b'BUSINESS LEADERSschool with would never have thoughtHer fathers words of wisdom havechange at her organization. As a team, that I would go to the University ofbeen top-of-mind during the COVIDweve learned that operating at the pace Toronto law school and become a lawyer. pandemic. Dubois regularly reminds herof business doesnt require in-person staff to maintain balance and positivemeetings all the time. We may even be It was at the age of 22 that Dubois tookself-care practices, such as taking advan- able to facilitate and enhance our ability her first tentative step when she becametage of fitness, health and mental healthto serve our clients more efficiently by the first person in her family to attendsupport services. She also calls attentionrelying on videoconferencing. While university. From there, says Dubois, a fearto the need to respect team memberspersonal contact goes a long way to of failure became a strong driver, as wellnon-working hours. building relationships, videoconfer-as frustration and anger about not beingencing is making doing business more encouraged to achieve. She went on toYetsurprisingly,saysDubois,theefficient and cost-effective for our busi-obtain a B.Sc. in neuroscience and thenpandemic has brought about positiveness and also our clients.completed law schoolall while raising a child on minimal finances. I remember thinking I just need to do what I need to do today, she says. In the early years of her career, Dubois worked as a lawyer with Native Child & Family Services of Toronto. It was there that she truly felt the weight of burdens carried by Indigenous peoples and decided to play a role in effecting posi-tive change by working more directly in the struggle for economic self-determina-tion. I saw the impact of colonization, of marginalization from society, all the chal-lenges of the systems that Indigenous people often find it so hard to break out of [and] I had a real motivation to develop a system within a large institution that allows First Nations to really realize their right to self-determination, says Dubois. Im really passionate about helping commu-nities be financially sustainable.The AIOC CEO believes that there is no standard one-size-fits-all approach to building a career as an Indigenous woman and that people in positions of influence need to inspire rather than dictate. The important thing to remember, she says, is that everybody has a very different risk tolerance. Some people feel very comfortable taking leaps of faith. For others, its anxiety-provoking.Dubois recalls a piece of advice her father gave her that continues to serve as a guiding principle in her professional life. You take care of you. If you take care of you, then youll have the energy and everything it takes to take care of every-body else who needs you, says Dubois. I would say that is one of the most important things for young [women] to remember. It takes a seemingly selfish act to be able to say, I acknowledge my ties, I love my people, but I really need to focus on myself so that Im better able to give back. Aboriginal BUSINESS REPORT9'