Orchard View Mediation and Coaching

Money makes us calmer. It gives us room to have choices. It allows us to be generous with ourselves and with others. It lets us deal with emergencies without falling apart.

Happiness has a Lot to do with Money — Orchard View | Finding Joy Happiness and money go hand in hand - but perhaps not in the way you think.

In the past six months, I have stayed in all of these hotels - for free. No fees. No taxes. No nothing. This year, I’ve been traveling like someone who makes a lot of 💰

Could’ve fooled me though, cause my bank account doesn’t look like one a rich person owns.

But I’m living a rich life with free hotel stays- letting me stay in places I 100% couldn’t afford otherwise.

The trick? Points. All the points.

With and I’ve had four free nights in the last six months at 4⭐️ hotels- and I’ve got more freebies coming up!

Here’s how you can too:
1️⃣ register with - it’s free.
2️⃣ sign up for an Bonvoy card to earn bonus points.
3️⃣ after your first year, redeem your automatic free night with the card (this completely covers the card fee) 4️⃣ stay in NICE hotels for NO 💰

If you are ready to live the rich life, and find the joy again (without making huge life changes!) send me a message. I've got a 1-1 coaching package that will work for you.

⭐️ Do you know your value? ⭐️

When I was first asked this question I felt sure it was obvious. I knew my work experience, my years of education, and what I could offer to an employer. It seemed like a “duh” answer.

But that’s not your value. Understanding your value- what you offer and what it’s WORTH to an employer- is a different way to think about it. And it can be uncomfortable to think about (imposter syndrome anyone?!)

If you’re looking for work- or for a direction in your work- and you don’t know your value, you will have a very hard time finding a position that is satisfying.

Figure out what you’re worth first. What do you need to live on? What do you need to meet your goals? Then go after it.

Not sure where to start? DM me “value” and let’s figure it out.

MONDAY HOT TIP: Don't let conflict escalate to the point where it affects your work or quality of life

I'm going to bet that when you read those words, you immediately started picturing someone with whom you have a conflict, or a challenge getting along.

It's really easy to let these conflicts fester.

I used to work in an environment with many, many people who came from different backgrounds. It was super easy to have conflict! Many people came with different ideas about how to work, what they wanted to work on, conflicting priorities, and different approaches.

When those conflicts or differences were allowed to go unmanaged, they started to affect how people worked - and how they felt outside of work.

Sound familiar?

Conflict is fine - there's nothing wrong with disagreeing. But when those conflicts start to affect the quality of your work, or the quality of your life, it's time to take steps to resolve it.

If this is sounding a little too real - if you're stressing about a relationship at work, in your community, or in your family - send me a message or email me at [email protected].

Conflict resolution packages start as low as $180 per month.

(FYI: A lawyer is going to charge you more than $180 PER HOUR once that conflict escalates too far - so maybe take care of it sooner than later 😳)

Ready? Today is a good day to get started.

It was great to talk with Richard Webster at St. Lawrence College yesterday about the progress he and SLC are making in building welcoming communities for international students attending the college.

Canada is a very popular spot for international students, and they bring so much to our communities - economically, culturally, and hopefully by wanting to stay in Canada in the long run.

One of the things we can do to support international students staying - particularly in smaller and more rural communities - is making them feel welcome and part of the community. SLC and Richard are working hard to do just that!

If you are in a community, a college or a university that welcomes international students, and you are struggling to build a feeling of community, I would certainly be happy to talk to you - and I think Richard would too!

If you are an international student struggling to feel at home, and wondering how to build your network in a new place, I'm glad to speak with you about that also.

Creating welcoming spaces for international students is one of the best things we can do to improve student retention in our communities. And that's good practise in the long haul.

On my last night in Cologne I got lucky to be present for the 20th anniversary concert of Chor Vozes do Brasil, a choir based in Cologne with singers from Brazil, Germany, and many other nationalities. The music is entirely in Portuguese and Brazilian.

So that was cool to begin with. But the hall was absolutely PACKED with locals who came to see this concert and appreciate the Brazilian music and culture. During the intermission, I got to speak to a woman who has immigrated to Cologne from Brazil, and spoke about the importance of finding hobbies when in a new home.

And, after the concert, the lobby downstairs was turned into a veritable dance party, with the bar still open, the disco ball running, and snacks being served.

The appreciation of choral music that I have seen in Germany is astonishing.

It was also very cool, thinking about what we do at Halifax Newcomer Choir, to see these Germans singing in Portuguese, working on their pronunciation, and grooving with the Brazilian singers, and others from around the world. Music is powerful.

