Breath In, Write Out

This week’s episode is part of our Careers in the Arts series, where we talk to young professionals with Fine Arts or Liberal Arts degrees, who have established themselves in an interesting and fulfilling profession. Deciding what to do after university, especially with a degree like a Bachelor of Arts that is often general and does not prepare you for any specific profession, can be daunting. What most students don’t realize though is that your Arts degree has provided you with a variety of transferable skills, such as critical thinking, research, organization, and communication that can be applied to a number of different professions. We hope that through these interviews students will feel less overwhelmed and hopeful about their career options.

Today’s guest is Megan Kee, the founder of 20/20 Arts, a non-profit organization dedicated to the production of innovative art projects that raise awareness, visibility, and fund for charitable organizations. Megan has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Ontario College of Art and Design, as well as a Master of Art in Museum and Gallery Studies from Kingston University in London, England. She has over ten years of experience in the Fine Arts industry, including working as a Gallery Assistant at Lausberg Contemporary, Head Exhibition Designer at Quaycrafts, and Project Manager at Pursuit Inc. She is passionate about bringing people together over collective values, beliefs, and passions, amplifying the voices of charities/non-profits through the most powerful medium she knows of: ART.

This week's episode is for all the strong women out there, who struggle with balancing their tactical professional and caring compassionate self. I know this is an internal conflict that I deal with regularly as an entrepreneur in a care-giving and creative sector. How can I highlight my expertise, intelligence, and strength without losing the softer side of myself? This struggle is particularly evident in negotiations, where we are required to bargain for something we want, such as a promotion, raise, or new opportunity. Women are typically socialized to step back, give in, and avoid conflict. So, how do you harness your inner shark without losing yourself?

This week’s guest is Alexandra Kutilin, a full-time MBA student at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business. Alex is passionate about career mentorship, professional development, and entrepreneurship for women, topics that she regularly explores on her blog, professionalwomanblog.com. As an ambitious young career woman, she is also very active on campus. She is currently the President of the Graduate Women’s Council, Student Ambassador, Mentors in Business participant, and has been a competitor in the 2019 BC MBA Games and 2020 National MBA Games, just to name a few of her many pursuits.

This week’s episode is about the stress caused by assignments and exams. We thought this topic would be helpful to our listeners who are about to enter the final exam season. Exam anxiety is a real and serious problem that can hinder students' academic performance.

This week I, Jane Jingyi Miao, creative and marketing assistant at PFAU Academic Writing, will be interviewing Lisa Pfau, the founder and CEO of Pfau Academic Writing. As you may know, Lisa has over 20 years of experience supporting students through academic challenges. I first met Lisa three years ago as a first-year International student at the University of Toronto. Lisa has helped me with the transition from high school to university, giving me lots of great tips about how to deal with the pressures of university.

This week’s episode is about the student experience as a visible minority. Although laws have been changed and attitudes adjusted, structural racism is real in Canada and it exists in our educational institutions too. Black, Indigenous, South Asian, and other minority students often experience racism and ethnocentrism on and off campus.

Today’s guest is Reggie Waterman, who is the director and founder of his own branding agency, XPRESSIVE. In 2019, he uncovered a gap in the post-grad job search experience and he has made it his mission to close the gap by providing students with a winning formula to ensure career success. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reggie also decided to facilitate a Zoom series called Discover Your ‘Other” Self to provide inspiration and help people overcome life’s challenges, especially during these abnormal times. More importantly, he’s achieved all of this while facing racial barriers as a Black student and businessman.

This week’s episode is something students often take for granted - editing! Good writers know that the first draft is never going to be their best work. They need to put aside time to revision, edit, and proofread their work. The best writers have colleagues or professionals to provide them with insights on their work and to fix any technical issues. Like all art, writing takes multiple drafts to reach a level of greatness.

This week’s guest is Daina Sparling, an editor and proofreader at PFAU Academic Writing. Daina has a Psychology degree from the University of Alberta, and experience working as a Research Assistant for the Department of Medicine, Division of Studies. While at the university she collaborated with other academics in the creation, editing, and statistical analysis of examinations used in the medical school. Diana has over three years experience editing graduate-level dissertations and publications with PFAU. In her free time, Daina enjoys travel, beekeeping, and camping. She is a mother to two children and wife of 15 years to Darryl.

