Start Fresh With Fall Reflections AT FORTY FIVE Magazine Issue 2021 05

S E P T E M B E R | I S S U E N O . 2 1 0 1 0 5 

AT FORTY FIVE 

The Magazine For Women 45+ 

T A M A R A S P E N C E : C E L E B R A T E A U D A C I O U S 

It Is Time To Stand 

UP, Stand OUT, Stand 

STRONG Together 

Tamara Spence: Using 

Art To Silence 

The Inner Critic 

My Keto Lifestyle: 

A Personal Journey 

Back To Health

I 

Have 

Lost 

My 

Focus 

fabulousYOUniversity.com

C O N T R I B U T O R S 

04 

Sherry Kallergis 

Editor 

AT FORTY FIVE 

10Cover 

tamara Spence 

tamara spence 

fine art 

06 

sue dumais 

heart led living 

16 

joanna piros 

joannapiros.com 

09 

howard's facet 

19 

APRIL ROSE MORE 

APRIL ROSE MORE 

PHOTOGRAPHY

E D I T O R ' S N O T E S 

Goodbye summer. 

It happens so suddenly. From one day to the next, you feel 

the chill, and that certain smell waft in on the wind. 

Time to switch out the tank tops for cozy sweaters. 

The changing of the seasons is a perfect chance to reflect, 

take stock and start fresh. No different than cleaning our 

closets to prepare for different weather, we can take time to 

clear our minds and set new directions. 

This week, make a date with yourself to check in on your 

health, both physical and mental. Our contributors are 

sharing their journeys to finding better health, new looks, 

fresh perspectives, and peace of mind. So grab a tea. 

Enjoy some me-time. 

SHERRY KALLERGIS 

“ T I M E S P E N T I N S E L F - R E F L E C T I O N I S N E V E R W A S T E D – I T I S A N 

I N T I M A T E D A T E W I T H Y O U R S E L F . ” ~ D R P A U L T P W O N G

C O N T E N T S 

04 

editor's notes 

06 

It Is Time To Stand UP 

Stand OUT And Stand 

Strong Together 

09 

Kicker Caesar 

Salad 

10 

tamara spence: 

Using Art To Silence 

the inner critic 

16 

My Keto Lifestyle: 

a Personal Journey 

Back to Health 

19 

aura of woman 

21 

Feel confident with 

new brows

IT IS TIME 

TO STAND UP 

STAND OUT AND 

STAND STRONG 

TOGETHER 

/ BY SUE DUMAIS 

Are you ready to learn how we can 

all Stand UP, Stand OUT and Stand 

STRONG together? 

I will be sharing one chapter from 

my book each week for the next 30 

weeks and take you on a powerful 

journey to learn how to move from 

fear, judgment, and separation into 

love, oneness, and connection. 

Yes, the world is changing, and we 

do not know what the future holds. 

Yes, chances are your life will never 

be the same again. 

But what if.... this was actually good 

news? 

There is a way to navigate this global 

SHIFT and find meaning and peace 

during this time of uncertainty. 

There is a way to stand united and 

connected in a shared global cause. 

No more delay! The time is NOW! 

You are ready and the world is ready 

for you! 

Together we can continue to impact 

change. 

***Note: the following content is an 

excerpt of the Introduction from my 

book "Stand UP Stand OUT Stand 

STRONG ~ A 30 Day Guide to 

Navigate Life When the SHIFT Hits 

the Fan" 

What if everything happening is 

actually a massive wake-up call for 

all of humanity to impact the 

necessary global change to create a 

massive course correction?

AT FORTY FIVE MAGAZINE /07 

It is clear the world is changing. Many people 

believe things are getting worse and we are 

going backward but the truth is, everything is 

getting uncovered and brought out into the 

open. This is the good news. Anything that 

remains hidden won’t change and can’t be 

healed. 

The question most people want to be answered 

is, how do we navigate this shift that is 

occurring on our planet? How can we meet the 

fear, judgment, hatred, anger, and violence 

without fighting against it and adding more 

fear? 