💭 Are you thinking about your workplace or your customers, wondering how to make them a community, but not taking any action?

🎯 Building community is an ACTIVE exercise, not a PASSIVE one.

⭐️ Community doesn’t just happen.

But there are definitely things you can do to build community- in your workplace, your home, or among your customers.

📲 DM me “community” to find out how we can work together to build your community and generate more revenue, goodwill, and create greater retention.

I was in Brühl, Germany the other day and learned that they have a rich choral culture! The brochures for choirs- not performances, just “hey, we’re here come sing with us” were placed everywhere, including at the tourism office, which seemed very clever.

When I asked the woman there if choral singing was common, she looked at me a bit funny and said “yes, of course, many people like to sing in choir” like it was the most normal thing. Wouldn’t that be nice in Canada?!

https://rachelkaroline.com/spend-a-day-in-bruhl/

When was the last time you asked yourself, or others on your team:

Who is missing from this space?

Who wasn't invited?

Who isn't included?

Is this space inaccessible for some people? why?

When I asked this question at the last Building Welcoming Communities course, everyone paused for a second. I could see their memories working back to the last public event they attended, or business they went to, or community meeting they participated in. Calculating. Recollecting faces.

And then the realization. Who was missing? Some examples included:

- folks with disabilities

- members of First Nation communities

- people with visual and auditory differences

- young people

- older people

- newcomers

And the list went on.

We want to do the right thing. We want to live in a diverse community. We want to support those around us.

Most people do not exclude others out of malice, or a desire to be cruel.

Usually, it's an accident, or a result of doing things 'the way we've always done them'.

Creating community isn't something we do passively. It has to be active. It has to be continuous. It takes constant improvement and growth.

And once it's happening, communities become more vibrant. More interesting. More caring. More respectful. More welcoming.

If you live or work in a space that could do better at welcoming different people, send me a message and let's chat about how to make that happen.

We had another super successful Building Welcoming Communities session last week: "Well worth it!", announced one participant. "I loved the small group format, and the continuous engagement of the participants."

If you are planning to attend, there is still time, and new dates have opened:

Thursday, June 22, 4:00pm AST

Thursday, July 20, 5:00pm AST

Wednesday, July 26, 1:00pm AST

Monday, July 31, 4:00pm AST

Register now: https://www.orchardviewcoaching.com/store-1/p/welcome

These sessions are not big, impersonal trainings. The groups are kept small, and involve lots of open-ended questions and opportunties for participation and community building among the participants. You'll come away knowing who else in your community is doing this work, and build your network as well!

Welcoming Newcomers to Your Organization — Orchard View Mediation and Coaching This 1-hour, online workshop will give you the basic tools you need to start welcoming more newcomers into your organization.

It was great to attend the Valley Regional Enterprise Network AGM tonight at the Wolfville Farmers’ Market and chat with entrepreneurs and business supporters in the Valley.

I was also lucky enough to walk away with a beautiful bouquet from Two Birds One Stone, an amazing local floral company.

The common theme tonight- the thread weaving through all the speeches- was the necessity to build communities that are welcoming, encouraging, and lead to prosperity for everyone in the region.

Between the Halifax Newcomer Choir and my work with Orchard View Mediation and Coaching, community building in my world is a major THING these days. It was great to see it reflected at the AGM tonight. If you’re ready to build a welcoming community, let’s talk about it!

Two years ago today.

Frolicking on an empty beach on Cape Breton. One year after being sent home from law school. Six months after finishing my law degree online. Thirteen months after moving to Cape Breton and starting a new job. Three weeks before leaving that job and starting a new one.

And today, having left all those jobs behind, running a business, directing a choir, helping newcomers to Nova Scotia learn English. Helping organizations be more welcoming to those same newcomers.

These pictures feel like a lifetime ago. Or not at all. Even then, even in a different life, I was still helping newcomers. I was still teaching English. I was making music and building community. It’s a long funny road from there to here, but maybe it all worked out.

What would it look like, and feel like, if you felt confident welcoming new Canadians, immigrants, and refugees into your workplace - both as employees, and as clients?

Would it require major structural change? New training for your staff and team members? Greater flexibility and empathy?

Would it result in more customers? Greater profits? More time off for your or your team?

Newcomers are rapidly becoming a larger and larger sector of society in Canada. If you aren't ready, you're missing out - on amazing staff, dedicated customers, and fresh enthusiasm.

Feel like brainstorming what this could mean for your organization or business?

