February is Black History and Black Futures Month, a reminder that honouring Black history is not only about reflection, but also about engaging with the ideas, leadership, and work actively shaping our present and future. With that in mind, I am intentionally centering one Black author this month, Amira Barger, and her book, The Price of Nice (or, … Continue reading Rethinking “Nice” at Work
8 Tips for Beating the Winter Slump: At Home & Work
Winter has a way of rearranging us. The light slips out early. Mornings feel undecided. Emails multiply while motivation quietly packs a bag and heads somewhere sunnier. For some people, this seasonal shift is more than moodiness; it can be linked to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression associated with reduced natural light. … Continue reading 8 Tips for Beating the Winter Slump: At Home & Work
Shaping the National Volunteer Strategy: The Role of Volunteer Engagement Professionals
If you work in volunteer engagement in Canada, you’ve probably felt it. Recruitment feels harder, retention isn’t what it used to be, expectations are shifting, and at the same time the need in our communities keeps growing. For decades, Canada has had a strong culture of volunteering. But in recent years, amid rising costs of … Continue reading Shaping the National Volunteer Strategy: The Role of Volunteer Engagement Professionals
What We Miss When We Confuse Performance With Productivity: Rethinking Work, Value and Equity
We are slowly moving away from a world where work is something you perform and toward one where work is something you produce. Some people are not ready for that shift yet. But technology, culture and reality are nudging us there anyway. And just to be clear there will always be a place for emotional … Continue reading What We Miss When We Confuse Performance With Productivity: Rethinking Work, Value and Equity
Stop Waiting for the Weekend: The Art of Making the Most of Your Workday and Evenings at Home
There is a quiet habit many of us fall into without noticing. We begin to treat the workweek as something to get through rather than something to live. Days are measured by their distance from Friday. Evenings become recovery time. Life, it seems, resumes later. But most of our lives do not happen on weekends. … Continue reading Stop Waiting for the Weekend: The Art of Making the Most of Your Workday and Evenings at Home
Rethink, Refresh, Reengage: Creative Volunteer Engagement for Busy Teams
At the start of the year our manager invited us to choose a word for the year. One word to guide how we show up at work and support others. I chose creativity. That choice kept resurfacing for me in an unexpected place: a Febreze commercial. The ad asks whether we’ve become so accustomed to the … Continue reading Rethink, Refresh, Reengage: Creative Volunteer Engagement for Busy Teams
Slowing the Volunteer Exodus: Practical Ways to Foster Meaningful and Inclusive Volunteer Experiences
Psychological Safety and Voluneer Retention Picture this, you are in the office kitchen, coffee in hand, and someone casually asks, “Why do we never have enough volunteers, and why do the ones we recruit keep leaving?” Too often, volunteers are treated like spare parts, they are slotted in where needed, asked to fill gaps, and … Continue reading Slowing the Volunteer Exodus: Practical Ways to Foster Meaningful and Inclusive Volunteer Experiences
Volunteer Screening: Balancing Volunteer Risk Management with Accessibility and Inclusion
When most people hear “volunteer screening,” they think of background checks, long forms, piles of paper work and red tape, basically a process all about risk. But here’s the thing, great volunteer screening can do much more than protect your organization. It can open doors, making volunteering safe, welcoming, and inclusive for everyone. Whether it’s … Continue reading Volunteer Screening: Balancing Volunteer Risk Management with Accessibility and Inclusion
Redesigning Volunteer Programs: Exploring the Decline of Long-Term Volunteering and the Shift Toward Short-Term and Event-Based Engagement
Volunteering used to look a lot like a long-term commitment. People signed up for weekly shifts, joined committees, or served on boards for years at a time. It was a rhythm - steady, predictable, and deeply rooted in community life. But lately, things have changed. Many nonprofits are seeing fewer long-term volunteers and more people … Continue reading Redesigning Volunteer Programs: Exploring the Decline of Long-Term Volunteering and the Shift Toward Short-Term and Event-Based Engagement
Peer Support 101: Engaging Outside Your Support Group
Peer support groups provide individuals with a safe space to share experiences, address challenges, and receive encouragement from others who have faced similar situations (e.g., addiction, depression, diabetes, grief, etc.). However, chance encounters with fellow group members outside of the support setting can sometimes lead to uncertainty or discomfort. Many members may not be sure … Continue reading Peer Support 101: Engaging Outside Your Support Group
The Toronto Distress Centres Support Social and Mental Health in Toronto
Many people in Ontario struggle to access mental health support that is both affordable and available when they need it. Since 1967, Toronto Distress Centres have been stepping in to fill that gap, providing critical support exactly when it matters most. The centre offers free, confidential, 24/7 phone support for anyone feeling lonely, stressed, or … Continue reading The Toronto Distress Centres Support Social and Mental Health in Toronto
Making Friends in Adulthood
“Living a long life, the conventional wisdom at the time said, depended to a great extent on who we were—that is, our genes. It depended on the decisions we made—on what we chose to eat, and how much we chose to exercise, and how effectively we were treated by the medical system. No one was … Continue reading Making Friends in Adulthood
Setting Your Life to Music
Music has a magical way of touching us, by lifting our spirits, calming our minds, and helping us power through life’s ups and downs. Yet, surprisingly, many of us don’t make a conscious effort to bring more music into our daily lives. Let’s change that! Here are three easy ways to weave more music into … Continue reading Setting Your Life to Music
The Middle Slice 