As I reflect on what it took to bring this book to 

life, I am in awe of the process. I practically 

wrote it with my eyes closed. I had no idea of 

what each chapter topic would be until it was 

finished. The chapters came out in sound bites, 

often in the wee hours of the morning. I had no 

idea what I was writing until the words stopped 

flowing through my fingers and I would read 

what I wrote. Whenever I felt resistance or went 

into my head to figure it out, I would stop and 

walk away. I was practicing deep trust and 

writing with blind faith. 

All I knew for sure was that this book needed to 

be written at this time. I knew in my heart that 

there are people waiting for this message and 

many are calling for some form of a guide to 

help them navigate this incredibly challenging 

shift that is happening on our planet. Yes, it is 

incredibly challenging, and it is literally shaking 

the ground beneath our feet. At the same time, 

it is waking us all up and exposing some deep 

darkness that has remained hidden for a long 

time. Everything is being brought into the light 

of awareness so we can heal deeply and 

collectively. 

This book is designed to challenge our 

programmed thinking minds. The messages 

may not be what we want to hear, but I 

guarantee they are what we need to hear in 

order to unwind our minds and open our 

hearts. This thirty-day guide will shake us up to 

wake us up to a new way of being in a 

relationship with each other. 

This global shift is necessary. It is essential. It is 

timely. If we are to change what is no longer 

working so we can evolve as a species, we must 

all find a way to navigate this shift and be 

willing to play our part. It is important to 

remember that everyone’s part is essential. 

The time is now! No more turning a blind eye. 

No more pretending. No more hiding. No more 

trying to fit in. Let’s bring it all into the light of 

awareness and ride this wave of change and 

evolution so we can unite in love for each other 

and our planet. It is time for all of us to Stand 

UP, Stand OUT, and Stand STRONG. 

Take my hand. Let’s begin together …. 

Stay tuned next week for chapter 1 ~ When We 

Care Too Much, It Hurts 

***This is an excerpt from Sue Dumais' book 

"Stand UP Stand OUT Stand STRONG ~ A 30 

Day Guide to Navigate Life When the SHIFT Hits 

the Fan" 

Published on atfortyfive.com with permission 

from © Sue Dumais

A kicker caesar salad is always a welcomed addition to a 

potluck, picnic, or having guests over for the evening. Now 

that the world is opening up again, it is time to reignite our 

basic instincts for social connectedness and get together 

with people face to face. 

You can dress a salad up or down with your main dish and 

sides or even make a meal of it. This caesar salad will not 

disappoint you and there is no box opening required here. 

A caesar salad from scratch takes about the same amount of 

time but the end result is so fresh and tasty you won't regret 

nixing the box variety. 

Caesar 

Kicker 

A 

Salad 

Caesar Salad 

Kicker 

Yield: Serves 8-10 

/BY HOWARD'S FACET 

Ingredients: 

1 head of romaine lettuce 

Dressing: 

1 cup mayonnaise 

½ cup of finely grated parmesan cheese 

2 Tbsp lemon juice 

1 Tbsp minced garlic 

1 tsp each anchovy paste, Dijon mustard, 

Worcestershire sauce 

2 - 4 dashes Hot Sauce like Cholula Original Hot 

Sauce 

¼ tsp salt 

¼ tsp freshly ground pepper 

Croutons: 

6 slices of bread 

Garlic powder 

Oregano 

Olive oil 

Dressing Steps: 

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl till well blended. 

2. Based on your palate / BY SHERRY you can add KALLERGIS more or 

less of any ingredient. 

3. Place in a sealed container in the fridge for 

up to 1 week. 

Crouton Steps: 

1. Cut bread to desired crouton size and place 

in a bowl. 

2. Cover and toss in olive oil. 

3. Sprinkle generously with garlic powder and 

oregano. 

4. Place on parchment paper and bake @ 400C 

until toasted. (Watching and turning so it 

does not burn). 

5. Toss all ingredients just before serving this 

delicious Kicker Ceasar Salad. 

