After 13 wonderful years, it was time for a website refresh.

2023 was a year of growth, but also one of challenge. Many of us have been tested, and we have risen to the occasion, but that does not make the hard days any less difficult.

Sending positive energy and holiday cheer to all.

It’s been another challenging and interesting year. I have much to be thankful for and I see better days ahead for us all.

​This past July my wife and I had the opportunity to hike a portion of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. For eight days we walked an average of 25 km per day in 40-degree Celsius heat. While the experience was physically challenging, it was spiritually rejuvenating and rewarding.

In a recent blog post I focused on ten signs that your mediation may be headed for trouble. One of those indicators was power imbalance.

Have you experienced the feeling of being so caught up and engrossed in a task that you’re not thinking about what you're doing and everything else seems to fade away?

Advances in technology have revolutionized the way we communicate and, to a large extent, relegated face-time to the virtual world. We rely on our devices – computers, tablets, smartphones – to communicate.

After reading a great piece by author and emotional intelligence guru Travis Bradberry, titled How Successful Pe​ople Quash Stress, it occurred to me that, generally, advice articles can be placed into ‘DO’ and ‘DO NOT’ categories. Applying these categories, Bradberry’s takeaways could be summarized in the following way:

Mediation presents an opportunity for disputing parties to engage in purposeful dialogue that can effect change. Changes in opinion, understanding and perspective can have a groundbreaking impact on the mediation process and the outcome of negotiations. Below, I discuss three mediation game changers and their potential impact on effecting change.

Let’s face it, few people approach the mediation table with unbridled glee. If you’re a party at a mediation session, it often means you’ve suffered in some way – be it financially, emotionally or physically.

One of the most interesting parts of my job as a mediator is the opportunity to connect with an endlessly diverse clientele - it’s also one of the most challenging.

One day a couple of weeks ago, I conducted a 7-hour mediation, zipped into my office for an hour, and then picked up my son from home before driving through the snow to his hockey game.

Negotiations can go bad in a hurry for any number of reasons - clashing personalities, inflated egos, misunderstandings, incompatible priorities, negative emotions.