WOW Woman of Worth:
Emotional Intelligence – Mental Health Matters (Vol. 5)
by Christine Awram
About the Book
The time has come for this groundbreaking book on Emotional Intelligence to arrive. It challenges the status quo, and breaks the stigma that surrounds mental health.
You will step into a personal conversation with these 15 courageous authors who have uncovered their souls to give you hope. Their stories man break your heart and steal the very breath from your lungs, but they’ll also inspire you to see that triumph over adversity is always possible.
The resilience of the human spirit shines throughout this book. Whether it’s grief, loss, depressin, anxiety, illness, abuse, or any stressor affecting you or someone you love, these stories will take you by the hand and show you how to not just survive, but thrive. You are not alone.
Co-Authors
DeeAnn Lensen
DeeAnn Lensen is an award-winning, European-trained Advanced Aesthetic Educator, Spa Consultant, Certified Life Coach, NLP Practitioner, keynote speaker and best-selling author. She is the President and CEO of Touché Esthetiqué and also owns Advanced Spa Technologies, a five-star spa consulting company in Canada.
A pioneer in pairing empowerment with spa treatments, and frustrated by the onslaught of fear-based marketing targeted at women, DeeAnn dissected the cosmetic industry with its own fine-tooth comb and created Emotional Freedom Technique tapping exercises for women to use while applying skincare. She also offers many public programs, including the “Empowered Inside Out Support System: Emotional Intelligence and Life Coaching.”
As a successful spa consultant, DeeAnn has advised spa properties across North America. She is deeply respected for her ability to support spa businesses through multi-faceted education, creative marketing, staff empowerment and coaching management, as well as speaking at Empowered Inside Out Seminars for the clients of the spas she supports.
604-916-8354
Ellen Walker-Matthews
Ellen Walker-Matthews resides in the heart of the Okanagan Valley in Summerland, BC, having moved there from Calgary in 1992. Leaving a senior position with Delta Hotels, Ellen initially chose to continue to work in hotels in a less demanding role so she could focus on quality of life and raising her young son, Chris. A few years later she married Tom, father to Krista and Stephen, and together they raised their blended family.
Tourism and hospitality have long been her passion, and for the past ten years Ellen has worked with Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association. Her current role is that of Vice President of Destination and Industry Development, with a focus on working with regional partners to ensure that tourism employs tactics to grow in a sustainable and responsible way.
After losing her son to terminal cancer, she fought to move forward and try to make sense of this profound personal loss. Finding inner strength in the solitude of walking and ultimately making that simple activity into a legacy project, Ellen has seen her grief turn into positive action. She hopes her story will encourage others to appreciate the importance of taking small steps in rebuilding their life and to know that the future can once again hold meaning.
Corisa Bell
Corisa Bell is kind and passionate about everything she undertakes. She loves helping others and is dedicated to improving quality of life for all of us. After partnering in a successful e-commerce software development company, she served two terms in local government and sat twice as president of the Lower Mainland Local Government Association. Now retired from political life, she enjoys public speaking, consultant work, and serving as a director to the local Chamber of Commerce. Whether working with clients to find resolutions to the challenges and delays they’re experiencing at city hall, helping businesses advocate to other levels of government as a lobbyist, or helping citizens navigate a bylaw complaint, she cherishes being a part of open dialogue.
Corisa loves the two beautiful souls she proudly calls her daughters, Rhyly and Kaylyn. Kaylyn has her own baking company called Kay’s Cakes, and Rhyly is currently studying English and Journalism. Corisa has raised her girls to think of community as their extended family, and she is in her happy place when volunteering or spending time with community.
Kathy Herriot
Kathy lives with her husband in Langley, BC. She has a mantra to enjoy life to its fullest and does not let anything stop her, taking the ups and downs and using them as learning experiences while always remembering, “You have been through this before, and you will get through it this time.”
One of the things Kathy loves most is animals. Currently she has three furry friends – two cats and one dog. She has trained dogs for a variety of sports, and it brings her great joy to see her rescue dog blossom despite her previous life. She volunteers for the Langley Animal Protection Society (LAPS) and will do anything to help an animal.
Kathy is an avid gardener, spending hours in her yard, and she loves the feeling of serenity she finds in sitting on her deck and enjoying her efforts. She goes home to Saskatchewan each summer – she avoids winter trips for obvious reasons – in order to visit her brother and her ninety-four-year-old mother, who always tells Kathy she is proud of her. She is Kathy’s best friend and is always there to listen and be supportive.
Sam van Born
Sam van Born was born and raised in North Vancouver, BC. where she resides with her 10-year-old daughter. Her real name is Synamon, pronounced Cinnamon, but she was nicknamed Sam in grade five and still goes by it to this day. She graduated from high school not knowing exactly what she wanted to do in life, until she had a conversation with her friend’s dad who was a captain in the fire service. Inspired to find out more about this amazing career, she soon moved out to Lions Bay to join the volunteer fire department. A year later she got into a firefighting school in Alberta, and eleven weeks after that she was certified. She was then hired by the North Vancouver City Fire Department, and now, nineteen years later, she has worked her way through the ranks to become a full-time captain.
