Create Your Best Chapter

I attended my Grandmother's funeral this past weekend and it brought up a lot of memories -- and questions to reflect on. Including: What memories are you creating? How are you making others feel? What impact are you having on the people in your life and on the world?

If these questions resonate with you, take a listen to this week's episode to  hear my perspective and the importance of being intentional about showing up in genuine and grounded positivity, living in love instead of fear, and recognizing the responsibility, and honour, of having influence on those around us.

I believe that we each have a role to play in creating ripples of kindness, compassion, empathy, caring, and love. It's what we need more of in the world right now.

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"Heal Your Heart" Coaching

This coaching program is for you if you're living with self-doubt, imposter syndrome, insecurity, unfulfillment, resentment, or stuckness. I believe these can be overcome when you start to heal your heart from the pain of rejection.

The heart-healing journey is helped when we have someone to share the pain with. Let me do this for you. I'll provide you support, guidance, coaching, and wisdom as you learn to heal your heart in this 8-week coaching program.

Book your Application Call today so that you can start your coaching sessions in June!

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Thank you for listening. I invite you to subscribe to this podcast so that you don't miss any episodes, and please share with someone who you think would benefit from the message. And, if you have an idea for a future topic please let me know!

Connect with me:

• Facebook
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• LinkedIn
• Sign up for my newsletter
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I help people heal their heart, allowing  them to gain clarity about what's important in their life, connect with their purpose, and take action to live a genuine and fulfilled life. Apply for my new Healing Your Heart coaching program. Coaching starts in June!

Thank you for listening!
Learn more about Vera Ilnyckyj on her website createyourbestchapter.com

The message that came to me this week was "accept yourself", which I knew would lead me to uncover yet another layer about my core wound of rejection.

I created a process that brought me to my inner child who felt 'not accepted' (rejected) when she was five years old. This process involves reflection, acknowledgement, feeling the feelings, naming the feelings, telling your inner child that you accept them, and opening up to the gifts that our painful experience has brought us.

In this episode, I take you through the process with my own example so that you can do this exercise for yourself too. It takes you through one more layer of self-understanding, self-learning, and truthful discovery.

This episode is for you if you've ever felt rejected or not accepted for who you are.

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"Heal Your Heart" Coaching

The "Accept Yourself" exercise described in this episode will be used as a self-discovery tool in my new one-on-one coaching program so that you can learn to truly accept yourself.

This coaching program is for you if you're living with self-doubt, imposter syndrome, insecurity, unfulfillment, resentment, or stuckness. I believe these can be overcome when you start to heal your heart from the pain of rejection.

The heart-healing journey is helped when we have someone to share the pain with. Let me do this for you. I'll provide you support, guidance, coaching, and wisdom as you learn to heal your heart in this 8-week coaching program.

Book your Application Call today so that you can start your coaching sessions in June!

***

Thank you for listening. I invite you to subscribe to this podcast so that you don't miss any episodes, and please share with someone who you think would benefit from the message. And, if you have an idea for a future topic please let me know!

Connect with me:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Sign up for my newsletter
• Website

I help people heal their heart, allowing  them to gain clarity about what's important in their life, connect with their purpose, and take action to live a genuine and fulfilled life. Apply for my new Healing Your Heart coaching program. Coaching starts in June!

Thank you for listening!
Learn more about Vera Ilnyckyj on her website createyourbestchapter.com

In this episode, I share some ideas on how to open up your heart to healing. In order to heal our hearts, we must learn to turn inward, sit with the pain, and allow the feelings to flow through us. Only then can our heart start the two way flow of love that is necessary to heal a broken heart.

This episode is for you if you've ever had your heart broken, in both big and small ways.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Louise Hay
• David Kessler
• Fierce Self Compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff

"Heal Your Heart" Coaching

The heart-healing journey is helped when we have someone to help hold the pain. I'd like to do this for you. If you're looking for support, guidance, coaching, and wisdom as you learn to heal your heart, I invite you to apply for my newly developed "Heal Your Heart" coaching program. This is an 8-week coaching program where you'll have weekly 1:1 coaching sessions with me, and together we'll go on this heart-healing journey.

Spots are limited so apply today and book your coaching sessions starting in June.

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I'm thrilled to be back behind the podcast microphone with a new name and format! Thank you for listening. I hope you subscribe to this podcast and share this episode with someone who you think would benefit from the message. And, as always, if you have an idea for a future topic please let me know!

Connect with me:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Sign up for my newsletter
• Website

I help people heal their heart, allowing  them to gain clarity about what's important in their life, connect with their purpose, and take action to live a genuine and fulfilled life. Apply for my new Healing Your Heart coaching program. Coaching starts in June.

Thank you for listening!
Learn more about Vera Ilnyckyj on her website createyourbestchapter.com

Very often we have habits that we’ve done for so long, even since childhood, that we don’t even remember how or when or why they started in the first place. Are these automatic and unconscious habits serving you?

Some habits are attached to feelings and emotions and because of this, habits can be changed by being aware of what feelings or emotions we have while doing the habit.

