About

A single light bulb hanging from the cei

Why

It's a world with 8 billion voices wanting your attention. Not so long ago, you'd only hear the ones in your community and in the limited types of media then available. Today the clamour can be overwhelming.

I created this site, this blog, to be a bit of an antidote to the cacophony. A simple, quiet and grounded place that isn't screaming to be heard and that you can trust. My goal is to share with you gems of wisdom that I curate from around the world, along with some of my own elaborations and contributions. And to offer support to anyone wanting to cultivate more emotional wisdom in their own life or the lives of their children.

No agenda, except for one: to cultivate a passion for emotional wisdom in every human.

That's it. Imagine. Imagine a world in which every person's actions were rooted in wisdom and love.

Who

I'm one of the 8 billion voices. I could rattle off a list of academic and professional accomplishments like a resume (here's a summary) but in the end it doesn't prove much. What matters most when it comes to wisdom is lived experience - and what you do with it.

Wisdom is all about the application of knowledge. It's one thing to know what the right action or attitude is, it's another to choose it. As a teacher, working with kids in two continents, I've had a lot of experience of what works and what doesn't in terms of effecting change. I've translated that wisdom into my coaching of kids of all ages (and their parents) for the last couple of decades.

Understanding what affects our choices, emotions and motivations, and therefore our behaviours, is what I've spent a lifetime studying - beginning before my university education, and then through my degrees at the University of Toronto (Hons. B.A., B.Ed., and graduate work in M.A. Cognitive Science). Then on through my decades of experience as a teacher, facilitator, instructional designer, manager, mentor, and coach (not to mention mother).

To really get a grasp of where I'm coming from, read my blog posts and articles. And look out for my upcoming ebooks.

What

I help people build the essential emotional, mental, and relationship skills they need to transform the quality and direction of their lives - personal and professional.

I help parents nurture these skills in their children to maximize their readiness for the challenges they will face in life.

I do this mostly by sharing transformative knowledge and ideas in my writing. I also develop programs and take on a limited number of clients for personal coaching.

Professional Highlights

I've been coaching, mentoring and delivering workshops privately, for community organisations, and in business since 2004 - in emotional intelligence-related skills, mental wellness, personal development parenting and leadership. Using best-practice, professional and evidence-based programs and curriculum, as well as developing my own programs based on widely-accepted industry standards.

My current consulting projects are:

updating and developing new content for a post-graduate Wellness course for McMaster University (Canada), and
developing an Emotional Intelligence for Leadership program for the Department of Justice and the Attorney-General for the state of Queensland (Australia).

And:

Over 14 years in public and private schools as a teacher (grades 5 through 12) and as a mentor and coach to teachers, including at the college level.

Numerous years developing and delivering professional learning solutions for multinational and other major corporations and management consulting firms.

Some of my training and education:
ACC Certified Coach, ICF (International Coach Federation)

EQ Practitioner Certification, Six Seconds

Six Seconds (6seconds.org) is the world’s largest network of emotional intelligence practitioners.

Accredited Provider of the Cool Kids Anxiety Management Program through Macquarie University.

CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) Accreditation Level 2, APT (Association for Psychological Therapies)

Life Coach Foundation Program, ILCT (Institute for Life Coach Training)

University of Toronto (Hons. B.A., B.Ed., and graduate work in M.A. Cognitive Science)

Questions? Just ask.