Sam is also actively promoting health and wellness through her home-based business with EvolvHealth. She promotes whole food plant-based nutritional products that focus on helping people heal their gut, lower inflammation, and support their hormones, along with an award-winning Hemp/CBD Oil. Aloe vera is the core ingredient in all of the products, and it serves to help the body heal itself. When the immune system is supported, the body is capable of doing amazing things.
Catherine O’Kane
Catherine O’Kane MA, RCC, RCS is a counsellor, facilitator, and gifted public speaker with decades of experience. She and her husband Duane O’Kane co-authored the #1 best-selling book REAL: The Power of Authentic Connection, which reveals how to be fully alive through authentic, vulnerable relationships. They own a company called Clearmind International Institute Inc., which offers therapeutic personal development workshops to the public as well as a counsellor training program that runs both locally and online. Together, they have helped thousands of people throughout North America and Europe correct the self-limiting beliefs and feelings that are at the root of our dilemmas.
Catherine is fascinated with the border between psychology and spirituality. A near-death experience in 1994 dramatically impacted her view of her own existence and fundamentally influenced her perspective on love, the human psyche, and relationships. The transformational loving force she powerfully experienced remains the foundation for all her work.
Catherine was recently awarded “Leader of the Year 2019” by Woman Of Worth WOW Worldwide for her outstanding contribution as a role model for women in leadership. She practices what she preaches in all her relationships (including her marriage) and shares her struggles and wisdom with vulnerability, passion, and humour.
Terriea Harris
Terriea is a sassy, soulful, witty, fiercely loving, and tender woman. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Terriea Harris descends from some powerful ancestors of mixed heritage, including Dakota, Aborigine, and Columbian. She values authenticity and providing safe spaces for full self-expression – values that she believes were born from her childhood experiences of abandonment and trauma and the guilt and shame placed on her by society. She loves to dance, write, sing, travel, and engage in different spiritual practices, and she is working towards becoming part of a burlesque dance group!
As a healer and transpersonal counsellor, Terriea has had the honour of learning from healers and medicine people from different cultures. She is gifted with being able to hold safe, sacred spaces where people can fully express themselves. Her intuitive ability to channel universal energies to support others in identifying what is blocking them from self-love and self-actualization is one of her greatest talents. Over the years, she has worked with women and girls who have also experienced violence, trauma, and abuse, including in various roles with the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls.
It is Terriea’s intention and passion to create spaces where people can unapologetically explore their beliefs and any shame or guilt around sexuality and relationships.
Lilly Gwilliam
Lilly A. Gwilliam has held a variety of positions over the course of her life, including working as a medical legal consultant, a dean of allied health and accreditation officer, a nursing coordinator, a practitioner teacher, and a psychiatric nurse. She is the author of the memoir Generations of Motherhood: A Changing Story and has published several articles and presented seminars on the topics of nursing and law. She also presented a paper on rape to the Fiji Law Society and was able to help change the laws around rape for women in Fiji.
Lilly has been inducted into the nursing honour society Sigma Theta Tau. She was nominated as one of the “Outstanding Young Women in 1979” and is a member of “Who’s Who in American Nursing.” She was also inducted into the 2014 Massapequa High School Hall of Fame in recognition of her commitment to excellence as she honours her responsibilities to her family and community.
Lilly currently lives in Alamo, California, with her husband Gary. They have five children and eight grandchildren between them, and they enjoy spending time with their families and travelling the world.
Katherine Potter
Katherine is a highly skilled life coach with over twenty-five years of experience. She is trained in several modalities, including as a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), Public Speaking, Workshop Leader, and Reiki Master. Her clients see improvements in their level of self-trust, self-worth, confidence and health, leading to greater mental and emotional clarity. This allows them to make stronger decisions in all areas of life while experiencing deeper connections with family, friends, and business associates.
Highly intuitive, a strong active listener, and a direct communicator with a great sense of humour, Katherine is extremely skilled at creating and holding a safe space for her clients. Katherine uses her skills to listen, inform, and challenge her clients to be bold and to act, moving their own dreams forward. She truly celebrates the human spirit and the strength and courage that exists within all of us to be curious and discover oneself at a deeper, more authentic level.
Katherine McEachnie
Katherine McEachnie is an energetic self-starter who has always remained positive, nurturing, determined, and kind through all the obstacles in her life. She has served on many leadership committees and advisory councils for different charities, and over the last fifteen years she and her husband Bill have helped raise millions of dollars for organizations involved in diabetes research, cancer research, children with disabilities, hospital programs, animal rescue, women’s resource centres, and more.
Katherine is a Master in Champagne, a French Wine Scholar, a Certified Specialist of Wine, a Viticulture technician, and a Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Diploma graduate. She owns Winston Estate Vineyard on the Naramata Bench in the Okanagan, British Columbia, which was voted the best wine region in the world in 2019. For the last ten years, she has served as a champagne specialist judge with the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London, UK. She also judges wine for the Okanagan Wine Festival “Best of Varietal” Competition. She is a wine consultant, wine educator, wine writer, and proud ambassador for BC wine. She is also a Canadian leader with Rodan + Fields, proudly representing the top skin care brand in North America.
