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Marty Avery

Marty Avery

What If?

Career Roadmap

Marty's work combines: Design, Entrepreneurship, and Communicating / Sharing Stories

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Day In The Life

Chief Catalyst

Help people design careers and businesses in which they feel alive.

Skills & Education

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    University of New Brunswick

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Fashion/Apparel Design

    Sheridan College

Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Self-Enrichment Teachers:

High School

Bachelor's Degree: Fine/Studio Arts, General

Graduate Degree: Whatever you're drawn to

Learn more about different paths to this career

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life took a while to figure out

  • 1.

    First I studied what I was interested in but others were WAY more into architecture than I was.

  • 2.

    Then I followed my husband to another new province. My job taught how to organize priorities/action.

  • 3.

    Then I studied fashion design because my friend suggested it.

  • 4.

    Then I moved again, modelled, designed, taught, managed people, merchandised, started a business.

  • 5.

    Then I worked in fashion, modelled, illustrated and shot photos. Falling in love, I moved provinces.

  • 6.

    Got depressed because I wasn't around enough people and I'm an extrovert. Got hired by big company.

  • 7.

    Then I studied psychology and literature which I dug. Worked 2-3 jobs and started 2 businesses.

  • 8.

    Company and helped to grow that biz. Started my own biz--10 years, joined a big co. learned a ton.

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from Family:

    If people said discouraging things, I didn't hear them. My mom told me not to move all my stuff into the new city until I was sure I wanted to live there. That was good advice.

  • How I responded:

    I alway looked into the sun and didn't hear the naysayers. Maybe the people around me were positive, or maybe I screened it out. I don't know. No recollection of naysayers. It was more, "You can do anything you set your mind to." "You're the greatest." "Oh, you're so creative." "You'd be great at that." Only positives are what stand out.

Experiences and challenges that shaped me

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  • I struggled to make money until I thought of it as something to foster beauty-making. Now I have my money management in a "beautiful system". The framing of the idea of money was crucial because before that, it didn't matter to me at all.