The day arrived and while Kathy put the coffee pot on, her group of friends got cozy on the sofas in the living room. What unfolded was a magical afternoon of laughing, profound learning, sharing, and self-discovery. A space for these women to slow down and do something many of them had not done for a long time….. nourish their spirit. The afternoon had been a hit! Not only was the group inspired by the message and exhilarated about the prospects of applying mindfulness in their lives, they found the shared experience brought them closer together. I could feel the energy in the room as they chatted about how they could support one another over the coming weeks to apply what they had learned.

I, too, had thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was extremely gratifying to connect on a deep level with participants, a luxury I rarely experienced since most of my audiences are much larger. The icing on the cake was when it came time to go home. No complicated travel arrangements, just a short drive and I was back home with my family - something us speakers only dream of.

It’s interesting how experiences accumulate in our consciousness, waiting for other experiences to commingle with them and create something fresh….something new. About a month after that wonderful afternoon at Kathy’s house I had picked up the mail and discovered that my first inspirational movie had arrived from the Spiritual Cinema Circle. I had joined the innovative movie club on the recommendation of several friends who had joined. For those of you who may not be familiar with the company, they screen and carefully select uplifting and inspiring movies each month to send to their worldwide membership. I loved the idea of receiving a positive movie each month and viewing it in the comfort of my own home. What a wonderfully creative way to support and encourage filmmakers dedicated to raising the consciousness of the world!

And that’s how it happened… a convergence of two completely unrelated experiences: facilitating the seminar at Kathy’s house and joining the Spiritual Cinema Circle. What if instead of screening movies for in-home viewing, I screened speakers! I became excited at the prospect of becoming a 'joy agent!' A catalyst whose mission was to accelerate people’s progress on their journey toward a happier, healthier, more joyful life!

Of course the big question mark facing me was would professional speakers be willing to speak to these small local groups at a reduced fee?
I bounced the idea past one of my fellow Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) members, eager to get her reaction. I watched as her face lit up at the prospect of having fun connecting with people in her own community in a meaningful way! I have since come to realize that many of these wonderful teachers possess, above all, a strong desire to share their gift with others…. and what better place to begin than right in their own community? And so 'Bring Inspiration Home' was born!

The idea is currently being piloted in Saskatoon with the intent of taking it across Canada.