resilient & resourced podcast – season 2, episode 9

    When his sister was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, David struggled to face the difficult emotions of losing the one person in his life who had known him the longest.  After many end-of-life conversations with his sister, David committed to engage in yearly endurance activities in her memory. Those activities have now included…

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resilient & resourced podcast – season 2, episode 7

Writing a Life   Erica remembers resenting how often she was told that she was resilient, especially when what she really wanted was a little help. I think we can all relate to that through these many pandemic months when the word “resilient” is tired and losing its shine. As a fellow writer and lover…

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resilient & resourced podcast – season 2, episode 5

Resilience is Always in Style   Monika’s courage and calm acceptance when facing life’s challenges is refreshing! She knows that we aren’t meant to travel the journey of life alone so she also enlists the support of others when she needs it. And, in fact, she cites family, friends and her colleagues as having been…

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grit and bear it

  On the first day of Grade 8, the homeroom teacher, Mr. Couch asked us to write a letter to ourselves that would be sealed in an envelope and returned to us on the last day of school.    The social and sensory overwhelm of school often took its toll on me so I was…

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resilient & resourced podcast – season 2, episode 1

Running a Good Race Dr. Barbara Ward has been working in the field of social work for 30 years and is currently the Mental Health Lead for the Waterloo Region District School Board, a Clinical Supervisor and is also a valued workshop presenter in the areas of Resilience and Self-Care. A lifelong runner, Barb draws…

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ride on

  unusual paths Even though it’s February, my path to work did not look like this.  In fact, I had the incredible joy of cycling to work this week.       Along with the sheer lack of snow and ice along the bike path that weaves through town, the biggest motivator for me to commute…

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ideal conditions

ideal february   It was unseasonably warm. A clear sky gently sheltered a light dusting of snow on a path in a secluded wooded area. Under these ideal conditions, a fellow introvert and I dressed lightly and put on our cross-country skis to enjoy the solitude, together. It seemed as if nothing could make the…

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why i love being an educator

  Despite the many roles I play in life, I spend most of my days at a school.   With that comes moments of “are you sure you’re cut out for this line of work” only to be balanced  with “I am one of the fortunate ones to love the work I do“.  This often…

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making hills out of hills

  Him:  “No wonder you’re tired. You worked much harder than I did.” Me (thinking): I did? How? We both biked about 30 km on a gorgeous fall day. So how was I working any harder than you? Me (speaking): “What do you mean?” Him: “Your bike is heavier than mine. You had a backpack on…

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carved in stone

  “Believing that your qualities are carved in stone creates the urgency for you to prove yourself over and over” Carol S. Dweck, PhD, Mindset: A New Psychology of Success and Achievement       The image above is from a friend and gifted sculptor, Steve Fraser, who infuses life into stone with his work…

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