Learn More 

Find more great recipes 

Get more info on Cholula Original Hot Sauce

Using Art To Silence 

Spence: 

Tamara 

The Inner Critic 

SHERRY KALLERGIS 

/BY 

Tamara Spence's strong inner critic has been a force through her life spurring her on to find 

ways to silence it. She is a successful multi-media artist in Vancouver, Canada. This art form is 

a very process-driven experience that suits her well. She thrives on variety and this medium 

allows her to explore her emotions in physical and tactile ways.


Tamara began with black and white ink 

drawings, too intimidated to put color on the 

page. That inner critic battle stoked her 

progression as an artist. She added soft 

watercolors, then more colorful acrylics, and 

finally texture as Tamara learned to accept her 

creativity and allow her bold spirit to speak. 

Tamara shares her journey to becoming 

supportive of herself and her needs. 

(Note the following is paraphrased for length and flow) 

How did you get started painting? 

I've always been creative. My father was a 

professor of sculpting and an accomplished 

sculptor. He had a workshop at home and a 

studio. I would play there after school, and I 

enjoyed that. 

I took art classes through high school but I'm 

also very athletic and sports-driven with a 

passion for volleyball. That was my major in 

university. I played varsity but I was struggling 

with what to study. My mom suggested 

Sciences or Sports Science, so I went into 

nursing and then met my husband. 

Just before my dad died, in 1999 I decided to go 

back and do a year of Fine Arts where my 

father taught. It was the right place for me but 

the wrong time. I was overcome with grief. 

So, I went back to nursing, we had two 

children, and life kept rolling on. I was working 

in ER, ICU, and the Cardiac areas until I injured 

my back at work, and I was advised not to 

work anymore. I was struggling with grief, 

depression, and battling with the system on 

retraining. It was a difficult time. 

I was creating but I couldn't admit to being an 

artist. because that inner critic convinced me I 

wasn't good enough. As time went on and on 

and on, I kept getting sadder and sadder. 

Finally, I decided to try hypnosis. I went to a 

therapist, a wonderful woman named Liz 

Lange. I had a few treatments with her. When I 

was under hypnosis, I would spend it crying. I 

was even questioning the value, but things 

were starting to happen. I now understand I 

was letting go of a lot of grief. 

How did art change your direction? 

Soon after hypnosis, I was moved to draw as I 

mentioned earlier. That inner critic would tell 

me I was not good enough. It's not good 

enough. or that's not right. So, I would erase 

things and move on but then I noticed I was 

more willing to just let the creativity happen. If 

I made a line, it wouldn't immediately look 

wrong to me. Just little things like that. 

I was posting some of my art on social media 

where a former coworker, Ellen Bradley- 

Cheung saw them. She had used art to help 

herself and she invited me to join ROAM Gallery 

which is when I met Jen. 

That was my first show, I think it was three 

drawings. After that, it became easier to 

create, to push through the voice of that inner 

critic telling me I wasn't good enough, to 

believe in myself. 

I began realizing that variety, moving from 

thing to thing, was what I need to be happy, 

and we all need to be happy. 

What process do you use to begin to 

create a piece? 

I think it comes with a decision about the day. 

I'm going to do this painting and sometimes it 

gets underway, so I keep going. I call it my flow 

state. I can equate it to being an athlete. 

There's a feeling you get when you're playing a 

sport or you're doing your art, where you are

Tamara Spence Fine Art 

North Cape Lighthouse PEI 

Ink & Watercolor 

Potential 

Acrylic on canvas 

Awesome Asian 

Ink & Watercolor 

By The Sea 

Ink & watercolor on mixed media


lost in the moment. There isn't a lot of thinking 

going on. You're just moving and It's almost like 

you've left your body for a while. What I have 

come to realize is my inner critic was really 

interrupting that flow state and as I learned to 

manage that, I could hit that sweet spot more 

often. 

How did you know when a piece is finished? 

That's a great question because sometimes I 

think I stopped before I've done enough and 

sometimes, I've done too much and I don't like 

what I've done anymore. And then there are 

other times. I look at other paintings that I've 

done and think why didn't I keep going? It's an 

inner feeling that I think it's time to stop. I think 

I'm going to ruin this if I keep going. 

