“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” – Rabindranath Tagore

Whether ‘acts of service’ is one’s love language or not, I’ve come to a place of believing that leadership is a precious form of service. This gives great meaning to leadership. If we accept the assignment, we get to support people in expanding their gifts and contributions. In doing so we sometimes feel a direct […]

READ MORE

“Between the stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.” – Viktor E. Frankl

This season can stir a lot. For some, it sparks joy and inspiration. For others, it awakens grief, pressure, or the subtle ache of “too much.” I sense many of us carry a mix. And when we’re stretched, our animal brains love to sprint ahead of our wiser selves. The truth in a pause helps […]

READ MORE

“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” – Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

“Be kind”. I love seeing this on t-shirts. Yet I’m struck by lack of kindness we see and experience daily. Any one of us might be unkind without meaning to. When we notice it, we often see it began in an animal-brain moment, a surge of sympathetic activation. Stress narrows our awareness, the prefrontal cortex […]

READ MORE

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

We don’t have to use a hammer to get a point across, to be heard, to influence. When was the last time any of us used or experienced aggression and it worked? Assertiveness can be gentler and more effective. Assertiveness can be expressed as naming needs and wants with clarity, conviction, emotional and relational intelligence. Assertiveness […]

READ MORE

“The gift of healing the woundedness of trauma is that it becomes a gateway to love, freedom, and healing.” – Tara Brach

In a world where so many are discovering more about trauma in their own stories and in others, I’m struck by this beautiful quote from Tara Brach: “The gift of healing the woundedness of trauma is that it becomes a gateway to love, freedom, and healing.” May this offer even a wee glimmer to someone […]

READ MORE

“We work on ourselves in order to help others, and also we help others in order to work on ourselves” – Pema Chödrön

The leaders I most admire practice humility and downright dig growing. They look inward and outward, supporting others while staying committed to their own development and healing too, where needed. They are attuned to themselves and strengthen tuning in with those around them. Every challenge, courageous conversation, and moment of collaboration becomes a chance to […]

READ MORE

“The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion.” – Thích Nhất Hạnh

Last night, my spouse and I were walking by the ocean, flowers blooming in a spectrum of colour. We found ourselves debriefing on something simple, yet vital to our connection years later: how to be present and really listen to each other without interrupting and judgment. I’m grateful we can talk about these things openly […]

READ MORE

When compassion feels thin: listening to the signals.

As a Trauma-Informed Coach, I joined a timely webinar a few days ago: “Compassion Under Pressure: Navigating Trauma, Burnout, and a World in Overdrive”, hosted during PTS Awareness Month. Appreciating dropping the D in PTS and Complex-PTS. Why? Trauma and PTS are “responses, not flaws”. Trauma-informed coaching doesn’t replace therapy or clinical support. It means […]

READ MORE

When control gets in the way.

Control and ego have been showing up a lot lately in my work with senior leaders. Whether it’s managing people, strategies, or emotions, control often gives a false sense of safety. And what many are discovering is when driven by fear, control doesn’t actually work. The tighter we grip, the more tension we create in […]

READ MORE