If you don't want to live "by default", it's important to become aware of your habits and get curious about the reason you have them and whether they are enriching your life by helping you be healthier and happier.

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I'm thrilled to be back behind the podcast microphone with a new name and format! Thank you for listening. I hope you subscribe to this podcast and share this episode with someone who you think would benefit from the message. And, as always, if you have an idea for a future topic please let me know!

Connect with me:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Sign up for my newsletter
• Website

I help people gain clarity about what's important in their life, connect with their purpose, and take action to live a genuine and fulfilled life. Schedule a Discovery Call to learn more.

Thank you for listening!
Learn more about Vera Ilnyckyj on her website createyourbestchapter.com

How do you live your values? And why is that so important? These are a few of the questions I answer and comment on during my first solo episode. My reflections are inspired by my twelve podcast guests who have been on my show to date. Each and every one of them is so clear on what is important to them. This clarity drives their decision making, inspires their actions, and enables them to live an authentic and genuine life that is true to them. Knowing your values, having that clarity, and living your values every day, allows you to live in integrity with yourself. Your values help you make decisions and take action in a way that is true and meaningful to you - even during times of chaos, uncertainty, and stress. Indeed, knowing what we stand for is especially critical during challenging circumstances. By knowing and living our values, we won't be swayed by our circumstances or by other people's opinions. We'll feel in alignment and on track to live our best life!

Thank you for listening to my podcast. I value and appreciate your support. I also value your advice on my podcast and any suggestions you have for future topics or guests. Over the next few weeks I'll be recording solo episodes, sharing common themes that have emerged from my interviews, and also sharing my learnings and thoughts about a variety of different personal development topics. I hope you enjoy.

I look forward to connecting with you on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram, or check out my website.

Thank you for listening!
Learn more about Vera Ilnyckyj on her website createyourbestchapter.com

One of my intentions with my podcast is to have inspiring conversations with people of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences, because I believe we can learn so much from different perspectives. My guest today is Linda Dudar, who has years of leadership experience and success as a teacher, administrator, professor and Dean of Education. Linda says she’s retired but she continues to stay active and focused on her mission of making a difference in the world. In our conversation we talk about so many things, including the importance of believing in yourself, having trust and being open to possibilities. We talk about faith, resiliency, and gratitude. Linda also talks about servant leadership, turning fear into love, and the knowing that when good people come together, great things happen. I was so inspired by this conversation, and I know you will too.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Servant Leadership - Robert Greenleaf
• Steven Covey - Time Management Matrix

About Linda

Linda’s story of leadership experience includes years of success as a teacher, administrator, professor and Dean of Education.

Her leadership vocation and commitment are to make a difference in the lives of others providing strength with faith, knowledge and service through Christ.

Linda’s doctoral research (PhD) work with the University of Calgary AB involved the development of an educational leadership model of time-sensitive organizational change. Her research, published works and co-authored book demonstrate how difficult changes may be implemented much faster than previously thought. She has chaired the Association of Alberta Deans of Education and has presented her work nationally and internationally.

Currently, Linda is an advisor and consults with educational institutions and organizations. She volunteers her work with committees and boards related to faith, development and education.

Linda’s love of faith, family and friends finds enjoying time with her family, her church family, directing the church choir and composing music and celebrating her Ukrainian culture.

One of her favorite quotes? “With God all things are possible”

Newest Publication:

• Emerald Publishers: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/book/10.1108/s1479-3660201727
• Amazon (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Accelerating+Change+in+Schools%3A+Leading+Rapid%2C+Successful%2C+and+Complex+Change+Initiatives+

About Vera: To learn more about Vera, please connect on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram, or check out her website.

Thank you for listening!
Learn more about Vera Ilnyckyj on her website createyourbestchapter.com

Leadership, especially in today’s ever changing world, is critical to ensure that people thrive and are able to contribute to the best of their ability. My guest today is Lia Bosch, a business coach and consultant, who discusses with me what makes an effective leader – someone who can create an environment for motivation, whether in a virtual, in-person, or hybrid setting. In our conversation, we talk about being intentional about building relationships, creating structures, asking for feedback, and the three psychological workplace needs - autonomy, competence and relatedness.

Resources discussed in this episode

About Lia Bosch

Lia Bosch is a seasoned business professional and entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in people leadership, human resources, organizational change, training & development, business consulting and general management.

She is Founder and Managing Partner of Thrive People Strategies LLC, a consulting and coaching firm with a mission to make work a motivating and productive experience. She is passionate about creating work environments where both the business and the people thrive.

Lia holds a Master of Science Degree in Organization Development from Pepperdine University and completed her undergraduate studies in Human Resources Management at the University of Toronto.

She is a published author on topics related to leadership, compensation, employee management, teamwork, fitness and nutrition.

You can reach her at [email protected], by visiting www.thriveH2H.com, or on LinkedIn.

About Vera: To learn more about Vera, please connect on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram, or check out her website.

