MY GIVING PLEDGE

 

For 2024 I'll donate again to Indspire and The Writers' Exchange, this time with 1.1% of annual course sales from The Sparkle Technique.

 

For 2023 I donated $2 from every coaching package to the Indigenous led organization Indspire to help support Indigenous youth, and $2 to The Writers' Exchange to help Vancouver under-resourced kids get excited about reading and writing.

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For 2022 I donated $2 from every coaching package to the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine via the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.

I also supported Indigenous youth with a $2 donation to the Indigenous led education organization Indspire.

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MY ETHICAL STANDS

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Sometimes when we meet online it’s tricky to know where people stand. Misunderstandings occur when people make assumptions about each other. I’ll make it easier for us to get along by letting you know where I stand.

 

I stand for acting from courage, care and compassion.

 

I’m here to express myself, have fun, tell stories, and to encourage you to do the same. 

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I’m a human being. Please accept that as a condition of humanness I am imperfect. I stand for recognizing my mistakes, working towards repair as needed, and continuous learning.

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Before I teach or do a talk or interview I remind myself of what Deepak Chopra says: “I’m beneath no one. No one is beneath me.”

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I am Ukrainian-Canadian and I stand with Ukraine.

 

Gender is a construct. As Rupaul says, “we’re all born naked, and the rest is drag.” I stand for women and equality, and recognize the beautiful humanity of non-binary and trans people. I stand against all forms of gender discrimination and bias.

 

I stand for the dismantling of structural racism and as part of that process I agree with Ibram X, Kendi, that “to be antiracist is to admit when we’re being racist.” Black Lives Matter. My Asian, Latinx and POC family and friends should not be targets of vitriol. Let’s work together to solve our problems. Let's look at each other with positive regard.

 

I stand for listening to and respecting Indigenous elders, rights (including land rights) and voices. Colonialism is harsh. I’m a settler from an immigrant family whose Ukrainian ancestors fled tyranny, but we live now on Indigenous land that was taken. I acknowledge I work on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples–Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. I pay my respects to these nations and the histories of those who have cared for the land.

 

Our planet is in trouble because we treat it horribly. I stand for action on climate change and protection of forests, natural enclaves and animals.

 

I am an adoptee and I stand for amplifying adoptee voices, which too often go unheard. I stand for funding and support to keep families together when possible. I stand against adoption systems that commodify children.

 

I stand for revisiting and revising these stands regularly as my understanding deepens.

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