Meet Leona McTaggart

We were lucky to catch up with Leona McTaggart recently and have shared our conversation below.

Leona , thank you so much for joining us today and appreciate you talking about a sensitive topic. It’s unfortunately relevant to so many in the community as layoffs have been on the rise recently, and so we’d appreciate hearing your story and how you overcame being let go?

I recall when COVID hit our state of Maryland for the first time in March of 2020. I was working as a marketing supervisor for a small casino in the hills of Western Maryland. At first, the casino shut down, but I was able to keep working for a few weeks longer due to my position. However, that eventually changed and I was laid off of work like all of the other casino employees. Thinking it was only going to be for a few weeks, I deep cleaned the house and painted my walls. That took only one week. Then, I started to go stir-crazy. I’m the type of person who has to “keep busy” and if I’m not working or focused on a project, I become depressed. I was feeling myself becoming depressed. Money was the issue – I was actually bringing home more money during the shut-down due to the extra monies being paid pout in unemployment. It was not having a reason to get up in the morning other than to eat and use the bathroom. After all, there’s only so many times you can clean your house. So, I did what people thought was crazy. I left the cozy unemployment check and went back to healthcare. Healthcare was hiring. Healthcare would never shut down. And despite wanting to leave it so badly for the casino life, I did miss working with long term nursing care residents. I’ve been working in healthcare since June of 2020 and don’t regret returning to this rewarding field. It is a true calling and it took being laid off from a job to recognize it.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Hello readers! Professionally, I am currently focused on publishing another cookbook. My first cookbook, “”Lush”cious Lunches is currently out and as I am cooking more, I’m developing new recipes and flavors that warrant another cookbook. Cooking with different liquors such as vodka, wine, etc. has been a fun experience that I love to share with others. I’m also focused on getting my “Paw”cuterie Boards business started as I am an avid animal lover and feel that our special furry friends deserve to have a classy evening of pet-approved treats.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Three skills that were most impactful in my journey are the ability to think outside of the box, good time management and not giving up when “it’s not right the first time.” Not everything I touch turns into gold. I’ve had hits and misses and learn from each failure and success. My advice is to be persistent. A dream is only a dream if you don’t pursue it. Make your dreams your reality.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to both work full time during my childhood. It sounds crazy, but I truly hardly saw them except on the weekends. They both had jobs where they had to leave very early. My mother would wake me up and it was up to me to take care of my little sister and ensure she was up, brushed her teeth, got dressed, had breakfast, packed our lunches and made sure we made it to school on time. Being given such as big responsibility as a young child made me grow up to be independent, nurturing, and be able to problem solve. For example, I recalled one time my father was going to work late and offered to drop my sister and I at school. It was a wintry morning, very cold. He pulled up to the school and usually there were a group of children waiting outside for the doors to be unlocked/open. No children present. My sister and I got out of the car and watched our father drive off. Moments later, the custodian came outside and told us there was a 2-hour delay. Instead of letting us into the school to call our parents, he shut and locked the door. It was very cold out – no way we could have waited 2 hours for the school to open. knowing that my friend lived down the road, I made the decision for us to walk to her house. When I say she lived down the road, it was a “long road”, close to a mile. I knocked on her door, her mother let us in and I was able to call my father at work. He came right away to get us and took us home. He then went back to the school and gave the custodian hell for not letting us use the phone. I believe if my mother were one of those stay-at-home moms, my life may have turned out completely different.

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