Where It All Began

My Journey started many years ago.  I was one of the founding members of The Estevan Toastmaster club on June 1, 2003.    It was a great experience.  I met many people who have remained good friends through the years.  Brad Korbo was one of the sponsors of the Estevan club, and our paths have crossed continuously through the years.  Marg Ustupski was a fellow member, and she and I have remained friends and fellow Toastmasters through the years in various clubs. 

Taking the Long Road

My journey took a very long time as I navigated through what is now known as the Legacy program.  In March 2020, I finally achieved my first DTM. Yes, you heard that correctly.  This was my first DTM   But I like two things: I like to learn, and I love a challenge.  About this time, the new program had just come out.  The Legacy program was being phased out.  I am not a computer geek, but I have learned to be one. The challenge was to get into this new program.  I am not a spring chicken, and with the advent of Covid, the program now being online, there was a lot to learn. My first DTM took me almost 17 years.  I wanted to beat this, and so I did.  My second DTM was completed in finally put into the system in August of 2025 – just a little over 5 years. 

Lessons From Every Club

Each of the clubs that I have been a member of has given me something  

• Estevan Toastmasters gave me my start and taught me the basics 
• taught me the basics of how to run a club and I filled every position on the executive many times over. 
• BLT taught me how to fulfil positions on Area and Division  

The three clubs that I belong to at the moment are challenging me to new heights

• Big Country Toastmasters reminds me of the many struggling clubs out there, and as the years go by, it reminds me that I must learn new and different ways to help them and other clubs not only to survive but also to grow.
• Green Horizons was a repurposed club that I have learned to love.  Its focus is on sustainability.  I have learned so much, but there is so much more to learn
• I have recently joined one more club.  It is not in D42 (the joy of using Zoom). Its focus is on evaluation.  It is called North Star Evaluators.  

You see, there is something out there for everyone and so much to learn.  Challenge yourself, don’t stop learning.

Cathy Morrell,
Distinguished Toastmaster