March 8th, 2022
International Women’s Day

A word from the director

“To be creative is always be drowning and
breathing at the same time.
It is living at the zero point”.
Fritz Perls, founder of Gestalt therapy

Never in my life have I been more challenged on my journey than on the morning of November 1st, 2020. The tragic loss of my partner, the cumulative effect of the pandemic plus the loss of my seasonal winter work stopped me dead in my tracks, face to face with the “zero point". I also knew I was not alone in my despair, as we all struggled with the impact of Covid-19 in our community and humanity.

As a seasoned Gestalt therapist, I know very well the significance of the zero point and how it can critically impact the health of an individual. I also know its creative power as a catalyst for change and self-transcendence. When caught in the grips of the zero point, all we can do is stop, breathe, stay calm, and self-talk ourselves through the steps that will bring us back in some form of equilibrium.

“Go take refuge in nature, and find a cause
where your heart doesn’t feel inactive and in despair.
This is the medicine”.
Brother Phap Dung

During the winter of 2020-2021, I took refuge in nature, at my partner’s farm, with our animals and my overwhelming grief, and slowly and surely, through quiet, solitary walks and reading about grief and bereavement, I was able to slowly haul myself back in the saddle!

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The daily routine of running Creative Wheel and LaRoccaXC in 2021 with my amazing team, plus having my parents move to Ottawa was my godsend. Re-immersing myself in my leadership role, switching hats between a coach, counselor and consultant was the medicine I desperately needed.

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This winter, I have enrolled in an online introductory course on how to become a death doula. The course required that we engaged in a personal living legacy project. So, I spent a lot of time archiving 26 years of old photos, videos, articles, university papers, revisiting all my creative initiatives running my small enterprise. The exercise allowed me to close many chapters, allowing me to imagine new opportunities as I transition slowly into my retirement years.

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I actively returned to winter coaching in January of this year, after a 10-year hiatus, under Zero Point Coaching, a wintergreen program to complement the LaRoccaXC MTB School, in the area of mental health and cross-fitness outdoors (long blades, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing).

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Our future is still uncertain as we navigate the daily realities of living in a global village. This war has us all on the edge of our seats. The three circles of sustainability (ecology, economy, and society) have never been so defied, braved, and argued! May we continue staying strongly rooted in the core values that are close to the earth and to our heart: family, friends, and community.

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I sincerely hope to cross-paths with you at the Creative Wheel Centre and/or LaRoccaXC, in our beautiful Amik Forest.

“the wheel of fortune, the wheel of life, the medicine wheel.
Our lives, the seasons - it's all cyclical, we end as we began.
Birth and death are both journeys in the unknown.
Spokes on a wheel: one teacher teaches ten,
then each of those ten teaches one
until hopefully there will be enough people to share
this awareness to make a difference in the fate of our world"
-Nancy Azara, New York Sculptor
Friend and mentor

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2020 message

2019 message

2018 message

2017 message