Building Dreams: The Chronicles of a DIY Visionary

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Welcome to This Daring Adventure podcast, where we work on bridging the gap between where we are and where we want to be in order to live a bigger and bolder life. In this podcast, we will provide inspiration, tips, and skills you need to make your life the adventure you want it to be. Here's your host, mindset mentor and life coach, Trista Guertin. Welcome back everybody to This Daring Adventure I have a very special guest today. I have Rebecca Higgs, a fellow Canadian based out in Halifax. You might know her as DIY Mom. She is a self taught home designer, contractor, renovator, with a background in theater and music. And her designs have been featured in several magazines, including Forbes, McLean's. HGTV and Chatelaine. Welcome, Rebecca. I'm so excited to have you here. It's great to be with you, Trista. Thanks for having me. My pleasure. My pleasure. It's always, I'm enjoying, getting back into the swing of things with interviewing people. There, so many amazing women that I want to share their stories and I think your story will be really interesting for everybody listening here. So welcome. And why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself? You have such an interesting story. Okay, sure. I'm 42 years old now, and I live in Halifax. I grew up in Halifax. but I took a little detour when I was in my twenties. I, ended up In the music industry here in Canada, and I toured around the country with my band. I was in two bands. I had Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees. It was the first live electronic dance band East of Montreal. And then my own solo project, Rebecca Higgs. and I released an album in 2007 on Outside Music. And then my second album came out on Hidden Pony, which was a subdivision of EMI, and in my twenties, I had a management team and I was signed to, a touring agency and I was playing all kinds of festivals and it was a really interesting time of my life. eventually I moved to Toronto to be more central in Canada for my music career. but things kind of went downhill at that point. I was kind of in the the slag of making enough money to pay rent and waitressing and the boyfriend that I had moved to Toronto with and I split up over, he, his father became very ill. He had to move back to Nova Scotia. So I was very heartbroken and in that dark time of my life where I was feeling a little bit lost, my career was sort of on the fringes and I was on my own in a city without my family. I just. Started making bad decisions, and I ended up getting pregnant very quickly into a new relationship with a guy who Ended up being quite toxic for me. So after my daughter was born I ended up just knowing that I couldn't stay in that relationship any longer and started to make plans of how I could get out of the situation I was in. So I ended up taking my daughter and moving into a one bedroom apartment that a friend of mine had in Toronto. He had moved to New York as an artist, let me stay there. And within that time, my grandmother passed away. And I came back to Halifax for three weeks with my daughter. And upon my return to Toronto, I had gone to legal aid and gotten a lawyer and started making plans to see if I could move back to Nova Scotia. If you've ever been in a relationship where you've had a child out of a, in a different province and you want to move back to a different province, it can be quite difficult to do so. And it's not, the opportunity is not always, available to you, in that period that I went away, went to Halifax. And then when I came home, my daughter's father said to me upon my return, you can move back to Halifax. I think it'd be better for you. So that was a blessing in, that was a huge blessing in a way. He signed the papers. He allowed us to move back. And by the time my daughter was one, I'd come back to Nova Scotia. So I needed to pivot. Create a new career for myself. And I just didn't feel like music was viable anymore. The culture around music was changing. This was when. Apple music, every, everything was streaming. just the labels were dropping artists or not giving, the same kind of advances that you once got as a musician. it would, I would have to get back into the sort of like the grant writing and all these other things, which were available to me in Nova Scotia, but I just didn't feel like I wanted to continue down that path. So I was like, okay, I have to start fresh. And I had a friend that was in the film industry here in Nova Scotia. And he said that I could come in as an assistant, for casting for a commercial for down at Egg Films. So I came in that one day, he offered me a hundred bucks, come in, help me with casting. By the end of the day, he said, I'll give you 150 dollars. You were the best casting assistant I've ever had. And then by the next day, the owners at Egg were asking me, who am I? What do I do? They found out I could speak French. I said I wanted to maybe be a Producer in film and television, and I just kept showing up at egg every day until they basically Gave me a full time job So I kind of inserted myself into the film industry here in Nova Scotia and I did that for a brief period of time. And during my experience of working in film and television, I was just very curious. I would talk to everybody on set. I was talking to the actors. I was talking to the creative agency. I was talking to the clients. I was talking to the producers and I was getting this whole sense of basically how the whole commercial industry worked. and through my research in marketing and film and television, there was this Trend that was starting to happen where people were saying that the next big trend in marketing was going to be branded content. And this is before we knew anything about influencer marketing, or that was really a big thing, in