Category: Entrepreneurial Wellness

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On difficult passageways and more in this month’s issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter”

January 2022 Vol 4 Issue 1

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Organizational Storytelling
Let me tell your story!

Welcome Mid-January, 2021!

January is often said in Western Canada to be the cruellest month of the year: the tilt of the earth’s axis in December brings us winter, with the coldest weather and the shortest daylight hours of the year. (Scientists remind us that we are actually closer in distance from the sun in winter than we are
in summer, but that truth brings only cold comfort!)

And yet the month of January can also be a time of planning, renewed growth and development–and not only for those who make new year’s resolutions!
As I write this issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter,” we have gratefully passed a nearly month long, arctic cold spell , with temperatures (including windchill) dipping  to -50 degrees Celsius! The good news is that we’ve now had a reprieve of nearly 50 degrees in the other direction, even if we know that such fluctuations are not healthy and reflect our global climate crisis.

Just as it has been difficult to pass through such cold so early in winter and to see so much snow, the theme of this month’s issue is difficult passageways–those negotiated by entrepreneurs, artists, writers and other creatives.

Along with our murky passage through the environmental crisis, the fourth wave of the Covid pandemic (Omicron) is wearing on us all, worldwide. Talk of a fifth wave has begun. Although we are thrice vaccinated (or waiting to become so), the pandemic puts distance between us all. And we languish, wondering how and when Covid will finally recede.

Amidst these difficult passageways, I trust, good readers, that you are digging deep to keep yourselves, your family and colleagues safe. I wish you strength and blessings for this difficult passageway, when our journeying continues without certainty of a goal

As the old adage says, “keep on, keeping on”–and know that Covid will eventually recede, however much later than we would like.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com

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IN THIS ISSUE: 

ARTICLE 1: Entrepreneurial wellness: Taking small steps on the difficult passageways of life
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:
Folksy idioms: Word teasers
SHOP NEWS
ABOUT US

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Article One, on Entrepreneurial Wellness: Take small steps on the difficult
passageways of life

My long-time mentor and friend, Monica Kreuger, Chief Visionary Officer of the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship, posted recently over Facebook a brief but breathtaking meditation. It comes from the bestselling Russian writer of detective novels, Elena Mikhalkova. With a nod to Monica for her exquisite taste, I quote Mikhalkova’s meditation here, applicable when we find
ourselves on difficult passageways through life:

“My grandmother once gave me a tip: In difficult times, move forward in small steps. Do what you
have to do, but little by little. Don’t think about the future or what may happen tomorrow.
Wash the dishes.
Remove the dust.
Write a letter.
Make a soup.
You see?

Advance step by step.
Take a step and stop.
Rest a little.
Praise yourself.
Take another step.
And then another.
You won’t notice, but your steps will grow,
more and more.
And the time will come when you can think
about the future without crying.”

Some of the challenges that would be a backdrop to Mikhalkova’s (and her forebears’) lives may have included these:
• living in 20th and 21st century Russia, under leaders including Vladimir Putin
• being raised in a home where the study of sciences and mathematics was privileged above literature
• living a creative life in a communist culture and the ensuing hardship (financial and emotional) that would bring
• enduring the challenges women often face in earning livelihoods independent of their male relatives (regardless of which country the women call home)

Mikhalkova’s meditation resonated with me when I read it in the first days of 2022, because the holiday season renewed my contact with friends who find themselves struggling with relationship pain and loss; poverty and financial challenges; job insecurity; prolonged elder care; and long-term
illnesses. The holidays are rarely a “ho-ho-ho” time for people journeying through such difficult passageways.

Mikhalkova reminded me of the tendency thoughtful people often have (my friends and me, included) to overthink or (even worse) ruminate about life, when we face such obstacles to our health and happiness. As psychologists and psychotherapists have said and written, to become “lost in one’s thoughts” in trying times threatens to undermine a calm, conscious and persevering frame of mind. Ruminating or obsessing over difficulties only weakens our capacities to persist through life’s difficult passageways.

