iNSPiRED PRACTiCE » Whiteboards

31 Days of Fiery Kite + Sweet Peach

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:59:28 +0000

July flame

Fiery kite

Will-o-the-wisp

Lead me through the night

July flame

Sweet summer peach

High up in the branch

Just out of reach

Can I call you mine?

*Lyrics from the song July Flame by Laura Veirs.

July, you make me hot. No really. I have nearly melted at least twice. The iNSPiRED PRACTiCE 3^rd floor headquarters (see top right photo above) has averaged a balmy 30C at 60% humidity many days this month. Since I am such a hardcore eco crusader and my husband is apparently cold-blooded (like an amphibian perhaps?) and unaffected by heat waves, we are sans air conditioning. The good news is that having my very own sweat lodge in-house has produced some pretty awesome revelations. Expect to see some creative additions to iNSPiRED PRACTiCE’s offerings this Fall. Oh and a change of scenery!

I have discovered one of the best ways to keep from turning into a puddle is to drink cool coconut water and eat juicy peaches (which are also quite delectable when grilled.) Thankfully all of this beautiful sunshine and warmth has done wonders for my blossoming (repurposed) container garden.

My Town of Parkdale and Dundas West station buttons (pictured above) are courtesy of Spacing Magazine. Do you know about it? My husband – the handsome fella in the bottom photo – introduced me to Spacing Toronto. You can learn all about the magazine here and check out the fabulous buttons featuring different TO ‘hoods and subway stops here.

Although July has definitely been fiery hot, I’ve hit the streets running. I am proud to have gotten back on the wagon with my training and even happier to say that I have reached my 8 km/hour goal. Now I simply have to sustain that pace. I suspect it is easier said than done. The good news is: I lucked out and found myself an ideal addition to the iNSPiRED team – a Director of Employee Morale. His name is Mojo and he is going to help me work my tail off during the last two weeks of August.

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30 Days of Sidewalk Poetry

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:22:40 +0000

When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses. ~ John F. Kennedy

Generally I would have had the iP whiteboard up by mid-June but the month was so full that I really needed a few extra weeks to let the events and ideas that surfaced marinate. I reflected on various themes that cropped up but one that seemed to stick was around “roles” – the roles we play in our work, family, community, etc… I have had my share of experience with role theory through Deep Democracy but this past month I was concerned with only one role (or archetype). The poet. Is the poet a visionary? a prophet? a messenger? a leader? a transformer? Is the poet the busker at an intersection singing her personal story, the dad holding his young son’s hand or the passerby with a soft smile on her face? Who’s work is poetic? Only the artist or also the changemaker? The doctor? The baker? The student who is also the teacher? The superhero who rescues herself? And then if those weren’t sufficient questions to ponder, I piled on one more: how does it happen?

For me “sidewalk poetry” is the magic that happens in the to-and-fro of life. The eloquent and poignant messages we leave behind like little footprints. Someone else will come by and pause in those footprints and for a moment, breathe in your message. It might linger for a bit inside their lungs or be expunged as quickly as it was absorbed. Either way, those footprints will be there to revisit again and again.
During the G20, while many others in my community were on the streets embroiled in their own battle for poetic justice, I sought solace in a pair of footprints much too big for my little feet to ever fill but worth an entire world of inspiration. In a modest yet significant way, I was present for the release of a collection of paintings based on the original poetry of one Jennifer Corriero, renaissance woman and changemaker extraordinaire. The question on the table was: “how does it happen?” And the subject was: change. The event was exquisite. The paintings were masterful. And the message was inspiring.

Earlier in June I attended a great event – Corporate Social Responsibility: How to Do It Right. Peggie Pelosi of ORENDA spoke about her work in facilitating corporate karma by connecting company with cause. The catch is that the cause has to truly resonate with the values of the company and its employees. It has to be focused and credible, and make sense with the company’s service and brand. If those conditions are met, it has the ability to completely transform a stagnant organizational culture and propel a company toward growth. This is exactly the approach I take and right now I am testing it out from the other end of the equation – beginning with the cause and connecting it to the right company. The right connection can inspire. Furthermore, it can support both an organization and a company to do well and do good.

So what of those who argue that you cannot do both – well and good? Organizations and companies may be institutions but even institutions are made up of people. And if there is one thing I know unequivocally – it is that people are capable of both doing well and doing good. Any high school graduate could explain that to you. They know what that means. Capacity accounts for 50% of it. The other 50% is entirely values. Lucky for me, expressing ideas so that they resonate with different value sets just so happens to be my form of poetry.

After such an intense month full of words, art and messages, I was happy to retreat to quiet mornings eating fresh croissants and blueberry-lavender jam procured from my local bakery and pottering around in my container garden. Is that the work of a poet too? I’m not sure. Either way, it suited me just fine.

Photo credits: Susheela Willis. Tyler-West family.

31 Days of this Wild + Precious Life

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 04:46:51 +0000

Better late than never. The May iP Whiteboard…

Tell me, what is it you plan to do,

with your one wild and precious life?

~ Mary Oliver

Time flies. It was just the first of May not too long ago and here we are nearly at the end of the month.

