ABOUT MONA

Hello! Here’s what I do and some background on why I’m doing it:

I facilitate a biweekly discussion group on facing our fears at a women’s addiction recovery centre in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. I create workshops that explore topics such as fear of change, failure, rejection, conflict and fear of success, as well as how to manage self-doubt and uncertainty.

From my years of neuro-linguistic programming training, arose a plethora of tips and tools that help us scrutinize our behaviour patterns. When we challenge ourselves to switch to new, improved behaviours, we enrich our lives. Personal experience and my own research on fear have helped me understand how to navigate its powers, so that we can have the upper hand. I’ve learned to work with fear, rather than against it.

We all have a lifetime of experiences that influence our behaviour, regardless of where we are in our journeys. At the time, we may not know how significant those experiences are.

Despite coming from a family with no university background, I obtained a master’s degree in nuclear physics, even though I’d never taken sciences in high school. While my first triathlon saw me dog-paddling instead of swimming across the lake, that didn’t stop me from entering nine more races. Ending a long term, live in relationship was one of the hardest things I’d ever done, but it was a valuable learning experience for me. Who would have thought that these experiences would lead me to wanting to help people face their fears and improve their lives?

Six years ago, I was sitting on my couch reading a book about co-dependency. Something in what I was reading resonated with me: it was the word “fear”. Specifically, it was the correlation between facing our fears and being happier. Something clicked for me.

I realized how powerful fear had been in my life. It has kept me from believing I could do more, be more, and be free of people-pleasing pressures I imposed on myself.

I’m here to tell you that it really is true: When we face our fears, we liberate ourselves, sometimes from years of conditioning that have had a grip on our behaviour. Subsequently, we open the door to enhancing our lives and our happiness. Learning how to manage our fears is cathartic. We bring peace to ourselves and clarity to our relationships. We start to consider possibilities that our old selves would have overlooked. We make the best use of our time and talents. When people ask us “How are you?” we say “Great!” and mean it!

That’s the power of facing our fears. I wouldn’t have believed it myself if I wasn’t experiencing it firsthand. I am happier now than I’ve ever been in my life. Let me help you feel the same way.