And in pandemic times like ours, and with challenges yet to come, difficulties will arise. But as Mikhalkova’s words indicate, if we don’t focus on the problems, but move through them by taking small steps, one at a time, one day at a time, our “steps” will indeed “grow.”

They will take us to a future that offers us relief and joy beyond measure.

And now it’s your turn: Do you find Mikhalkova’s meditation helpful as you face another (pandemic) day, week, month, winter (etc.)?

Please share your thoughts on my “contact” page at storytellingcommunications.ca . I’d be delighted
to hear from you.

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STORYTELLER’s CORNER . . . .

STORYTELLER’S CORNER: Words, Stories, Riddles and Jokes on Writing and Editing . . .

This month: Folksy idioms

It’s been reported in the news that word games like “Wordle” are gaining popularity in these late pandemic days. Ready for some escapist fun?

Figure out the idioms from the following five teasers, by sounding one letter at a time (move over
Wordle!)
The answers follow, below

IDIOMS:

(1) DDNS LT TNJ RY
(2) THR WCT NTTHW ND
(3) DN TCRYV RSP LTM LK
(4) VRYC LDH SSL VRLN NG
(5) DN TGVPY RDY JB

 

ANSWERS:
(1) Add insult to injury
(2) Throw caution to the wind.
(3) Don’t cry over spilt milk
(4) Every cloud has a silver lining
(5) Don’t give up your day job
Do you have a story, riddle, cartoon or joke on any aspect of communications? Please share it with me; I’d be delighted to use it in an upcoming issue.

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SHOP NEWS:

Full disclosure: As an alumna of and occasional teacher (facilitator) at the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship (but not as a paid affiliate), I’m delighted to promote the school’s new “Self-Employment Program for Persons with Disabilities.”
Do you know of any aspiring entrepreneurs with business ideas who also have self-assessed disabilities (whether physical, sensory, psychological or other)?

Might they, like most budding entrepreneurs, lack the knowledge to develop their ideas? Have they faced challenges such as lack of funding, unemployment and limited awareness of their own potential?

These are more of the kind of difficult passageways that I acknowledge in this issue! I urge you and your contacts to learn more about the new “Self-Employment Program for Persons with Disabilities.”

The school’s Chief Visionary Officer, Monica Kreuger; Chief Ideas Officer, Brent Kreuger; facilitator and group coach, Deanna Litz (principal of Powerful Nature Coaching and Consulting) and their team have operated earlier versions of this programming for more than 30 years, involving nearly 1200 entrepreneurs, including me!

The Government of Saskatchewan produced this video about the program. I urge you to consider it for yourself or someone you know!

And the PSE team, including PR specialist and alumna Christina Cherneskey, created this podcast about the program.

The last infosession for the upcoming program term is on January 20th and registration is well underway. For the details, contact the wonderful (and approachable) administrator, Elaine, at the PSE: (306) 664-0500, or elainem@globalinfobrokers.ca
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Thanks and warmest regards go to English professor emeritus, Beth Daugherty, of Westerville, Ohio, who contacted me over the holidays, some 20 years after we last met.

Beth showed her characteristic kindness by sharing details of her ongoing academic research (pursued even in retirement), and by kindly mentioning me in her forthcoming book on Virginia Woolf’s life and work. Thank you, Beth, and I look forward to the book’s release!
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Finally, thanks and kudos go to those who care for seniors and the homeless in these trying times, providing necessary stimulation, emotional support, good nutrition and who meet other basic needs, even when the pandemic limits our energy and funds.

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ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I have rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now teach English as a second language that helps new and economic immigrants to secure better jobs; I write communications documents that help SMEs to close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I write ebooks and chapbooks that help major companies share their legacies.

Interested in learning more?

Please contact me through my CASL-compliant
website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!
Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca)

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Beyond New Year’s resolutions: Eight tips for lasting self care . . .

