Archive

How afraid should people be in the midst of this pandemic? In an interview on W5 last night, renowned Epidemiologist, Dr. Bruce Aylward, from the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) in Geneva, Switzerland said, “We are watching an outbreak evolve so people should be concerned, they should be informed, they should be doing the right things and managing it; but, panicking is definitely not going to help. You panic when you’re on a sinking boat in the middle of the ocean with no lifeboat and you can’t swim. This isn’t that situation. We know… Read More

Working from home is a new “normal” for many people. At first glance, working from home can seem like a luxury. Yet, it’s certainly no picnic and being productive is easier said than done. As a professional speaker and author, I’ve worked remotely for more than 20 years. Based on my experience, and what I’ve learned from others, I’ve found there are key things that need to be managed, avoided, and created in order to make working from home a success: There are distractions to manage . . . laundry, television, pets, kids, social media, and friends and family who… Read More

We’re in a storm the likes of which most of us have never seen before. Storms are very normal in life. Storms happen in relationships, they happen in finances, and they happen with health. Yet, the storm we are facing right now – this pandemic – could be called the “perfect storm” in that it’s impacting all areas of life in every part of the world. In my online conversation last night, Doug Schneider said: “While storms are very normal, what happens when we’re not used to going through them is we can begin to catastrophize. Read More

I was inspired to post this picture of me with my big 80’s hairstyle (look for it at the bottom of this post) after seeing Jennifer Valentyne’s 80’s hair picture on Instagram. (You rocked it Jenn!) Big hair blowing in the wind aside, did you notice the caption of the article? “13-year-old pulled friend from frozen Lake Simcoe” Yup, that was me! I fell through the ice when I was 13 years old. I had been playing on the ice of Lake Simcoe with two friends. I became bored and wandered off by myself. In an attempt to cure… Read More

In continuing this series of keeping calm in the pandemic, it’s important to talk about financial stress. With unemployment levels at an all-time high and businesses being shut down, millions of people are struggling to figure out how they’ll manage financially. There is hope! This particular message includes a story to inspire you and strategies to help you. First the story to inspire you . . . Last week, I was interviewed on The Morning Show to provide strategies to help parents reduce worry during the pandemic. Before the show, I asked moms and… Read More

David’s closing words ignited more peace and hope than I could have imagined! There were just about five minutes left in my online interview with Mortgage Agent, David Imler. I was live streaming the show and David’s image froze. Since we had already covered the strategies I’d promised viewers by this point, I decided it would be a good time to end the episode. Little did I know the best was yet to come . . . This episode focused on helping people to reduce their financial stress during the pandemic. To close the show,… Read More

If you’ve read Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, you’ll know it to be a book about survival. Frankl miraculously survived the network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps. While there are numerous ideas in this book for changing a person’s life, the message that stands out for me today is that of hope. Frankl describes how prisoners died less from lack of food or medicine, than from a lack of hope and a lack of something to live for. He describes a particularly bad day in the camp. He knew encouragement was needed now more than ever. As the… Read More

In these challenging times it can be hard to manage our feelings and find the happiness in the every day. Jennifer Valentyne interviewed me on Global News this morning to find the positive in difficult situations. How can we be happy during this time of uncertainty? In talking about “finding happiness”, we need to expose the myth of happiness. The Happiness Myth: The myth is that we’re supposed to be happy all of the time; and, when we’re feeling unhappy it means something is wrong. The problem with this widely held belief is that it creates more… Read More

One morning, I opened my emails and saw a message containing this subject line: “You’ve probably heard this lots of times but your book really has saved my life! Thank you!” Obviously, I was very curious. I opened that email first and here’s what I read: “Hello Denise, I recently discovered your book while trying to get my life back on track. I have just been through an extremely rough patch and I was worried about everything that was happening. I wouldn’t leave my bedroom, let alone the house, to… Read More

Just when you were getting used to counting crickets . . . Businesses are gradually reopening and stay-at-home directives are being eased. This reopening can come with certain challenges and stresses. Rest assured, I’ll continue to send strategies to help you reduce worry and stress as we navigate through these next phases together. Until then . . . Let’s go back to what I said about “counting crickets.” Does anyone ever get used to that? I’m talking about boredom. Boredom. Can. Be. Painful. Can you relate? That’s precisely why . . . I went on a quest to find a… Read More

