How you show up matters!

How you show up matters.

Most of us go through life not fully knowing the impact that our actions, words, and presence has on others, both positively and negatively. Take for a moment the people that have had a positive or inspiring impact on you.

Do they know this?

Are they aware that their presence impacted or influenced your choices or life in some way?

A number of years ago, a question that my friend Matt Moreau of The Earth Group asked me when I first met him years ago made a big impact on me. He said "Charmaine, if you could change the world, would you?

See, how you show up matters ... Matt's question stuck with me for some time until I found myself embarking on a little project that I called Letters to my Mentors. I reflected on the many ways that people had impacted my life as a mentor, most of them never knowing I considered them a mentor. My mom helped me get the letters to some of these people, sadly some had passed away. I never had the chance to share their impact with them. I rewrote those letters for their children/grandchildren.

My letter to my grade nine English teacher, who in grade 9 we were allowed to call her Ersty (a short form of her last name) had a ripple effect on me. We reconnected on Facebook after 3 decades and I had the chance to have coffee with her in person during a trip home in 2019. I got to tell her, in person, what I wrote to her in my letter. I also gave her signed copies of the books I wrote. Who knew in grade 9 when I was struggling to fit in that years later I would be doing what I am today. Here is a photo of Ersty and I in 2019. This was just after me finishing several rounds of chemo for breast cancer.

This year my story about How You Show Up Matters was published by WSA Publishing Women Speakers Association . I also wrote about a wonderful experience that I had when a youth I had worked with when I ran a drop in centre for high risk youths showed up at my office when he was 21, he shared the impact I had in his life... a moment and reunion I will treasure always and never forget.

My story in this book was that to make a difference in the world can happen in so many ways ... simply by being you and by how you show up.

As we go through our days, weeks, months and years, remember.... How You Show Up Matters. We never know how us smiling at someone, or "seeing them" or just being you can make a difference in someone's life. We never know what someone's last five minutes were like. They could have received bad news, made a mistake that they are beating themselves up over, or just had the need for human connection to be seen.

How you show up matters.

About Charmaine:

Charmaine Hammond, CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) is a highly sought-after business keynote and workshop speaker, entrepreneur, author and educator who teaches and advocates the importance of developing trust, healthy relationships, conflict resolution and collaboration in the workplace. She has helped clients in many industries, including safety professionals build resilient and engaged workplaces, develop high trust/high accountability relationships, and solve workplace issues and conflict that gets in the way of success and profitability. She is respected as a "no fluff" and "rich content" speaker who delivers tangible tools to step into action immediately. Delivering her programs in person and virtually (she is a Certified Virtual Presenter through eSpeakers), she brings results and facilitates change.

 This former Correctional Officer (yup! She worked in jails) and Corporate Dispute Resolution Expert now travels the world teaching the principles of collaboration, communication/conflict resolution and resilience. She also has an extensive background facilitating process to help collaborations and workplace/team relationships when they go sideways. As a former mediator she has helped facilitate some of the most complex collaborations and partnership arrangements. She has also been called to several communities that have experienced disasters to help with the rebuilding resilience and recovery processes. She has trained more than 1/2 million people around the globe.

 Her corporate clients have included all 3 levels of government, oil and gas sector, trade associations and companies (health, nursing, engineering, safety, and more), technology businesses, human resources, community partnership departments, educational institutions, police/fire and rescue, non profit organizations and everything in between. Her extensive background in the corporate, small business and non profit worlds, her past role as a contract negotiation specialist for government, and a business owner, she has an interesting perspective of being on all sides of the collaboration table.

 She has a Master's Degree in Conflict Management & Analysis is a bestselling author (of 5 books & featured in 6 others), and CSP™ Certified Speaking Professional. Charmaine has been featured in renowned publications such as Inc., Occupational Health & Safety Magazine, and many others, as well as having appeared as a guest on numerous TV and Radio Programs. She is a executive producer of an award winning animated film, Back Home Again.

To book Charmaine to speak, to discuss training or consulting for your organization send me a message through LinkedIn, or email: charmaine@charmainehammond.com