Elaine Balante 
Say Yes Before You Feel Ready A few years ago, I said yes to becoming an Area Director.At the time, I only knew a handful of Toastmasters outside my own club. I remember wondering, Who am I to support multiple clubs? What do I really know? Here’s what happened. When Your World Expands Overnight My network exploded.Suddenly, I was surrounded by Toastmasters who didn’t just have years of experience. They had decades. Leaders who had built clubs from scratch. Mentors who …
A Year of Growth How Toastmasters Shaped My Leadership Journey Stepping Into the New Year with Purpose At the start of 2025, I was a member of just one club, Calgary Talking Toastmasters, and serving as Division C Director with a fantastic team of Area Directors. We began the year deep in preparations for the Division C Contest and our Circle of Gold event. I knew I couldn’t pull off these projects alone, so I leaned on fellow leaders across …