Exciting news! Natural Pod founder, Bridgitte Alomes, was recently a special guest on the “BC’s Path to Universal Child Care Podcast” (Season 4, Episode 5).
Host Gyda led a fantastic conversation with Bridgitte and Rory Richards – President & CEO of the female-led, Indigenous construction company NUQO Modular. These inspiring women leaders shared about their collaborative work in tackling one of today’s biggest childcare challenges: access to quality learning spaces.
Tune in on Spotify and Apple Podcasts or listen below to hear how Natural Pod’s sustainable, non-toxic furniture fits with NUQO’s expertise in modular, culturally grounded construction. Together, both B Corps are streamlining the process for communities across BC, making it easier to create beautiful, durable, and inspiring environments where children and educators can truly thrive.
“The moment I walk into a learning environment. The moment I see the connection. That’s all I need to keep me on this path. And really that simple smile, or that simple acknowledgement of a child communicating, ‘look what I did, I did this’, … is the main reason for me. —Bridgitte Alomes, Founder & CEO, Natural Pod
Originally posted at wstcoast.org
Read the full transcript:
Welcome back to another episode of West Coast Podcast, B.C.’s Path to Universal Child Care.
As we continue to explore the transformative changes in B.C.’s child care system, it’s essential to honor the wisdom of Indigenous ways of knowing.
I wish to express my gratitude, our gratitude, for the opportunity to gather on ancestral and unceded lands and territories and waterways of the Coast Salish people, encompassing the lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
We hold in deep reverence and respect the Indigenous knowledge systems that have nurtured generations on this land and water since time immemorial.
It is with humility and respect that I engage in learning and collaboration with you today on this unceded territory.
As we know, we are guests and neighbors on these lands on which we extend our support and services at West Coast, like this podcast, which is recorded on the traditional unceded lands of the Coast Salish people, as well as the Inuit and the Métis people of B.C.
Today, there are more than 200 distinct First Nations in B.C. and approximately 200,000 Indigenous people, each with unique traditions and histories.
Hi, Crystal.
Good morning, Nora. Thank you for your welcoming and acknowledgment.
We welcome everybody here today, and we are here to dive into the latest innovations shaping early childhood education and child care.
Today, we’re thrilled to have two incredible guests joining us.
Bridgitte Alomes is the founder and CEO of Natural Pod and Rory Richards is the founder and CEO of NUQO Modular.
These two B Corp-certified companies are partnering to tackle one of the biggest challenges in child care today: access to high-quality learning environments. With demand for child care spaces surging and over half of the families in B.C. struggling to find child care, their collaboration couldn’t come at a better time. NUQO brings expertise in modular, culturally grounded construction, while Natural Pod specializes in sustainable, non-toxic, and durable school furniture.
Together, they’re streamlining the process from funding applications to fully furnished classrooms, ensuring that communities, especially those underserved, get the support they need.
Yes, and we will be discussing how this partnership is helping meet Canada’s ambitious child care expansion goals, the impact of new federal funding, and how their combined approach delivers quality community-focused spaces faster and more efficiently.
Plus, we’ll explore their shared commitment to sustainability and giving back.
So join us everyone as we unpack this exciting collaboration and what it means for children, educators, their families, families of the children educators work with, and communities across the country.
Hi Gyda, we have our podcast extraordinaire, Gyda. So Hi Gyda, over to you.
Hello, hello. Thank you so much Nora and Crystal, and a big welcome and hello to Bridgitte and Rory.
Again, we thank you so much for joining us and the learnings that we are going to gain. So let’s continue our conversation. And we’d like to start by learning a little bit about your past education and career pathways.
As a person, who are you, and what motivated you to start on this journey? Maybe we’ll just begin with Bridgitte.
Wonderful. Well, firstly, thank you for having me today to be a part of this.
I’m really passionate about the work that we do and being able to share a little bit about our story and the impact that we’re having means a great deal so thank you again.
I’m going to share a little bit of a story if that’s okay. I mean, I didn’t start my career in a sustainable space or even in furniture, even in education.
