Would you like to be our next member spotlight?
At WiT, we love to shine a light on our members' stories and give them a chance to answer questions about themselves, plus offer advice to other members.
Christina Collura
Toronto
CEO and Founder
Creative Beginning
“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me?”
This stands true as a professional but as an AUTISM mommy too!
More About Me
Tell us about your career journey and how you ended up here.
I am a full-time kindergarten teacher, and my youngest son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. I created an educational concept for him that was super successful! I felt the need to reach students of all abilities and therefore applied the concept of two other educational products. I make it my mission to bridge the gap between not only educational concepts of identification and printing but also between mainstream and diagnosed children.Describe yourself in 5-7 words.Passionate
Driven
Emotional
Advocate
Friendly
Easy Going
Tell us about a time when you thrived at work, and what you learned about yourself from that experience.
I remember doing my first-ever podcast about my story and how Creative Beginning came about. I put myself out there and mentioned a leader I really wanted to connect with. She ended up reaching out, and we had a meeting. This was a huge wake up call for me — put yourself out there, you never know what will happen! Be confident!
What is your favorite part of your job?
I absolutely love sharing my story and providing a light to learning, especially for my fellow autism community. There is such a stigma around children with special needs, and I want to advocate and teach others that you can teach mainstream students with the same resources as those with special needs! Let's bridge the gap!
How about when you "turn off" and go home? Any hobbies or fun activities you are involved in?
Creative Beginning also does personalized gifts, which I thoroughly enjoy creating for people.I am also a big sports fan!
Any must-read, must-watch or must-follow recommendations?"
Atypical" is a series on Netflix that looks at a high school student who is on the spectrum. It really does give quite an insight into living with a child with Autism.
Anything else you want to share with the WIT Community?
I hope that I can connect with all the wonderful women in our community! Women are changing the world of toys and business and I am excited to be a part of it! I hope to share my passion for advocating and change with many others!
