is like a community space that would work.
• 25:27
  Ian McLean: Okay.
• 25:27
  Ian McLean: Then, and this, uh, just as we wind up our time together, uh, this is this whole series is yes, Yes, it's about organizations and the leaders that lead them in business or community groups.
• 25:38
  Ian McLean: But it's also about leadership and leadership style and what informs leaders around our community.
• 25:43
  Ian McLean: So I ask the same series of questions to everybody.
• 25:48
  Ian McLean: It's always fascinating because everyone answers them in a different way and it's how they interpret them.
• 25:52
  Ian McLean: So we'll go through our rapid, rapid questions.
• 25:55
  Ian McLean: And I would start with this one.
• 25:59
  Ian McLean: If you could go back with the benefit of not even hindsight, Like, go back in time.
• 26:04
  Ian McLean: What would you tell your younger self?
• 26:07
  Abby Cooper: I'd say never doubt yourself.
• 26:08
  Abby Cooper: Be your true self.
• 26:10
  Abby Cooper: One day your light will shine.
• 26:12
  Ian McLean: That's good advice.
• 26:14
  Ian McLean: We all have things that kind of spur us on or inspire us.
• 26:20
  Ian McLean: What or who are the things that inspire you?
• 26:25
  Abby Cooper: My community inspires me for sure.
• 26:26
  Abby Cooper: My team is the community.
• 26:29
  Abby Cooper: And honestly, they're...
• 26:31
  Abby Cooper: the love, the commitment they put into this work each day.
• 26:36
  Abby Cooper: I don't think this could be where it is now without that shared interest in bettering our community in a way that it can be.
• 26:49
  Abby Cooper: Well,
• 26:50
  Ian McLean: it's great when you've got everyone rowing in the same direction.
• 26:53
  Ian McLean: So your team and the leadership, and that makes a big difference in getting things done.
• 26:57
  Ian McLean: So you actually had a previous career.
• 27:00
  Ian McLean: So this is interesting.
• 27:01
  Ian McLean: You were, as you said, corporate world for a time.
• 27:06
  Ian McLean: But if you weren't in your current career, so if you weren't doing what you're doing now, what would you be doing?
• 27:13
  Abby Cooper: Definitely something creative and connecting with people.
• 27:16
  Abby Cooper: I've kind of like in my life gone through many different things.
• 27:21
  Abby Cooper: I've like had like two different Etsy shops selling like aprons that I designed and paintings.
• 27:31
  Abby Cooper: And then I had a cake business that I started was like paint me a cake so I was painting on cakes so everything is really creative related so honestly it's just I could see it just going in that direction constantly just yeah design and creating
• 27:49
  Ian McLean: so some read some watch podcasts what are you reading or what are you watching on podcasts besides business of course
• 28:01
  Abby Cooper: at the moment I'm actually reading the refugee narratives of fugitive slaves in Canada pretty pretty heavy stuff but currently working on a project with a local organization where it's going to be a mural about the Queen's Bush settlement and so I as I mentioned I'm constantly learning so I'm just always trying to read and understand about the community and how we can do things better so yeah that's That's
• 28:36
  Ian McLean: about it.
• 28:36
  Ian McLean: I always ask this because it's interesting.
• 28:40
  Ian McLean: What is a favorite business locally that is your go-to, whether it's a restaurant or a service or retail?
• 28:52
  Ian McLean: What's one of your go-to places?
• 28:56
  Abby Cooper: I'm really into coffee shops.
• 28:59
  Abby Cooper: Caffeine keeps me going.
• 29:01
  Abby Cooper: Is that a surprise but also EB Farms milk helps a lot because I have dairy issues and EB Farms I don't know but Eco Cafe and St.
• 29:16
  Abby Cooper: Jacobs and Local Renaissance and Elmira both really great local cafes that are amazing and never enough time so these are all like local organizations that I really love to support
• 29:29
  Ian McLean: I'm with you lots of coffee to get through the eight amount of things to do in your day.
• 29:34
  Ian McLean: So good coffee shops was a good answer.
• 29:36
  Ian McLean: Where do people go that are listening or for the community to go to connect with you and hope?
• 29:47
  Abby Cooper: So, you can visit us at heartsopenforeveryone.ca.
• 29:51
  Abby Cooper: We're also on social media on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, and it's at heartsopenforeveryone.
• 29:58
  Ian McLean: That's great.
• 29:59
  Ian McLean: Listen, of all of the valuable things that That leaders have time is probably their most precious commodity.
• 30:05
  Ian McLean: So thank you for sharing some of your time with us today and doing the podcast.
• 30:09
  Ian McLean: Thank you for having me.
• 30:09
  Ian McLean: Thank you for joining us for another episode of Behind the Business, proudly presented by Gore Mutual, insurance that does good.
• 30:17
  Ian McLean: New episodes drop every Thursday, so be sure to tune in next week.
• 30:21
  Ian McLean: You can also visit greaterkwchamber.com to catch up on past episodes anytime.
• 30:26
  Ian McLean: We'll see you next time as we continue to go behind the business.