That’s certainly where I am now and have been for the last 15, 16 years. I had a few careers before that. I had been a dancer for a number of years.
And then I spent some time working in technology and software here in the Lower Mainland. So I certainly was not on this path.
I was on a path what some may call the typical path of my generation. I was married, I had a couple of children, working long hours with someone else.
And I knew that I didn’t do well for working for anyone else. I really wanted to work for myself and make a difference.
But I didn’t really know what that looks like. But it wasn’t until something that really caught me off guard or totally off guard.
With my son actually having a reaction to something that was in his environment that really had me have a very serious aha moment that changed the course of my life.
And that was really when the catalyst began for NaturalPod. And that tends to happen, you know, when you’re driven by external forces, whether it’s by parents or a community, whoever has an influence to us.
So something that caught me off guard that I wasn’t expecting made me realize that what other families or parents or educational facilities is this happening at?
And how do I make a difference? How do I create a legacy where I can go to sleep at night and be excited to wake up the next day and do something that’s going to make a difference?
And I really believe in that. So looking at the educational industry and really seeing how that was created, it wasn’t really created from a place of intention.
And people didn’t really question what is it made of? Where did it come from? What else it can be? It didn’t have that context or that story.
And not many women had started an educational furniture company, certainly not here in British Columbia or making it locally in our local community.
And for me, anything is possible. It hasn’t been an easy path, that’s for sure. But it’s the most meaningful work that I could possibly imagine.
And it’s lasting work and those stories and those connections. And like my my privilege of working alongside Rory gives me an opportunity to really do something different.
So that’s a little bit about my story and my path. But I wasn’t beginning on this path when I first started. So here I am today.
Here you are wonderfully today. And thank you so much for offering us the fact of earlier pathways like dancing and technology and the role that your son played in moving you forward.
Anything is possible and especially now more so the role of women in so many fields so thanks so much Bridgitte, and then we’ll move to Rory to learn a little bit more Rory about your past careers and studies and history.
Wonderful, thank you. I’m pleased to be talking to you today from beautiful Squamish territory.
I have been born and raised in beautiful B.C. I’m originally from the Sechelt Nation but have spent most of my time living in Vancouver, specifically downtown Vancouver in the West End. I am very much an urban kid growing up eating concrete for breakfast.
My career and life path have led me to many places.
But prior to being in construction, I was in the realms of, I would say, progressive politics for many years in Vancouver. And it was through mentors and matriarchs of mine that I really got to understand the importance of childcare in the context of it also being an equity issue.
So I always supported it. It brought on a new meaning to me. And also, when I became a parent, I have three kids under the age of seven, including twin daughters, and finding childcare in downtown Vancouver was literally impossible, or if it did, it came at an extraordinary cost.
And then my commitment to being a childcare advocate really deepened considerably when I firsthand understood what families were going through. And also, because of the crisis, the environments that they were forced to put their kids in.
And so when I started working in construction, I first worked in a modular construction field.
And I was in charge of sort of, you know, business development coming up with new streams of business and I would say, hey, you know, there’s a childcare crisis.
Why don’t we build childcare.
And I was the only woman in the company, and they said, listen, I know you’re in the baby zone, but we don’t do daycare.
And I started to realize that most of the people that were building childcare and designing childcare were also men, and that there was really a female lens missing from that.
And so I later started my own construction company, an all-female construction company and an Indigenous construction company, and I decided that one of our main focuses was going to be childcare.
Wow, and wow, as you shared your story Rory, I’m thinking about what I’ve always called the four P’s: personal, professional, public, and political. And so when you offered, you know, the absolute necessary role of women and to focus on childcare given your own family experience with your three children, and your passion as a childcare advocate, it really brought all that to mind so we thank you both very much.
We both made reference to your work, but our next question, asked you to help us better understand what is the role of NUQO and what is the role, pardon me, of Natural Pod, so could you please just take some time to tell us what NUQO actually does in terms of construction, and what does Natural Pod do? Maybe again Bridgitte we’ll start with you.
Yeah, thank you. Great question.
And it’s, you know, in a simple way of describing it is we provide simple sustainable solutions for all learning spaces, no matter what age.