Since the contagiousness of Omicron has most of us working from home and limiting our exposure to the rest of the world, fewer of us may have formed  New Year’s resolutions than in pre-Covid years. Or at least from a recent headcount at my local gym, I can report that only three or four new athletes have shown up on or since January 3rd. 

And yet the topic of self-care has never been more important than in these pandemic days. Online newspaper and magazine articles, as well as podcasts and radio interviews are devoted to giving us recommendations, many of which apply to busy entrepreneurs.

Drawing on registered dieticians cited in Canadian publications, here are a handful of some of the better tips for entrepreneurial wellness that have recently crossed my screen:

(1) Drink more water.  Dieticians stress that drinking more water will help to produce glowing skin, regulate our body temperature, help us digest food and eliminate waste regularly. Consuming water can also help to prevent crankiness, hunger pains and headaches that occur from dehydration.

Dieticians report that men should drink 12 cups of water daily; and women, should drink seven cups. If that sounds unrealistic to you, consider eating foods with high water content such as strawberries, lettuce, squash, dairy (especially non-Greek yogurt and cottage cheese). Also hydrating are berries and vegetables, the latter of which can be eaten with hummus or dips, in place of carbohydrate heavy flatbreads or chips.

(2) Aim to get eight hours of sleep per night. In graduate school, I can remember laughing ruefully with a friend who described her tendency to stay up late at night, even though it undermined her capacity to wake up on time and start afresh, the next day. She called it the “Ten o’clock rule,” that whatever she was reading or watching suddenly became more relevant and compelling  to her work at 10:00 pm than it was a mere hour or two before (ha ha)!

And yet physicians and scientists who research sleep continue to urge us to go to bed at a healthy (and consistent) time each night and to get at least seven (preferably eight) hours of sleep, including on weekends and during holidays. (How’s that for a challenge?)

(3) To get the best quality sleep, dieticians advise us not to eat for two hours prior to sleep, as digestion can stimulate acid reflux that will keep us awake for hours.

(4) Some foods that can help us to fall asleep faster, and stay asleep, include kiwi fruit, sour cherries and the juice of sour cherries. These have high concentrations of the hormone melatonin, that affects our brains’ responsiveness to darkness and that regulates our circadian rhythms.

(5) Oily fish like tuna and salmon have vitamin D and

Omega-3 fats that keep our hormone levels balanced and our sleep cycle consistent. So consider eating a tuna or salmon sandwich for lunch, once per week and a fresh or frozen filet for supper, once per week.

(6) Snacking on nuts such as walnuts is wise, as they also contain melatonin, magnesium and zinc, to help improve sleep quality. But be sure to follow up at night with dental care, as nuts make a particular mess of one’s teeth and gums (or else risk the wrath of our dentists and hygienists)!

(7) Finally, although dieticians say there is no science to explain why warm milk can help us to sleep, microwaving a cup of low-fat milk to make hot chocolate seems to have a calming effect on us, toward the end of a day. (The caffeine content in most hot chocolate mixes is not high enough to affect our sleep.)

(8) Perhaps most of all, getting some regular, cardiovascular exercise (three to six times per week, depending on your specific health needs) can improve digestion, mood, sleep and reduce stress. Although we have to overcome our inertia to get regular exercise (particular in very cold, prairie weather), I can confirm that these results are well worth it!

So if you are inclined to change your living patterns in this new year, these eight tips provide some practical ideas for doing so, without making huge demands on your time or budget.

And in these late pandemic days, small and inexpensive changes may well be the ones that become sustainable, long after our “new year resolutions” have been forgotten.

And now it’s your turn: Are there specific strategies you’re following this new year to improve your health and quality of life—especially as an entrepreneur? Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you.

 

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Feeling the Christmas (or holiday) blues? Here are some solutions . . . .

December 2021 Vol 3 Issue 12

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):

Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Organizational Storytelling

Let me tell your story!

