"Here. It happened here. On this land. In this place of pluralism and unbounded opportunity. Our nation did this. To children. To their families. The remains of 215 children have been found at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. At this time, we feel deep sadness and anger, but we must also act. It is long past time for action. All governments must commit to the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, not just with words but real action. That means holding true to our commitment to teach this history in every grade so all Canadian children know and commit...

“What does community mean to you?” he asked. Woah …. Uhhhhhhh … Big Question. Loaded Question. I was asked this question earlier this week while participating in a panel discussion about building community through creativity and collaboration. I sat there flabbergasted by the question, and was the first person on the panel to speak. Great. No pressure. I often find the overarching word “community” itself, and the many complex socio-economic underpinnings of the concept, to be completely, totally, and utterly overwhelming. To be honest when I think about my “community work” over the last decade, I don’t really see it...

2016: A Year in Review This year was trying for many of us... For me, life moved in cycles - patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviours that repeated themselves over and over again. I went from feeling energized and inspired, to feeling depleted and exhausted. I went through periods of curiousity and contemplation, to darker periods of doubt and fear. I experienced moments of connection and courage, that then led me to wanting to shrink myself and hide. Now 16 months into building Halifax Paper Hearts, I have been asked a lot publicly for opinions and thoughts on side hustles,...

As featured on Hustle & Grind Co. Since starting my side-hustle, Halifax Paper Hearts, about 10 months ago we have been featured on Inc., Forbes.com, The Huffington Post, Yahoo News, and a number of other publications. When I run into people now, they often say “Wow – Forbes, your sales must be insane!” There seems to be this misconception that I am rolling in fat stacks of dough (I wish – not so).While it’s true that we have sold over 12.500 note cards while working full-time jobs (heart-made with love care & salty air on the East Coast of Canada),...

As published on Hustle & Grind Co There are four things that have allowed me to build a side-hustle that has gone from zero to one hundred (okay, maybe only fifty) real quick. In 7 months, my company Halifax Paper Hearts has sold over 6,000 heart-made, hand-packaged note cards (made with love, care & salty air on the East Coast of Canada). We have been featured on Forbes.com, The Advocate, and the Huffington Post. We’re currently carried in over 40 retail locations across Canada with big dreams to expand into the U.S. market this year. People ask me all the...