And it’s about having that continuity of care, and yes, we started in the early years, predominantly because of the need and the demand in the community. And we always listen and have always created anything that we have built by the voices of educators, and the children that we’re serving. Our approach is very different, and very forward thinking because we’re not product driven. We’re really thinking about a solution to a space, and we want to be the canvas to the learning environment, and we want the pieces that are in there to be the background and the color and the art should come from the children’s documentation of learning, and from whatever it connects back to the community. We want to be able to support in our work through our furniture, the ability for children to move or to collaborate or to find quiet spaces, while really, really important from a very important perspective, supporting their physical, cognitive, and social well-being. The very first seven years of a child’s life is the most fundamental part of their life.
And our work is really important to that.
We’ve always cared about what goes into our materiality, which I mentioned before about knowing where it comes from, what it’s made of, and our products are designed forever. So you’re not purchasing something and repurchasing again, which was pretty evident in our educational industry.
It’s like, you know, buy something and you got to get it again in three years’ time, and it’s not about having the latest and greatest but having a foundation that really supports a space that is healthy, beautiful, and has that longevity and appeals to all backgrounds, all curriculums, all pedagogies, no matter where the children or the communities are located. It’s agnostic across the board, and it’s beautifully made right here in British Columbia.
Fabulous. Thank you. Thank you. I love that you began with simple sustainable solutions. You also highlighted the role of children and their learning input to the “foreverness” of creating the best environments that we possibly can, and really highlighted your very unique approach. Thank you so much, Bridgitte.
And now we’ll move to Rory and learn a little bit more about NUQO.
Thank you. I think in a nutshell what NUQO does and what Natural Pod does is NUQO builds the actual childcare, and Natural Pod fills it with, you know, incredibly high-quality furniture and learning tools.
So our approach to building is very similar to Bridgitte, which is why we have such a vision and values alignment and how so many people in the industry brought us together saying, “Have you introduced Bridgitte and Rory? You two have something to get together.” And sure enough, as soon as we did, it was peanut butter and jam.
So our approach to building childcare became, it was quite organic.
When the province of B.C. started the New Spaces Fund several years ago, there was a real rush to get childcare out the door.
We had not seen new childcare being built in the province in literally decades.
And modular can be quite fast. And the good part of the story was there was finally funding and there were spaces being made, but the quality of spaces was not that great.
And myself and other childcare advocates were concerned about the design and about the quality of childcare. And there really are not a lot of architects that are actually qualified to design high-quality childcare.
There are probably, I would say there are less than, I’m going to say three in the entire…
You couldn’t even count them on one hand.
Certainly not enough to go everywhere in the province and build bespoke childcare.
So one of the benefits of modular is it can be replicated. Once you have a design, you can then replicate it.
So we thought, why don’t we put all of our passion and knowledge and commitment to childcare into one sort of prototype that can then be replicated.
Because aside from design, there were also other issues in getting childcare out the door.
And one was the burden that was being put on childcare providers to not only get the funding, but then go and get a site, then hire an architect, then oversee an entire design build.
I mean, it’s a lot. So for us to come to them with a design that already worked, that already met licensing, that already had the blessing of childcare advocates, was a real game changer.
And so we worked really diligently for a number of years, creating really beautiful childcare spaces and sort of came up with a formula.
Wow, fantastic. So I love how you began with the focus on a real values alignment with childcare, and with the work that Bridgitte is doing an organic approach funding was available, however, quality was lacking.
And so, your work is not only meeting all the requirements, but also enables replication that doesn’t need to be designed from scratch, each and every time.
Thanks so much. Our next question.
You’ve addressed in some ways, however, maybe you would like to add a little bit more. The question asks, how did your partnership come about, and why. So maybe it began at a personal level when you first met each other.
Bridgitte, would you like to just extend on that one a little bit please. It was an arranged marriage.
I love Rory’s analogy of like peanut butter and jam and, you know, I think, as a female entrepreneur in a pretty strong male-dominated field and industry, and the majority of our educators are women that are on the field working with children each and every day, I think it’s one of the hardest jobs in the world, and not very well compensated. And I deeply value that. And, you know, for us, when we’re doing our work, we want to hear the voices of educators.
