Hello and thank you for checking out our website! I am so excited to be at the point to be sharing this new business with the world. I honestly feel as if I have been searching my whole life for where I belong, and in these spaces where I have been in the past; schools and non-profits; it just never quite felt right. I realized a few months ago that it was possible for me to create a space for myself, where I could be in the space that I needed to best help others and their loved ones. So, this is Cultivate Wellness Counselling and Therapy. This is a creation of mine and my husband, Richie, who is also an educator and will be joining me at some point to do his own mental health services. For now, you’re stuck with me! I’m the one who will be expecting you to discuss how you really feel, get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and finding strength in vulnerability. Anyone who knows me personally can attest to the fact that I am not great at small talk and feel most comfortable getting into the deeper feelings that people are dealing with and what’s
really been going on.
So, why “Cultivate Wellness?” I guess for me, in my life experiences I have gained an insight on how much intentionality can shape our lives. If you’ve read my first blog post, it includes some of my personal history and some medical crises that happened that changed my life. I have been knocked down many times in my life, emotionally, mentally, and physically. At any of those times, no one would have questioned if I would have just slowed down, hung out on the couch, maybe got a bit sad, maybe got a bit mean, maybe got a bit cynical. This is like in New Girl, when Nick wears that ugly tracksuit after his Dad passes away and when he gets teased about it he goes “Dead Dad pass!” It’s kind of like that when you’ve almost died. People stop having expectations of you because they’re mostly just content that you’re still there.
When I reached out for help with my medical recovery, I saw a therapist. She
explained to me what the word crisis means in Chinese: danger and opportunity. Please note I googled this to fact-check and saw it is indeed a myth and Western bastardization, so I apologize! However, the sentiment has stuck with me, so I am going to continue to talk about it for the context of my story. We discussed how the danger part of my crisis, for now, had passed. I was safe, at that time we were waiting to hear if there was any irreparable damage done but for the moment, I was okay enough. So that left the other part: opportunity. An opportunity for what? That was what I was left to ponder. With time, I figured out what I wanted my opportunities to be with my second chance. I made a lot of changes. I made a lot of goals. One of them was starting my master’s in educational psychology to become a counsellor. Slowly but surely, I began to cultivate. I realized that my recovery time
was the opportunity to live with more intention. Since then, I’ve been over here, quietly cultivating. Starting my family. Surviving in a pandemic. Finishing my master’s program. Building a business. Leaving a stable job that was not fulfilling me. This is cultivating. It’s not the easy route, but it was one that felt like I was honouring myself and my second chance. Here’s the thing – you do not need to have a major medical crisis in order to want to change your life. Life can be hard enough with the day-to-day things. Being a parent. Feeling isolated in your relationships. Being dissatisfied in your career. Feeling stuck. These are also crises! These also feel unbearable.
When we cultivate, I want you to think about a seed being planted. Choosing the soil. Picking a pot. Filling the pot with soil. Digging a little space for the seed. Safely covering the seed with the soil. Watering. Waiting. Watering. Waiting. Showing up to check on the seed everyday until you see the tiniest spot of green popping up. More watering. More waiting. Until one day, the seed is stems, leaves, roots. The process is slow, but it creates life. The process is slow, but it is growth.
One of my favourite places in the whole world is my family’s farm just outside of Carrot River, Saskatchewan. My Uncle and Auntie built a beautiful farmhouse before I was born and many of my happiest childhood memories are there, in all seasons, playing and being in nature on the farm, crops growing all around me. Stretches as far as the eye can see. Being from the city, it was such a gift to be able to spend time on their farm throughout my childhood, and I am now able to share that with my children. Cultivate is also an homage to my childhood and my family where cultivating is not only an agricultural concept, but a way of life. A connection to my prairie roots.
So, I challenge you to think of what you want to cultivate in your own life.
Cultivate a new path
Cultivate growth
Cultivate relationships
Cultivate wellness.
