As a group of women working towards common goals for STYLE Canada‘s brand and business, we understand the value of peer support in the workplace. So, after our last Supper Club at Soho House, we decided to bring like-minded women in business together and feature them in an ongoing series: #LeadingLadies. Here’s hoping that we’ll see you at our next Supper Club. Keep your eyes peeled on our events page for more details. This one features Carolyn MacKenzie.
Photo courtesy of Nick Pimenoff.
Carolyn MacKenzie – Lifestyle host on Global’s The Morning Show, wife and mother
Location: Toronto
Industry: Television
SC: You wear so many hats. If someone asked you to give a brief introduction of yourself, what would you tell them?
CM: I find it tough to talk about myself but I’ll give it a go. Where to begin? I love my job, I love my family and I love my life, most of the time. I don’t do anything half-ass. So when it comes to my job, I’m all in. I co-host The Morning Show on Global. I also produce and write for the show. Keep in mind that because our team is small, many of us wear many hats.
When it comes to my family, I’m a simple girl. Home is where the heart is, and I don’t need much more than my immediate family to make me content. Between my job and my home life, there really isn’t much time for anything else. I put so many hours into my day job (that ends up being a night job, morning job, and afternoon job) that I want to spend the remaining hours I have with my two kids and husband.
SC: What obstacles have you overcome to get to where you are today?
CM: Getting to where I am today took a lot of hard work, and I still work very hard, but I’m having more fun. Before becoming a host of a lifestyle show, I worked in news for a very long time. I started my career in Nova Scotia as a news videographer. Now that was tough work. The job taught me a lot about the industry but also a lot about myself and what I can handle. It’s funny -no job was ever as tough as that first one, and no job ever paid as little.
Carolyn MacKenzie and co-host Jeff McArthur on the set of Global’s The Morning Show. Photo courtesy of Nick Pimenoff.
SC: What is your greatest achievement, whether its personal or professional, over the past decade?
CM: Looking back at the past decade, I’m most proud of the family my husband and I have created, as well as my current role. A few years ago, I realized that news wasn’t where I wanted to be anymore and I remember writing down on paper that becoming a lifestyle host was what I wanted next in my career. Coincidentally, Corus reorganized our morning broadcasts and after nearly 20 years in news, in the winter of 2019, my goal became reality when we launched the one hour long program The Morning Show.
SC: What do you love about your industry?
CM: I love the variety in this industry. Every day is a new day. On each show, we are meeting new people, catching up with old friends, having great conversations and, most importantly, having fun. This is what I love so much: at this stage in my career, I can actually say I’m having fun. And I hope the viewers are having fun with us.
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SC: Who’s had the biggest influence on you?
CM: My parents have both been very influential for all the reasons parents should be. They are good, kind, loving, hard-working people who have taught me plenty over the years. Another person who has been just as influential as my parents is my grandmother. Her life experience, her character, her demeanour and loyalty to her family has given me incredible insight into what it truly means to be strong and resilient.
SC: What advice would you give 18-year-old you?
CM: Breathe kid. This isn’t a race, even though it sometimes feels like it. The universe works in mysterious ways. Things happen for a reason, even when you think everything is working against you. Remember when you couldn’t get your start in TV? How upset you were? A door finally opened on the east coast and off you went. Remember when you froze on live television during your first live hit in Sydney, Nova Scotia, and you were convinced it was the end of the world? It wasn’t. We are better because of our mistakes. We need to use each and every one of those mistakes to improve ourselves.
This is the advice I would have given my 18-year old self, but whether young Carolyn would have listened is another story!
Photo courtesy of Nick Pimenoff.
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