I’m taking on a little path here but to stay with me for a moment.
So as I was starting out on my journey, this was new to me, I had an idea and a passion I wanted to make a difference. And I started connecting with different educators, and through that journey, I would listen and they’d say, well, Bridgitte, you should talk to this person and this person, and I spent a lot of time traveling and connecting and going out and really learning and hearing the voices of educators. And one of those voices that has been an incredible mentor and a guide for me and has provided incredible wisdom is Sharon Gregson.
And I will reference her because I remember meeting with her at the time when she was the director of Collingwood Neighborhood House and managing that community program and feeling like, wow, this is a really powerful woman and you know, what business do I have, you know, being here. And when I was telling her my story of what I was trying to do, and in the way that she’s uplifted so many, it gave me the motivation and the power to continue.
So Sharon, actually I will give her credit on this podcast and in many ways for the work that she’s doing, said, Bridgitte, you must meet Rory. She is an equal force of nature with you. And I know that the work that you’re both doing, which is not easy, is important and impactful.
And so that was really the main driving force, and of course, when Rory and I connected, to me, it was authenticity and integrity, and someone that really is driven by making a difference.
I’m absolutely attracted to that, and Rory has those values and so much more.
And then as we further unpack the impact that we’re trying to collectively do, which is to make things easier for educators that are typically already overwhelmed in trying to support the work they’re doing, in addition to the communities that are heavily underserved.
And it’s just to me, it provides a simplicity, but it also provides integrity that is rooted in a story of impact and the fact that we’re both certified B Corp companies here in British Columbia, that’s very rare.
And I know that a lot of people may not understand what that means, but you know, when you’re putting the people and the planet over profit each and every day, and you are thinking about diversity and equity and inclusion.
They’re values that not many people can really speak to.
So, that’s my story, what’s yours.
And just before we move to Rory, just to add, when you spoke, Bridgitte, about the incredible role that early childhood educators have, and that is still sadly not as well respected as it needs to be.
I’m reminded of a quote, I’ve carried with me, I’m sorry I don’t know who the quote is from, but the quote says early childhood is not rocket science, it’s actually much harder.
I think most people from the outside don’t really have a grasp, you know, of what’s all involved.
And as you spoke to the role of Sharon Gregson, we’ve had Sharon several times and I think we’ll be inviting her again on our podcast series, and that she actually connected you, and then your focus on the concepts and the reality of authenticity, integrity, and simplicity.
And I’d like to ask that you explained B Corp because I read that, but to be honest, I wasn’t understanding what it really meant. And so I’ve actually made a note for myself: people and planet over profit.
Whoa. Fantastic. Thank you. So Rory, anything you would like to add?
I mean, everything.
Everything Bridgitte said, and more and also, you know, a shout out to Sharon Gregson and one of the things I just absolutely love about the childcare sector is the women in it that are just trailblazers that are just truly women of history.
And I think that’s what I really love about the childcare sector. And I think that’s what I really love about the childcare sector. And I think that’s what I really love about the childcare sector.
And I think that’s what I really love about the childcare sector. And I think that’s what I really love about the childcare sector. And I think that’s what I really love about the childcare sector.
And also quiet fierceness is just amazing and I’m just so privileged to work among them and to call them my mentors and sometimes my peers.
So, you know, I think Bridgitte feels the same, we’ve had the same mentors.
We are lifelong learners in childcare.
And we also have the same passion for the details because it is much harder than rocket science and that’s where childcare shines is when you pay attention to the details as prescriptive as childcare guidelines are, they really don’t scratch the surface of all the nuances that are needed to create safe and nurturing spaces, not just for the children, but also for their caregivers. We need to design and create these spaces with both in mind.
Absolutely. And thank you again, Rory, for highlighting the women in the field and the women you mentioned together with myself are all on the board of the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C., and the mobilizing and the trailblazing of so many of these women.
We actually said at one meeting we didn’t know if we’d still be alive before any progress was made in childcare. So indeed, there has been and we don’t want to deny that in any way, yet still miles to go.
