founding story

They're called slumps. And everyone goes through them. Mine was in 2007 when I took a hard look at my life and questioned what I was doing, what I wasn't doing, what I wanted to be doing and where I was going. I was 5 years into pursuing my music dream when I hit a wall. It was the kind of wall that made me stop dead in my tracks and ask, "Hmmm, how'd I end up here?" "There's gotta be more than this?" "Can I be doing something more?" Like any crossroad in life, I found myself in unfamiliar territory asking a lot of tough questions like, now what? Where do I go from here? What's next? And if I were really honest, I'd admit there were a few tears along the way... Well that slump became my time to go back to drawing board and figure out what I wanted most out of life. More importantly, it became my time to figure out what I wanted my life to say...

Here's a little secret: I have 2 passions in life, which I refer to as M&M: Music and Mentorship. I believe that music can communicate to the soul in a way that words often mess up. "I'm sorry," or "I love you," takes on a whole new meaning when it's a melody rather than just another spoken word. And a really great melody has this amazing way of getting stuck in your head. This reason became why I chose to study music post secondary in the first place and inevitably make it a career. Mentorship, or pouring your life into another human being, to me, defines the meaning of success and fulfillment and like music, is NOT about words. It's about actions. The truth of the matter is this: I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for the countless people who, through various phases of my life, took the time to care about me, pour there time and energy into my life, sat on a couch, or a bench, or a theatre seat listening to my first song writing attempts at 10, 11 & 12 years old, all the while telling me they whole-heartedly believed in me and my dreams. I'm not perfect, I don't have it all together, nor do I claim to have life figured out, but one thing is for sure: If I could do one small thing to give back an ounce of what I have been fortunate to receive, then I will have counted my life successful.

Enter Her Dream Next Door

Imagine how confident every little girl would be if they knew how beautiful they were, or how talented, how funny or how smart? Imagine how many confident women we would have if we as women step up and live our lives without letting our dreams and hopes be buried by everyday life, encouraging the women around us to never give up on their own hopes and aspirations. Can you even imagine the possibilities if females started to believe in themselves? Imagine how many prominent female figures there would be if someone took the time to find them and give them opportunity? Or how about the sense of boldness if they were encouraged to try things and be okay with pursuing their dreams, even if those dreams led to nothing. The misconception is that success is about completion. But it's not. It's about attempt. Her Dream Next Door is that attempt. It is my passion in motion, an attempt to encourage the everyday women in their respected fields, inspiring each and every one of us to do something that lets your life say something.

My vision, and that of the foundation, is to "turn drifters into dreamers, dreamers into success stories and success stories into mentors".

Cindy Keating
Founding President, Executive Director