Connect Series: Meet Rebecca Bragg from Reception/Client Services! – Veritext Canada

Rebecca is the friendly face at our Island by Reportex office in Victoria. With a passion for culture Rebecca studied at Queen’s University with a focus on the intersectionality between art, history and gender studies. After graduating, Rebecca provided registrar support to Sheridan College before setting for the skies as a flight attendant with Air Canada. In 2020 Rebecca, a native of Ontario, heard the west coast calling, packed up her car and drove across the country to move to Victoria.

In her spare time Rebecca can often be found wandering Victoria with a camera in hand, forest-foraging for flora or working on her latest creative project. She especially enjoys a good cup of coffee (or craft beer!) when she is not wrangling her precocious nephew along the trails of Vancouver Island.

We enjoyed finding out a bit more about Rebecca:

Having lived in and travelled to various destinations around the world, what are your top three reasons for choosing Victoria as home?

Better work-life balance. Toronto will always hold a special place in my heart, but the emphasis on exhaustive corporate climbing and a live-to-work mentality was something I never wanted to identify with. I think Vancouver Island fosters the perfect amount of work, play and emphasis on healthy living in a more accessible way.
Proximity to the true outdoors and the temperate climate. In Toronto the best decent swimming and trails are about a two-hour drive away, and you are sure to be gridlocked in traffic for even longer. This summer I spent more time in the water and on the trails than ever before, and I could get out to nature within 15 minutes. I love that here I can go surfing in December and that the ocean is outside my apartment!
Family. Growing up in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), my family slowly started making their way west. When my nephew was born, I knew I wanted to be a consistent person in his life and spend time making memories for those milestones. My family laughs because when we go for hikes with the little guy, he has a posse of five adults with him — you’d think he was royal and we are his sentry. He brings everyone together.

At Reportex our core values of team, mentorship, equality, community and industry are central to what we do. Which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

It is so difficult to choose just one favourite! At the moment I believe I most resonate with team. I have relied heavily on the advice and guidance of my team in learning my new role. I appreciate that our jobs interconnect and that we are all working towards a common goal, even from afar. We are only as strong as our weakest link, and when you have every lovely soul offering to help, I do not see any weak links here.

You have a background and appetite for art and art history. At Reportex we value working with local artists by showcasing their work at our offices. Why is curating art for a space such as an office important?

Reportex’s commitment to showcasing local art in our offices really solidified my excitement for joining the team. I think supporting local artists like Shari Pratt and Brian Simons (at our Victoria office) sets us apart and helps foster that personalized boutique style. It provides a talking point for waiting clients and warms our space. It exposes the talent by aligning our identity as a Canadian business and makes art accessible to all those who enter. Most importantly, it provides exposure to local artists to help both financially and by reaffirming the need for their craft in our communities.

When you worked for Air Canada, you were part of their special safety team. Why is having a safety plan in place for the workplace important?

It provides our employees with assurance that their safety and well-being are important, and it’s vital to setting them up for success.
It allows us to be proactive in setting action plans and to have a dedicated committee and standards to act as a resource so our protocols are cohesive across all offices.
It helps us to be proactive in identifying possible issues early on and to establish standard operating procedures to leave us with a better preparedness in how to support our employees when issues arise.

Prior to joining Reportex you spent a lot of time in the air and around the world flying with Air Canada. What destination did you unexpectedly enjoy the most and why?

There is a magnetic pull about Portugal. There is something different about how the light illuminates the hilly city of Lisbon, coast of Cascais and vineyards of Porto. It was probably my most requested place to lay over in. The history, day trips, friendly people and seafood always left me wanting to go back for more! When you travel so much for work, you learn to leave little parts of you behind in those cities; that way they become an extension of your home.

This year the holidays are looking quite a bit different for everyone. Having spent a fair amount of time away from friends and family during your previous career, what are your top three tips for staying connected from a distance?

Don’t treat the holidays like any other day. It is important — this year more than ever — to celebrate the changing of the season. Traditions like going for walks to see your neighbourhood lights, watching Christmas movies, dressing a tree or lighting a menorah are still just as important as ever to signify the passing of time.
Schedule phone calls with loved ones. Set up virtual games. Have a holiday meal or gingerbread contest with your family over Zoom. Get your family giggling on the holiday calls. Laughter has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety!
Practice gratitude, disconnect from technology and give back to your local community. Take yourself out for a movie or take a friend out for a meal. One of the biggest cures for loneliness is helping others, so see if your local food bank needs an extra hand or holiday hamper delivery person. Good energy and thankfulness are contagious, and making a difference helps the soul.