IN THIS ISSUE:

ARTICLE 1: Feeling the Christmas  (or holiday) blues? Here are some solutions . . . .

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:

A local “advent miracle” story 

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US

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Welcome Mid-December, 2021

We have had a mild winter thus far on the Prairies. But winter’s hoary breath and arctic temperatures are forecasted to return next week, when -15 C will be our high for at least several days. The inevitable cold of a Prairie winter is a particular threat to the disadvantaged in our province: as I compose this annual Christmas issue, the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC), with support from several local charities and not-for-profit organizations, is about to open a new, temporary homeless shelter in downtown Saskatoon. The goal is to get some of the region’s most vulnerable citizens out of the cold. Longer-term supports are also being planned.

Through the “Advent Appeal” program at my church, once again this year, we are collecting clothing, warm blankets, and hygiene supplies on behalf of the homeless and at-risk people who fill Saskatoon’s shelters. This month’s “Storyteller’s Corner” reminds me that small acts of kindness can have a miraculous effect on others in these shelters.

Notwithstanding the soaring inflation at our grocery stores and gas stations, I hope that you, good reader, have a warm, safe and stable living environment, not just at Christmas or Hanukkah, but throughout the year.  And if you (like me) are so blessed, please do consider donating to those who lack basic necessities, whether through your “office pool,” the Salvation Army Kettle Campaign, or similar work done by your faith or neighbourhood community.

Since our global community has now entered its second Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s seasons in the grip of the ever mercurial Coronavirus, this year will especially not be a “ho-ho-ho” time for many; too many have lost family members, careers, timely medical treatments and more.

So in this last newsletter of 2021, I return to “Coping with Christmas,” a publication of the American Hospice Foundation (AHF). For those of us who care for others on a daily basis and/or who face complex health problems ourselves, the AHF reminds us to be attuned to our own emotional needs, not least when we face compassion fatigue or burnout.

Despite the challenges that fill the news, I hope that you can find some time to enjoy the last weeks of 2021, giving thanks for the family and/or friends and neighbours who bring grace to our lives.

I wish you peace this holiday season and as much good health, happiness and prosperity as possible, in 2022.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

Principal, Storytelling Communications

www.elizabethshih.com

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Article One: Feeling the Christmas or Holiday Blues? Here are Some Solutions . . . 

For many of us, even if we have been raised to observe Christmas or Hanukkah as a blessing, the holiday season can be painful.

The pain may come from the loss of a loved one, a job, separation from a significant other, health or financial difficulties, the excessive pressure to buy and give, and so on. The so-called “holiday season” can in reality be anything but “ho-ho-ho.”

This holiday survival guide, written originally by the American Hospice Foundation, offers some ideas that may help us as we plan (or choose not to plan) holiday festivities. Please read on and know that you are not alone!

Christmas or Holiday cards (choose one):

  1. Mail as usual
  2. Shorten your list
  3. Include a Christmas letter that you’ve written
  4. Skip it this year

Christmas or Holiday music (choose one):

  1. Enjoy as usual
  2. Shop early, to avoid Christmas music
  3. Avoid turning the radio on
  4. Listen to the music and allow yourself to feel sad (or to cry)

Decorations (choose one):

  1. Decorate as usual
  2. Let others do it
  3. Choose not to have decorations
  4. Have a special decoration for a loved one, who may have died or left
  5. Modify your decorations
  6. Make changes, such as an artificial tree
  7. Ask for help from a friend or family

Shopping (choose one):

  1. Shop as usual
  2. Shop early
  3. Make your gifts
  4. Make a list of gifts to buy
  5. Shop online and through catalogues
  6. Ask for help wrapping gifts
  7. Shop with a friend
  8. Give cash
  9. Give baked goods
  10. Ask for help
  11. Go giftless and make a donation to charity

Traditions (choose one):