Kim Mowatt
Kim Mowatt is a neuroscience Registered Psychiatric Nurse, Certified Professional Counsellor, and founder of Wise Women on Horseback. She has drawn on 35 years of experience to develop courses and write her innovative book The Wild Horse Within; Seven Essential Skills to Reset From Stress to Happiness. In her book series Kim uses solution-focused, scientific and evidence-based techniques to help clients achieve mental wellness and lasting happiness.
A Certified Riding Instructor and Ride Communications Coordinator, Kim raised her family with her husband at Chrome Heart Ranch, their therapeutic riding retreat on Abel Lake in 100 Mile House, B.C. Kim also developed the Wise Girls equestrian program in response to the mental health needs of youth. Clients visiting this lakefront sanctuary learn how to reset their hearts and minds to help them navigate through anxiety, depression, loss and change, to find calm and inner peace.
A longstanding member of the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of B.C., Kim is registered with the British Columbia College of Nursing Professionals, specializing in stress, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. Verified by Psychology Today, Kim was acclaimed by the 100 Mile Mental Health and Substance Use Clinic for her development of client programs combining Heart Science Biofeedback, Neuroscience, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy.
Kristy Henkes-Joe
Kristy is a strong, passionate, independent woman from the Dakelh (Carrier) Tribe from the Central Interior of British Columbia. Kristy spent her childhood years in the Tl’azt’en and Nak’azdli Nation with a large family that immersed itself in the harvesting and cultural activities within the family’s Keyoh (territory). Today she calls Merritt, BC home and is married to her husband Lennard Joe, who is from the Shackan Band within the Nlaka’pamux Nation, and together they have raised five children.
Kristy’s healing journey has given her the strength and perspective to live life in a good way and to fulfill her purpose, which is to lead others to reach their full potential so they will find peace, love, and happiness within. She has played an integral part in the healing journey of many Indigenous youth, elders, women, men, and organizations throughout British Columbia. Her innovative and dynamic attitude, along with her strong administrative background, has allowed her to excel as an orchestrator and implementer of many programs to create stronger, healthier, and safer communities. She is recognized and acknowledged by many chiefs and leaders throughout the province for her tireless commitment to creating a healthier and happier nation.
Jennifer Morgan
Jennifer Morgan currently resides in New Westminster, BC, Canada, and is serving in her sixteenth year with the Royal Canadian Navy. She has lived and worked on both naval coasts, and has also instructed at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint Jean Sur Richelieu, QC. She is a strong advocate against bullying, violence against women, and discrimination, and is determined to maintain her strong values and morals, regardless of the backlash from those who do not share the same.
As someone who is unafraid of asking questions or getting the wrong answer, Jennifer is invested in and speaks out for women’s rights and gender equality. She is the current Vice-President of Soroptimist International of the Surrey/Delta and is excited to be working with such strong, like-minded women with the goal of improving the lives of young girls and women at home and around the world. Jennifer is completing her final year of a criminal justice degree from Athabasca University and hopes to move onto a master’s program at the University of British Columbia. She has found a home in the Greater Vancouver area and humbly values her partner as well as her family of choice above all else.
Cathy Derksen
Cathy is dedicated to improving the lives of the women in her community. She transformed her career from being a lab technologist into a financial planner so she could focus her energy on helping others in a more direct manner. A meeting with Cathy will help you clarify your life goals and find the financial tools to get there, and her approach to financial planning is inspiring and refreshing. She focuses on your relationship with money and how you can shift your perspective and move toward your goals.
Cathy is proud of the successes her children have created in their own lives, and she loves spending time with them and her fur-kids. Cathy enjoys hanging out in nature and connecting with friends.
Jacqueline Fowler, BSN, MD
Jacqueline Fowler, BSN, MD has spent more than thirty years working in the healthcare field, first as a nurse and then as a doctor. She has taken a special interest in assisting those with mental illness and their support systems. She strives to share her expertise and enjoys contributing to a deeper understanding of health, mental health, and resiliency. Jacqueline is also the mother of two young adults, and she gives special thanks to her daughter Holly Thomson for her bravery in contributing to this chapter through her journal entry and her permission in sharing part of her story.
Jackie and Alyson Jones originated the YouTube channel “Master Your Mental Health” to provide mental health tips to viewers.
Alyson Jones, MA, RCC
Alyson Jones, MA, RCC is a professional therapist and mental health educator as well as the president of a large private counselling clinic, Alyson Jones & Associates. She holds a master’s degree in psychology and has practiced for over twenty-five years, working with all age groups. Alyson is prominent in the psychological community and is often invited by the media to share her extensive knowledge on mental health, parenting, children, and families. She is a regular on CTV Morning Live and a contributing writer to Slica.ca and Huffington Post.
Alyson and Jacqueline Fowler originated the YouTube channel “Master Your Mental Health” to provide mental health tips to viewers.
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