April 2021: The Journey
Contents
Editorial: The Journey To Kneel
Dr. Nancy Ellen Miller, editor of The Buzz and PIC's director of communications, muses upon her journeys across land and language, sharing what has brought her to her knees and what has kept her moving onwards.
Big shoes to fill: The JourneyWoman story
Sue Horner, director of social media, sums up the highlights of the March professional development event conducted by Carolyn Ray — and there were a lot of highs and lights!
Be present, be patient, peace out: Mind the gap
Enhance your potential to be present and patient in business communications. If you missed the workshop "Mind the Gap" on April register your interest in receiving the resources here.
The independent view: The Age of Overwhelm
Nkiru Asika, our chair, shares the benefits of writing a “Not-To-Do List” and clarifying your “Obvious Next Step” for each week in her monthly chair message, The independent view.
1.
Editorial: The journey to kneel
By Dr. Nancy Ellen Miller
It’s perhaps a cliché to say that “life is a journey.” But is it a cliché to say that communication is a journey?
A journey is the act of travelling from one place to another. You take a journey to Loblaws or along the Camino de Santiago. Buddhists take a pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya in Bihar, India. Theirs is a spiritual journey. It was in the 5th century BCE that Guatama Buddha sat under a bodhi (or sacred fig) tree in Bodh Gaya and achieved Enlightenment.
Not all journeys are spiritual or geographic in nature. “Any long and often difficult process of personal change and development” is a journey.
I’ve always loved a good journey.
At 18, I moved to Montréal to study literature at McGill University. After graduate school, I headed to Prague in the Czech Republic to teach and to write. I took lessons in Czech (Dobré ráno, dobrý večer a dobrou noc!) and explored Eastern and Central Europe: Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, and Germany. Falling in love with an epicentre of avant-garde art — Berlin — I took six months of German in preparation to move there (“Ich bin eine Berliner!”).
I never made it back to Berlin.
One midnight in June, I woke up in excruciating pain. Hurtling over in a taxi, I journeyed to the Prague Motol University Hospital. When I arrived, I went directly into surgery to remove a kidney stone. A big one. When I woke up from surgery, I eleven tubes connected my body to all kinds of machines. I was so weak, I struggled to lift my arm.
My physical body had gone into septic shock. My heart had stopped beating. My lungs had ceased breathing. Immobile for weeks, my legs no longer held up my physical body. In the intensive care unit, I overheard a doctor say to a nurse: “If it (the sepsis) happens again, she will die.”
Long story short, I lived. But recovery was a long, arduous journey in itself.
No longer dreaming of being a Berliner, I dreamed of being a Freigeist, an esprit libre, a free spirit or free mind. Once on my feet, that free spirit took me to Japan, then to Australia and then to Southeast Asia — Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand.
I lived in ashrams and monasteries. I followed the teachings of the Dalai Lama in McLeod Ganj, India (Om Mane Padme Hum!). I balanced my doshas in Kerala. I took in the river sutra.
When I moved back to Canada, I relocated to Montréal. (Mais oui! J'adore ma belle ville!) After five wonderful years there, I bought a one-way ticket to London, England. New opportunities awaited — in Cardiff, Edinburgh, Istanbul, County Clare, Amsterdam, Ghent and Bangkok.
Along that leg of my journey, I made lifelong friends, as I always do. And with a little help from Duolingo, I learned the basics of Irish, Dutch, Spanish, Italian and Thai. I have never considered myself multilingual, but the more I travel, the more I see that new languages open doors to new ways of perceiving and being.
Throughout my journey, I taught creative writing, English literature, communication, dance, yoga, mindfulness and meditation. I worked for a media company in Dubai; I edited a collection of the national literary history of the UAE and created content for the aerospace industry. At a global consultancy company in Bangkok, I reported on sustainable tourism and the real estate industry in the Mekong. I began to research and to write about global advances in technology, in healthcare, in education. I began to appreciate the ways that all those sectors intersect.
"You are not here to verify / Instruct yourself, or inform curiosity / Or carry report. You are here to kneel.”
In all the roles I've adopted, I've learned new ways to communicate. I've learned to integrate diverse ways of thinking, of being. I sometimes wonder if by not taking a straight and narrow path, I've risked becoming a dilettante.
But I also love to dive deep. And I've carried these words from T.S. Eliot with me: “You are not here to verify / Instruct yourself, or inform curiosity / Or carry report. You are here to kneel.”
In each place, in each city, even here in Toronto, I've faced the challenge of starting all over again. There's been, throughout it all, a thrill of adventure — an awakening in perspective.
But starting over isn’t easy.
When I came back “home” to Canada, to a place I thought I knew well, new challenges brought me to my knees.
The adventure, the journey, continues.
Earlier this month, I led a workshop called Mind the Gap. I premised it with the idea that we may never fully bridge any gap in communication. We never know it all.
But we can endeavour to be patient, be present and be kind. (If you missed my workshop, check out the resources here).
As for the theme of “journeying,” if you missed Carolyn Ray’s incredible presentation on The JourneyWoman story, Sue Horner sums it up for you here.