  1. Keep the old traditions
  2. Don’t attend Christmas parties
  3. Open gifts on the usual day
  4. Attend a worship service
  5. Attend a totally different place of worship
  6. Visit the cemetery
  7. Attend scaled back Christmas parties
  8. Go to an entirely new place
  9. Open gifts at another time
  10. Do not attend a worship service
  11. Light a special candle to honour your loved one
  12. Bake the usual foods
  13. Modify your baking
  14. Buy the usual foods
  15. Spent quiet time alone, in meditation or relaxation

Christmas or Holiday Dinner (choose one):

  1. Prepare as usual
  2. Invite friends who are in your bubble, over
  3. Eat in a different location of the house
  4. Go out to dinner, possibly with someone else who is alone
  5. Eat alone
  6. Change time of dinner
  7. Have a scaled back buffet/potluck
  8. Ask for help

Post-Christmas and New Year’s Day (choose one):

  1. Spend the days as usual
  2. Avoid those New Year’s parties that are going ahead (in Covid times)
  3. Spend time with a few friends in your bubble
  4. Write in a journal about your hopes for the next year
  5. Go out of town
  6. Host a scaled back New Year’s Party
  7. Go to a movie, watch a movie on a streaming service or even borrow a movie from the library
  8. Go to bed early and feel refreshed the next morning for the new year ahead

And now it’s your turn: Does the Christmas or Hanukkah season present challenges and pain for you? Please consider some of the above options you have to experience the holidays on your own terms.

And remember that Mobile Crisis (Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service) is available, 24/7 at (306) 933-6200.

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STORYTELLER’s CORNER . . . .

STORYTELLER’S CORNER:  Words, stories and riddles  on writing and editing . . .

This month: a local “advent miracle” story 

Last Christmas, Alan, a friend and colleague in my faith community shared a remarkable story of how our faith community’s seasonal gift donations benefited a downtown charity that helps victims of abuse and homelessness.

 

Alan says that two years ago, he “went into the [church] parlour and noticed that the Advent gifts still sat where we’d left them, last December, since the office of the recipient agency was never open. I had phoned, left messages and visited in person multiple times, only to find the office closed.” 


He continues: “As I was driving past one day, the spring after, I decided to give it one last chance and showed up to the agency, just after lunch. They were open!


It was obvious that the staff had just come from a meeting. One of the folk there came over and asked me what I wanted. I told her that I was from the church and had some very belated Advent gifts for them.

 

She looked confused when I said gifts, but when I said that the gifts consisted of toiletries and other items, it changed to surprise. She asked how many, and I told her that the trunk of my car was full. Again, there was a look of surprise on her face. She spoke with the director and then went into the back and got a small cart. We then went down the car and loaded it up. It was a small cart, so I carried the extra packages that didn’t fit. 

 

When we got back to the office, she took the items into the back and the director came over and thanked me profusely. She told me that the topic of conversation at the meeting they’d just finished was how they were going to find toiletries to fill packages for some of their clients. They had a few items, but not nearly enough, and there wasn’t money in the budget to purchase more. They left the meeting wondering how they’d find the remaining items, and that was when I walked in!

 

We called it Christmas in June! We could have delivered the gifts the prior December, when other churches were doing the same and when the need was largely met. But by delivering them in the spring, we met a great need at a time when others were not giving.  


We can put this down to coincidence or fate or luck. I look at it as an Advent miracle and a sign that our Higher Power is alive and well and living among us.” 

 

And now it’s your turn: Have holiday activities of years past surprised you with any small miracles? Please write in and I’ll share your stories in a future issue!

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SHOP NEWS:

Heartfelt thanks this month go to ESL teacher, Steve Cavan (former CEO of Paddock Wood Brewery), who since last summer has mentored me, as I joined the Chinese ESL/EFL online teaching platform, italki.com.  Steve is a font of knowledge both of the English language and of online teaching. He has been a selfless advisor on the many issues that can arise in online teaching.

Thank you, good friend, and blessings (or karma!) on you!