This week's episode is for all the strong women out there, who struggle with balancing their tactical professional and caring compassionate self. I know this is an internal conflict that I deal with regularly as an entrepreneur in a care-giving and creative sector. How can I highlight my expertise, intelligence, and strength without losing the softer side of myself? This struggle is particularly evident in negotiations, where we are required to bargain for something we want, such as a promotion, raise, or new opportunity. Women are typically socialized to step back, give in, and avoid conflict. So, how do you harness your inner shark without losing yourself?

This week’s guest is Alexandra Kutilin, a full-time MBA student at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business. Alex is passionate about career mentorship, professional development, and entrepreneurship for women, topics that she regularly explores on her blog, professionalwomanblog.com. As an ambitious young career woman, she is also very active on campus. She is currently the President of the Graduate Women’s Council, Student Ambassador, Mentors in Business participant, and has been a competitor in the 2019 BC MBA Games and 2020 National MBA Games, just to name a few of her many pursuits.

This week's episode discusses some of the mental health challenges that students encounter, and strategies to create a healthier study environment. Despite campaigns put forward by governments and corporations in the last decade that encourage a more open discussion about mental health, there are still a number of stigmas and taboos that surround mental health concerns, particularly mental health struggles that are connected to addiction. During this episode, we hope to deconstruct some of those stereotypes associated with mental illness and addiction; and instead, present an empathetic, compassionate, and sensitive framework to discuss the sometimes bumpy journey to mental wellness.

This week’s guest is Holly Smith, a Kanien'ke:haka (Mohawk) of the Haudenosaunee people from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. She is an experienced clinical occupational therapist in the field of mental health and substance use, who currently works as a clinical manager at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). She also recently established Indigenous Wellness Services, a mental health therapy and consulting business which offers a decolonized approach to mental health treatment.

This week’s episode is about how to successfully appeal a grade. Sometimes students work really hard on an assignment, but they do not get the grade they are expecting. This is usually because of a misunderstanding between the marker and the student. In these cases, it is often helpful to meet with your TA or professor to discuss the grading. These discussions are more challenging during Covid-19 because of social distancing; however, it is possible with strategies to successfully negotiate a better grade.

This week we are changing things up. The host of this week's podcast is Jingyi(Jane) Miao, the creative and marketing assistant at Pfau Academic Writing, and a fourth-year international student at the University of Toronto. Jingyi will be interviewing Lisa Pfau, the founder, and CEO of Pfau Academic Writing. As you may know, Lisa has over 20 years of experience helping students with essay writing, application support, and career development.

This week's episode is about goal setting and routines, particularly around sleep hygiene. Since students often have a varied and flexible schedule that allows them to stay up late and sleep in, particularly as we move into online classes, establishing and maintaining daily healthy routines can be a challenge.

We'll be interviewing Erin Spencer, a registered Occupational Therapist. She provides education on sleep hygiene, building routine, re-engaging in activities post-injury, ergonomics and mindfulness.

Tune in to find out more!

This week’s episode is about what it takes to write a solid research paper. We thought this topic would be helpful to our listeners who are currently working on their term research papers and feeling a bit overwhelmed. While writing can be stressful and time-consuming, a well-thought out and detailed research, note-taking, and planning process can make writing much easier.

Today’s guest is Amanda Christie, academic writing coach and editor at PFAU Academic Writing. Amanda comes from a family of teachers and professors. She is no slouch herself. She has a BA (Hons) in Global Development and Gender Studies from Queen’s University, and has worked on research projects with the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women, Newcomer Women’s Services, and Singing Out. She also presented at several conferences throughout Ontario as coordinator for a youth drop-in centre, and has a real passion for the education of young adults, helping them to edit essays, improve assignments, enhance university applications, and polish up English as a second language skills. When Amanda isn’t working, she is volunteering, gardening, cooking, reading, playing board games, and travelling.