Sign up for a free consultation: https://calendly.com/orchardviewcoaching/1-1

Trauma-informed practice is one of my favourite topics to facilitate. Teaching organizations and businesses how to be more empathetic and compassionate toward people who have experienced trauma comes with so many rewards, and can make businesses better employers, and better for their customers.

I usually do a trauma-training session in about 2 hours, and it includes scenarios, role-plays, and opportunities to discuss personal boundaries and self-care. We can even do these sessions online!

But if trauma-training isn't in your budget, reading fiction is another way to be exposed to the various challenges that regular people can experience. These challenges can travel with people, and impact the way that they deal with everyday life.

Recently, Barbara Kingsolver's book Demon Copperhead won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. It's a fine book, and a gripping story.

But Jesmyn Ward writes convincingly (and I believe from her own experience) of poverty, foster care, storms, death, and trauma in the southern United States, and will trump Kingsolver any day of the week.

If you are looking to be exposed to a different set of circumstances, and feel like pursuing some trauma awareness, starting with Jesmyn Ward is a great beginning.

Want to talk about the book, or have me lead a book club with your organization or business? Let's set up a call to chat.

A small business like this- Orchard View- relies so much on other people to help get momentum. Service based businesses are especially tricky since they require a lot of eyes on the services to nail down clients, and usually don’t have a storefront to attract visitors. If you have the capacity to help a friend with a small business, please consider doing so! It’s easy and even free 😍 ready to start now?

🌶️ share their posts to your feed/stories/pages
🌶️ comment on and like their posts
🌶️ send their posts and web links directly to people you know who might benefit or be a good fit for the service.
🌶️ ask the business if they’ll do a gift voucher or certificate and give one as a gift to someone you know. (A great option for teachers as we near the end of the school year! No one needs another mug…)
🌶️ help them network and make connections by introducing them to other people you know.

You can do it right now! Head a few pictures back in my profile and share a post on your newsfeed or stories, or send one to a friend. 💙💙

Canada has made ambitious commitments to increase immigration numbers. With plans to welcome 400-500 thousand new permanent residents this year, Canadian businesses, organizations and schools need to be prepared for newcomers who might need support.

Providing a solid and compassionate welcome to newcomers helps increase retention of those newcomers in the province.

Are you ready to welcome them?

It’s great to be at the Louis Millet Centre this morning to be sharing community building ideas at the Blossom Business Breakfast and Expo sponsored by Valley Regional Enterprise Network. Come say hi if you’re in the New Minas area here in Nova Scotia!

I introduced a newcomer acquaintance to a new thing this morning.

To do this I:
1. Emailed him using graded English to personally invite him to the thing.
2. Explained the thing as much as I could.
3. When he agreed he wanted to go, I offered to drive him.
4. This morning I picked him up early, and showed him the space, gave him everything he would need, and explained new words.
5. Introduced him to the other people with a fact to get the conversation going.
6. Debriefed after the event to clarify anything.

If you live in the global north (Europe, UK, North America, etc.) you have newcomers arriving every day in your community. Some of them will integrate smoothly, others will need more support. Every one of them could use a pal.

Do you know how to welcome them?

Let me help:

https://lnkd.in/gziYC8e4

5 dates coming up with courses for $11.50!

Welcoming Newcomers to Your Organization — Orchard View Mediation and Coaching This 1-hour, online workshop will give you the basic tools you need to start welcoming more newcomers into your organization.

"With a pledge to create 100 new faith communities in the next three years, the national office will be rolling out the welcome mat to immigrant communities. “We’re at the point now where we recognize that our comfort level needs to change,” he says. “We have to decide, do we want to be an enclave? Or do we want to…reflect the Canadian reality?”"

And if this is the goal, are United Churches in Canada really ready to welcome newcomers to this degree?

It might be a good time to take a quick refresher course to learn a bit more about trauma, using low-level English, and how to be a welcoming community. Check out my upcoming courses on those topics here: https://www.orchardviewcoaching.com/store-1/p/welcome

Coming up: I'm offering a one hour session on May 22, for those interested in building more welcoming communities. Whether you are welcoming newcomers to your classroom, choir, church, workplace, or home community, we'll discuss some of the takeaways from my work building the Halifax Newcomer Choir, and from many years supporting newcomers to learn how to build more inclusive, supportive, and welcoming communities for everyone.

Welcoming Newcomers to Your Organization — Orchard View Mediation and Coaching This 1-hour, online workshop will give you the basic tools you need to start welcoming more newcomers into your organization.