Essential Wisdom. A Guide for Grown-Ups was this year’s mother’s day gift. Amazing wisdom from The Little Prince author Antoine de Saint-Exupery. My favourite quote of the moment is: “I need to put up with two or three caterpillars if I want to get to know the butterflies.”

Snapshots of this wild life. A blossoming tree, thriving dahlias, a doggie sunning herself and a sustainably-harvested bamboo bowl ready for fresh salad greens and fruits.

Fresh strawberries. Yum. Need I say more?

New landing. One of my new contracts is supporting Options for Success in their change and transition management of a large group of Air Canada employees. Hence the toy airplane.

Dandelions. I love this graphic decal by Elly Nelly that I used as the background for the May whiteboard. What says Spring better than dandelions?

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30 Days of Lighting up the World

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:02:54 +0000

“Great men are meteors, consuming themselves to light the world.” ~ Napoleon

I don’t often have occasion to quote Napoleon. This is oddly momentous. I was flipping through a book my parents gifted to Mike for Easter – Letters from Leaders: Personal Advice for Tomorrow’s Leaders from the World’s Most Influential People. In it are letters from the likes of Global Leaders like the Dalai Lama and Empire Builders like Donald Trump. One such letter – from Leo Hindery Jr. (Managing Partner of InterMedia Partners and the Midas of cable TV networks) – is a variation in theme on Napoleon’s words.

Hindery declares that great leaders are meteors and that there is a set of “unassailable characteristics that distinguish and in turn define them”. He goes on to list attributes such as grace, cleverness, vision, decisiveness, and a strong ethical backbone.

One month of lighting up the world.

April is 30 days of my personal leadership journey and a reminder

that it all starts with one person.

The month began with a happy celebration to honour iNSPiRED PRACTiCE’s 3^rd birthday. So far three is a great colour on us. The sun came out. The tulips blossomed. New partnerships were built. New work was created. How very spring like…

The middle of April kicked off the Spring 2010 cycle of Sprout. My Sprouters and I have connected and are ready to take on innovative projects for social change. There is nothing as fun as conspiring to create a better world. Through my role as an e-mentor, I also have the opportunity to use Appreciative Inquiry (the 4 D’s: Dream, Discover, Design & Deliver) to develop my personal leadership journey. The personal leadership journey is a tool that helps me as an e-mentor identify my learning and leadership goals within the context of Sprout and my mentoring role.

Another big plus for me is that I get to look at social and environmental challenges through the eyes of those living in different parts of the world. Most people don’t actually get a chance to share a meaningful dialogue with others on every continent of the world. One of the Sprouters with whom I am working is based in Caracas, Venezuela and his goal is to solve a great big problem.

I have already learned so much this month via professional development and networking gatherings as well as my interactions with a cool virtual family. The body of knowledge, ideas and tools contained within the many communities of which I am a part – is so significant. It is very inspiring.

31 Days of Dropping More Keys

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:24:28 +0000

The small man builds cages for everyone he knows.

While the sage, who has to duck his head when the moon is low,

keeps dropping keys all night long for the beautiful rowdy prisoners.

~ Hafiz (a 14th century sufi poet)

This month I was inspired by the extraordinary words and ideas that comprise Chris Guillebeau’s The Art of Non-Conformity. I like how he says that he has been “challenging authority” since 1979. I have been “challenging the status quo” since 1981. The poem above is featured on Chris’ site and encapsulates the true meaning of empowerment. March is a great month to be dropping more keys so that we can all free ourselves from the cages built around us.

I started off the month reflecting on a late February walk through Parkdale and West Queen West in Toronto. Perhaps it is as a result of this walk that the theme for March’s whiteboard emerged so clearly. Let freedom ring.

A big part of our personal and professional philosophy at iNSPiRED PRACTiCE involves evolution and transformation. Every living person, place and thing evolves over time. In our quest to make the world a better place, I felt the need to free myself of an unnecessary administrative burden so that I could tend to what matters. So I made the decision to amalgamate the existing iNSPiRED PRACTiCE site with the iP blog. The conversion has started and changes will be complete this month. The beauty of this new and improved site is that it offers both static and changing content.

Spring is nearly here and to get in the spirit, the office is decked out in Ecojot designs. Before the end of March, some hardcore yoga is in order. There is quite a contrast between the damp atmosphere and intense sunshine. New muscles in the body and brain must be awakened.

March is a cup-runneth-over kind of month. My favourite kind. Manitoba Eco Network hosted its inaugural Reel Green Film Festival on March 12 & 13, 2010 and I was pleased to represent the Children’s Health & Environment Partnership of Manitoba (CHEP) there. CHEP also sponsored the premiere of A Chemical Reaction. A film that traces the genesis and evolution of Hudson, Quebec’s cosmetic pesticide by-law which set an enormous community and legal precedent for other municipalities in Canada.