Our next question says why childcare and do you both serve other communities as well. So I think you’ve actually responded to the “why childcare” from your personal, political, and public and professional background.
It would be interesting for us to learn as well. I know Bridgitte, you’ve spoken about school-related, you know, early, rather than only early childhood, but might you just expand a little bit on any other communities that you and your work serve.
Absolutely. I mean, often, and even with this partnership of bringing in these modular spaces in communities, these spaces are not just for children.
They are serving parents and elders and the outside community for other types of programs. And I think about the various spaces. I mean, if we think about the future, we’re very fortunate to have a space that is dedicated to one activity.
Well, a space and as time goes on, we don’t really have that luxury. So the more that we can make our spaces of learning spaces be more community hubs is really the future of where learning environments connect because it’s that intergenerational connection of where we’re always learning, as Rory said, we never stop learning, but how do we connect those spaces together? So even a lot of the work that we’re both working on, both NUQO and Natural Pod, the buildings that we’re creating are not just for early learning spaces.
They become spaces for parent educational evenings, for community outreach, for community kitchens, for conversations, including the outdoor spaces of how they can be used.
So I think more as we look towards the future, learning spaces are community spaces for all. And we need to think about that continuity of care. And yes, early learning spaces are important.
And they’re certainly, I think, the foundation of learning for our future learners. However, we don’t stop learning. We don’t stop connecting. We don’t stop needing each other.
We’ve done some spaces on weekends that the spaces become venues for weddings. And I think about that and I go, well, that’s really outside the box. Like what else could this space really be?
And how can it be used outside of the hours of nine to three?
I just loved your response there, Bridgitte, talking about the space really being seen and understood and used at a community level. So when you talked about community hub, community kitchen, and then even gave the example of the wedding, it was like, whoa, really?
And the sort of intergenerational connection. So really helpful to learn that. Thanks so much. And Rory, something you might want to add to other communities served.
Sure, I will answer that question, but I have forgotten to mention one very important person and mentor is Peter Turjei.
And Peter is, you know, the godfather of childcare architecture in B.C. He’s designed over 140 spaces.
And he’s been a great mentor of mine personally, professionally. He’s been an incredible advocate for childcare.
And he’s been an incredible force and really a blessed influence.
One of the three, when you said only three architects probably.
While I’ve never met Peter, I certainly know his name, and it’s really interesting to learn from you that he has designed over 140 spaces. Wow. Yeah, please go forth, dear Rory.
The other sorts of spaces that NUQO designs are Indigenous housing and social housing, so we do not build for-profit construction, we don’t build for-profit childcare.
That’s a choice that we’ve made as a company, and we focus on Indigenous housing and social housing, so creating safe spaces for more vulnerable folks in our society is really something that we’re passionate about, and a lot of the principles…
There’s some continuity between the two.
Okay, thank you. So, again, highlighting your commitment to community and your commitment to people and the planet over profit, wherein housing for vulnerable persons, Indigenous people, and social housing is also a key factor in your work, and the ways in which you have become well known and so appreciated in the Metro Vancouver area and beyond. Thank you, Rory.
Again, in our next question, you have spoken a little bit to this, however, opportunity now to expand and explore a little further. The question asked us to please share some of your successes and your challenges in this relatively new initiative.
So Bridgitte, over to you.
I was going to say maybe we should have Rory start this time.
I’m going to break back and forth, so Rory, over to you. Successes and challenges.
Goodness.
Well, I think the fact that our company exists is a victory in itself.
Women are less than 3% of construction, so the fact that we exist is quite staggering.
But we are very unique in this space.
Because we have made the decision to only build not-for-profit. It means a lot of our most of our projects are government funded or working with municipalities, so sometimes procurement can be an issue, particularly with school districts and others, they have a lowest bidder policy. So it’s sort of a race to the bottom on price, and we are not the cheapest product on the market, nor will we ever be, and if we ever are, we’ve probably abandoned some of the principles that we’re talking about now.
So it can sometimes be difficult to compete with the “old boys’ club,” so to speak, with the other companies who’ve been doing this for 40 years and don’t want anything to change.
