She is sharing her story here as part of our month-long International Women’s Day tribute to those who inspire us at Medavie.

Nathalie is among those who bring our values of being caring, accountable, responsive, innovative and community-minded to life and deliver on our mission to improve the wellbeing of Canadians. We are proud to have her on our team!

Describe your role at Medavie?

My role at Medavie involves leading an amazing group of people that provides core financial services. These range from processing pay for employees to paying vendors and external brokers, as well as treasury functions, in addition to financial analysis and reporting to different parts of the organization. In the end, our role in Finance is to make sure that we have the information we need as an organization to make the right business decision.

What is the most gratifying part of your role?

A number of years ago answering this would likely have been more around the technical work relating to finance, working with numbers essentially. As I’ve gained experience, I now find it’s really the coaching part of my role that’s the most gratifying. Being able to understand people’s strengths and ensure their role aligns with those strengths. Seeing team members find how they add value to their role, their team and within Medavie ― that’s what really energises me!

As a woman, what is your proudest achievement?

Obtaining my accounting designation was a huge professional achievement for me. Up to that point, studying had always been my strength but this was so much more difficult. Having to balance work and studies, on top of having always studied in French up to that point, added to the challenge. And the exams were like nothing I had ever done before. The feeling when I opened that envelope that said I passed is something I will never forget.

Who are the role models that inspired you?

I’ve drawn inspiration from many women for different reasons but those I draw the most inspiration from are strong women that break barriers in the sport and fitness world. There is still so much inequity in the sports world, so I love to see these women be successful and be a part of changing the gender bias.

Currently I really love and get inspired by Jessie Graff (martial artist) and Elise Joan (fitness and wellness expert). Their commitment, perseverance and confidence make me want to do and be more in my own way.

What qualities does it take to succeed?

• Don’t be afraid to try new things
• Find what you love
• Take feedback as it comes to you in all its forms (from leader, peers, members of your team, etc.)
• Accepting that you will make mistakes, but that you can always learn from them
• Most of all be confident in yourself and what you can achieve

What career advice would you give to younger women?

Don’t be afraid to try things that are out of your comfort zone, that’s where you can really learn and grow.

What’s one piece of advice you would give to improve wellbeing under the four pillars of wellbeing (physical, mental, social and financial)?

All of these pillars are so interconnected, and they are very individual as well. My advice would be to find what makes you happy and make sure to take the time to incorporate that into your life. I know for me this starts with exercise ― but even that can look different for everyone. Don’t be afraid to try things and see what resonates with you!

How do you achieve a work-life balance?

Making sure that your time off the screen is quality time. Spending time outdoors is key for me as well as exercising. It just helps to re-energize me and I'm better at my job when I'm in the right state of mind.

How has the pandemic impacted this?

The pandemic, for me, required a more conscious focus on boundaries. It's so easy at home to start work earlier, work part way through lunch, work late or weekends. Sometimes this is necessary, but you do need to know yourself well enough to know when it's time to take a break.

What are the most important steps we can take, individually and collectively, to make a positive difference for women?

Avoid using double standards. When you find yourself thinking, speaking or acting in an especially unfavourable or harsh manner toward someone or something, ask yourself to justify your reasoning. The more conscious of our thoughts and actions we become, the better equipped we are collectively at breaking gender bias.

Tell us one fun fact about you?

I absolutely love gardening — there’s something about being outdoors, enjoying the sun and digging in dirt that that just resonates with me. I just get fully absorbed and completely lose track of time.