If you’re looking for killer advice from our chair on how she navigates her personal journey in the Age of Overwhelm, look no further. Nkiru Asika gives us her independent view.
What has your journey been? As an indie communicator? As a traveller? As a professional? As a person?
Wherever you have been, wherever you are now and wherever you may go — it’s the nature of a journey to face adversity. At PIC, we’re here with you on whatever journey you are on. Supporting you in all the ways you may be adopting new perspectives, new ways of being. If you're a PIC member and have a slice of your journey that you’d like to share with us, send me a note at hello@insighted.ca.
2.
Big shoes to fill: The JourneyWoman story
By Sue Horner
Evelyn Hannon’s iconic red boots seemed like big footwear to fill. Yet when Carolyn Ray considered following the footsteps of the late founder of the travel website JourneyWoman, she discovered that they shared the same shoe size. She also realized that the photo on Evelyn’s Facebook page mirrored Carolyn’s own: each standing, arms flung out, in front of the “end of the world” sign in Argentina.
After Evelyn passed away of cancer in April 2019, her daughters Erica and Leslie Ehm asked Carolyn to take on the role of publisher and editor-in-chief of JourneyWoman. As a family friend, passionate traveller, and branding and marketing expert, Carolyn was a perfect fit. But was she ready for this journey?
Lesson 1: Trust your intuition
As Carolyn told PIC members in March, “Thanks to that photo, I've learned a lot about trusting my intuition.”
So she said "Yes!" to the offer of taking over JourneyWoman.
Carolyn soon realized that JourneyWoman is much more than a travel website rated among the top 15 in the world. “It's a unique community of like-minded, incredible women who truly care about each other." When she asked herself how she might strengthen and refresh the JourneyWoman brand without alienating the established community, it led Carolyn on a journey that took all of her communications expertise.
Lesson 2: Take the first step and embrace the unknown
Taking inspiration from Evelyn, Carolyn had faith. First, she spent time with Evelyn’s daughters and closest friends. She surveyed the JourneyWoman community to learn what people valued about the site. She answered more than 700 messages that came in the wake of the announcement about the transition of ownership.
She hired some “amazing people” to help with the redesign and to review JourneyWoman's 4,000 existing pages and 25 years of articles. The team revamped the original all-text newsletter that went to 55,000 women around the world. They updated the women’s travel directory.
Lesson 3: JourneyWoman is A mindset
The website’s facelift led to an expanded focus on “authentic travel.” For the JourneyWoman community, travel is about self-discovery, generosity and courage.
An audit led to new insights into the women who use JourneyWoman. That influenced Carolyn's choice of language and imagery for the site and drove her to divide her audience into segments. For example, she segments her audience into solo travellers and "older adventuress," and active adventurers.
To differentiate JourneyWoman from other travel sites, Carolyn focuses on publishing content that reveals the human side of travel. She organizes that content under themes: "renewal," "growth," "curiosity," "love," "inspiration" and "memories & rituals."
Curiosity. Love. Inspiration.
When the pandemic hit, Carolyn asked her readers, “What do you need?”
They answered: "inspiration" and "learning."
So she "went crazy with webinars, virtual meetings and community calls, running three to four a week.” Carolyn now leads three to four virtual events a month and hosts weekly community calls.
Lesson 4: Trust your circle
“Very little of this was planned,” Carolyn confessed. “I trusted those around me, and so much happened by asking what people needed and experimenting with new ideas.”
She now also leads a book club and a women’s advisory council. Based on the results of her surveys, Carolyn has developed new travel topics for older women, including mobility, safety and hygiene.
She's set an action plan to support the Black community, which includes an expanding editorial to include Black voices, making sure the imagery on the website reflects diverse ethnicities and bringing on two women of colour to act as advisors.
As a result of Carolyn's experimentation, adaptation and continuous learning, the site now has:
- #TravelReady in 2021 content to keep women inspired and prepared to travel safely when they can.
- Content around animal welfare, to support making better choices that allow travellers to observe wildlife, not swim with them.
- Advice from wellness experts to help women stay active, sleep well and prevent injuries.
- Tips and tools from money experts on financial planning and budgeting.
Carolyn has also included ways for her site's visitors to give back. She asks event participants to support local non-profit organizations, such as Women’s College Hospital, Food Banks of Canada and Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter. JourneyWoman supporters raised more than $2,000 in 2020.
LESSON 5: JOURNEYWOMAN IS MORE THAN A TRAVEL WEBSITE
Carolyn’s team has been working hard to make the Destination page and its 28 years of content more useful. They’re also creating a series of women’s guides by country, which include tips, safety information, women-friendly tours and more.
Now that the website is better organized, Carolyn is working on building the JourneyWoman brand with branded merchandise, new ebooks, conferences and partnerships with organizations like Treesisters. She is also a member of the Travel Media Association of Canada and sits on the board of The Society of Travel Writers.
