Newsletters

Last week, I got an unexpected email from a team member with the subject “I have news”. Rather than get excited for the possibilities (e.g. a new grandchild? A new work opportunity?) I immediately started worrying about what could be wrong – was she unwell? Was she leaving the team?

Last week, a heavy snowfall arrived in parts of Ontario. The snow came down for two days solid in the Grey Highlands where I spend half my time these days. I was working from an office in our old “farmhouse” and watching the snowfall, reflecting on the seasonal change and what it means to me.

The season is changing. The signs are all around us and it is a wonderful time to work with metaphor. Pause and look outside. The leaves are turning. Kids are back to school. The days are shorter and darkness comes faster.

A client recently shared with me a deeply meaningful gift she had received from a dying friend. It was a piece of jewelry in the shape of a turtle with a card that read: “What’s worth slowing down for”? Inside the card, the answer was “You are”.

People sometimes ask me if it’s hard to coach individuals who say they want to change direction but keep doing the same old things that hold them back. One friend said recently, “It must be so frustrating when they don’t take your advice”.

During the last several weeks of devastating world events, it has been difficult for me to stay focused and carry on with daily life. Like many people touched by the events in Israel and Gaza, I have been overwhelmed by feelings of fear, grief and hopelessness.

There is nothing like visiting a place to deepen your understanding of its people, customs, and culture. Last month Kevin and I hit the road and traveled to Atlantic Canada, with a delightful stopover along the south shore of the St Lawrence River in Quebec.

I recently completed my first 10 km race. I’m 55 years old and was never a runner. When the pandemic shut down the local gym, I found myself choosing to run to stay fit and manage my stress. Three years later, I achieved a “personal best”, running 10 km in under an hour.

Last week my spouse Kevin and I participated in a Mindfulness Retreat* in the Beaver Valley, a UNESCO-designated biosphere in Ontario. It was held in a village in the Niagara Escarpment, where there is an abundance of hiking trails, rivers, farmland and a natural environment for flora and fauna to thrive.

After a wonderful restful holiday, I found myself feeling fatigued and overwhelmed at the start of the new year. The past year was jam-packed with barely enough time to catch my breath. When I finally slowed down, it was hard to get the engine going, despite the best of intentions and lots of exciting new ideas for 2023. Sound familiar?

I recently became a Mentor Coach with the International Coach Federation and will be offering a group Mentor Coaching Program in 2023 to certified coaches who are renewing their credentials and coaches in training who are seeking certification for the first time.

For me, the fall season is usually an exciting time of onboarding new clients, launching a new project, taking a class, and reconnecting with friends and family over the High Holidays and Thanksgiving.  This year, I’ve found myself resisting the usual rush of activity. I don’t think I’m alone in wanting life to just slow down.

A year ago in this newsletter, I profiled one of my clients, Alexis Ashworth who had left her Executive position with a non-profit organization to launch a new social enterprise, Root in Nature.

I love this time of year. As the layers of heavy clothing come off, I start to feel lighter. I notice that even during difficult times, I can bounce back faster. It’s as if the sudden signs of natural growth give me an extra boost to overcome the every day challenges in my professional and personal life.

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According to recent reports, an increasing number of people are making significant career changes at mid-life, including resigning from jobs without another one secured.

Last week an article on languishing in the NYTimes [...]