Sometimes there is a definitive end because of 

the process. For example, if I am putting on 

colored pieces I am done when they are all on or 

I have run out of room. 

Is there a key piece of wisdom that 

you'd like to share? 

Believe in yourself. As an artist, I feared being the 

failure my inner critic kept harping about. Don't 

worry. 

Failure is going to lead to learning. 

Figure out what makes you happy. Some people 

have it easier than others as far as knowing 

what that is or what they want when they're 

younger. My husband is a police officer, and he 

knew that, but his route was long and 

convoluted. His bucket is filled with helping and 

being there for people. There are many job 

prospects that provide that opportunity. 

I think for creatives it is harder to figure that out, 

especially if you're lacking motivation or a belief 

that you can do it perhaps listening to that 

inner critic. I sidestepped it all for a while, but 

eventually, it starts slapping you in the face. 

What is a key piece of learning that has helped 

you? 

Consult with professionals. I have a counselor 

who's been great about teaching or pushing me 

very gently to do things for myself. I have learned 

if I'm not happy then everybody else is miserable. 

If I'm happy then things will go more smoothly. In 

order to be happy, I need to accept myself and 

accept what I want to do, contrary to the inner 

critic. 

As I mentioned, after my back injury I suffered 

from severe depression and anxiety. That inner 

critic was very present. I felt suicidal and I knew I 

needed help. I was put on antidepressants. 

Medication certainly helps. If you need 

medications, take them. It doesn't mean you 

necessarily have to stay on them forever. Some 

people do and that's ok, but some people don't. I 

had been on them before, like when I suffered 

from postpartum depression. 

Get counseling through whatever means is 

available. The first counselor was through my 

work employee assistance program. I had a loss 

of hearing and my counselor set me up with the 

deaf and well-being program in Vancouver. 

That's for people who were born or have a loss of 

hearing. I took a CBT course with a counselor 

and a psychiatrist through the Deaf Well Being 

Program through Vancouver Coastal. 

I didn't go for a while and started to struggle 

again. Now my counselor helps me with staying 

true to myself without belittling or making 

everyone else the priority. 

It's been a very important part of my recovery 

and my growth. I'm always going to be changing 

and I'm always going to need support. However, 

my toolbox for helping myself is getting bigger. 

I have come to realize I am not happy if I don't

Tamara Spence Fine Art 

Sadness 

Ink & watercolor on 

A Horses Life 5 Ink & watercolor 

Abstract Roots 

Ink & Watercolor on mixed media


make art. I am most satisfied when I am in a 

flow state which means creating or playing 

sports. The most rewarding aspect of my 

journey is understanding how to allow myself 

to do that. 

What has been a barrier that you have 

overcome? 

Time management is one of my biggest 

obstacles. I tend to rank other chores and 

people's needs above my need to create. I find 

it hard to make myself a priority and create 

boundaries around what I need. 

Putting myself first is a constant battle. I now 

know that the secret to success is that I must 

keep creating but there's this constant pull 

between what else is in my life and what else 

needs to be done. 

What is something surprising about you that 

most people don’t know? 

A surprising fact about me is that I am the 

lead volleyball coach in the hybrid 

volleyball/basketball academy at Saint Thomas 

Aquinas Regional Secondary School. I have 

been coaching volleyball since 1998 thanks to 

my husband. 

What do you need to make more room 

in your life for? 

I need to make room for connecting with my 

friends. With COVID, I have had to reach out 

and initiate contact, you can’t wait for 

someone to come to you. 

Also, I would love to learn how to do bronze or 

resin casting and windsurfing. 

Learn More 

Buy Tamara's art at ROAM Gallery 

Visit her website 

Follow her on Facebook and Instagram 

Read more in our series Women In Art 

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW 

If you could meet anyone for lunch, who 

would it be? 

If I could meet anyone for lunch it would be 

my father. He died in 1999 from cancer. We 

have a lot to catch up on. 

What was the best advice you ever 

received? 

My father told me that when I met the right 

person you will know. What the heck does 

that mean!! Well, when I met my husband “I 

KNEW”. Twenty-one years and two boys later 

he is still my best friend.

