Tara MacDonald
Entrepreneur/Inn proprietor/Momma
Website / Instagram
Ex-upper Canadian having found herself in Nova Scotia late 2008, Tara MacDonald merged her love of baking and a natural entrepreneurial spirit to establish the now infamous Two If By Sea Cafe. Known to locals as TIBS, this much loved croissanterie and community hub is credited with kick starting Dartmouth’s renaissance as a bustling business centre. Over her ten year tenure, Tara guided her humble farmer’s market stall to a well known and loved brand recognized across Canada.
Established in 2019, The Ivy House Inn was born out of a passion for home design, renovation and decor as well as a love of Lunenburg and Nova Scotia’s South Shore. Referred to often as ‘paradise’, Tara and Ivy are thrilled to call this special place home and look forward to showcasing its uniqueness to guests of the Ivy House.
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What are you most proud of professionally? And who or why?
Personally, I am most proud of the legacies I am creating and in turn, the employment opportunities they have generated for young Atlantic Canadians. I literally showed up in this province with $20 bucks in my pocket and was somehow able to open a cafe that is credited with springboarding Dartmouth's now vibrant small business scene. Many of my employees have gone on to open their own wildly successful businesses. It really fills my heart with so much pride and love.
What’s your vision for Atlantic Canada in 10 years? What’s our biggest opportunity now?
Atlantic Canada is an entrepreneur's dream landscape. If you build it, they will most certainly come. Maritimers are hands down, the most supportive and welcoming community to ideas and businesses that I have ever encountered. Tell a Maritimer your story and you have a friend for life. There is ample space here - room to breathe - to allow your vision to take flight. The proverbial pace may be slower, but the desire for strong, committed communities is unstoppably swift. There's no other place in the world I'd rather call home.
What was your greatest stage of growth? What made it a shift for you?
I can honestly say, I’ll never stop growing, learning and having massive “Ah, Ha” moments. Every day is a new lesson in life, love or relationships. My focus now is to try and acknowledge these light bulb moments, pause, reflect and make sure I glean the message and meaning from each one.
What’s your favourite or most read book or podcast? Now or at each of your greatest stages of growth?
I’m addicted to spiritual growth - which I believe goes hand in hand with any other type of evolution in a person’s life. Right now, I’m working my way through the To Be Magnetic courses by Lacy Phillips. Her podcast is amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to dig deep into the past, in order to create the future you’re wanting.
What’s your deepest learning from this past year? How did/will you apply it?
I have learned many, many tough lessons in the last 3 or 4 years and my biggest take away is to never doubt my instincts or intuition, never assume anything and to always speak my truth and use my voice. I have shied away from speaking up and taking up space in the past and have made a vow to myself to never shrink to appease people ever again. It was a hard won realization.
Who’s inspired you, directly or indirectly? How have they inspired you?
I am SO INSPIRED by the women in my town of Lunenburg. The majority of our local businesses are championed by women. I hadn’t realized this until moving here and feel as though I have found my tribe. Many are mothers and balance entrepreneurship, volunteer work and kids. It’s incredibly inspiring to be surrounded by so many creative and hard-working ladies.
What would you have done differently?
I don't really believe in dwelling on the past. I think each decision, challenge or blessing leads you to where you need to be, or to the evolution of your character. There are no failures, just redirection and that's never a bad thing.
What are the principles you live by?
I have always valued integrity, transparency and loyalty in all relationships - personal or business related. To live any other way would be incredibly inauthentic and pretty painful honestly. Trust in the Universe and in my own intuition goes hand in hand with this mindset. Living authentically is always going to be that little bit of light in the darkness. When a struggle appears, I try to lean into who I am and trust that my light will show me where to go.
How have you recovered from fractured professional relationships? What uncomfortable truths have you learned about yourself in those experiences?
I don’t know that I have fully recovered from any major relationship breakdown and I’m not sure we can expect ourselves to. I have learned some valuable lessons about myself, patterns and people in general from these sometimes debilitating fractures. It’s taught me to reflect rather than react and that every stone put on our path is there to teach us something. It’s up to us to figure out what that something is. In the last ten years, I have learned that I can exist on my own and my ideas don’t need to be vetted or backed by anyone else. Also, that when one person wins, we all win.
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Mom, Friend, Entrepreneur, Magical space builder, Wellness chaser, Collaborator.