Instagram was kind of just starting early days of Instagram. So I started thinking like, what would my brand be if I could have my own brand? And As an indie musician, we often use the word DIY. That was like a big term that we used. Do it yourself. We were silk screening our album covers. We were making posters. We were writing our own grants. So everything we did was very DIY. This is sort of a hipster term that we used. And I was a new single mom, and I've always had a knack for design and decorating. I've followed in my parents footsteps in terms of that's what they did when we were growing up. They were always fixing up the houses we were in and then selling them and we were moving and that's kind of how my parents built their own equity and built their way up in life as well. So I thought about putting all those things together and what would that look like? And that's when I came up with the idea of DIY mom. And I drew myself a logo and I built myself a website. And then I took the idea of DIY mom to the women in film and television pitch festival. And so I had this idea of a TV show that would be an HDTV show mixed with YouTube. So I would have the great before and afters, but instead of the drama inserted into those HGTV shows, I would put the tutorials in there and I would show people how to do things. And so, and I would talk directly to the camera. And so I kind of came up with this concept that would be an amalgamation of, of that HGTV style of show mixed with YouTube. So I went to the pitch and I had my little toddler on my hip and I pitched this show about DIY mom. And. I didn't win the contest, but years later, the woman who trains, you know, people for these, to go into these pitches and she's been and sat through thousands of pitches in her life. She said to me years later when she encountered me, I've seen thousands of pitches and I still remember yours. Wow. And so that was, that was really sweet little nugget of encouragement there. But of course, when I took out my plan for DIY mom to other, television, production companies, they kind of responded with, well, I don't know. It's not really that interesting of an idea. It's not really that fresh. There's lots of DIY moms out there. What makes you special? And I was kind of like, well, I thought that was the point. If there's lots of DIY moms out there, doesn't that mean that. There would be lots of people interested in watching this. So I kept getting no's when I would go to other people to ask them about making my show. And so thought, well, how can I make this show on my own? In Canada, we have this Canadian content, stream, where every network has to put so much money back into creating Canadian content. And through Bell 5 TV 1, they, you can pitch a show and it's basically access TV. So it's very low budget, and it's, it's meant to develop talent within Canada. So Bell came to me, asked me about doing DIY mom as my own show, and I took them up on that opportunity. And at the same time I was looking for a real estate investment in Halifax and I found a house that had been sitting on the market for. over a year. I put an offer in for 100, 000 under asking and I got the property and it needed a major renovation. So I used that house and, the financing I was able to get, and the renovation financing that I was able to get. And the budget from Bell and I put all of that money back into making that the house and the TV show and through the TV show, that's when I started to work with brands and bring brands on board So I was not only getting products for free But I was getting materials and I was getting some financial support And so all three of these sort of aspects put together. I was able to renovate my first Home that I ended up selling three years later. and that's when I made the money for the first time off of the house. But, basically, that was the story of how DIY Mom started. And then I was able to do five seasons of DIY Mom through Bell TV, which brought me to the pink dream home that I'm living in today. Very cute house. You have to go to Instagram to take a look because I just, I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. Yeah, so that's kind of the story of how DIY mom came to be and basically how I switched careers from being a musician to being a producer and an influencer on social media and home renovator and designer. And I've just learned over the years through determination and curiosity and drive just to make it happen and to keep going. And as doors opened, I walked through them and these opportunities, led me to where I am today. Well, I like that story. I think it's really interesting because it seems now you tell me if I'm wrong you talk about curiosity and I just be interested to learn like what you're thinking throughout these different transitions, because it seems very organic. And it seems very seamless, but, did you have to do a lot of work, mentally, emotionally, when you found yourself in a place like you're moving back to Halifax, you're a single mom, you're, you. You know that, the music is in the answer. what are you thinking to keep yourself moving and to make those transitions? Well, I think because I had parents that were great examples of entrepreneurship and risk taking, I've always had a good appetite for risk. So I think there is this, there, a little bit of the element of my personality, that goal driven personality, and also the willingness to take some big risks in life and put myself out there was kind of like the trifecta of what made for, for all of this to come together and part of the charm and what I And one of the things that I tell people about DIY Mom is that I'm not afraid to fail on camera and for other people to watch my mistakes. And because I was learning as I was going and filming it all, the whole process was really DIY because I was learning how to film. I was learning how to edit. I