Are you ready for a good laugh? Here’s the FULL blooper reel from the recording of my online course. It’s pretty funny! I experienced so many emotions during those hours, days, and weekends of recording. I felt excited, frustrated, playful, confused, relieved, happy . . . you’ll see! Imagine if you could watch a recording of yourself during the past ten weeks! How many different emotions would you observe? Thankfully, this pandemic won’t last forever. As Robert Schuller said: “Tough times never last, but tough people do!” Here are three strategies to build resilience… Read More

Can we talk about the science of prayer for a sec? In her book, Who Switched off My Brain? Controlling Toxic Thoughts and Emotions, Dr. Caroline Leaf writes: “A growing body of scientific research confirms that prayer and actively developing your spiritual life increases frontal lobe activity, thickness, intelligence, and overall health.” (Page 115) Think about that for a minute: Prayer and actively developing your spiritual life increases frontal lobe activity, thickness, intelligence, and overall health! Prayer is a critical human spiritual activity. Millions of people in all cultures, races, and religions pray. Sometimes the answers I get… Read More

In addition to dealing with a “new normal” way of life, many of us are facing another new normal – a “new normal summer body.” The term coined for weight gained during the pandemic is: The Quarantine 15. A popular post on social media reads: “Due to coronavirus, my summer body will be delayed to 2021. Thank you for understanding.” Making light of difficult situations can have its place in helping to reduce stress. But . . . Let’s face it, weight gain can be hard on our self-esteem, health, and overall wellbeing. What can you do… Read More

Did you know that William Shakespeare wrote King Lear while in quarantine from the bubonic plague? There’s more . . . In 1606, when the bubonic plague returned to England, wreaking havoc on Londoners, Shakespeare completed three of his greatest tragedies: King Lear, Macbeth, and even Antony and Cleopatra. Experts believe that Shakespeare completed Antony and Cleopatra in July of 1606 after the plague forced the closure of his venue, the Globe Theatre. That was over 400 years ago. Admittedly, Shakespeare, didn’t have the same distractions to occupy his mind that we have available today. Try picturing Shakespeare binge-watching Netflix, crushing it… Read More

We cannot change what this pandemic has done, but we can change ourselves by learning to adapt and move forward. Adapting to change helps you to enjoy less stress and more success in your work and in your life. “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” — Viktor Frankl In my business as an international speaker, I have given keynotes and training sessions around the globe in Canada, United States, Mexico, Australia, Aruba, and United Kingdom. I love travelling. I love being together with others and… Read More

When my daughter Lindsay was a little girl, she was looking through some black and white baby pictures of her dad. She asked, “Daddy, was everything black and white in the old days?” “Yes,” he said. She looked puzzled and asked, “When did the new days start?” He quickly replied, “When your mom was born.” Change is happening all of the time. We often don’t notice the little or unexpected changes until we look back and see how far we’ve come. Some change – like the pandemic – happens so fast we can get thrown-off balance physically, financially, relationally, and… Read More

Give this sixty-second video a quick watch and tell me . . . Do you think this could possibly be the world’s strangest pick-up line? I’m quite certain that if someone had asked me the question my friend had been asked, I would not have assumed I was being hit on! I would have taken it personally because I was teased about my weight when I was a kid. In his book, Free to Change: Escape from the Forces that Keep You the Same, Matthew J. Taylor writes: “Young… Read More

Can you guess which questions I’m most frequently asked through social media and after giving keynotes, seminars, and online training? 1. How did you become a professional speaker? 2. How did you get your books published? 3. Are you always this positive? Here are the answers to those three FAQs: 1. How did you become a professional speaker? The entire story about how I became a professional speaker is interesting and funny, but it’s long, so I’ll save the full answer for a future blog post. In the meantime, here’s the short version. Read More

When my daughters were teenagers, they would say, “You’re using your speaker voice again.” The first time they said it, I asked, “What does that mean?” My 15-year-old daughter explained, “It’s the voice you use when you’re saying something to motivate us. You like the voice; but, you don’t want to argue with it.” Can you relate? It’s been a stressful time. Sometimes how you’re feeling is reflected in your voice. The work of running a business – or raising kids, caring for loved ones, daily life – can be challenging enough. Add the pressure of living in a pandemic… Read More

Do these statistics surprise you? McMaster University researchers tracked the amount of time 4,000 stay-at-home and working Canadian parents spent caring for children before and during the pandemic. Here’s what they found: Men reported an average of 33 hours of caregiving per week before COVID-19 hit and 46 hours per week during. Women reported an average of 68 hours per week before and a whooping 95 hours per week during! Mothers have taken on an alarming number of hours caring for their children during the pandemic. It can be extremely challenging to balance work and family… Read More