MY KETO LIFESTYLE: 

A PERSONAL JOURNEY 

BACK TO HEALTH 

/ BY JOANNA PIROS 

The keto lifestyle has made a 

huge difference to my health. 

I'm not a doctor, and I don't 

even play one on TV so I 

share this eating regimen 

and way of life with you 

based entirely on my own 

experience but also with 

reference to experts in the 

field like Dr. Jason Fung from 

Toronto. Fung is such a great 

speaker and writer that I 

encourage you to visit him 

directly; I won’t attempt to 

do justice to his philosophy 

here. 

Three years ago, my family 

doctor was concerned about 

my fasting glucose levels, my 

blood pressure, and my 

cholesterol. One option was 

to take medication often 

given to diabetics. My doctor 

was not comfortable with that 

approach but rather 

recommended the keto way 

of life. Essentially, she said to 

me, “you're a smart woman, 

go online and read everything 

that Dr. Jason Fung has to 

say, and then create your own 

lifestyle based on his research 

and recommendations." 

Let’s be honest: as I got older 

I vacillated between wishing I 

was in better shape (while not 

being willing to change 

anything in my diet), AND

esigning myself to the fact that at my age I 

shouldn’t fuss about it because it was just part 

of aging. Had my doctor not intervened, for 

solid health reasons, I might never have 

pursued a Keto lifestyle. Truth be told, I didn't 

know anything about it before my 

appointment. 

What I created for myself was a combination of 

a keto diet along with intermittent fasting and 

the occasional multi-day one. I know that 

sounds daunting but in the same way that you 

would not attempt to run a marathon without 

training for it, you cannot do fasting of any kind 

without building up to it. 

How I Started 

Here is how I started: first I went through my 

cupboards and segmented everything that I 

was no longer going to eat which included rice, 

pasta, beans, sugar, flour. Then I dropped a 

number of high-carb vegetables from my diet 

including most things that grow under the 

ground such as potatoes, beets, turnips. Next, I 

eliminated pretty much all fruit with the 

exception of blueberries and blackberries in 

limited amounts. Does that sound like all the 

fun foods went out? Not true because I can eat 

plenty of healthy protein, all kinds of salads, 

mayonnaise, cream, sour cream, cheese, butter, 

and bacon. 

Eliminating breakfast and lunch and going for 

one meal a day was fairly simple and painless. 

Once my body learned to look for fat to burn, 

and I was fat-adapted, That amount of fasting, 

i.e. 22 hours with no food and with a 2-hour 

eating window, provides outrageous benefits to 

your body, the main one being autophagy, a 

process that begins after 12 hours of fasting and 

basically purges all the damaged, old and toxic 

cells from the body. 

I was so busy paying attention to my eating 

regimen and testing my blood glucose after 

meals and during fasts that I barely noticed my 

pants sliding down my hips, or the 

embarrassing situation where your boobs don’t 

fill out the cups of your bra! I went to buy a 

dress for a work engagement and I was 

shocked my usual size was too big. Then I tried 

one size down, then another before fitting into 

an 8. Even more significant, my fasting glucose 

levels dropped back within the normal range. 

My blood pressure was on its way down as well. 

A New Lifestyle 

Everyone asks me if I am still “doing Keto”, not 

realizing that it is a permanent lifestyle for me 

and, given my weight loss and health gain, I can 

allow myself the occasional cheat and have a 

burger in a bun, rather than wrapped in lettuce, 

or some angel hair pasta with lemon cream 

sauce and prawns, or even a low-carb bread 

tomato sandwich. 

Since my success became obvious to others, 

several friends and colleagues have dipped 

their toes into Keto, some of them following the 

intermittent fasting as well as the low carb diet 

and some simply reducing their carb load but

AT FORTY FIVE MAGAZINE 

/19 

continuing to eat three meals a day. One of them even lost 60 pounds! 

If you are struggling with your fitness, weight, blood glucose, or blood pressure, I highly 

recommend this lifestyle. Granted, it cannot be for everyone; nothing is, but it has been a 

huge breakthrough in my life. I have never felt healthier and more energetic. I’m proud of 

my body and the shape it is in. Too bad the skin tone never returns to where it was at 30. 

