The Giving Tree - A Podcast for Helping Professionals – Details, episodes & analysis

We’re doing something a little different for this episode. Instead of our usual interview or conversation, I’m guiding you through a 15-minute Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) practice - a simple, effective way to release tension from your body and calm your nervous system.

Relaxation practices like PMR aren’t just "nice to do" - they’re an essential part of caring for ourselves, especially when we’re carrying stress, emotional fatigue, or the weight of helping others. This technique supports parasympathetic activation (aka rest and digest mode), helping to lower stress hormones and promote a sense of calm and groundedness.

Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down, press play, and allow yourself this time to gently unwind. Your body and mind will thank you.

If you enjoy this episode, feel free to revisit it anytime you need a reset.

In this episode, I sit down with Ida-Jane Graham, Clinical Director, and Joanne Whittle, Human Resource Manager, from the John Howard Society of Ottawa—a not-for-profit organization dedicated to delivering evidence-based, outcome-driven community services across the Ottawa area.

Ida-Jane and Joanne share their inspiring journey of coordinating a collaborative project to address the psychological health and safety of their employees. Guided by The National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace ("The Standard"), they formed a group of dedicated staff to tackle the most challenging aspects of their work.

Together, they reflect on the project, how they engaged their team of "Standard Bearers", and the actionable steps they took to uncover root causes and implement solutions for improving employee well-being. This conversation is filled with practical insights and inspiration for organizations looking to create healthier, more supportive workplaces.

Tune in to learn how evidence-based strategies can drive meaningful change in the workplace!

In this episode, I continue to share my interview with Troy Lavigne, a Registered Massage Therapist, Reiki Teacher, Kinesio Taping Practitioner and founder of his practice, Sensory Approach to Manual Therapy.

In this episode, part 2 of our conversation, we carry on reflecting on the process of getting to know ourselves and accepting ourselves fully. We explore the ways that we fend off shame by embracing vulnerability and letting people in our lives see us for all that we are. Troy shares with us how he has learned to live and thrive with his ADHD and he tells us an awesome poop story from his travels in India that literally is the epitome of radical acceptance and embracing vulnerability.

I hope you enjoy and once more, if you want to learn more about Troy, visit his website: www.troylavigne.com

He also provides facilitating information for massage therapists and healthcare providers on his Instagram and Podcast platforms.

https://www.instagram.com/sensoryapproach/

https://sensoryapproachtomanualtherapy.buzzsprout.com/

In this episode, I chat with Troy Lavigne, a Registered Massage Therapist, Reiki Teacher, Kinesio Taping Practitioner and founder of his practice, Sensory Approach to Manual Therapy.

Troy and I cover a lot of ground in this conversation. So much so, that I had to split it up into two episodes.

In part 1, you'll hear Troy talk about his discovery for the sensory approach and how he helps people manage pain. We share our ideas about health, the impact of stress and different ways of looking at compassion fatigue. We end this episode with some thoughts on the importance of self-awareness and we continue that conversation in part 2 (so be sure to keep listening).  

If you want to learn more about Troy, visit his website: www.troylavigne.com

He also provides facilitating information for massage therapists and healthcare providers on his Instagram and Podcast platforms.

https://www.instagram.com/sensoryapproach/

https://sensoryapproachtomanualtherapy.buzzsprout.com/

In this episode, I interview Carole Ann Alloway; a retired Human Resources Manager, mother of four and grandmother of seven. Carole Ann became a full-time caregiver for her husband, Bill, who had ten difficult operations within a 7-year period. She has witnessed first-hand the gaps in the health care and home care systems and speaks at health conferences, hospitals, home care agencies to share her experiences while raising awareness of the importance of making the caregiver an integral part of the health care team. Carole Ann is currently partnering with an Ontario Health Team and has worked with The Change Foundation, Health Quality Ontario, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ontario Caregiver Organization, Health Standards Organization and various hospitals and LHINs. She worked with The Change Foundation to transform her Caregiver Wish List into a video, so it can be used by other caregivers and health care agencies and she also speaks with University students enrolled in health care degrees on the importance of working with the patient and caregiver in an integrated system.

If you are a caregiver looking for support go to:
https://ontariocaregiver.ca

If you would like to learn more about the upcoming conferences that Carole Ann speaks mentions in this podcast visit:
https://integratedcarefoundation.org/events/nacic2021-1st-north-american-conference-on-integrated-care-toronto-canada
https://cahspr.ca/events/virtually-cahspr-2021/

@allowayca

In this episode I interview Kelly Tabor, a Social Worker and Motivational Interviewing Trainer. Kelly is an experienced professional helper committed to the growth of individuals, teams, and organizations. She specializes in developing and facilitating Motivational Interviewing (MI) training for a wide variety of health care professionals and non-professional caregivers, helping them to discover how to become effective in conversations about change. 

During the interview, we chatted about the motivation for behavior change and Kelly emphasized how ambivalence is a normal and predictable part of the process. She shared with us the Spirit of MI and the PACE acronym - the framework for supporting an individual in fostering their own internal drive for change. We also talked about how helpers can protect their psychological well-being by framing their role as participants and coaches instead of problem solvers and change-makers. The spirit of MI communicates - I see you, I care, and I am working in a way not to tell you or advise you what to do, but rather walk beside you as you determine what makes most sense for you moving forward.

I hope you enjoy this conversation and take something away from it that helps you think about your own wellness journey.

If you want to learn more about Motivational Interviewing, you may send an email to k.tabor@rogers.com and visit her website: kellytabor.com

In this episode I interview Lacey Kempinski, a fundraising specialist, an entrepreneur and mother of 2. 

I met Lacey at a fundraising related conference last year and we discovered that we had a lot in common; we both had ventured into entrepreneurship after becoming mothers in order to find a way to maintain our passion for our work, be fully present with our children and still maintain our own well-being while we tried to do both.

During the interview, we chatted about her journey in finding balance in her career and personal life, how she has been adapting during the pandemic and how she views self-care these days.

I hope you enjoy this casual conversation and take something away from it that helps you think about your own wellness journey.

If you want to learn more about Lacey's fundraising business, Balanced Good, check out www.balancedgood.com or follow her on Twitter @LaceyKempinski

In this episode, I ask Angie Wellman, a psychotherapist in Belleville Ontario, about her own mental health journey as she navigated her way through a few different high-intensity workplace cultures.  Learn more about Angie and her private practice by visiting www.wellmanwellness.org

In this episode, I ask Breanna about her own experience with compassion fatigue and discovering her own self-care needs. She tells us all about her new business, Talk Tools Training, and what motivated her to start providing mental health training in our community. Learn more about Breanna and the training she offers by visiting www.talktoolstraining.com.