Lisa Canning - Author, HGTV Designer, Lifestyle Expert, & Mom of Seven
Lisa Canning
Lisa Canning is the author of “The Possibility Mom: How to be a Great Mom and Pursue Your Dreams at the Same Time,” coach and lifestyle expert, who helps moms be great moms, while pursuing their dreams at the same time. For the past ten years she’s been running her interior design company and creating spaces to help moms thrive at home through strategic, family friendly design.
In 2007 Lisa was the designer on a show called Marriage Under Construction on HGTV. This incredible opportunity launched her design and television career, moving her into roles both in front of, and behind, the camera. She’s worked as the art director on HGTV shows like For Rent, The Expandables, and with the dynamic duo of Jonathan and Drew from The Property Brothers. She’s appeared on shows like The Marilyn Denis Show, The Goods, and Breakfast Television.
Lisa is also the proud mom of 7 children, ages 9 and under. After struggling to do it all, Lisa had a meltdown that changed her life. She realized that she needed to drastically change the way she ran her life and her business. She created strict boundaries in her schedule, changed the kind of work she did, and began to say no more than she was saying yes.
Today, Lisa has created a life and a schedule that allows her to experience freedom. She’s learned how to be strategic in ensuring that her time is centered around her biggest priorities, and she’s helping other moms design their lives through speaking, online coaching, and courses. I’m so excited for you to learn more about Lisa, her new book The Possibility Mom, connect with her and follow along!
I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.
My name is Lisa Canning, I'm a lifestyle expert and mom of seven, and author of the new book “The Possibility Mom: How to be a Great Mom and Pursue Your Dreams at the Same Time.” For the past ten years, I have practiced interior design working on television shows like Buying and Selling with the Property Brothers and Marriage Under Construction. My desire to help moms came out of growing my family to seven children, and building a business at the same time! So now, I coach moms on how to design their most ideal life through my online coaching programs.
How did you get started?
The Possibility Mom came out of a meltdown in my minivan. During the years I was building my interior design business, I was working practically around the clock. I was managing large scale renovations, which demanded me to be on site often early in the morning, and often late into the evening. As a result, it was quite regular for me to leave the house at 7am, and not come home until past 10pm. I had very small children at home, and a husband who was becoming increasingly frustrated with the pace of my life.
Everything came to a crushing implosion when I decided to take my seven day old daughter, brand new out of hospital, to a messy, noisy, construction site because I had put so much pressure on myself to go back to work immediately after having her, my fourth child in five years.
What inspired the work that you're doing?
I really wish someone had told me the things that I say in The Possibility Mom when I was sitting in my minivan. I felt trapped. I was constantly comparing myself to other people, and basically trying to copy their lives. I wish someone had shown me that I could define success for myself, by doing things in a way that would be best for me and my family. So the work I do now is very much inspired by wanting all moms everywhere, to feel like motherhood is not a trap, that motherhood is not the place where you dreams go to die, where in fact it can be the place where you find the best version of yourself.
What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?
My biggest passion right now is changing a generation of motherhood. I want ALL MOMS to feel like they have a choice in what they do, that they have a choice in how they respond to the realities of motherhood, that they have freedom to consider options that might be outside the box! That if they no longer want to work full time, they can design a way to come home. And if they want to pursue a passion that takes them outside of the home, they can do that in a way that won't impact their family negatively.
I want all moms to see the possibilities available to them, and consider possibilities that might not exist!
And yes, I feel like I am living this out right now!!!!
What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?
This is a great question. I love coaching. I love being able to chat with a mom who feels overwhelmed and confused, and then use my empathy and strategy to design a pathway to success. I always feel like I could run a marathon after I coach a mom.
I also love aimless time with my husband and children. We love being outside, we love experiencing new things, and traveling as a family. Going on adventures, large and small, really lights me up!
How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?
Yes. For me, a calendar that captures and protects a person's priorities is essential. My calendar has space for play, for prayer, for exercise, for strategic work, for friendships, for date night, for 1-on-1 time with children, and for my community. The juggle of all these things is impossible without strategy, and for me that starts with a well planned week. I go into many of these strategies in my signature program Conquer your Calendar.
And probably my favourite practice is putting my phone away between the hours of 4 and 5:30PM. I do not check social media, I do not check my email, the phone remains charing in my kitchen, and it is hands free, aimless time with my children. This is my favourite practice as it ensures my children know that while work is important, aimless time connecting with each other is also hugely important. The phone will be there when 5:30pm rolls around.
What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?
I think she would be 1) surprised that I have seven children! And 2) I think she would be pleasantly surprised that I am able to be a mom of a large family, and pursue my passions at the same time. This was a huge stumbling block for me before I got married and started having children. When I was younger, I viewed having children as the thing you did when you were "done" establishing yourself in a career. So I think a young Lisa would be pleasantly surprised that I am currently doing both.
Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?
Measure success by looking inwards, rather than by looking sideways.
What is your biggest dream?
To change a generation of motherhood and live in a culture where motherhood is celebrated and revered. I want to help create a culture where we celebrate the success of other moms, where we help each other with childcare, where we live and parent in communities, and get to a point where no mom ever feels like motherhood is the death of her dreams.
To learn more about Lisa you can connect with her on Instagram @lisacanning Facebook @lisacanningthepossibilitymom Twitter @lisa_canning Pinterest @lisacanning and via her website http://lisacanning.ca
Joy Corner is a new interview-style blog series brought to you by Seek The Joy Podcast. Our mission continues to be a desire to share your stories, truths, joys and inspiration in your words. We invite you to join our corner, and share your joys, passions, and moments of inspiration as we continue to seek the joy, together. Join this series here