Deri's Blogs

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Deri’s blogs and video posts include emerging information, tools, tips, and strategies for living a positive, mentally-healthy life – at work and beyond!

We Called It a ‘Walkie Talkie’—We Didn’t Know It Was Also a ‘Brain Gain’

My friends, Audrey and Jacqueline, and I started walking over the last few years – especially during the long winter, in-between our southern get-aways. We knew we loved our “Walkie Talkie’s”; the exercise, connection, and camaraderie were always invigorating.  What we did not realize is the real brain-boosting power of combining walking and talking; improving…

The Gift of a Rainy Day

It can be a drag. You’ve been working hard all week and have been looking forward to a weekend of fun outdoors. After a week of commuting in blistering heat, you wake up on Saturday morning to cloud cover and a drizzly forecast. Groan. It’s perfectly okay to be a bit bummed out. I mean,…

Gone Fishing: A Metaphor for Summer Rejuvenation

Are you feeling tired? Are you counting down the days until you take summer vacation? Are you focused on the clock at work, willing the minutes to go by as quickly as possible? I just set my out-of-office message for the summer, and it reads ‘Gone Fishing’. That message communicates what I intend to do…

You Matter: Three Ways to Make it a Better World

We are all part of an ecosystem – several, actually. Our families, communities, schools and workplaces are all environments of which we are a part. We affect, and are affected by, everything else that is a part of each ecosystem. I love the definition of ecosystem from Wikipedia; especially the description of how all living…

Three Ways to Reset your Brain for Resilience

There is a lot of information available on healthy ageing; and much of that writing includes strategies for a healthy brain, like this article by Michele Rosenthal titled 7 Ways to Exercise Your Brain – and Why You Really Need To! When I spoke at a Senior’s Wellness Day recently, I was reminded about how important it is…

How’s Your ‘Thumbnail’?

I just finished shooting a quick video message for a client. If you have ever had this experience, you know that once you are finished and ready to post the video on YouTube, you are offered a selection of ‘thumbnails’ from which to choose. A thumbnail? is internet slang for a small freeze frame (picture)…

Women in Leadership: It’s a Matter of Life and Death

Close your eyes. Bring into your awareness the face of a person in your life who you believe is a great leader. As you see that person’s face in your mind’s eye, think about what it is about that person that had an impact on you. Remind yourself of those things; say them quietly to…

Are You Ready for ReWIREment?

Yes, you read that correctly! Rewirement. What a cool word. And it’s potentially the newest description for that ‘next’ phase of life that many of us find ourselves talking and thinking about more often these days. I loved it when I first heard it – from a colleague of mine as we shared a coffee…

How to Make it a NEW Year

The common greeting at this time of year is ‘Happy New Year’. It can be heard in every boardroom, hallway, and grocery store across the country. It seems to be like other common greetings – ‘How are you?’; ‘Have a good day!’ – just something we all say, but rarely think about (whether we are…

9 Ways To Make It The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Yes, it is that most wonderful time of the year. For many of us it is a time to connect with people we love and care about, and to take time to rest and rejuvenate before a new year begins. Sometimes, it is also a very stressful time of year. There are gifts?to buy, cards…

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Ashley Collette, Social Work Officer, Canadian Armed Forces
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Sarah Marshall, President, Canadian Physiotherapy Association
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