Stuti Govil

Introduce yourself to our audience. Tell us who you are and what you are currently focused on.

I work as a Communications Specialist in Toronto, having made Toronto my new home a couple years ago. I have had the pleasure of having lived in four countries, multiple cities and smaller towns. Sometimes, I am so thankful for the vagabond life I lived as a child for it allowed me the opportunity to feel at home, no matter where I was in the world. I have a Master’s degree in Media and Cultural Studies (SOAS, University of London) and an MPhil. In Geography and Urban Studies (Rutgers University, New Jersey). I’m a journalist by training, an educator, writer and researcher by professional affiliations, and a communications expert by interest and passion. Currently, I work at Jack Communications as a Marketing Coordinator and volunteer with the Ellevate Toronto Chapter in the Marketing and Communications team.

Tell us about your favorite Ellevate Network memory or success story. Why are you a member?

I signed up to lead and moderate the Spring Squads 2023 - I don’t know what I was expecting but I do know that at the end of 12 weeks, I saw the 7 other Ellevate members blossom and come into their own. Building out a retrospective form, I realised how far we’ve all come - making strides in our professional lives and carving time out for personal growth. Ellevate taught me that no problem is truly unique - You think you’re alone, but then you meet other women who have experienced the same and emerge shining. These are life-changing paradigms and I am so glad I was able to be a part of that. I joined Ellevate only a year ago and was so inspired to meet and learn from other women who all wanted to help and pay it forward. Working with the Toronto Chapter, I see the same ethos of wanting to learn, to make genuine connections.

How would you define your professional mission?

To be able to become an adept storyteller, to step into my own as a leader and to help others communicate effectively and clearly.

What qualities does it take for someone to be successful in your line of work?

Being authentic, being actually curious about things, quick-to-learn (and action) - if you have these three, everything else will follow. I’ve learned that making and sustaining genuine connections requires a lot more and it’s the most incredible feeling - to know you’re not alone, to know you have multiple paths charted ahead of you.

We’d love to hear more about your career path. What led you to where you are today?

I remember being called a voracious reader even before I could spell the word! I spent my childhood shuttling between different towns; books becoming my best friends and companions in a way only the land of imagination can. Writing followed soon after - first a passion and then a way of life. I’m a journalist by training, a researcher and an educator so working in communications was the most natural extrapolation for me.

What legacy do you hope to leave through your work?

Someday, I hope to have authored a book! What better legacy can a writer leave than their words?

What is your morning ritual?

I am a big believer in morning steps and I do a short walk to align my circadian rhythm. I try and avoid social media right as I wake up (or go to sleep) and instead, read morning pages. Also, SPF 50 always!

What is your favorite social media site? Why?

I am a proud Reddit fan - my search history is all over the place but nothing beats real people discussing real issues (or the best restaurant in your city or why the latest viral book is not worth the hype).

What would you say your personal superpower is?

I’ve been told I have the ability to make people feel ‘seen’. I don’t know if this is a remnant from my journalism or anthropological research days but I find true joy in listening to the stories of people, understanding what brings them to this point in the space-time intersection. I guess my superpower, then, is to be able to talk to anyone about anything!

What is the best career advice you ever received?

It’s not career advice but life advice, a quote from Oscar Wilde - “If you want to be a grocer, or a general, or a politician, or a judge, you will invariably become it; that is your punishment. If you never know what you want to be, if you live what some might call the dynamic life but what I will call the artistic life, if each day you are unsure of who you are and what you know you will never become anything, and that is your reward.” We are not nouns, but verbs. Allowing yourself to change paths, to be dynamic has been so incredibly fruitful in my journey. As someone who has worn multiple hats, I welcome the artistic life.