So what of “empowerment”? What does it mean? Well it all begins with empowering SELF. As part of my and iNSPiRED PRACTiCE’s journey for 2010, I am seizing opportunities to grow my mind, develop new skills and connect with others to support my development as an entrepreneur. This in turn will better position me to empower others. I was selected as one of 100 young changemakers to attend the Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada (YSEC) inaugural conference re:Vision 2010. YSEC has partnered with Social Innovation Generation at MaRS for this event and I perceive this to be such an ideal marriage.

Heads 03 is rolling in on March 25, 2010 and I plan to be there. Heads is an innovative social gathering, one based on new ideas and connections. This throw-back to the days of living room salons is both entertaining and engaging – a killer combo. The third event in this salon series features captivating speakers, inspired conversation, new connections and the art of interaction around The Future of Radio and The Greenest City. An added bonus is Microtalks – a minute with the mic, your idea and the Heads audience. Should be a blast!

28 Days of Counting the Ways

inspiredpractice — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:25:53 +0000

Dear February. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. There is so much goodness happening this month that I can hardly begin to thank you.

Change the World at Work is off and running again for 2010. Our first audience of the year is a small group of women entrepreneurs at Women’s Enterprise Centre of Manitoba. Entrepreneurs are so much fun to work with because they are always looking to stay current and expand their markets.

This month I am rockin’ tree pose. I’m feeling the need to put down roots. Move around a little less. I wonder when I will be able to do that. I have some schemes in the works and February is a good month for that.

Since getting married, I have been excited to share the ways in which I was able to make our wedding a “greener” one. After all of that planning, it seems doubly meaningful to share what I learned with others in the hope that it will make their “green” dreams possible too. If you missed it, go to Prairie Girl by Day (my personal blog) and check out My Big Fat Green Wedding.

Valentine’s Day is the crowning jewel of the month and I came up with a fun little blog project on Prairie Girl to honour the occasion. The Art of Marriage is a guest post series about the uniqueness of marriage and how each couple makes it their own. If this goes well, I am hoping to launch a future guest post series on Amphib Lib. (More scheming…)

Everyone in Canada and the world is counting down the days until the Vancouver Olympics. I feel especially grateful to have been a tiny part of the celebration. Back in December, my hubby, Mike ran with the torch in Caledonia, Ontario. He was selected to be part of this exclusive group of Canadian torchbearers because of his commitment to an active and “green” lifestyle.

iNSPiRED PRACTiCE has been gearing up for the Champions for Children’s Environmental Health Workshop hosted by our client, Children’s Health & Environment Partnership of Manitoba. This workshop aims to train professionals who work with children to lead workshops and educate others in their organizations and sectors on children’s health and environment. I am looking forward to welcoming 26 smiling faces on February 18 & 19 to kick off the train-the-trainer workshop.

Dear February. You never disappoint. Thanks for 28 days of counting the ways.

31 Days of Boldness, Genius + Magic

inspiredpractice — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:27:59 +0000

Welcome 2010! We’re back! iNSPiRED PRACTiCE is up and running again. The year has started beautifully. It’s all about beginning it now. And right now life is FULL. We have been travelling… trying… coordinating… creating… connecting… dreaming… dancing… sledding… sliding… savouring and more.

You may notice that our iP blackboard looks a little different in 2010. In fact, it isn’t a blackboard at all. We’re lightening things up this year and that calls for a different format and a whiteboard to boot.

The New Year started off with me taking the big LEAP. On January 1st, my fiancé of 2-and-a-half years and I tied the knot in la belle province at Le Chateau Frontenac (Quebec City). It was a MAGICAL way to start 2010. We went dog sledding in Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier and even tobogganed in our wedding duds for a little rush of adrenaline and FUN.

This month is full of adventure and movement. Boldness and hope.

Genius and rebirth. Magic and joie de vivre.

What a great print from Stella Girl to encourage wonder and beauty in the night time. Good sleep = more energy. And that is exactly what January calls for. Yoga, bellydancing, running and zumba are keeping me on my toes. It seems I along with others have a real desire to take fitness to the next level with the Easy Tone Go Outside footwear. Can’t wait to get my hands on a pair…

Like everyone else I have made a list of key resolutions for 2010 and chosen my word of the year: LEAP. January is one of those months for “starting” and “finishing”. That extends into the work I am doing through iNSPiRED PRACTiCE. There are some exciting developments coming in February to announce shortly and April will bring a unique REBIRTH for us on the dawn of our 3rd birthday.

Begin it now. These are the words guiding our work at iNSPiRED PRACTiCE. As a company, trail blazer and innovator, we endeavour to build a better world. A huge part of that commitment is working to inspire others. We do nothing alone in this world. Nothing in isolation. MyLifeList.org is a brilliant site that marries our ability to dream big with an empowering online community which results in the ultimate goal achievement. What are your life goals? How will you make them happen?

I am ever grateful that I have the opportunity to be who I am: an eco entrepreneur and world change maker. Now more than ever, we are all change agents able to support Haiti relief efforts. My contribution, although small, can make a difference. I am hopeful for the Haitians in the face of this tragedy. More than that, I am committed to the rebirth of their country. There are numerous ways you can help. Remember: If you make a donation by February 12, the Canadian government will match it.

Get inspired and change the world.