​​View in browser​

Hi Reader,

Well, the last Backyard Gossip was about the difference between “I should,” “I want to,” “I am going to,” and eventually being able to say…

I DID it.

Apparently, I should take my own writing a little more seriously because there is something rather significant I’ve been meaning to share for a while now.

I finished my MBA! 🎓

I’ve actually had about four opportunities to tell you this. When I found out I’d made the Dean’s Honour List. When my final grades came in. When I received my letter of completion. And now, this week, when my official transcript arrived in the mail.

Every time I thought, Maybe now I should share it.

Then I wondered whether it was really that important to share. Maybe I should wait until convocation? Except convocation isn’t until June 2027, and by then I’ll probably have completely forgotten about it 🤣 Okay, maybe not.

But it did make me wonder why I was being so hesitant to simply say: I did this, and I’m proud of it.

Aren’t we women notorious for being a little too modest sometimes? So there. I said it 😏 And yes, there was definitely a big YESSSS moment when I knew I was officially done, but there was also an equally big sigh.

It’s done.

When I started my MBA, I wanted to expand my knowledge. I’d spent years working with entrepreneurs and business owners, but I wanted to be able to do more, particularly with established businesses that wanted to grow and level up.

The funny thing is that somewhere along the way, the MBA didn’t necessarily teach me that I could do those things. In many ways, it confirmed what I already knew about myself.

I’m pretty good at seeing strategy and taking something complex and turning it into something simpler and workable. It also gave me something else I wanted: those three little letters behind my name.

MBA.

Because whether we like it or not, sometimes those letters add credibility.

But there was a much more personal reason for doing it too.

Higher education wasn’t really part of the conversation when I was younger. Not because anyone was against it, but simply because the people around me didn’t know much about that world or how to guide me through it. I did my bachelor’s degree later in life, and now I’ve done my MBA later too. And I know my dad would have been proud.

That alone makes this one pretty special.

So, degree finished. Official transcript in hand. Time for the next chapter.

Except…

I don’t actually know exactly what that chapter is yet. 😬

And THAT is soooo unlike me.

I honestly thought that by the time I finished my MBA, I would have it alllll figured out. Of course I did 🤣

For almost two years there was always a next step. Another course, another assignment, another paper, my internship, my Applied Business Project, final grades… I always knew what I was working towards.

And now I’ve arrived. I’m proud. I’m relieved. I’m excited about what’s possible. And I’m also a little nervous.

There are conversations happening and opportunities that might lead somewhere. Strong Ground Consulting (the consulting business I started in Canada, which I said I wasn't going to do 😆) is still very much part of the picture too, and one of the reasons I started this MBA in the first place.

But right now, I don’t know exactly what the combination will look like.

Would I like a big road sign saying THIS WAY, PEGGY →?

Oh yes, please. 🤣 But maybe I don’t need to force that clarity just yet.

What I do know is what matters to me. I want to stay true to my values, and freedom is a big one. I want meaningful work, but I also want a life with room for all the other things that matter to me.

So perhaps going with the flow isn’t the same as floating around aimlessly.

I can follow the river, stay open to where it takes me, have the conversations and explore the opportunities, while still making sure I’m on the right side of that river.

For someone who loves vision, strategy and planning, this is all feeling remarkably zen. Let’s see how long that lasts 🤣

Chat soon,

Peggy 🌿

P.S. If I could say one thing to the Peggy who started her MBA in January 2025, it would be: Make it worthwhile, make those connections, and stay true to you. And I guess that's what I did...

Backyard Gossip | Stories about life, business & the spaces in between