Sigh. 

There is so much conflicting advice out there. What, where, and when we should eat, what 

supplements to take, and how we should exercise. It is annoyingly confusing. Even though 

I’m no expert, I do have a solid few years of experience with this Keto lifestyle. I will never go 

back to my previous approach. 

I am very happy to chat with anyone who wants to know more. My contact info is in my bio. 

If you don't want to spend a lot of time reading reports online, think of me as your Keto 

shortcut. 

More 

Learn 

Check out: 

The Diet Doctor Website with Jason Fong 

Read: 

The Obesity Code Unlocking the Secrets of Weight 

Loss (Why Intermittent Fastin Is The Key to 

Controlling Your Weight) 

Image Credit Amazon 

Click to view sample

AURA OF WOMAN 

Janie is our Aura of Woman Imagery this week. 

This series from April Rose More Photography celebrates 

women who embrace their unique Aura of Woman and share it with the world. 

View the complete series


LOOK BEAUTIFUL 

Your eyebrows are the frames of the windows 

to your soul. Without eyebrows, your face lacks 

definition and your eyes seem to disappear. 

Having a heart condition was bad enough but 

being prescribed medication that caused my 

hair to fall out was harder. It was so 

unpleasant. I could see my scalp peeking 

through, and my brows were slowly 

disappearing. 

Feel 

Confident 

Feel 

Confident 

Finding out I was one of the less than one 

percent with this side effect had me moaning 

why ME? The cardiologist team over the 

course of the next two years, experimented 

with different levels, tweaking until it stopped. 

My eyebrows didn't grow back though. 

Coupled with my almost blond brows, I took to 

lining and waxing my brows. 

with 

/ BY SHERRY KALLERGIS 

New Brows New Brows New Brows 

In the summer, I noticed my sister, who lives 

in Alberta had beautiful brows. She told me 

hers were a result of microblading. I liked the 

look, but I was a bit nervous to try it. 

Then a friend told me about a Microblade 

training program posting on Facebook looking 

for models. I was tired of lining, waxing, and 

coloring every morning so I decided to do it. 

The process is relatively easy. The hygiene and 

safety bars were set high. Shoe coverings were 

used by both teachers and clients. Medical 

gowns, face masks, and safety glasses spoke to 

the clinical setting, but the teachers and their 

interactions with their students made for a 

friendly collegiate atmosphere. It reminded 

me of a girl’s night out with friends.

LOOK BEAUTIFUL 

Before 

Process 

The 

First, your face is cleaned, and the consultant 

finds out what type of brows you want. Next, the 

shape is drawn on and the design is approved. 

Following this, they customize a color suited to 

your skin tone, so you have the perfect color. 

Although they take your hair color into 

consideration, the color is matched to your skin. 

They look for a color that will be defined but is 

realistic. 

After 

Then they sterilize and numb your skin. Slowly, 

using a small precision blade your skin is pierced 

with short strokes mimicking strands of eyebrow 

hair. You can feel it, but it does not hurt a bit. 

Finally, the color is rubbed in. 

In almost no time, it is done, and you are sent 

home with very precise instructions. No showers 

for two weeks was the hardest instruction. 

There were 8 women, and we were all very 

pleased with our new brows. The color is darker 

at first, then gets lighter after two weeks and 

after about six weeks it settles into the regular 

color. At this point, you can go back and tweak 

the color or touch up the shape if you need. 

Image Credit headcovers.com 

Solutions 

Alternate 

Cardani Eye Wigs have a variety of shapes and 

colors with latex-free and gum adhesives. They 

look just like your own and are 100% human hair. 

Image Credit ardellllashes.com 

Ardell Brow Defining Kit is a makeup alternate 

that helps you line your brows with ease. Four 

different colors to mimic the shades of your hair, 

a specially shaped brush, and a wax stick keeps 

your new brow realistic and in place until you 

remove it.

The missing piece 

ADVERTISE HERE 

604.346.9275

Start Fresh With Fall Reflections AT FORTY FIVE Magazine Issue 2021 05

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