Talking up the ladies

Helping women succeed takes verbalization
of goals and proper packaging of their
talents, says workshop leader

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Zoonie Nguyen

Age: 42

Occupation: Director of Talentelle

Bio: This über-motivated NDG dynamo first arrived on these shores at age eight, a dirt-poor Vietnamese boat person who might just as well have been shark food had it not been for a passing ship that noticed the tiny boat she and two zillion other panicked refugees were aboard was in the process of sinking. Graduating from McGill in 1989 with a degree in electrical engineering, Zoonie enjoyed a happy, lengthy and prosperous career at the CBC before recognizing she “needed to do something more relevant” with her life and quitting, “freaking out” her parents in the process. Deciding to “go full circle,” she returned to Asia with her husband to work for an NGO helping people stuck in refugee camps—Zoonie having spent time in one of these camps herself as a child. “When I came back to Montreal again, I just wasn’t the same person anymore, not after witnessing all that suffering in Asia.” After seeing her two-year-old daughter “nearly die from Kawasaki disease,” she determined it was her calling to help other women “succeed in their chosen careers or start-up businesses” so, a few short years ago, she and her brother Peter launched Talentelle. She drives an infinitely practical 1999 Honda Accord.

Something Zoonie has to say about nearly drowning: “It was really bad. I think the only reason why I didn’t go crazy from the experience is because I was young enough to see it as an adventure rather than a trauma. I can talk about it without crying now.”

What Talentelle is: “We have two core workshops really, one for female professionals and another for entrepreneurs. It’s all about getting women to verbalize what it is they want to do in life and how they can move forward. We help women discover what’s unique about them, their strengths, talents, passions, values and how they can package these things into work that brings them real joy.”

So Talentelle is exclusively for chicks? “No, men are welcome, and some do attend, but we do this primarily for women. Talentelle comes from Talent and Elle. I’ve also just launched a magazine to exclusively promote women’s talent in Quebec, lemondedesfemmes.com, because I don’t find women being promoted enough here. I mean, women are out there now, ready to take on any job, start any company, they’re really, really ready. So why not help them?”

Doesn’t she realize she’d be doing society a much bigger favour if she just informed these women that their proper function in the eyes of God is to stay home, have babies, clean up after their husbands and help their men procure younger, attractive women to better satisfy them sexually? Not especially. “I tend to think that by helping women, I’m helping the whole of society.”

What if you’re a chick with a Grade 7 education? “Look, I get people with MBAs and Ph.Ds and others who’ve barely graduated high school. It’s not about education, it’s about being in tune with who you are and doing work that reflects this.” For the full skinny, go to talentelle.com.

Last book read: The Truth About You, by Marcus Buckingham.

Musical preferences: Edith Piaf, the Pogues, ABBA.

Words of wisdom: “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey leading you there.”

Comments: dimwit@hdot.net