Beatrice Ghettuba finds balance through her work with the Council for the Advancement of African Canadians
Written by Vanessa Santilli in CPA Magazine on Jan. 1
It’s important to recognize the triggers that [make me] stressed or to anticipate that I’m getting into a stressful situation and to do something about it. I work out and eat healthy food — except when I was on the campaign trail in the fall. I found myself buying fast food. I did that once and it still haunts me because I always cook my food from scratch.
I ran as a Liberal candidate for the riding of St. Albert-Edmonton in the federal election [but didn’t win]. It was very hectic so I’d do yoga to release tension every morning at the studio next to my campaign office. I’m a bit of a control freak and one lesson I learned while campaigning was that I need to trust people who have been delegated tasks. It made me feel calm throughout the experience.
I’m currently board chair of the Council for the Advancement of African Canadians in Alberta. My role is to drive the governance and the strategic direction of the organization, which focuses on creating opportunities for access and full participation of members of the African community. It’s very involved work. I can’t say I’m very good at planning but I have an overview in my mind of where things need to be. For example, I have a schedule of when I check in with my two grandkids.
I believe in God, so I meditate a lot and I pray a lot. During the election campaign, I’d spend time with friends who would pray with me on the phone and send messages of encouragement. That was very powerful.