A story by Pascal Chrétien

November 2020

I met Diane Grégoire at Tocara’s head office in August 2010. You would notice straight away her confidence and her colourfully classy style. She had good questions and she made useful comments. She had flair because she left the office with her Starter Kit.

Right at the beginning, she decided to succeed, without making excuses and even with a full-time job and a Travel Agent class to attend. We often had breakfast together to talk business and build our relationship. She often said: “I do not understand”, to the point where she tested the limits of my patience on more than one occasion! In fact, she knew how to focus on her strengths so well that the limits of her understanding never stopped her from succeeding.

In May 2015, she learned the position she had at an insurance company for 33 years was cut. The same evening, she told me she was taking a couple of months of vacation then she was investing herself fully in her Tocara business.

At Conference, in August 2015, Tocara announced an incentive trip to Antigua. To qualify, you only needed to recruit 10 people in the next four months, 20 for a trip for two. This was a big challenge for Diane who had no intention of leaving her husband behind. It didn’t stop her from standing up to claim, loud and clear, “Count me in!”.

At that very moment, I must admit I had doubts. You need to know that only a few months before, Diane admitted to having a hard time building her team. She actually had only recruited six consultants in five years. However, when Diane really wants something, she strives to get it, no matter what. So, she took classes and trainings, she learned from those who had succeeded and put all that into practice. At the end of November, we celebrated her work, and her success, when she qualified herself for the trip for two – the first in a long series! Furthermore, she finished 2015 as a Ruby Director, following with an Emerald promotion in 2016 and Diamond in 2017.

At the beginning of 2020, we made a plan and I told her she would become Vice-President. She was motivated, but her enthusiasm had been cooled by recent struggles that slowed her ascension, so she offered me a simple “yes”. The pandemic came and derailed that plan. The situation dictated a switch to virtual and online interaction, but Diane’s strength was in direct contact, in person. She was destabilized to the point where she was content with doing the minimum qualifications each month. At the same time, she watched as her leaders businesses skyrocketed on the Web.

So, little by little, Diane made friends with this new way of working her business. She adapted, slowly, and the passion came back. I’ll say it again, Diane is a woman who commits – and in September 2020, as we celebrated her 10th year anniversary with Tocara, she committed herself once again to succeed, no matter the situation.

In October, her team rallied around a common goal and magic happened – Diane qualified for her first month as a Vice-President. In November, it’s official, we are celebrating a new Vice-President, a woman devoted to her team, the success and growth of her peers.

The road to this goal was filled with doubts and obstacles, as it is often the case. But the journey is one of learning and success. The success of a woman determined to prove that life doesn’t stop at 60, that we can always learn and adapt when we focus on our strengths.

I am proud to celebrate the success of Diane Grégoire, my friend, my director and my first Vice-President.