What’s the Scoop?

Dearest Reader,

Mother Knows Best which is why supporting mother-owned businesses, especially during Mother’s Day, is an incredible way to give back to the beautiful backbones of our communities: mama’s and mother-figures.

I’ve always loved to write and I’ve always been inspired by my own mama for many things, but especially for the way she can wield words so wisely. So, it seemed like the right time to finally drop our official What’s Good Blog ~ an idea I’ve had for some time now. While this will be the first of many pieces I am excited to share with you, it seems right that a post featuring some of the hard-working mama’s on this island should be the first!

So, be sure to check out 10 Mother-Owned Businesses to Support This Mother’s Day ~ live on our website now!

Thanks for being here & thanks for being What’s Good.

With Local Love,
Sam + the What’s Good YYJ team

~ What’s Good Monthly Forecast // M A Y ~

It’s a full force kinda season — one that feels like your very first breath of fresh air. It’s as though all this time, you’ve been living under the sea, looking up through a wave, sitting just below the surface... waiting. Then May arrives and you find yourself flip-flopped, staring back into the wave now from dry land, to where you once were. After a long winter hibernation, it feels nice to be greeted by our old selves again, from a new perspective.  

Colour hits the streets and the tulips in bloom could have me stopping on every corner to take them in and notice their unique flare. The sun lives longer in the sky each night and the human-ness in me craves to stay up late with it now. I still dream of summer and warmer days, but am enlightened by this new earthy glow.

May warms us with colourful days, long lasting sunshine, community events and personal reflections. This season invites you to fill up on laughter, love, and light.

~ A Super Secret ~  

From Sam’s Brain

I had the honour of becoming a Permanent Resident this past month after a very, very journey. It was incredibly humbling to be accepted and to receive something I feel I have worked so hard for, and yet, during my times of processing and reflection, I cannot shake the feeling of how powerless many immigrants feel during this time, how powerless I felt most of the time… not to mention those who are trying desperately to run a small business too. There are many invisible barriers a lot of immigrants face when starting and maintaining a business. I wanted to take a minute to thank all of the incredible people who have seen me authentically on this journey, who have listened or have tried to understand, and who have helped or made space for my voice to be heard, my presence to be known, and my humanhood to exist. If you are unaware of the various barriers immigrants can face when trying to start a business, I urge you to ask questions, to be curious about the value that new cultures and new businesses can bring to our diverse landscape, and to support newcomers. It can be scary to be the new kid in the room, (or in the country), and simultaneously, it can be overwhelmingly peaceful to feel like you’re finally right at home.