So, a lot of, you know, there’s a lot of talk about supplier diversity.
It’s difficult to see that in action, and now that we’re going into a deficit mindset and to difficult waters in the next four years, that’s likely going to be an issue for a lot of businesses like Natural Pod and NUQO and other local businesses.
I worry about that overall.
And I don’t think we’re ever going to see an investment like this again in our lifetime. So, we really have to build spaces that are high quality that are going to last the next 40 or 50 or 60 years.
So, I really just hope that we’re given the opportunity to do that.
Thank you, Rory. Well, let’s just start with the plus and positive that existence is a victory.
You mentioned that women are actually less than 3%. 3% just like three architects. Wow.
And the fact that this is a very unique initiative, and for the most part government funded, be it, you know, municipal or provincial and long lasting, and at the same time the challenges are around procurement, and that it’s not the cheapest product in the market, and I hope to compete, of course, in early childhood we never liked competition. And you made reference of course to the politics.
How with all the challenges on the go, how are we going to be moving forward? I won’t mention the person from the south’s name, even here more locally focus has shifted, given that you know current reality, so thank you for that.
And then Bridgitte, what about from your perspective regarding successes and challenges.
Well, firstly, beautifully said, Rory. You know, one thing about Rory, she tells you, she will share with you as it is. And I love that. I really appreciate that about her, so thank you for that.
I think existing is huge. I think existing in a very challenging market where quality is not the priority is definitely something that for me, ongoingly, is advocating for learning spaces deserve quality.
Children deserve quality. Educators deserve quality. And when funding does become available, and rarely does it, so let’s just be really clear.
Please think about how to spend that investment well for the long run.
Quality is important because children spend more time in their learning environments than they do in their own home.
And when we are faced with economic challenges, which we all are right now, and you know, particularly parents are having to both work now and children can’t be at home, then, you know, and the lack of childcare spaces, and then the quality of those spaces is even more important than it was before.
I think for me, the success is that we really focus on hearing educator voices. In our industry, it’s usually a top-down approach, meaning that it comes from different levels that are mandating a certain purchase.
We really listen to educators. They’re important to us. They need to be inspired. They deserve the best. And with quality, you know, it’s not always the cheapest price, but that’s because of an industry that’s really playing on that.
It doesn’t really matter because it’s early childhood, they can have whatever it is, you know. Yeah, I believe in repurposing and reusing what people have before we put it into landfill 100%. However, when you’re choosing something, and when budget is available, which it rarely does, and we never get enough money to do this work, right?
We’re always at a deficit that intentionality and thinking about those pieces are important. And I’m very proud to say that there are many advocates and people in our community who understand that quality is important.
And often it’s in places where people least expect. And what we offer, it’s not just for people that can afford it, it’s for all.
So I think the challenge for me is people make a perception. They’ll look at our visuals that we’ve created or come for a photograph from a learning environment that we’ve done and they’ll make an assumption.
And that assumption is not right. The assumption is that we can’t have access to this, this is too expensive. And actually, the reality is challenge us, surprise us, tell us what you’ve got to work with and we can figure out an option.
But when you start cutting corners in different capacities, in the long run, if we go back to our own values of how some of us were raised in thinking about the heirlooms or the trinkets that we may have now, those values are really important. So some of the successes are for me is that I can go into a space that we’ve done many, many, many years ago and still looks as good as the day that we opened it.
Fantastic. I’m just filling my heart and my head with your story. It’s so true. There has been a lot of advocacy, led in so many ways by both of you for the whole issue of quality, and yet at the same time that does remain a challenge.
Listening to the voices of educators and children that you referenced earlier, and the fact that you not only exist, but we’re spreading the word, is a huge success for sure.
Next question, again, you often in your responses related to this, but perhaps you might want to add a little bit more. And the question says, during times that feel uncertain or times of hard change.
What keeps you motivated and inspired. So we’ve learned a lot about your values that keep you motivated and inspired, your commitment to community, your commitment to the non-profit world.
Just wonder if there’s anything else you might want to add.
