It’s all about being confident and for Donna Schmid, she’s found success by listening and learning.
Schmid grew up in the area part of a big family.
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“I grew up in Marwayne. I was one of five kids, I have one natural brother, and my mom and dad took in three foster kids who lived with us for 18 years,” she said.
It was a lifestyle she enjoyed.
“We worked hard, a typical farm life, so big gardens in the summertime and there was always rock to pick and combining. But, I love that kind of a lifestyle,” said Schmid.
Eventually, she moved into town attending Reeves College where she got her accounting certificate.
Schmid worked in a real estate office for a few years. She was married at this time and had her daughter, Kayleigh.
“I took a couple years off then I went back and started working for Dr. Bryson Rogers, who’s a dermatologist. I worked for him for 19 years,” she said.
Schmid ran the treatment centre for the doctor who would come from Edmonton to do his work. She said they had a lot of trust in their working relationship.
She worked for a time at Prairie North Health, where she met Dr. Obafemi Ogunlewe.
“I was at that time employed by Prairie North and worked for specialists when they came into town,” said Schmid.
After some time, Dr. Ogunlewe left and decided to open up his own office and Schmid had the decision to stay or go.
“I loved working for him, so I went with him, and the rest is history,” she said. “I’ve worked for Dr. Ogunlewe for 12 and a half years.”
Schmid ran the office for Dr. Ogunlewe. Moving to work for a doctor who was an obstetrician and gynecologist, she wasn’t sure how she’d like the change.
“When I first got into it, I wasn’t sure if it was my choice of the medical field,” she said. “Once you work with him and you realize what’s going on and the female body, it’s actually pretty neat.”
Schmid quickly found a lot of joy in the middle of the week.
“Wednesday is definitely my day, we have prenatal in and out all day. Some of them are onto their third baby, we’ve seen them for their other two. It becomes almost like family,” she said. “You’re excited to see them back again, you’re excited to see the kids they had before, where they’re at now.”
Another passion of hers emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she found herself stuck at home.
“I knew by staying home I was going to go stir crazy. My husband went and found me end tables to paint,” said Schmid. “I had never painted a piece of furniture in my life and started into that.”
The work quickly took off for her and she was quite busy painting furniture.
“It turned into a full-time job, even though I had a full-time job. I looked at my Facebook marketplace and I had like 120 people following me,” said Schmid.
She quickly realized it began to consume her weekends and evenings as the requests for various pieces of furniture poured in. Schmid and her husband made a good team doing some larger projects.
“We did a couple of RVs, we did the inside of them. I love doing that kind of stuff and I love working alongside my husband,” said Schmid.
Her life was busy, but she still managed to find time to give back to the community as part of the Bordertown H.O.G. chapter.
Schmid found herself involved in the local toy run as a road captain.
“They had asked me and another guy that was heavily involved in the group to lead the ride through town and out of town,” she said. “That’s pretty cool when you’re leading 140 bikes behind you.”
It was an opportunity for her to help get women into riding.
“I was a new lady rider; I didn’t know anybody that rode. When I started in 2012 or 2013 there wasn’t a lot of women riders,” said Schmid. “I loved encouraging other women, ‘You can do this.’”
She enjoyed riding with other women who shared the same interest. Schmid discussed a recent story of getting someone on their bike and helping build confidence.
“I just saw on Facebook she rode for two hours, and I was like, oh good, I got her confidence (up),” said Schmid.
She also has some words to impart on those looking to be successful in anything they do.
“You don’t need to be the best at anything,” said Schmid. “I always think if you have confidence, and you’ve got two ears that are open and willing to listen and to learn, you will go up.”
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