Thank you for listening!
Learn more about Vera Ilnyckyj on her website createyourbestchapter.com

My guest today is Brooke Estin, an artist, designer, strategist and coach dedicated to bringing creative ideas to life. In our conversation, Brooke talks about how creativity builds resilience, the importance of shifting our perspective, and how following our curiousity can lead us to new opportunities. We also dive into the idea of being multi-passionate, getting over the “shoulds” in our life, and how to use art to reconnect with our most authentic self. There are a ton of amazing nuggets of information in this episode, so please enjoy!

About Brooke:

Brooke Estin refers to herself as a Creative Amplifier. She is a multi-passionate artist, designer, strategist, podcaster and coach dedicated to bringing creative ideas to life. Her superpower is in blending creativity, strategy and design to turn ideas into reality.

The questions "where are you from?" or "what do you do?" have always been tricky for Brooke to answer. Born in California, raised in Thailand, educated in the UK and the US, and currently living in the South of Spain, she has never fit into a box.

She spends most of her days working as a brand strategist and designer, where she creates brands, websites and digital products and experiences for creative entrepreneurs.

As an Therapeutic Art + Health Coach, she helps people heal themselves through creativity, nutrition, relationships, and lifestyle choices.

As a professional artist, she uses creative arts to express and process experiences in order to reflect, heal, learn and grow. Her paintings have been shown in exhibitions in Europe, Asia and the United States.

When she isn't on her computer, she can be found in her art studio working on her latest painting collection, doing yoga, attending women's retreats and generally living her best life in the south of Spain.

• www.brookeestin.com
• www.iknowagal.co
• www.instagram.com/thecreativeamplifier

Resources discussed in this episode:

• The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, by Bronnie Ware
• The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron
• Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
• Debbie Millman's "Remarkable Life" Exercise

About Vera: To learn more about Vera, please connect on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram, or check out her website.

Thank you for listening!
Learn more about Vera Ilnyckyj on her website createyourbestchapter.com

My guest today is Bethany Van Hecke, who is currently on a journey of rehabilitation and recovery after suffering burnout. We talk about what this journey is teaching her about stillness, acceptance, setting boundaries, and how knowing your limits can be a source of creativity.

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I’m enjoying having real conversations that connect me deeper with people, and provide sparks of inspiration, and I really hope these conversations are resonating with you too. Thank you for listening!

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About Bethany Van Hecke

Bethany is an experienced professional with a contagious passion for business, personal development, and relationships. After 10 years as a small business entrepreneur, Bethany joined WATT Consulting Group, a multi-disciplinary engineering firm based in Western Canada, and the following year became the company’s first employee-owner under the Employee Share Purchasing Program. She brings 10 years of experience in business operations, project management, marketing, and location-independent team collaboration to her role in Marketing and Communications. During her career, Bethany has primarily worked in the realm of Architecture, Planning, Design, Engineering and Construction operations.

Bethany began her career as a certified multi-disciplinary drafting technician. Prior to redirecting her work towards business leadership in corporate services, Bethany was retained in consulting roles for residential and commercial planning, design and construction on Vancouver Island and in Calgary, Alberta. Today, Bethany’s actionable leadership style, diverse experience and knowledge make her a confident advocate for positive change and inspired growth within the professional community.

You can connect with Bethany on her website.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Dare to Lead (Brene Brown)
• Living More With Less (Doris Janzen Longacre)
• Earl Nightingale

If you or someone you know is going through burnout, please know that many resources exist to help you and that you are not alone.

• Your company's Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Google 'help with burnout' in your city/town
• Connect with a local hospital or mental health centre
• Call a friend, colleague, someone at your Church or a spiritual advisor (Priest, Pastor, Rabbi, etc.)
• Call or email me (403-803-0807 or [email protected])

To learn more about Vera, please connect on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram, or check out her website.

Thank you for listening!
Learn more about Vera Ilnyckyj on her website createyourbestchapter.com

I learned about today’s guest on LinkedIn, through a blog series he wrote about pivoting from oil and gas to the tech industry, during a pandemic no less. Kiran Somanchi received four job offers and landed what he calls his dream job. I was so curious to learn about how he achieved this, and in today’s conversation Kiran talks about being courageous, having discipline and focus as bedrocks of his life, and the idea of lifestyle design. He even managed to sneak in a few questions for me! Please enjoy this episode.

About Kiran

Kiran Somanchi is a community builder who has lived in Calgary for two decades. He recently pivoted from oil & gas into tech after 13 years in that industry. Along the way, he learned about what it means to design your life and living true to your values.

He can be reached via LinkedIn or via his website. In his spare time, he enjoys writing about his lessons learnt from pivoting into a new industry and career on his blog at kiransomanchi.medium.com.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Shawn Achor (The Happiness Advantage)
• Brene Brown (Dare to Lead)
• Life Launch (Pamela D. McLean, Frederic M. Hudson)

To learn more about Vera, please connect on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram, or check out her website.

Thank you for listening!
Learn more about Vera Ilnyckyj on her website createyourbestchapter.com