All In by Arlene Dickinson

Are You All In?

Let’s talk about being “all in.”

Not just sorta-kinda committed. Not “I’ll try if I have time.” No. I mean showing up with every ounce of who you are—flaws, dreams, spreadsheets, soft pants, and all—and putting that into your business.

That’s the premise behind All In, the latest book by Canadian powerhouse and original Dragon’s Den investor, Arlene Dickinson. And let me tell you right now: this is not your typical “how to balance life and work while sipping smoothies and answering emails from Bali” kind of book. Nope. This one cuts deeper—and truer.

Who Is Arlene Dickinson?

If you’re not familiar, Dickinson is basically Canadian royalty when it comes to entrepreneurship. She’s one of the original “dragons” on Dragon’s Den (think Shark Tank, but with maple syrup and more polite rebuttals). But her journey didn’t begin on a studio set—it started in a place many women know all too well: a kitchen with fresh-baked bread, a young family, and a whole lot of invisible labor.

At 30-something, freshly single and needing to support her kids, Arlene did what women have done for centuries: she made a way. She started her own investment company—Venture Communications—which she scaled fast and furiously. She tells the story herself of expanding too quickly, burning out, and having it all collapse. Yep, she went there. And thank God she did.

This Isn’t the Book You Think It Is

When I first picked up All In, I was expecting a tidy manual on work-life balance. Some color-coded guidance on how to be a good mom, a solid wife, and a badass business owner—all without smudging your mascara.

Spoiler: That’s not what this book is.

This book doesn’t offer step-by-step hacks or cute checklists. It offers something so much better—it offers truth. It offers experience. It offers emotional honesty that feels like a warm blanket and a hard slap all at once.

Dickinson’s message is clear: you don’t need to split yourself into a “professional you” and a “personal you.” That’s a lie we’ve all been fed. What you need is integration. You need to bring all of yourself to the table—because that’s where your power is.

The Internal Balancing Act

The biggest revelation for me was this: It’s not about keeping business and life in two tidy boxes. It’s about showing up fully in each moment—whether you’re pitching a new offer, changing diapers, or brainstorming in the carpool line.

Because the truth is, entrepreneurship is a soul game. You can’t fake it. You can’t half-ass it. And you definitely can’t compartmentalize your way to success.

Like Dickinson says in the book, when you work for someone else, you’re dreaming of vacation. But when it’s your business, your passion, your baby—you’re on vacation wondering what the Wi-Fi signal is like so you can jot down that genius idea.

Relatable much?

The Myth of Work-Life Balance

Let’s bust this one wide open: there is no such thing as balance—not in the Instagram-perfect sense. Dickinson devotes a single chapter to the topic, calling it out as the fantasy it is. You will never hit perfect balance. But you can find alignment.

And that’s where things started to click for me.

With my first business, I went all in. And I mean all in. It consumed me. My creativity, my time, my identity—it all became about the business. I worked too much. I missed moments with my kids. My sick child curled up on a beanbag in the back of my studio was a wake-up call I didn’t want but needed.

When I launched my second business, I tried to do the opposite. I separated everything. Strict boundaries. No overlap. Keep it tidy. And you know what happened? It felt disconnected. I wasn’t showing up fully in either space. It wasn’t sustainable, and more importantly—it wasn’t me.

This book helped me realize that it’s not about separation. It’s about integration. And integration doesn’t mean burnout. It means bringing your full self to the work without losing yourself in the process.

Boundaries, Baby—But Make Them Real

Here’s what I took from Dickinson’s wisdom: boundaries matter, but they don’t mean pretending you’re not obsessed with your work.

You will think of a brilliant idea at brunch. You will wake up in the middle of the night needing to brain dump in Trello. You will cancel date night sometimes. That doesn’t make you a failure. It makes you human—and driven.

The key is knowing what your priorities are and giving yourself the grace to not always get it right.

Being all in doesn’t mean you lose yourself. It means you include yourself in your business—and make decisions that reflect your whole life, not just your hustle.

The Real Heart of the Book

What makes All In so refreshing is that it’s not another manual on funnels, launches, and “just post more Reels.” It’s a reminder that who you are matters. It’s a love letter to messy, brilliant, overthinking entrepreneurs who are trying to do big things without giving up the people they love—or the person they are.

Dickinson doesn’t offer formulas—she offers perspective.

She talks about failure (hers included), shame, relationships, guilt, and the very real experience of being married to someone who isn’t an entrepreneur and just doesn’t get it.

She’s not here to hand you a productivity planner.

She’s here to ask you: Are you bringing all of yourself to the table, or are you hiding pieces of who you are?

Because if you’re only showing up with a fraction of yourself, the business you’re building will be a fraction of what it could be.

Final Thoughts: It’s Not a Strategy Book, It’s a Soul Book

This book doesn’t teach you how to run a business.

It teaches you how to stay human while running a business.

It’s the kind of book you read when you need a mirror held up to your journey. It doesn’t offer shortcuts—it offers solidarity. It whispers, “You’re not alone in this. Keep going.”

And maybe that’s the real secret to success.

Not tactics.

Not balance.

Not the latest funnel hack.

But showing up. Fully. With the mess. With the magic. All in.

Have you read All In? We’d love to hear your thoughts—what hit home for you? Did it challenge you the way it challenged Joelene?

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a fellow entrepreneur who needs the reminder that they’re not alone.

Because business isn’t just about strategy—it’s about soul.

Kelly & Joelene

Episode #403: All In by Arle... Apr 1 · The Success Through Comm... 34:57   ​