I DON'T HAVE LEPROSY, I'M JUST GRIEVING

"How are you?" Is that not the dumbest thing you could ask someone who is grieving? Yes, it is, but society has no clue, and I bet you didn't either until it was just pointed out. After being thrown into the horrendous depths of grief following the passing of her soulmate, Regina discovered just how out of touch the world is when confronted with grief. Many of her interactions with others further complicated her head space and caused her more pain. Throughout this book, along with personal raw and blunt reflections on her grief journey, you will gain insight into the things that give comfort and those that hinder a grieving person, what to do and say and, more importantly, what not to do and say when someone you care about finds themselves immersed in grief. We all mean well and don't like seeing those we love in pain, but the loss of their loved one is life-changing, and grief should never be rushed, and it certainly can't be fixed or cured. After working in the community sector for two decades, Regina draws from that past education and the life lessons of recent years that she was not ready to face head on but had no choice but to do so. She gives a never-before-seen crude insight into what she calls her Grief Brain, and the complexities and conflicting thoughts of someone experiencing the most unimaginable pain of their life.

TOPICS OF CONVERSATION

• How writing became a way for Regina to process her grief, express her frustrations, and reclaim her voice.
• The special bond she shared with Dean and what made their relationship a “soulmate experience.”
• How losing a partner changes your sense of identity and the person you thought you were.
• Why well-meaning words can make grief harder, and what grieving people really need from others.
• The people who stood by Regina, those who didn't, and the extraordinary comfort she found in her dog, Brutus.
• The loneliness of being a “business-hours widow” and why friends shouldn't stop reaching out.
• Learning to live with loss, creating new family traditions, and gradually finding the courage to embrace life again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Regina Collier devoted decades of her life both personally and professionally as a women’s advocate and public speaker, rebuilding the lives of others.

2022 changed all of this when she was crippled by the devasting loss of her partner. Inspired by her unwanted pain, Regina hopes to provide insight and understanding into the complex thoughts and feelings that grievers have, and the madness that was and is her Grief Brain. She lives a mostly solitude-filled life these days in Western Australia, spending more time with her critters than people as she continues to reconstruct her own life.

Learn more about Regina Collier and her work at https://reginacollierauthor.com

CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarnyard Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61594242111445

GRAB A COPY OF THE BOOK HERE

The Nine Essential Questions for Organizational Transformation

Transformation fails when leaders rush to answers. This book slows the process down—on purpose.

The Nine Essential Questions for Organizational Transformation invites leaders into a deeper conversation about who they are, what they're building, and how their choices ripple across people, processes, and culture. Each question unlocks a different dimension of organizational life, helping teams see patterns, confront assumptions, and align around a shared future. Practical, human, and refreshingly honest, this is a guide for leaders who want to build organizations that are resilient, coherent, and worthy of the people inside them.

TOPICS OF CONVERSATION

• What The Nine Essential Questions for Organizational Transformation is about, and the inspiration behind it
• Why most transformations fail, and why new technology alone never fixes it
• Letting your organization grow organically versus designing it on purpose
• How to find out what’s actually happening inside a company, not what people say is happening
• Why change doesn’t stick, and what it takes to hold a new way of working in place
• What makes people stay in a job nobody wants
• How to tell a senior leader something they don’t want to hear

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aaron Streeton is a Canadian operations strategist, author, and transformation leader who helps organizations turn complexity into clarity and measurable results. Since 2005, he has advised leaders on operating models, leadership development, organizational behaviour, and integrated management systems.

Across two decades, Streeton has led global transformation programs generating more than $1 billion in value across manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and corporate environments. His work connects strategy to execution, culture to capability, and leadership to performance.

The Nine Essential Questions for Organizational Transformation distills the patterns, failures, breakthroughs, and human truths he has seen in high-stakes change, offering leaders a practical framework for alignment, behaviour, and operating model design.

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Streeton leads Tengu Consulting and advises executives, boards, and transformation teams seeking organizations that perform under pressure.

CONNECT WITH AARON STREETON!

Website: The Nine Essential Questions | Transform with Confidence – Learn More — Making the Complex, Simple

Website: Aaron Streeton – thenineessentialquestions.ca

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aaron-streeton

A PERFECT SATURDAY... almost

What does the perfect Saturday look like to an active kid? Follow along as one such youngster engages in a multitude of plans for one bright springtime adventure, and see what (and what almost) gets done!

See how your own perfect day compares to his in this dawn-to-dusk joy ride!

At a Glance: A children’s picture book about a boy whose carefully imagined Saturday repeatedly falls short of perfection. Through everyday activities and small mishaps, the story explores disappointment, flexibility, gratitude, and finding happiness when plans go awry.

You can grab your copy of A Perfect Saturday… almost on Amazon

TOPICS OF CONVERSATION

• Why Dave Jones wrote A Perfect Saturday.., almost. His daughter and her best friend challenged him to write a book in one week, and he wrote it on a cruise.
• A boy with no name. Dave left the boy unnamed so young readers can step into the story, though he admits a lot of the boy is him.
• Every page sketched first. Dave sketched every page before illustrator Rheanna started, and he shares what to look for in the pictures.
• Praise the effort or the result? Dave explains why “practice makes perfect” isn’t quite true, and how parents can praise effort while guiding the next try.
• No lesson spelled out. Dave lets each reader find their own meaning, and he hopes kids close the book thinking about tomorrow.
• What’s next, and Dave’s advice. Dave previews his upcoming chapter book, September Monday, and encourages listeners to read to their kids.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dave Jones, PsyD, is a retired educator with more than 40 years of experience working with children and families in both regular and special education. He holds advanced training in special education and a earned PsyD. His career has included teaching recognition, health advocacy awards, work in adapted physical education, and innovative educational projects. Outside of writing and education, Jones enjoys canoeing, fishing, wood turning, motorcycle riding, racquetball, gardening, and spending time with his grandchildren.

A Perfect Saturday.., almost has an interactive spirit that reflects Jones' longstanding interest in education and child development. A retired teacher with more than four decades of experience working with regular and special education students and their families, Jones has been recognized for his innovative and multifaceted approach to teaching.

Jones holds a master's degree in special education and a Doctorate in Psychology. His career has earned him the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching from the nationally recognized G.A. Academy, along with numerous awards from the American Heart Association, including top leadership and lifetime achievement honors.

He also developed a school garden that received recognition as the "best school garden in Chicagoland" from the Chicago Botanic Garden, with additional recognition from Newsweek magazine. Jones helped develop Illinois State recognized standards for adapted physical education and previously co-authored 10 Demandments of Creativity: Parents Edition with Professor Denis Berkson.