What keeps you going and inspired and motivated in some tough times.
Well, I mean, something that you just said that you as an advocate you didn’t think you guys would be around long enough to see motion, like, maybe we’re just going through one of those times, like we’ve got to stick with it.
We’ve got to stick with it. We’ve got to remind ourselves why we’re doing this. We have to remember the kids, we have to remember the caregivers, the people that we’re fighting for, and we know we’re doing the right thing. We absolutely know that we are on the right track, and we’re doing the right thing. So, so beautifully said, Rory, stick to it, with the ups and the downs, we know we’re doing the right thing, naming, you know, the children, the families, the educators, the community, so stay on it.
Rory, anything you might want to add?
Yeah, I think I love what you shared, Gyda, and, you know, you never thought, I mean, you know, I think when we think it’s not possible, and there are barriers and blocks and challenges and constantly having to think outside the box and pivot and what about this and what about that, it comes back to really one simple statement for me, which is because it matters.
People and the community and children matter. And that’s what I focus on and, you know, being tenacious and persistent and staying on course.
It challenges me. I appreciate that challenge.
But the moment I walk into a learning environment, the moment I see the connection, that’s all I need to keep me on this path. And really that simple smile, or that simple acknowledgment of a child communicating, “Look what I did, I did this,” because it matters is really the main reason for me.
Love that and what I’m going to do is join your two phrases together because they make an excellent sentence and motivator for me with it: stick with it, because it matters.
Okay, so we’re going to go with that.
Just reminding myself, my mom who’s 101 said a couple of years ago, “Remember diversity, inclusion, and social justice is a lifelong struggle. On we go.”
And stick with it, because it matters. And so, as we come to conclusion, we could well go on for another few hours. If listeners would like to learn more and follow up with you in terms of their own situation or need to request.
How do they best contact you, for example, would we be able to offer your emails or so on, on the podcast? You certainly could if any of your listeners.
Childcare operators are looking to open new childcare are needing assistance with funding applications, design, etc. We love to talk with you.
Fantastic. So I love that your domain is very expansive, not just the construction or just the equipment and environment, but funding and other kinds of opportunities. Anything, Bridgitte, you might want to add to that?
Absolutely. Please reach out any questions, whether it’s looking for support, inspiration, who to talk to, the community of outreach, know that that’s really the work that brings me personally the greatest joy is trying to support people in their journey and helping them to find a solution, and if it’s not us, then there are other people that we can connect you with too, but you know, do reach out, follow us on the social channels as well, comment, ask for certain pieces that you might need.
And really speak up, because it does really matter, so reach out as well. Really listen. Absolutely. So follow as best and well that we can.
So this brings us to the end of today’s conversation, Bridgitte and Rory. We thank you both for sharing your journeys, your insights, and the incredible work that you’re doing to create sustainable and community-driven learning spaces.
It’s really inspiring to hear how NUQO and Natural Pod have come together to make high-quality childcare and education more accessible, and especially in communities that need it the most.
So we’re moving on to Nora to get closing remarks. Thanks, Gyda. Wow, all I can say as well, and I can see you’re so also nodding in awe of all your efforts.
And I’m glad Gyda clarified it’s 3%, not 33% of women in construction. Yeah. So, well, this is very inspiring, as I said, and from navigating the challenges of launching a new initiative to celebrating your successes.
This is making a real impact in their lives, and as we’ve discussed in times of uncertainty of change, it’s the sense of purpose and community that keeps the work moving forward, and for our listeners who may want to know more or connect with us, please be sure to check the NUQO and Natural Pod online websites, and the show notes will include links, and we’ll put the media social media so you can know more and learn more about these amazing companies, and whether you’re looking for support or developing new childcare spaces, exploring funding opportunities, or simply learning more about sustainable learning environments, they’re here to help, and believe me, there’s a lot of passion and knowledge here like you can hear it in their voices.
Thank you again, Bridgitte and Rory, and to all our listeners for tuning in. If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, share far and wide, and join us next time for more conversations about shaping the future of early childhood education. So until then, please take care and keep building spaces where children, educators, families, and communities can thrive.