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Thanks also go out this month to bookkeeper, Heather Stuart, whose intelligence and knowledge of tax rules always help me administer my small business books well.

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And another note of gratitude, as always, to Chief Visionary Officer, Monica Kreuger, and the amazing team at the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship (PSE). Together they continue to advocate for the welfare and training of many of our province’s entrepreneurs (including me), at both start-up and intermediate levels.

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Special thanks also go to Saskatoon creative entrepreneur Sharon Givens, an alum of the PSE’s startSMART and staySMART programs, whose work as a costume designer (of “Altered Expressions and Design”), party organizer and home-school curriculum developer makes a great difference in our community. It’s been a joy to work with her on some website copy. She has a remarkable story to share.

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And if you enter 2022 with a desire to do a “deep dive” on entrepreneurial issues of all kinds (including strategy, well-being and beyond), look no further! Easily our region’s best coach is PSE facilitator, Deanna Litz, who is principal of Powerful Nature Coaching & Consulting, Inc..

Deanna reminded me, as a client last summer and fall, “there’s nothing small about small business.”  And she has the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience everyone should (but seldom does) find in a coach. I highly recommend Deanna and encourage you to contact her, today!

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And finally, if you or a senior whom you know is in search of safe and comfortable home that provides assistance, please consider downtown Saskatoon’s The Franklin Retirement Residence by Revera. The team there have remarkable empathy for seniors in their late years and offer safe physical environs, a delicious and nutritious menu (with plenty of variety), add-on home care, fellowship and seniors’ programming, transportation, and more.

At a time when senior care in our province is woefully underfunded and when virtually all special (private) care homes fail their residents, buildings like The Franklin remain a bulwark. For a complimentary tour and information about a variety of options, including short-term stays through the winter, please call Sales consultant, Monique Duperreault, who is a generous ambassador: Monique.Duperreault@reveraliving.com  . Or reach her by phone at (306) 664-6366.

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ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” Last winter, I pivoted toward teaching ESL and now assist newcomers to Canada to secure better jobs by improving their language skills; I also help small- and medium-sized businesses to close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I tell the legacy stories of major companies.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant website.

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss services with you!

Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca).

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On Finding Your Voice (with a nod to Seth Godin)

In these late pandemic days, many of us are feeling “Zoomed” out.  It started in mid-2020, when colleagues started taking cough drops or dry mouth candies before entering conferences, group meetings or contract interviews.

More than a year later, many of us are tired of seeing ourselves and each other on video.  Some have made light of the problem by adding flowers or pig-ear icons to their online images.  People have blogged on the politics of turning off the “video” function off altogether–the politics of being seen, of being the object of another’s penetrating “gaze,” analyzed so exhaustively by academics in the 80s and 90s.

Marketing genius Seth Godin (who speaks to people across all divides of discipline, age, race, class, gender and more ) blogged recently that he’s concerned about our “actual voices”–that not enough of us are being heard:

“It’s pretty clear to me that our speaking voice is not the result of the inevitable physical evolution of our vocal cords. It’s something our brain figured out how to do with the part of our body that keeps us alive by breathing.

And because [in evolutionary terms] it’s a late addition, there are a bunch of kinks in the system . . . .

[Speaking involves] a huge number of sensitive muscles and nerves. . . . Add microphones, Zoom, and the high-stakes world of being seen, and you can start to understand why it’s so easy to get hoarse, to sound like someone you’re not, to develop tics, to amplify your stress, and a whole host of other challenges.

If you don’t sound like you, it might simply be because your brain is sabotaging the thing you’re trying to say. I used to riff about ‘no one gets talker’s block’ but now I’m not so sure. I think most of us do.“

In my recent months as an online ESL teacher, I’ve displaced some  of my writing work (as a business writer) with teaching–which, of course, relies on my literal voice.

To facilitate daily talking online, I start most mornings by steaming my sinuses over scalding hot water; I run a humidifier at night and sometimes by day, to relieve my throat from our dry prairie air.  I stay hydrated as much as I can, as well.  These are all tried and true methods recommended by family doctors and vocal coaches, alike.

