One of the most interesting challenges of leadership is living at the fine edge between opportunity and focus. This week I found myself writing letters of gratitude—thank you, no—to international companies, trade organizations, and accelerators who see global potential in PrimeHealth. Their excitement is energizing—and it’s tempting to say yes to everything. But sometimes the wiser choice is no. At the same time, we’re deeply engaged with Fraser Health Authority and the BC Nu

Some injuries aren’t loud. They don’t make headlines. They arrive in drops. A comment here, an assumption there—a steady trickle of microaggressions, dismissive interactions, and subtle exclusions. If you imagine the nervous system as a glass of water, each of these moments is a drop. One or two? The glass can hold it. But over time, without release or repair, the water rises. Sooner or later, it spills over—and spillover gets messy. Little “t” trauma is that slow, cumulative

When we’re born, our nervous system is like a new instrument. Caregivers are the first conductors—tuning us with eye contact, tone of voice, touch, responsiveness. Over thousands of tiny “duets,” our system learns a default tempo (how fast we activate), a key (how safe the world feels), and a dynamic range (how much intensity we can handle before we squeak). That early soundtrack becomes a blueprint for relationships throughout life. If it stays outside our awareness, it

Some experiences split life into  “before”  and  “after.”  That’s  Big “T” trauma : a serious injury, assault, sudden loss, a violent incident, a crash. In the absence and disability world—PrimeHealth’s home turf—many of the people using our tools are living in the “after.” What Big “T” trauma does to the nervous system When danger hits, the body’s alarm system does its job: Hypervigilance:  scanning for threat even in safe contexts. Startle + sensitivity to sudden change:  l

We live in a global world. People are moving, and so is technology. For many, that movement is chosen; for others, it is forced. Either way, we now design in a landscape where displacement and immigration shape how people meet systems. Especially here in Vancouver—a city where diversity is the norm rather than the exception—we have a front-row seat to the ways global migration impacts technological needs. It’s the perfect place to examine what it really means to build technol

As a psychotherapist and the co-founder of a technology company, I care deeply about the health and productivity of my team at PrimeHealth—and about the wellness of the broader business community I work alongside. But one thing I’ve noticed in both worlds is how often sleep gets shunted to the bottom of the priority list. In clinical sessions, and in conversations with founders, executives, and employees alike, I hear the same subtle mindset crop up again and again. I call it

Ever tried a brakestand? One foot mashing the gas, the other clamping the brake. The engine screams, tires spin, but the car doesn’t move. That’s what hustle culture does to your nervous system. All accelerator. All brake. No glide. We praise overdrive—early mornings, late nights, inbox-zero. We call stress “drive,” and disconnection “grind.” But if we zoom in under the hood, the body tells a different story. Because your nervous system is a finely tuned machine. And most of

Imagine walking through your day with earbuds in, but the volume is turned so low you can barely hear the music. You catch fragments—a drumbeat here, a lyric there—but the full song never reaches you. That’s what it can feel like to live with a dulled sense of interoception, the body’s internal listening system. Most of us weren’t taught how to tune in. We were taught to push through, ignore discomfort, and rely on the brain’s loudest thoughts to make decisions. But just bene

Imagine your nervous system as a pressure-cooker on the stove. A little steam leaking from the valve keeps dinner safe; clamping the vent shut turns a family meal into a kitchen explosion. Many of us were taught, lovingly or otherwise, to screw that valve down tight. Maybe the adults around us were already juggling poverty, migration, illness, or addiction and had no bandwidth for another person’s tears. Perhaps our culture prized stoicism, or our gender, race, or disability

“Trauma” is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days. It shows up in headlines, HR memos, and everyday conversations. But I suspect we don’t always fully understand what it means—or how deeply it affects the way people show up at work, in systems, and in life. As someone who’s been a psychotherapist for almost twenty years, I’ve spent a lot of time sitting with people in the long aftermath of experiences that overwhelmed their capacity to cope. Trauma isn’t just someth

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