was learning how to do projects and renovate things on my own. I was watching the carpenters. I was picking up terms. You know, I remember walking into the construction site one day and hearing And all the guys complaining about, she's causing us all these problems, she's really hard to work with. I was thinking they were talking about me. Well, no. They all refer to things on the job site as she, so if they're trying to get a beam into the ceiling, it's she. And just like in general, working with plumbers and electricians, it's just years of hearing terminologies and gathering this knowledge. And it's really life changing. life experience, you know, there's this, there's this intelligence that we have when we're younger, where we're really able to, remember names, remember things, regurgitate information. And, and that's a different type of intelligence than what we have later in life, which is more of a life experience knowledge, right? And being able to advise and mentor and direct people in a different way. Even like, when I was in theater school and wanted to be an actress, even then, it was really the only road for me to go down to do something like that would be to write. and direct and produce something on my own because in general I wasn't that castable. Like my theater teachers would say to me, Oh, you're, you're not skinny enough to be a leading lady and you're not unattractive or, you know, heavy enough to be like a character actor. So you don't really fit in anywhere. And it was heartbreaking to me leaving theater school. I felt very discouraged. And I think that's why I went into music and writing my own music and creating my own path, but everything in life that I have done, self directed and also just following my gut instinct and doing it for myself has typically. just moved me a little bit further along the line, and I've had better success than working for somebody else. I also think it was like that undiagnosed ADHD that I had for many years where I just was not a good employee. I wasn't good at working for somebody else. And so working for myself ended up being the best way for me to be the most motivated and to be the most passionate about what I was doing. Yeah. Cause I was going to ask you, did you ever consider, Or think, you know what, maybe I should just get that normal sort of Monday to Friday nine to five job because I mean, obviously that's the conventional route and that's, what we sort of deem like the safest and easiest, right? Well, you know, like there's oftentimes where I think you know what, I'd be great at a marketing agency. I should just go work at a marketing agency. That seems so much fun. But then people that are working in those industries are so burnt out. It isn't like it, you are working all hours a day and it's super cutthroat. And I just think as a mom and trying to create balance and to be independent and to still be involved in my daughter's life, the entrepreneur road really fit with my personality really well. You know, I feel I'm often going on the school class trips. I'm painting the sets for the musical. I'm coaching the basketball team. The only reason I could do all these things is because I'm employed and I make my own hours. No, but like when I did work at Ag Films, when I was an associate producer there, I did love that. I loved working in an office. I loved working in that fast paced commercial industry with the changing of like. you know, the chain, like with the fast changing of things, like it was one commercial and then that was over and then he moved to the next thing. It was so fun. but I, again, like I just, I, I couldn't keep a job working for somebody else in the same way that I could, I was able to be successful on my own and I could see if I had got been, I mean, I ended up. Folding and closing, but if I had been there long term, I definitely wouldn't have the relationship I have today with my daughter because it would have been a drop her off for daycare, get to work after school care, home for dinner, bedtime. And I just think about so many single moms that is the reality that they have even taking the bus to drop her kids off to daycare or, and then having to take the bus to school, to, to school or to work, it's just, you're so much of your day is in that commute and you really don't the time with your children and. I just, I feel for those women so much. Yeah, and that's actually, I released a podcast episode earlier this week with Kelly Sinclair, who is a branding and marketing expert and coach, and she has her own business. And she was, in communications as well, and mentioned the exact same thing before she went into business for herself, that she was commuting into Calgary, dropping her daughter off daycare at 6 a. m. and then, tucking her into bed at night and that was it. and that's, you know, sort of part why she, she made the shift as well. And I think, entrepreneurship does allow you that flexibility, as you've mentioned. For me, it was always something that I never really seriously considered it until I started coaching and I was telling myself, I don't have that bone in my body. Like, I just don't, like I was just born without whatever it is you need to be, to be an entrepreneur. And it wasn't until, I started working with a coach and she said, no, like it's, you have to learn it. You have to learn it. And I think we get to a place in our lives where we have that push, we have that nudge to make that change. We know, like I always say, if you feel like you're meant for more, it's because you are, right? We have that instinct within us as human beings to grow and to learn, to evolve. but it was a very steep learning curve. I had nobody in my family, nobody around me that had any background. Anything, any experience as an entrepreneur, it was just completely foreign to me. really it's modeled to you, Through your parents or if you have a