In February 2023, my life changed in a matter of hours. 

Nick and I were in Kelowna on a ski trip when I got the call. 
My mom had been taken to the hospital by ambulance in Victoria. No one was there to support my grandma. 

I booked a flight that same day. 

What followed were the hardest 13 months of my life. 

My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. 
She had been sick for over a year and hadn’t seen a doctor, so by the time we found out, it was already very advanced. There was a tumor the size of an orange in her colon. She needed emergency colostomy surgery. 

At the same time, we discovered my grandma had suffered two compression fractures in her spine and was living in constant pain. 

So I stayed. 

For three months, I lived in Victoria caring for both of them. Eventually, we made the decision to move them to Calgary so we could better support them. 

And somewhere in all of that… I was still running a company. 

My mom passed away on March 4, 2024. 

My grandma is still here in Calgary. 

As women, we carry a lot. 

Our businesses.
Our teams.
Our families.
Our homes.
Our partners.
Our friends.
Our parents.
Sometimes all at once. 

And often… without asking for help. 

This past year taught me a lot. But these four things stand out the most: 

1. Support is non-negotiable

I would not have a company today without my team. Period.  

They stepped in, stepped up, and held things together when I couldn’t.  

We like to think we can do it all. But the truth is, we’re not meant to. 

Support isn’t a “nice to have.”
It’s survival. 

2. Find your sisters (biological or chosen)

There were moments I didn’t know how I was going to get through the day. 

The people who showed up for me – my friends, my circle, my “chosen family” made all the difference. 

They checked in. They listened. They sat in the hard moments without trying to fix them. 

Find those people. Keep them close.  

3. Don’tbe afraid to ask for help 

This one didn’t come naturally to me. 

I’m used to being the one people rely on. The one who figures it out. 

But there comes a point where you simply can’t do it all. 

And asking for help doesn’t make you weak.
It makes you honest.  

4. If someone is going through something hard – don’t ask, just do

“Let me know how I can help” is kind.
But when you’re in the middle of something heavy, you often don’t even know what you need. 

The people who made the biggest impact didn’t ask. 

They showed up with food.
They ran errands.
They handled things without needing direction. 

If you see someone struggling – just do something. Anything. It matters more than you think. 

This Mother’s Day will feel different for me. 

But it’s also a reminder of the strength, resilience, and love that women carry every single day – often quietly, often behind the scenes. 

So Happy Mother’s Day to everyone out there – whether you’re a mother to your children, your pets, your nieces, your friends’ children. 

There are all kinds of mothers. 

And I see you all,
Lanna