That’s a Wrap!

Over this past year, I jumped off a cliff of hyper productivity into the abyss of confusion as I watched the fabric of society unravel.

My empathic superpowers have served me well over the years, until they became the source of my demise as a productivity lover. Patterns I have been seeing for over ten years that have been dismissed as ‘worry for nothing’ have built into a cesspool of negativity and the abolishment of basic human dignity. The systems created by a one-sided ideology are culminating in its own demise (I hope).

Over the years, working as a creative designer and creative marketer, I have tracked how these horrible systems exploit my craft and your desires to do everything they can to desensitize us to the horrors that give them more control and influence over an exceptionally select few.

I haven’t been publicly sharing anything this year outside of reactive reposting and trying out my hand at some video reels and TikToks.

We, humans, are social creatures. Science has evidence explaining why connecting with others is a massive element of our physical, emotional, and spiritual life experience. A very real reason why we have developed our communication technology. We have learned how much we can accomplish when we are connected. Unfortunately, narcissists and sociopaths also take advantage of this fact for their own benefit.

Then in walks Artificial Intelligence (AI).
I can see the value in using AI as a tool, especially for smaller companies working within a system that requires more income to cover the ever-increasing cost of living. But when the outcomes are increasingly about cutting “people” expenses and replacing them with AI, it's a ‘capitalist’ move—profit, profit, profit.

The world knows that this profit model is not sustainable, and it’s becoming very obvious, for example, here in Canada, a fast food meal costs the same as the hourly minimum wage, if not more. The reality is that the person taking your order has to work an hour to afford a meal at their workplace. All for the sake of profit that benefits ‘shareholders’ in a stock market fairy tale. Something no different than gambling for the joy and risk of winning or losing big. For those whose pocket change adds up to a year’s salary for the average person.

Okay, so that was a small rant, but I hope it gives you a sense of the internal battle I have had this past year. Between the rise of nazisim, racism, homophobia, sexism, and everything I watched get pushed back, all of a sudden, masks are being removed, and we can see people for who they are.

There are reasons that people fall into these ways of thinking. It’s a result of society’s failure to hold each other accountable. A failure to create community and instead promote an extreme form of individualism.

So, after 30 years of following a love of creative design that has gifted me the opportunity to work with clients like you, building products and services that support your communities, I am reflecting on the directions and ideals I want my next two chapters to take. At 52, I am reflecting on the directions and ideals I want my next two chapters to take.

GenX women like myself were the first generation of women born into a world with doors opened that our ancestors didn’t have. By the time I finished university, those doors were removed, and we had more choices and opportunities than our mothers before us. The future looked so bright and positive. Freedom to live a life that brings you joy instead of one that only benefits others (AKA men). And now seeing those doors being built again, and even wors,e seeing how women are being tricked into designing the locks.

Defining my own version of a next chapter.
So when I think of my next chapter, I see a struggle to keep the GenX dream alive. Digital technology isn’t a way of life; it’s a tool that is being used for devious means. A beautiful tool for connection, but in so many ways, it’s a ‘junk food’ diet pretending to be as good as IRL connection.

I want to work for organizations and people who value quality, people-brain-crafted designs. These days, reverting to old-school rough-around-the-edges marketing is eye-catching. Compared to the very obvious AI ‘generic sheen’ of flashy that is pervasive everywhere.

I was duped at a Cult Collective Marketing conference ten years ago, when an IBM executive said AI wasn’t a viable concern for a few decades. Well, it’s been one decade, and they were either lying or were not knowledgeable about the subject.

Do you have design projects where you actually care about your clients' and customers' well-being? Instead of using sycophant technology, why not be honest and genuine with them? The new trend is creating real relationships because let’s be honest, when you are on your deathbed, do you want the beeps of a machine as company, or those you loved and who loved you back holding your hand?

This past year has been slower, but in a way, it has provided me the space to be more intentional and connect with clients, creating designs that reflect visions of a better world.

• Rupertsland Institute Supports educational, training, and research goals for Metis Albertans.

• Trade Winds is an indigenous initiative that opens doors for people to create fulfilling careers in the trades sectors.

• Savvy Knowledge Corporation: A unique, patented system created by one of my own University Professors that is going to turn the education system upside down and make it even better.

• Ward 3 Campaign, Andrew Yule, A lifelong community advocate who is now ‘in the room’ to advocate for positive change that reflects the voices of the communities he represents.

• Sparrow Art Society is an art community organization that features and supports local artists.

• Maxxentum is a new business model based on a new certification that supports families through the estate process—helping them stay supported during one of life’s hardest struggles.

• UC Dinos Women’s Volleyball: working with Canada’s first female head coach of a men’s team, who has also built an annual conference that is focused on women in sport.

• Avenir is an accounting company that works with clients to ensure quality of life for organizations and the people who are the heart of them.

• Women Belong is the networking organization that the world needs now more than ever. They offer more than referrals; they provide support and connections with an abundance mindset.

I don’t know what 2026 has in store yet, but I am working on what I will create for you and my own baby, myLife Planners.

I’d love to connect and talk about your visions, struggles, and dreams. Whether you make a meeting, email, or call me, whatever we can do together will always be better than doing things alone.