CityBuildHERS creates Blueprint to Wellness for women in construction

It’s so rare to find a room full of women with nothing to say—except when that room is filled with participants engaged in meditation, like the gathering organized Monday by CityBuildHERS. Some 70 women headed after work to Mastercraft Starwood’s SoHo Italia, a 30-storey luxury rental apartment building on Preston Street, located at the entrance to Little Italy and overlooking Dow’s Lake.  They were there to participate in the Blueprint to Wellness event organized by CityBuildHERS co-founders Jennifer Cross, business development manager for MARANT Construction, and Kristen Buter, vice president of property management at Mastercraft Starwood. The pair created CityBuildHERS in 2023 to bring female professionals from the construction, engineering, and design industries together. The thinking was that, by building stronger and more supportive strategic networks, women in these sectors could have each other to lean on. “We have already seen partnerships develop from these groups, which warms our hearts,” said Cross in welcoming attendees.

CityBuildHERS partnered with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) Foundation for the month-long JUMP IN for Women’s Heart Health campaign that took place throughout September. The campaign raises funds and awareness by challenging women to be more active each day.  “These are very stressful jobs that we all have," said Cross, who, with Buter, acknowledged the toll their work has taken on their own health. They wanted to use their CityBuildHERS platform to address health and wellness. Said Cross: "Not from the standpoint of: everyone should work out and get 30 minutes of exercise and drink eight glasses of water. We know. We know what we're supposed to do. What we wanted was a bit of a reality check." Added Buter: "The stress of this job and this industry is just wild." According to Cross, some of the pressures faced by women in the construction industry include: "Tight timelines, big budgets, things going sideways and sometimes being the only woman at the table." From the Heart Institute Foundation were its president, Lianne Laing, and director of community engagement and development, Lindsay Firestone. They were joined by research scientist Kerri-Anne Mullen, director of the UOHI’s Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre (CWHHC). Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, yet the signs and symptoms often go unrecognized. “We’re not just smaller versions of men,” said Mullen of the heart attack gender gap.

Women tend to minimize their symptoms and delay seeking treatment, said Mullen before sharing one story previously told by a peer leader. The CWHHC's peer leaders are women who have previously been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease and now help and support other women in their recovery. The woman had realized she was having a heart attack while hosting a dinner party but waited to call an ambulance until all her guests had left and she had finished the dishes, said Mullen. “How many of us take care of everyone else before taking care of ourselves? It’s no different with women and heart disease.” The room heard from keynote speaker and health and confidence coach Katie Faloon-Drew, founder of Healthy Confident You, and Immersive Guided Meditation Facilitator Becca Lira, the latter of whom led the women through some meditation and mindfulness.  Kelly Rhodenizer, who recently became the new senior vice president of development at Colonnade Bridgeport, isn’t someone who typically meditates. She did like how it helped her to calm down, though. “It was the first time I’ve taken a breath in about a month,” she told OBJ.social later.  Meditation is a way to ground oneself and reset one's focus, said Senators Community Foundation president Jacqueline Belsito, who was among the attendees.  "People shy away from meditation because they don't want to take the time, the brain is so busy," she continued. "Quieting my brain is probably my biggest challenge." Belsito said she'd like to incorporate more meditation into her daily life. "Taking five minutes to change your mindset feels amazing."

Both MARANT, a leader in the commercial interior office construction industry, and real estate development company Mastercraft Starwood were sponsors of the event. So were Omniscient Wellness Centre, represented by co-founder and COO Shannon Patrick, Ottawa Business Journal, TastersHUB, Albec Painting and Coatings, owned by Jennifer Scotland,  and TRUEdotDESIGN president Shelley True. She recently returned from Ravenna, Italy, having won a bronze medal with her Dracona women's team at the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships.  Attendees also included Altis Recruitment & Technology owner and co-founder Kathryn Tremblay; Linebox Studio COO Melissa Reeves and KPMG Private Enterprise’s Stacey McMillan, who won a JUMP IN sweatshirt as one of the door prizes. The next CityBuildHERS event, taking place Jan. 28th, will focus on women leaders involved in the construction of The Ottawa Hospital’s brand new campus. Tickets will go on sale beginning Oct. 10th. All of the events have been quick sell outs, with tickets for Monday's Blueprint to Wellness disappearing in a single day.

caroline@obj.ca