Personal
When I was young, I wanted to be a journalist. At some point, I became curious about why. It seemed like a lofty dream for someone who rarely wanted to draw attention to herself. Looking back, I can see that I was drawn to the idea of writing, asking questions, and learning about new things.
But knowing myself as I do today, I think there was something else there too. A part of me wanted to be seen. To have something to say that mattered. To feel valued. For much of my life, my inner critic told me stories about who I was and what I was capable of. I believed many of them without ever stopping to ask whether they were actually true.
That’s the thing about the stories we tell ourselves: when we’ve carried them for long enough, they can start to feel like facts. What stories are you telling yourself about who you are, what you’re capable of, or what’s possible for you? And how true are they, really?
Writing and learning have continued to be big themes in my life. Writing is still my “go to,” but I also love swapping ideas with people, collaborating, asking questions, and finding new ways of doing things. And I’ve realized it’s not just that I love to learn. I love helping other people learn, grow, and see things differently too. So it makes sense that for the past 15 years, my work has centred around learning and development – first in the corporate world as a Learning and Development Manager, and then in education, working alongside faculty as an Educational Developer.
And now, I’m a coach too. Through coaching I’ve learned tools and skills that have changed the way I listen, the questions I ask, and the space I create for people to think. I’ve seen what can happen when someone is given that kind of space – to hear themselves more clearly, challenge the stories they’ve been carrying, and discover possibilities they may not have seen before.
My love of learning and growing extends well beyond formal education. Some of my most meaningful learning has come through the people in my life.
As a mother of two children, a son who is 13 and a daughter who is 11, I am continually reminded that learning does not always flow in the direction we expect. While I may be their parent, they are also two of my greatest teachers. Through them, I have learned to see things differently, question my assumptions, be more patient, let go of control, and continue to grow alongside them.
When I think about the people in my life, I realize that they have each taught me something different. Some lessons have come through love and connection, others through challenge and discomfort. All of them have contributed to who I am becoming. Perhaps that is one of the most important things I have learned: growth doesn’t only come from the things we intentionally set out to learn. Sometimes our greatest teachers are simply the people we choose to share our lives with.
As I learn more and watch others in their learning what I’ve come to believe is that the greatest gift we can give ourselves is the gift of awareness – being aware of ourselves, our thoughts, emotions and the resulting actions. We all have the ability to understand more about ourselves and what is important to us.
But sometimes we don’t have the time, or know how, to become more aware. As a result, we continue to fall into old habits, behaviours, and norms that are limiting us from being our best selves. We are disconnected from who we are. And by virtue of this we can be less connected to others.
If you would like to open up that gift of awareness, and you want to move forward towards your goals and who you really are, then it would be a privilege to be your partner in that learning process.