Home | Fraser Valley Focus

Setting Goals, and Ways to Actually Achieve Them, With Jennifer Diotte of ProMentality

My guest today is a specialist in the art of setting and achieving goals. Her work in counselling psychology, and especially, her work with performance athletes – and as an athlete herself, has helped her understand first-hand the obstacles we all face, and what it takes to overcome them. She is a Registered Clinical Counsellor through the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. She completed a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (MACP) through Yorkville University. Additionally, she is a Canadian Sports Psychology Association Mental Performance Consultant (MPC) member, as well as several other specialist designations. She and her team host a year-long goal-setting program for professionals, athletes, and anyone else working towards a goal. Her practice also includes counselling for a variety of mental health issues, and even a program that will literally help you climb mountains!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:05 — 33.1MB) | Embed

Virtual Doctor Appointments and More: Changes to Health Care, With Dr. Ruby Gupta

So many things have changed in the last year, and one of the biggest is how our health care is managed. More and more, we’ve already seen opportunities for virtual doctor appointments, including video calls, phone appointments, and perhaps in cases such as renewing prescriptions, no appointments at all. What does all of this mean? Is it more cost-effective and convenient for both us and the medical system? What about health care workers who can now work virtually?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:04 — 23.4MB) | Embed

Scholarships, And So Much More: The Abbotsford Community Foundation, with Wendy Neufeld

Supporting a community happens in so many ways, both large and small. Perhaps it’s about fostering education through scholarships and grants, perhaps it’s about sharing our heritage stories, and let’s not forget supporting programs for youth, including sports, nutrition, camps, and so much more. The people behind many of these community building programs in the City of Abbotsford is the Abbotsford Community Foundation. This one organization funds a truly surprising number of programs all across the spectrum of things for kids from one day to one hundred, and more!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:01 — 33.0MB) | Embed

The BABY episode! Talking with Abbotsford Doulas Stephanie Penner and Michelle Short of Wildflower Birth Collective

In this episode, we talk with Abbotsford Doulas Stephanie Penner and Michelle Short of Wildflower Birth Collective about modern home births, options available to women in the birth process, how important it is to be your own advocate, and all that pressure about birth, nursing, and parenting.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:31 — 39.2MB) | Embed

Suicide Prevention and Education, with Danielle Morrison and Anne-Mari Morrison of the BeMorr Society

Every year, more than 4000 people take their own lives in Canada. One is too many, of course. And suicide leaves so many of us with self-doubt, trauma, and so much more to cope with. One family is working hard to offer better access to support services for families and individuals, with the aim of suicide prevention without the obstacles of cost, or accessibility. The Morrison family of Abbotsford has founded the BeMorr Society to provide education, peer support, and funding for access to mental health care in the Fraser Valley, and beyond.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:10 — 36.7MB) | Embed

Getting Ready for Tax Time with “Mr. Taxes”, Rob Stone

No, don’t worry, April 30th is still a long way off, but now is the time to start thinking about how you plan to file your taxes this year. If you are self employed, you have a little longer, but there are still some ways you can make the process easier and save money along the way! Today, we’re going to talk about an easy to use special filing system, what you need to do right now if you started a small business in 2020, and how to know if you should hire someone to file your taxes for you, or if you should file them yourself.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:12 — 21.6MB) | Embed

Supporting Our Fraser Valley Food Bank and Cloverdale Community Kitchen, with Matthew Campbell

The Fraser Valley Regional Food Bank was launched March 1st 2020, before anyone realized what was about to happen in the coming weeks. The already huge need has since exploded, and many families in the Fraser Valley face real hardship. The Cloverdale Community Kitchen serves families across our entire Valley, not just in Cloverdale.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:58 — 43.2MB) | Embed

Job Skills Training, with Kim Rosset of Fraser Valley Continuing Education

If you are one of the millions of Canadians who found yourself laid off or otherwise facing changes to your employment this past year, this is the episode for you. Whether you’ve decided to look for an entirely new job, upgrade your skills to keep yourself valuable to your current employer, or even looking for ways to work from home, it’s the skills that make or break you.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:54 — 43.1MB) | Embed

Girls and Beer: Women in The Craft Brewing Industry

Meet my guest today, who with the rest of her family, has renovated a vintage building in Hope, BC, to create a brand new and very modern brewery that serves and employs a deliberately diverse group. As serious as she is about things like low-impact brewing methods, compostable packaging and practices in the brewery, and telling the story of the indigenous people who’ve lived for thousands of years on the land where her business now operates, she’s equally serious about creating an atmosphere of family and community and FUN in her brewery.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:31 — 31.6MB) | Embed

