Interview with Julia Rooney – Feature Lean In Volunteer Profile

Julia Rooney is Co-Lead, Events with Lean In Calgary.  She was born and raised in Calgary, but spent three years living overseas in South Korea where she taught English. She feels grateful she had the opportunity to immerse herself in Asian culture and traditions as it deeply impacted her life for the better. She has spent the last nine years working in the live events industry and has been on the board of the International Live Events Association – Calgary Chapter for the past 8 years. She went back to school in late 2020 for Public Relations and Communications Management and is now working for the Better Business Bureau as the Marketing and Content Specialist, since March 2021.

Julia has been with Lean In Calgary since January 2019 and has welcomed the opportunity to meet a new network of women in the corporate world and with a mix of industry and business experiences. Julia recently played a huge role in helping Lean In Calgary successfully hold an amazing Mayoral Candidate Panel discussion in late September prior to the Municipal Election. She was instrumental in helping to create one of the first Lean In Circle events. She has especially appreciated seeing just how vulnerable a group of women are willing to be with each other in a circle and to talk with and listen to each other without judgment. The best piece of advice learned from Lean In came from another volunteer, “Strong people can also be the most vulnerable. That’s a magical combo.”

Her favourite quote she lives by is “Live, Laugh, Love”, in fact, she has it tattooed on her wrist. She loves quotes and tries to fill her daily Instagram stories with something positive and uplifting. She is naturally inspired by those with strong positive energy. She recognizes that social media today can either be helpful or harmful. Julia believes it is important to be mindful of how and on what we spend our time and energy. She considers herself lucky to have a good friend that is kind, positive, and optimistic in her life, who she can lean on for support and guidance. She helps Julia be the “light” for others, but recognizes that even the most positive people need a break sometimes. It’s about setting boundaries and knowing when you need to refill your bucket.

Her advice for women in business is to “never stop going after what you want – know that there is always fear of failure as part of growth. Apply for the job you want or shift careers to something new you want to try; never give up on your dream and it’s never too late to do what you want to do”.