In Covid times, it’s harder to speak well in a climate where we rightly but paradoxically are masked in public (and sometimes in private),  to keep us (including our voices) safe.

I still feel “talker’s block” some days, especially when a new student does not participate enough in our conversations–perhaps not feeling confident enough to risk making errors in English–when they want me to talk, to compensate for their insecurities.  It’s far better for them to risk making mistakes, so I strive to build  an online classroom that is safe for experimentation.  But due to the seamy world of cyber-connectivity, we all generally feel we shouldn’t trust the folk we meet online.

When struggling with “literal” voice issues, Godin urges everyone “to find a good voice coach. Not because you’re some fancy keynote speaker about to go on the TED stage. Simply because you have something to say and it would be nice to be able to say it without pain. It’s easier than ever to have a few sessions remotely, and many people I know have found it life-changing. . . .

The world needs to hear from you.”

Speaking daily with students from such countries as Belarus, Ukraine, Iran, Japan and even to new immigrants to the US, I am struck by the diversity of their experiences and how much my mind is broadened by conversing with them. Andrea from Italy (a pseudonym) is a leading authority of Asian history who inspires me to find time to read the books he has, so that I can keep up with him! Jeanette (also a pseudonym) stays late at work some evenings to meet me on Zoom, when she shares her concern for  minority human rights in her part of the globe.

The distinction that Godin makes between “literal” and figurative “voices” is erroneous and for the reason he unconsciously acknowledges when urging us to get voice coaching: “[Y]ou have something to say and it would be nice to be able to say it without pain.”

Not just because of the pandemic, but certainly due partly to it, we are living in some of the most pain-filled times our planet has seen.  Very few people can speak of their lives or work without expressing at least some pain–even if it’s  unconsciously  (e.g. Godin’s reference to a false sense of self, verbal tics, etc.).

Such times demand that we find good listeners  more than  good vocal technique teachers, be they the literal audience of a TEDTalk (e.g. Simon Sinek speaks about empathy), a close friend or loved one, or a trustworthy psychotherapist.  When we tell our stories to valued others, we may begin to heal.  I named my business “Storytelling Communications” in part for this reason.

I believe that the world does hear from you, my colleagues, my students and others, when we find a way to give literal and figurative voice to our pain, instead of aiming to free ourselves from it.  For centuries, human beings have called this process art.

I feel remarkably privileged now that I can work with entrepreneurial mentors, colleagues and friends; and most recently, with my ESL students, to hear and speak about pain (and other emotions, too).

Through teaching and writing, I feel that he world does hear from me–at least some of it. That happens as  I facilitate others’ telling of their stories. The physical and psychological are interwoven. And this work matters.

Even if Zoom is the best way that it can  happen.

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Local, everyday heroes: Meet Steve Cavan (ESL/EFL teacher extraordinaire)

As many of my readers know, at least one daily television newscast in Canada has long featured “local everyday heroes,” as a way to improve upon the often depressing and painful realities of world news.  Starting this week, and on occasion, I want to introduce in this blog often unseen colleagues, contacts, and other entrepreneurs or artists in our community,  who embody a “heroic” kind of decency  in their daily lives.

But can the word “hero” or “heroic” have any integrity of meaning,  at this time in history, you might ask. In his recent collection of interviews, Extraordinary Canadians, CBC journalist Peter Mansbridge defined the term “hero” as anyone who puts the needs of others before themselves.  The book collects the stories of the bravery and service of some dozen Canadians, from all walks of life.

As you may recall, during early Covid times , I completed my certification to teach English as a Foreign (or Second) Language, through TEFL.org (based in Scotland). I discovered before the pandemic began how much I had missed learning foreign languages, since I stopped studying French and Spanish at the end of my undergraduate studies, more than 20 years ago.