Local Music Scene in the Fraser Valley: A Story of Persistence and Adaptability

If you love live music, and are often impressed by the variety, quality, and generosity of musicians in the Fraser Valley, you’re going to love today’s episode. Today I talk with a local blues musician who has not only struck out on his own to make his music dream his profession, but has successfully adapted to many bumps in the road. While in the last 9 months, he has completely pivoted his live music business to a streaming model during the pandemic, he has also overcome a theft to his studio, and various other obstacles that might make some of us give up prematurely.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:29 — 33.0MB) | Embed

Inclusion Langley: Child Development Through Adulthood, A Chat With Infant Development Program Supervisor Cora Boecker

If you are a first time parent, chances are you read everything you can about baby care and child development. First steps, first words, and first everything get an announcement on Facebook, and are rapidly reposted by proud grandparents, aunties, and uncles. But, who do you turn to if you have questions about your child’s development? What happens if they don’t appear to be developing on schedule? While some delays are perfectly normal, and shouldn’t worry any parent, what if a little bit of coaching could make a big difference, if caught early enough?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:42 — 36.0MB) | Embed

Mental Health for Moms with Kristyl Clark of ValleyMom.ca

It can easily be argued that perhaps the most stressed out, exhausted, forgotten, and un-helped group in the last 6 months has been Moms. No matter how equitable your partner, and even if you are normally a Mom who works […]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:03 — 35.8MB) | Embed

Setting Goals, and Ways to Actually Achieve Them, With Jennifer Diotte of ProMentality

Virtual Doctor Appointments and More: Changes to Health Care, With Dr. Ruby Gupta

Scholarships, And So Much More: The Abbotsford Community Foundation, with Wendy Neufeld

The BABY episode! Talking with Abbotsford Doulas Stephanie Penner and Michelle Short of Wildflower Birth Collective

Suicide Prevention and Education, with Danielle Morrison and Anne-Mari Morrison of the BeMorr Society

Getting Ready for Tax Time with “Mr. Taxes”, Rob Stone

Supporting Our Fraser Valley Food Bank and Cloverdale Community Kitchen, with Matthew Campbell

Job Skills Training, with Kim Rosset of Fraser Valley Continuing Education

Girls and Beer: Women in The Craft Brewing Industry

Local Music Scene in the Fraser Valley: A Story of Persistence and Adaptability

Inclusion Langley: Child Development Through Adulthood, A Chat With Infant Development Program Supervisor Cora Boecker

Mental Health for Moms with Kristyl Clark of ValleyMom.ca

You May Have Missed

Setting Goals, and Ways to Actually Achieve Them, With Jennifer Diotte of ProMentality

Virtual Doctor Appointments and More: Changes to Health Care, With Dr. Ruby Gupta

Scholarships, And So Much More: The Abbotsford Community Foundation, with Wendy Neufeld

The BABY episode! Talking with Abbotsford Doulas Stephanie Penner and Michelle Short of Wildflower Birth Collective

Suicide Prevention and Education, with Danielle Morrison and Anne-Mari Morrison of the BeMorr Society

Getting Ready for Tax Time with “Mr. Taxes”, Rob Stone

Supporting Our Fraser Valley Food Bank and Cloverdale Community Kitchen, with Matthew Campbell

Job Skills Training, with Kim Rosset of Fraser Valley Continuing Education

5 Minutes of Fun: The Best of The Fraser Valley Focus, Fall 2020 Edition

Integration of Women’s Health Services, with Heidi Epp of the Refinery

Girls and Beer: Women in The Craft Brewing Industry

Local Music Scene in the Fraser Valley: A Story of Persistence and Adaptability

Improve Your Memory and Brain Health, a Fun Self-Quiz With Teacher Graham Best

Palliative and Bereavement Care and Support, Talking with Shannon Todd Booth of Langley Hospice Society

Canadian Remembrance Day 2020 and the Annual Canadian Legion Poppy Campaign, with Doug Hadley

Inclusion Langley: Child Development Through Adulthood, A Chat With Infant Development Program Supervisor Cora Boecker

English As A Second Language and Immigrants to the Fraser Valley, with Kathleen O’Neill

Small Business Management in a Pandemic, with Tony Malyk

Weddings During A Pandemic: Fashion and Fun with Heidi Tobler of Everything But the Groom

Minimalism and Downsizing Your Entire Life with Shannon Persse of Mint Tiny Homes