LESSON 6: GRATITUDE
Carolyn is grateful that the community has stayed with her. She’s pleased with the website and is now figuring out non-traditional ways to bring in revenue without banner advertising. She’s constantly thinking up new ideas.
“There’s so much we can do, I have to get better at saying ‘What don’t we do?’” she said. “If I’m ever confused, I ask Erica, ‘What would your mom do?’ When she tells me, ‘My mother would have loved this,’ I know I’m doing a great job.”
Subscribe to JourneyWoman or share your thoughts with Carolyn by email at carolyn@journeywoman.com.
3.
Be present, be patient, peace out: Mind the gap
By Dr. Nancy Ellen Miller
On April 15, 2021, PIC hosted a meetup/PD event "Mind the Gap." If you couldn't make it, but you'd like to learn tools to engage in peaceful, patient and present communication in business, you're in luck! Although PIC didn't record the event, the resources will be available to anyone who is interested in receiving them by email. Register your interest by clicking the link below. They will be mailed to you as soon as they are ready for viewing.
4.
The independent view: The Age of Overwhelm
By Nkiru Asika
Are we living in The Age of Overwhelm? The breakneck pace of modern life has left many of us teetering on the edge. The pandemic has exacerbated that feeling dramatically. We are struggling with more to-dos and less time to do them. More information, less bandwidth. More pressure, less relief.
Here are a couple of activities I’ve adopted to keep me right side up:
Create a NOT-TO-DO list
I’m the queen of lists. All my life, I have filled reams of notebooks with lists of things I want to do. But as any list-lover knows, disappointment lies on the dark side.
Now I understand that (1) it’s not humanly possible to do it all, and (2) it’s not necessary to do it all. So, now one of my favourite types of lists is the NOT-TO-DO-LIST.
How do I write the NOT-TO-DO-LIST? It's simple.
- I write down all the ideas, tactics and activities that have caught my eye (I am a sucker for any shiny object).
- Then, I start to cross items off the list. Not because I have done them. But because upon a little reflection — which for me, means checking the potency of “charge” that I feel from each one — I've realized that they are not the right activity for me at this time or maybe ever.
It’s liberating to identify what you don't have to do. Even if everyone else is touting it as the greatest thing since sliced bread, if it doesn’t ring true to you, let it go. Your capacity to know what not to do may be as critical as your capacity to know what to do.
MY OBVIOUS NEXT STEP
I am part of a weekly progress pod. Ending each session by setting our intention for the week, we lead with the phrase: “My Obvious Next Step is…”
Then, we write down that "Obvious Next Step" into our calendars. We take a screenshot of our Obvious Next Step. We share it with the group. We confirm that we are committed to taking the Obvious Next Step.
I love this exercise — the clarity is empowering.
When you are juggling a lot, it may seem like there are a million things to do. But when you break your to-do list down, there is always one Obvious Next Step.
There is one clear thing that will make it easier to achieve your goal.
Obvious Next Steps are tiny tasks — bite-sized actions designed to help you maintain momentum.
Why not try it right now?
- Take out your calendar.
- Write down your Obvious Next Step for the week of April 26, 2021.
- Take a pic or screenshot of that Obvious Next Step.
- Share that pic or screenshot on Twitter; tag @pictoronto and add the hashtag: #MyObviousNextStep.
- Follow through with your Obvious Next Step.
- When you've taken that Obvious Next Step, tell us; this time, triumphantly, as the Obvious Step Taken. Remember to add the hashtag #MyObviousNextStep
- Everyone here on the executive board at PIC will be cheering you on. Yay!
- But most importantly, you will be accountable — to you!
On a final note, this past week was National Volunteer Week. I’d like to recognize the amazing PIC team who volunteer their time, energy, ideas and love (yes, it’s a labour of love) to produce this newsletter, organize events and serve our members.
Much appreciation to Sue Horner, Director, Social Media; Nancy Ellen Miller, Director, Communications; Judy Irwin and Sharon McMillan, Co-Directors, Programming; and Kathy Lim, Director, Membership for all your hard work and for making my job as Chair a lot easier.
As always, if you have any ideas for professional development topics, possible speakers (including yourself) or any questions, concerns or ideas about PIC, please don’t hesitate to reach me at toronto-sig@iabc.to.
Onwards and upwards,
Nkiru Asika
Chair, PIC; VP, Special Interest Groups, IABC/Toronto
See you on social media!
Who we are
Professional Independent Communicators (PIC) is a special interest group of IABC/Toronto. PIC's mission is to support independent IABC/Toronto communicators through professional development, networking and marketing. IABC connects communicators from around the world with the insights, resources and people they need to drive their careers and their professions forward.
The Buzz informs members about upcoming events, shares professional development tips from past meetings and keeps us connected.
Editor and Designer: Nancy Miller
Want to suggest a topic or contribute to The Buzz? Contact Nancy Miller at hello@insighted.ca
Executive team
Chair: Nkiru Asika | Communications: Nancy Miller | Membership: Kathy Lim | Programming: Judy Irwin, Sharon McMillan | Social Media: Sue Horner |