Due to the long distances that separate English language learners around the world and teachers, like me (who also come from all over the globe), much ESL teaching now occurs online, using platforms like italki.com  or Cambly.com (amongst numerous others). Of course, Covid has only intensified the need for online instruction, so platforms like Zoom and Skype are heavily used in language instruction.

Getting to know and use online teaching platforms, as a way to meet and teach students, is not for the faint-of-heart. There are often many functions of networks that are not self-explanatory; some trial-and-error is involved and teachers often worry about securing good rankings from their students, so as to sustain a strong flow of clients.

While my knowledge of English grammar was relatively good as a writer, editor and former graduate student of literature, I have learned more since becoming certified in ESL. Even so, English can be a messy language, at times, and I’m occasionally stumped by questions I encounter. At such times, having a mentor or advisor can be a God-send. It also breaks the isolation of Covid self-distancing to have someone available to discuss queries online.

Enter Steve Cavan, a professional ESL teacher on italki, who has taught himself linguistics and (over the years) English grammar to better help English language learners around the globe.  Steve helps students improve their pronunciation in order to reduce the distortion caused by their accents and an ensuing lack of comprehensibility that often occurs for  foreign speakers of English.  Some of these students are training to teach English, themselves, in their own countries, or seek to learn it  to advance their careers. And some go online sheerly out of personal interest.

Steve is known locally as the talented spouse of one of the University of Saskatchewan’s resident geniuses in the English Department, Professor Kathleen James-Cavan. Steve is brilliant in his own right (and was once accepted to do a doctorate in the UK, after earning Master’s degrees in philosophy and Classics in Southern Ontario).  I would include his photo in this posting, but that would fly in the face of his modesty.

Steve has taught extensively Greek and Roman Classics, history and writing for non-Arts majors, amongst other disciplines, for St. Thomas More College at the U of S. To read more about his remarkable (and varied) career, please read my book, Keep Going: Five Creatives Build Resilience, which is available here: www.storytellingcommunications.ca/books

I know Steve best as an interviewee in that book, where I discussed his resilience in developing and operating (as chief brewmaster) Paddock Wood Brewery (PWB).  Steve pioneered craft beer brewing in Saskatchewan, long before it became the popular industry it is now. He started PWB in 1995 and operated it for more than 20 years, through choppy waters that included outdated government policies, operational challenges  and more.

One of his colleagues, Stephen Ross, writes this about Steve Cavan’s work:

“Steve is a professional in all his business dealings, and his contagious passion and dedication to craft brewing drive all his decisions. I had no hesitation in partnering with Steve, or in following his lead in groundbreaking small market brewing in Canada. Under Steve’s direction Paddock Wood has grown from a small pilot project to Saskatchewan’s first and only microbrewery, with multi-provincial distribution.”

Dozens of popular microbreweries that now dot Saskatchewan’s landscape owe virtually everything they can do to Steve’s pioneering work.

He has achieved similar success with his more recent business idea, of teaching ESL, one-on-one, to students internationally. He works on the Chinese network italki, as I now do, with his encouragement.  Steve is one of the platform’s highest ranked English teachers and has built a following of students from South America, Russia and elsewhere–countries where time zone differences from Saskatoon are manageable.

But what makes Steve a “local, everyday hero” is his willingness to share with a new teacher, like me, and with all of his students, the finer points of grammar, usage  and even the italki platform.

He could easily roll out a training program and charge a high fee for subscribers. (Many entrepreneurs do.)  But Steve scrupulously refuses to do so.  He reads, teaches and writes, quietly and modestly, passing incognito through much of both our academic and entrepreneurial communities.

So  I hope you’ll join me in raising a glass–perhaps of one of the fine beers that he once pioneered at Paddock Wood– to toast Steve Cavan as one of Saskatchewan’s amazing local heroes. He is a teacher with a passion for learning, educating and helping others. Although he would resist the term “hero,” his generosity with and compassion for others, along with his commitment to excellence, make him a true exemplar of the word.