mentor or something, but I think just because my parents were that way. They were big risk takers and they instilled that idea in us as well It was more second nature to me and I think just my personality and my disposition like my dad said that he watched me At the church nursery when I was a baby Crawl over every other baby in the room to get to a cheerio that was in the corner Yeah, and just said oh I don't have to worry about her She's gonna make her way through Just fine. and when my dad would drop us off at school as kids every, in the morning, he would always say to us, make it happen. And that was our family mantra, make it happen. And then as artists wanting to be an artist, I always knew that nobody was going to make my career for me. Nobody cared about my career. Like I cared about it. Nobody cared about my success. If I wanted those things in life, I had to go after it myself and make it happen for myself. And I would. I would share that message with other women who were artists that were, feeling defeated or feeling discouraged or feeling like their career wasn't where they wanted it to be. I was like, you can't rely on somebody else to make your career for you. You have to go and make it happen for yourself. And so that make it happen mantra. that was taught to me as a child, it's really carried it through, carried me through life. And anytime anything happens that I have to learn something new or I have to develop a new skill, it's just a, all right, I'm going to make this happen. I'm going to learn it. I'm going to figure it out. I'm going to fake it till I make it. And, there's certain things and little tricks that I've picked up along the way to be more believable when you're faking it, you know? So you have been doing DIY Mom for how many years now? 10 years, I guess, because my daughter's 11 now and I really, I really started it when she was about a year and a half. Okay. It's going to be 12 soon, but yeah, so 10 years. okay. And what plans, what are you thinking for the rest of this year and into the next few years? what are your goals for the year? So I am, I just bought another property and I tore the house down. So this is a brand new skill for me learning how to build from scratch this time. I'm building a brand new house. That's just not very far from where I am currently. And, I'm also doing client work now. So a couple, probably about, Five years ago, just before COVID, I started to take on client projects and started to do other people's renovations and designs. so I've been doing that. And then I also, will be working on this new project that I'm building. so the, so those are like the two major, home design to core things that I'm doing, but I'm also, going to South Africa in March to work with hope of Africa. And I will be, there for 17 days. And I'm also doing work with ads and for women and children to continue my, My philanthropy helping other single moms and women fleeing domestic violence and intimate partner abuse. Very nice. Okay. Nice. Have you been to South Africa before? No, this is my first time going. My parents, got involved with Hope of Africa. It's a leadership school for kids and they are we and then actually they my parents ended up when they went there last year helping hope of Africa purchase a farm that they will be using to teach agriculture to the kids because there was a whole generation that died from HIV and the children didn't get passed down the The, how to take care of the land, how to be a farmer from their parents. So it was sort of this, a lot of these sort of skills that were handed down from one generation to expert lost. So the farm, will be used for, teaching agricultural skills and developing the skills of, in the community. And I'm going actually to film content for them and to interview people and to create marketing material for Hope of Africa so that they can share what they're doing and raise more funds and, and support for the farm to keep it, to keep it running. Okay. Very nice. That sounds like a great trip. Yeah. I'm excited. Yeah. Yeah. Good. Okay. Well, do you have any parting advice, anything you want to share with the audience before we close? Yeah. I think that just if you have an idea and you think it's a good idea and you feel passionate about it, don't let people discourage you from doing it. and make it happen. Just set your intentions, write down your goals, and if you do one thing every day toward that goal, it's going to happen for you. And so I just would encourage people to, and women, whatever place they are in life, and if they're looking to make a transition or a change, that yes, it will be difficult, but It can also be very fulfilling and fun. And as we get older, it's great to learn new skills. Keep your mind sharp. Keep life exciting. And keep that adventure rolling. Exactly. Yes. I couldn't have said it better myself. Well, thank you. Thank you so much, Rebecca. I really appreciated this. And it's been really Interesting to speak with you and I love your story and your work is beautiful. So thank you for sharing that today. Thank you so much. And if people want to check out, the TV show, they can watch it on binge dot TV. There's five seasons of DIY mom. and yeah, looking forward to connecting with people from your audience. Yeah, for sure. We'll make sure they have all the links and everything in the show notes and we'll know how to find you. Thank you so much. Thanks, Trista. Thank you for listening to this daring adventure podcast with your host Trista Guertin. We hope you enjoyed the tips and conversations on how to get excited about life again. As always, you can head to tristaguertin.com for additional resources and to book a one on one coaching session. You can also follow Trista on Instagram at tristavguertin. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts. Thanks again for tuning in and we'll see you next time.