Em and I launched Seasons of Change and co-lead our first session for spring. It was such a delightful group of people!

We invited participants to think back to what they dreamed in the winter time and what seeds they were choosing to plant in their lives. Then, we invited people draw their gardens. We took our own medicine (that sounds so much nicer than dogfooding, don't you think?) and drew the seeds that we want to grow in our lives.

This is what I drew:

• The raspberry bushes are ones that have been there for 20 years. They produce juicy berries that can eaten straight off the bush or be turned into jam for the winter. They're also prickly AF and serve as boundaries for the rest of my garden.
• The flowers (chives, nasturtiums, and sunflowers that grow really tall) are about beauty and everyday pleasure. I will put the chives and nasturtiums into salads and salad rolls for a bit of a garlicky taste or a spicy flavour. Where I live sunflowers don't ever become edible but I like how tall and bold they grow. They always make me smile.
• I'm planting strawberries that will be delicious for about 3 weeks--I'm calling in more sweetness and love. The hot peppers are for some spice. I'm not actually sure if you can grow these two plants together.
• If I'm going to the work of cultivating beets they are going to be the fancy candy cane variety. I love the concentric circles inside--pinky red and white that you see if you cut them the right way. They are whimsical and joyful and remind me of Dr. Seuss books.
• Beans, beautiful heirloom varieties, are my metaphor for money and my finances. They are a great source of protein and fibre they can nourish me now, I can save beans to grow in the future (retirement savings) and I can share them with others in my community (mutual aid).
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It took me about 15 minutes to draw and colour my garden. Distilling my intentions (and having a physical representation) has been really powerful. I was also surprised to learn that I really miss having a garden plot. If you know of any community gardens in East Van that might have. spot this year, please let me know!

I'm looking forward to watering these seeds in my life and seeing what grows.

If you want to try this exercise, here's two ways you might get started:

1. Think of the things you want more of in your life, in your work, in your relationships, etc. and then pick plants that represent those things.
2. Think of the vegetables, flowers and plants you want to plant and decide what they represent for you.

Something else? Hit reply and share--I'd love to hear!

1:1 coaching

The people I coach generally see results that fall into three areas:

1. Moving from feeing stuck to unstuck— they transform overwhelm, imposter syndrome, and indecision into clarity, confidence, and a clear path forward.
2. Going deeper than work strategy — clients learn to trust their instincts, quiet inner critics, and advocate for themselves in ways that show up both at work and at home.
3. Both external and internal results — clients have earned promotions, navigated career pivots while fundamentally shifting people-pleasing and playing by other people's rules to grounding in genuine self-belief and self-worth. On the outside this looks like powerful and authentic leadership.

If you're curious about how coaching might help you, hit reply and write "CURIOUS" and I'll reply with next steps.

Professional development

I am a giant nerd for learning. "Lifelong learner" doesn't capture the depth of my enthusiasm. Here's a post about all the things I want to learn, and some of the things people in my community want to learn too.

In particular, I'm excited by these three workshops.

Introduction to Deep Democracy

I'm really hungry to learn in person, especially around conflict and group dynamics. This introductory course is being offered by the Waterline Co-op. Will you me know if you're signing up for this in person class in Vancouver with Navida Nuraney & Aslam Bulbulia? Here's a bit more about who they are:

They're offering a free online workshop on the topic of Resistance on March 31.

The Kind Lab

The Kind Lab is put on by Jeff Jacobson and Nina Simonds. I adore and respect them both.

The Kind Lab is "an ongoing virtual workshop series for coaches, facilitators and purpose-driven leaders who want to show up with more intention, depth, and kindness – without compromising impact."

Each one of the virtual sessions explores one of their five paths to kindness. The next session is April 9th.

Foundations of Internal Family Systems

Hiro is a one-of-a-kind human. They are a registered clinical counsellor, a meditation student and teacher, a somatic therapist and embellisher of sweaters (Check out the photo below. Amore! Love!) They also teach an online class that is an introduction to Internal Family Systems.

The next course is May 22-24.

What are you excited to learn? Comment on this thread. 🤓