Having worked in mental health and as a crisis worker, I have seen the back storage room of the store. It’s not good news. Bell Let’s Talk day (January 25th) is a reminder of how much we need to blow the lid off the stigma of mental Illness, for everyone.
I am thinking of a woman that I really admire. She had spent most of her social worker years helping people afflicted with different mental health disorders. (more…)
I was given some feedback about my participation in a closed Facebook group that felt somewhat harsh at first. Now, I want to point out that I deeply respect and admire the person who was telling me this. If it had been someone who I didn’t respect, I might not have taken any notice of his comment. But when he brought it up, I felt guilty wondering if I had done something wrong.
What is funny is that it was such a small thing, and he just wanted to nip it in the bud. I’ll tell you the story below.
If you have children, you have probably read something at some point about how to raise a happy child. They all include the advice of “Love them unconditionally”.
No matter what our children do, love them beyond the behavior. Otherwise, our act of resentment will drag them down and hold them back in life.
Successful parenting always has components of forgiveness, adapting and letting go. Those are elements of unconditional love. (more…)
It’s official. 2017 is here.
Many of us sit and take the time to look forward.
Others just look back.
Whichever way you chose to face the year ahead, it’s time to decide to be inspired. It’s always the right time to be.
Wishing you health, love and an abundance of all that makes you feel inspired.
Are you ready to take action this year and experience a transformative coaching experience? Check out my scheduler and we’ll see if we are a good fit!
Monique works with organizations who want to reduce conflict to create a culture of collaboration, engagement and productivity. The most successful leaders are not infallible when faced with someone who “drives them crazy!” Her strategies to empower people to better understand each other and have better outcomes, while having fun, are appreciated by all who meet her. She draws from 30 years of crisis intervention work, she is a Level II Accredited Trainer for DISC as a Human Behavior Consultant and a Certified NLP Professional Coach. She loves meeting people and getting to know them and their industry. So feel free to reach out.
Twas the night before New Year’s
Doing an annual review
Folks were getting frustrated shouting
“Hey, where’s the corkscrew?” (more…)
(As published in Huffington Post)
It was 1991 and my first Christmas in my new home after my emotionally draining divorce. We lived in a depressed area. My family was 400 km / 250 miles away. I was struggling financially with a small business, helping in the community where I could, while nurturing my four-year-old who had some health challenges. There wasn’t a lot of money but honestly, nobody had a lot of money there.
Little did I know that I would get to play Santa for so many people that year. It still remains one of my best Christmases ever. (more…)
(As published in Huffington Post)
Susan was a fellow office manager. She was given a budget to decorate for Christmas and as she transformed our offices with green and tinsel, she also loudly voiced what a waste of time and money this was. To her, Christmas was about family – not work. The daily snippy comments were annoying.
(more…)
(As published in Huffington Post)
I still remember as a little girl while at school, I suddenly began to feel very poorly and almost passed out. When the school nurse took my temperature, she immediately called my father to come bring me home. By the time he got there, the cold compresses had had their effect and I felt quite normal. My father punished me for faking a temperature and pretending to faint. To this day when I get sick, I try to power through, convincing myself that it will pass. (more…)
Growing up in Montreal, Quebec during the rise of a separatist political party in the 1970’s, this gave me a front row seat to how families can be divided because of political differences. Every Sunday, after church, this division played out in my living room.
(more…)
(Published in Huffington Post)
I just came back from a two day “Think Tank” for forward thinking business people. This experience gave me an opportunity to reflect on the people I’ve been hanging out with since deciding to tip my toe in the world of entrepreneurialism.
Besides laughing and socializing, we shared many personal stories of challenges and how we overcame them; learning from each other. (more…)
(Published in Huffington Post)
As a recovering doormat, I struggled with setting boundaries. But first, I needed to figure out when my boundaries were actually being crossed. When working as a counselor in mental health, I got a crash course on personality disorders. These disorders have a strong element of emotional blackmail to them where another’s boundaries are unimportant. This was an eye opener! (more…)
(Published in Huffington Post)
OK. So every week I sit and write an article. I try to be practical and use my critical thinking skills looking to give people tools. Honestly, this week, I was truly distracted and disgusted by the Access Hollywood video and subsequent denials by the Republican nominee. While people are asking themselves if he should get a pass because they don’t like his opponent, my mind has gone straight to his victims and how courageous they are. But also, to the victims that are keeping silent out of fear of reprisals from this litigious and entitled wealthy monster. (more…)