Grief is an emotion I’m intimately familiar with.

It can grip you from the inside and feel like it’s tearing your heart and soul to shreds. Surrendering to it can feel like diving into a deep pit with no bottom, only to be swallowed by darkness.

I’ve recently experienced a significant loss; I won’t get into the specifics, but what I do want to share is that I had been holding onto my management of this grief ever so tightly.

What emotion(s) do you avoid at all costs?

Grief? Heartbreak? Sadness? Fear? Guilt? Shame? All of the above?

Maybe you even avoid the "positive" ones so that you can avoid disappointment? Can’t be too happy, too joyful, love too deeply...

When you cut yourself off from fully experiencing these emotional experiences, you stifle the lessons and the growth that takes place as a result.

This Sunday is Summer Solstice 2021 in the Northern Hemisphere, officially peaking at 11:31 p.m. coinciding with National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21 to wrap up Indigenous Peoples Month. This is a day for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

As part of a wrap up for February’s Black History Month, I was invited by Adenike Orimoloye, a former colleague to participate in a conversation about racism in Canada, specifically, to be the Caucasian voice; initially I resisted because traditionally there have been …

As a blonde, blue-eyed professional coach who, has worked in the “health and wellness” industry, in government and other white-dominated industries, I have been able to navigate within the world with extreme privilege.

I had to keep going down this particular path because I’d ignored the call of “My Soul’s Purpose” for long enough. I acknowledge that this can also come across as extremely indulgent; “Oh poor you, you can’t do it if it’s not on purpose” insert eye-roll here.