Last Tuesday at the rehearsal for the Halifax Newcomer Choir, overlapping the sounds of newcomers trying to enunciate the words to a Sarah Quartel song, were the small shrieks and running feet of children:

Oh the sounds of little voices in choir! Why we welcome children to join us at Newcomer Choir

Are you interested in an in-person option to learn how to build your own newcomer choir, or welcome newcomers to your group? The Halifax Newcomer Choir has spaces for practicum students in-person in Halifax!

We currently have spaces available for 1-2 practicum students to join us at Halifax Newcomer Choir. If you are interested in participating in the practicum, or want to know more, send an email to [email protected] and we'll get back to you soon!

Practicum students get to work directly with choir members, learn from the singers, co-directors Rachel and Rebecca, work with our children's chorus, and have the support of collaborative pianist Husam. We have lots of exciting things coming up, and we would love to have you be part of our group.

Happy to have donated a session with Orchard View in the upcoming Choral Canada - Canada Choral auction!

1 DAY TO GO until the launch of Choral Canada's Connections Silent Auction ✨ Register now to bid and view our catalogue of exciting items which includes workshops and lessons from Orchard View Mediation and Coaching, Heather Fraser, Dr. Zimfira Poloz, Kathryn Whitney, Dr. Julia Davids, Anne Longmore, Dr. Laurier Fagnan, Diane Kolin, Choral DirectioNZ, Patricia Abbott, Shelley MacDonald, Colin Frotten, Singdaptive, Davis Vocal Studios and more.

Full details and registration: https://bit.ly/3xUdtzZ

***

1 JOUR jusqu'au lancement de l'encan silencieux Connections de Canada Choral ✨ Inscrivez-vous pour enchérir et consultez le catalogue d’articles exceptionnels tels que des ateliers et des leçons de Orchard View Mediation and Coaching, Heather Fraser, Dr. Zimfira Poloz, Kathryn Whitney, Dr. Julia Davids, Anne Longmore, Dr. Laurier Fagnan, Diane Kolin, Choral DirectioNZ, Patricia Abbott, Shelley MacDonald, Colin Frotten, Singdaptive, Davis Vocal Studios et plus encore.

Tous les détails et inscription : https://bit.ly/3xUdtzZ

This morning, I facilitated a workshop with English as an Additional Language Teachers. We were focusing on mindfulness and team building, with goals of having good discussions and lots of fun. We played some new and different games, had productive conversations, and got to know each other better. At the end of our time together, the participants shared the crests or logos they had created, and we all learned more about the history of the organization. Thank you to the YMCA for welcoming me to the space and allowing me to lead your workshop!

"You want those different kinds of people to come out, you have to go get them, get them where they are (i.e. don’t expect them to come looking for you). And, you probably have to convince them a little bit why they should bother."

Diversifying your audience doesn't have to be mysterious. Read more on Substack: Orchard View Coaching. Or, DM me if your arts organization is looking to welcome different kinds of people to participate.

Feeling the crunch of needing new audience members and not knowing where to start? I can help:

Diversifying your audience? Diversify your marketing. You can't keep doing the same thing and expect different results.

Do you have a child who is interested in the arts, humanities and social sciences, but not being challenged at school?

Is your child in need of additional, 1-1 support with literacy, ESL, social studies, or music theory?

I have limited spaces in the upcoming after school enrichment session, based in Windsor, Nova Scotia. Places are available for students in grades 4 through 8 for a six-week, in person session starting February 15.

For details and registration information, please contact [email protected] or send me a DM.

Avon Chamber of Commerce West Hants Regional Municipality

Calling all arts professionals!
How many potential participants, artists, and audience members are you leaving untapped because you do not know how to confidently and effectively engage newcomers in your arts organization?
I’m guessing it is a significant number. Your audiences could be larger. Your audition lists could be longer. Your participants could be more varied.

If you haven't investigated how to engage newcomers yet in your arts organization, you're missing out. Don't let another day go by without capitalizing on this untapped market.

Want to learn how? Here are three easy ways:

1. Enroll in the Building Welcoming Communities Course, starting March 2023 https://lnkd.in/ewAhbdXy

2. Become a member at Orchard View Coaching, and receive full-time, on-call support for any projects you undertake to welcome newcomers, from document review to asking the hard and awkward questions. https://lnkd.in/efMKUBE8

3. Subscribe to the free Substack where I share regular updates and tips for arts organizations seeking to diversify: https://lnkd.in/eWDzmdgd

What are you waiting for?

Who is a Newcomer? Defining your audience will help attract it.

"If your organization wishes to hire newcomers into admin or performance roles, you must know what kind of work permit or immigration rules apply to those people. If you are looking for participants, they likely don’t need to have a particular status, and therefore you can expand your search more broadly."

