Not All Growth Reaches Up Yesterday, I stopped to admire my friend Robin’s euonymus tree — its branches weaving outward in every direction, steady and full of life. Some paths grow upward. Others grow outward — grounded, connected, and full of purpose. It reminded me how not every kind of growth reaches up. Some of it spreads out — toward new ideas, new people, new ways of being. That’s what a multi-path career feels like to me: growth through connection, creativity, and curiosity rather than...
11 days ago • 1 min read
This weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada, and I can’t help but pause in gratitude. Thanksgiving 2015 — a moment of gratitude for the paths that intertwine to shape a meaningful life. I’m thankful for the obvious blessings — family, health, and the chance to live in this vast, beautiful country that changes with each season: from lilacs in bloom to the hum of cicadas, to harvest leaves and the hush of first snowfall. Beyond those blessings, I’m especially grateful for the chance to do work that...
18 days ago • 1 min read
A life fully lived — until the very last day I didn’t know Jane Goodall personally, but I’m blessed that my dear friend Rachelle Hansen did — and that she gave me a glimpse into what it was like to be in the presence of such an extraordinary human being. What I do know is how she impacted humanity and the earth. It’s impossible not to know that. This morning, I listened to a podcast where Jane was interviewed shortly after her 90th birthday. When asked how old she felt, she replied simply: “I...
25 days ago • 1 min read
This is me manifesting. ✨ Last week, I shared about the importance of tending to different paths in our lives — that we don’t have to nurture them all at once, but that each one deserves our care when its season arrives. Well, this is the season for one of the biggest dreams I’ve carried in my heart. And today, I’m saying it out loud. Because I believe — truly, with every cell of my being — that once we give voice to something, we breathe life into it. And from there, all we need to do is...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Sowing, reaping, and harvesting—career lessons from the prairies I just arrived back from visiting family and friends in Saskatchewan. Somewhere between the clouds and the canola fields, I was reminded that the best way to build a multi-path career is to think like a farmer. My dad was a farmer with an eighth-grade education—one of the smartest people I’ll ever know. He quietly lived a multi-path life long before I had the words for it. I grew up outside a tiny village called Eyebrow (yes,...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Smiling Through the Overlap of Joy, Memory, and Purpose Some weeks, life fills up in the best (and busiest) ways. Yesterday was one of those days. September 14 has always been significant for our family—it’s my daughter’s birthday, my little brother Lonny’s birthday (the namesake of Lonny’s Smile Foundation), and also the birthday of my late mother-in-law. A day of celebration, remembrance, and love that deserves space and attention. Between honouring those moments, preparing for my upcoming...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Finding Joy in the Buzz of TIFF I love the buzz of TIFF. I smile the whole way through—through the crowds, the TIFF shop, the red carpet photo opps. I pause for the Unagi Lover’s lunch and a pinot grigio at Kinoya Sushi & Bar. And I people watch. Oh, the people! From all over the world, brimming with joy and energy. Not a grumpy face in sight. 🎬 TIFF 50 - the buzz is real. Sometimes you don't need to see a film to be part of the magic. Why? Because we all chose to be here. Drawn like a magnet...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
The Grapes, the Growth, and the Letting Go This week, I found unexpected wisdom between the rows of grapevines in Niagara-on-the-Lake. While visiting wineries, savouring local food, and loading up on farm-fresh peaches and plums from roadside stands, we ended our day at Two Sisters Winery. The setting sun filtered through the vines, casting a warm light on a cluster of grapes — some plump and ready to harvest, others still green and firm. No filter. Just nature doing its thing. It struck me...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
The Power of a Tactical Pause This week I watched a video that really stuck with me—and I think it may help you, too. It was from Dr. Jannell MacAuley, a retired U.S. Air Force combat veteran, pilot, and commander who now specializes in mental skills training. She told the story of one unforgettable flight: middle of the night, night vision goggles on, responsible for more than 50 people and a multi-million dollar aircraft. And then—everything that could go wrong, did. Shortly after takeoff,...
2 months ago • 1 min read