mentoring

you deserve to build a business that is sustainable and thriving, where your values shine through your offerings and your depth of experience is reflected in everything you share.

you deserve the depth of care and support you offer to your clients.

i dream of a world where carework is recognized and celebrated. where carework is understood as essential, necessary, and important.

where i live, in North America, we live inside of a an overculture that doesn’t value carework.

a culture where things like the labour of parenting, providing emotional support, caring for elders, the disabled, the sick and the dying, is hidden away and privatized. more often than not this work is unpaid or poorly compensated. even within our supposedly radical activist spaces, the work of childcare, or preparing meals, of lending a compassionate ear, is often seen as less important than other forms of activism like direct action or organizing.

so of course, when we are so deeply embedded within this culture that we can’t even see the work that we’re doing as labour we struggle to imagine ourselves as holding power or providing something of value. 

and yet, without this ongoing invisibilized work force, the day to day machinations of capitalism would grind to a halt. it’s important to recognize that this erasure of feminized forms of labour isn’t an accident. in fact, this erasure, this devaluation of domestic labour and carework was actually necessary in order for the widespread advancement of capitalism to occur.

our current system is built on the unpaid labour of millions of parents who support the development of the next generation of workers. on women who do a double shift of parenting while caring for their aging parents. on folks who  provide support throughout their communities and work places.

so when we choose to provide this labour for money, we generally expect and accept that it won’t be lucrative. that it will be thankless. that we won’t be seen or recognized for our work. that’s just the nature of the job, we say.

and so it makes sense that when we decide to transition from doing this work for other people, leaving behind the non profit industrial complex or working for the government to do our own thing we don’t think of ourselves as business owners. 

and what happens when we don’t recognize our own power, when we downplay our skills and th services provide? 

we undercharge. we don’t hold our boundaries. we don’t advocate for our work. we feel uncomfortable selling or promoting our services because we’ve conflated commerce with the exploitative labour practices of capitalism. 

we’re so used to being unseen, underpaid, and overworked that we carry these patterns into our business. 

and, because so many of us entangle our identities and sense of self with what we’re able to provide to others, when we burn out, when our businesses aren’t busy and thriving, we think it’s a personal failing. 

 i’d love to support you in creating offerings that reflect your values, and a work-life balance that supports your well being.

after 15 years in non-profit, i had a lot of unlearning to do when i transitioned into private practice.

i’d love to share with you what i’ve learned, both as a clinician and as a business owner who’s committed to doing things differently.

with a mentor, it’s all up for exploration. the work you’re doing, the business you’re creating, and your relationship to all of it. and, instead of trying to figure it all out on your own, you get ongoing, consistent support, feedback, and guidance. you get to ask me questions and learn from all the training and work experience i’ve gathered up over the past two decades.

if this sounds like it could be a fit for you, schedule a discovery call and we’ll get started together.