Defining your audience will help you attract it. If you are working in the not for profit or arts sector, check out this article on Substack to help narrow your audience and tailor your recruitment strategy. https://orchardview.substack.com/p/who-is-a-newcomer

Music festivals and arts events are struggling to meet rising costs with current audience numbers: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-folk-music-festival-cancelled-2023-1.6716682

Without a significant push to introduce new audience demographics to arts and culture, more festivals and organizations will likely be going the way of the Vancouver Folk Festival.

Want to talk about how your organization can avoid this same fate, diversify your audience, increase profits, and stay afloat? Send me a DM or email me at [email protected].

Vancouver Folk Music Festival won't return in 2023 — and might be over for good | CBC News The Vancouver Folk Music Festival will not be returning to the city in 2023, as the changing event landscape and rising production costs leaves the long-term future of the event hanging in the balance.

Interested in the Building Welcoming Communities course, but not sure if you want to commit? Want to welcome newcomers to your arts organization, but need to get started right now, and don't know where to begin?

I've launched a brand new Substack newsletter, that will include tips and tricks, action items, and lessons I've learned about welcoming newcomers into an arts environment. Subscribe at the link below and find out how to create a more welcoming arts organization today.

Welcome! I'm glad you're here. We can build a more welcoming community in the arts, for everyone.

We're on Substack! If you're interested in building welcoming communities for newcomers, subscribe to find tips, tricks, and blog posts about how to welcome newcomers to your arts organization - all free.

Check out the latest post here, and subscribe: https://orchardview.substack.com/p/using-google-forms-to-confirm-participation?sd=pf

There is still time to register for the FREE workshop on Wednesday, January 11 at 2pm AST: Welcoming Newcomers to Your Arts Organization.

You'll get a chance to meet and mingle with other artists and arts administrators who are struggling with the same issues - low audience numbers, needing to increase diversity, and not knowing where to start.

We'll cover some basics of immigration, some techniques for rejuvenating audiences and welcoming new audience members to performances, how to diversify participation (both in the big picture, and in the small, manageable steps) and how we can all move forward and support each other in this work. I hope you'll join me! Sign up now at this link or email [email protected]

Free Workshop: Welcoming Newcomers to Your Arts Organization — Orchard View Mediation and Coaching This free, 1-hour, online workshop will give you the basic tools you need to start welcoming more newcomers into your arts organization and audiences.

There is still time to register for this free workshop next week, 2pm AST on Jan. 11: Welcoming Newcomers to your Arts Organization. https://www.orchardviewcoaching.com/store-1/p/newcomers Perfect for choral directors, community music organizers, or artists who want to increase the diversity in their organizations.

Free Workshop: Welcoming Newcomers to Your Arts Organization — Orchard View Mediation and Coaching This free, 1-hour, online workshop will give you the basic tools you need to start welcoming more newcomers into your arts organization and audiences.

The new year is a great time to think about how you can diversify your arts organization.

The different ways people immigrate, and the various linguistic backgrounds that newcomers arrive with can sometimes make it feel overwhelming to start offering newcomer-specific programming.

But it isn't hard!

On January 11, I'm offering a FREE workshop, to help give you the basics you need to start making your arts organization more inclusive (and more profitable!) straight away. A full hour of action items - totally free. Sign up now:

Free Workshop: Welcoming Newcomers to Your Arts Organization — Orchard View Mediation and Coaching This free, 1-hour, online workshop will give you the basic tools you need to start welcoming more newcomers into your arts organization and audiences.

This free, 1-hour, online session will give artists, arts managers, and arts organizations some basic tools to be better prepared to welcome newcomers into their organizations, either as participants or audience members. The workshop will take place on Wednesday, January 11, 2023 at 2pm AST. All are welcome. Register online at www.orchardviewcoaching.com. Link in bio.

Still hunting for a Christmas gift for the artist, musician, or dancer in your life? Why not gift them the joy of a five-week, online course that will have benefits that live on for months and years to come?

In Building Welcoming Communities in the Arts, arts professionals, managers, and performers will learn how to welcome newcomers into their organization, company, classroom or studio, and increase the number of newcomers in their audiences. Meet your EDI goals and increase profits, all in one. For more information and to purchase, click here:

Building Welcoming Communities in the Arts — Orchard View Mediation and Coaching Building Welcoming Communities in the Arts Calling all arts professionals!How many potential participants, artists, and audience members are you leaving untapped because you do not know how to confidently and effectively engage newcomers in your arts organization? I’m guessing it is a significant...