It’s been a pretty bumpy few weeks for me which kind of feels like being on a roller coaster of emotions with many steep slopes and sharp twists and turns and has caused me so much pain and anguish leading to a mixture of scary and intrusive thoughts. The thing is though, I’m used to […]
Compassion, Connection, mental health, Moving Forward, Self-love, Vulnerability
My first year of university was not easy. I had originally planned to attend the University of Ottawa, but when I got there something didn’t feel right. When my parents left me to go back home, and I was alone in my residence room I felt so empty. All I wanted to do was go […]
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I sat and really thought, how could I have saved you? Was there anything I could have done differently to help you then and now? I searched my memories for specific experiences from which I could advise on alternate reactions, behaviours, thoughts and self-talk. Yet, still looking back now, I realize now it did not matter […]
Compassion, Inspiration, Resilience, Self-love, Vulnerability
The biggest problem I see in our society is a lack of empathy for one another. From racial injustice to those struggling in silence amidst COVID-19, today’s generation must rise above as catalysts for change who lead with compassion for the unseen. Bebe Moore Campbell, award-winning journalist, a New York Times best-selling author, teacher, and […]
Mental health problems and the physical hospitals that treat mental illness tend to embody stereotypes, positive and negative. I am a mom to a ten-year-old girl, a wife, a daughter, a granddaughter, a friend, an entrepreneur – but I also have chronic paranoid schizophrenia. and my experience as an entrepreneur. I am also an accomplished […]
It’s funny that when asked to describe ourselves, we often reply with what we do for a living. So many times, I’ve shared my job title first beyond anything else. I placed so much of myself into my career that work became an integral part of defining who I was and who I wanted to […]
Hi Everyone! My name is Arissa and I am a youth activist! A little bit about me you ask? Ok! In 2018 I went on a life-altering trip to India with my family. Before going on any adventure my brother and I like to research more about the place we are visiting. When researching India, […]
Compassion, Connection, Inspiration, Motivation, Perspective
Alayna Fender has been a YouTube content creator since 2012. With over 240,000 subscribers, she’s clearly doing something right! She has added being a trained Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher to her offerings. When I watched several of her videos ahead of this interview, I was struck by the warm, funny, honest, vulnerable, kind and super smart […]
Oprah said to our Toronto audience several years ago, “when someone shows you who they are, believe them.” This is advice that I have not done a great job of following. I am a self-proclaimed optimist on human nature, and honestly this optimism is what has sustained my spirit in the most difficult of times. I go out into the world […]
Have you ever wondered what you would do in a horrible situation like a tsunami, or if you lost your legs, or were trapped in rubble after an earthquake? How would you react? Do you wonder whether you would be strong enough to handle it? I was faced with a horrible situation. I was blindsided. […]
As more and more of us are self-isolating in our homes, worrying about the health of our loved ones, and generally having our lives turned upside down, I am not, for the most part, hearing people complaining. Yes, we are stressed. Yes, we are worried. Yes, we have moments of freaking out. But, what I […]
