Trauma-Informed Creative Writing: Reimagining Entrepreneurship

This workshop will be run both in-person at the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto and online via Zoom. Only 8 in-person spaces available. 12 virtual spaces.

Entrepreneurship can create pathways that support healing and wellness for ourselves, our communities, and the planet. However, we often get stuck repeating patterns from past generations that were relied upon for survival —like chasing financial gains at the cost of health, over-working, under-charging, and poor boundaries.

We can also internalize harmful beliefs from colonial capitalism, such as feeling guilty for "not doing enough" and adopting ideas of success that don't match our values.

This workshop uses Somatic (Mind-Body) Writing and community discussion to help us reimagine how to prioritize mental health & wellness while running a socially responsible business that also generates income.

We will use Somatic Writing & Group Sharing to explore:

• Identifying and unlearning harmful beliefs about success from colonialism, capitalism, and generational trauma.
• Rewriting success and wealth narratives to better align with our values.
• Envisioning ways to prioritize mental health & wellness while growing a business.
• Redefining intergenerational wealth beyond just financial gains.

What is Somatic (Mind-Body) Writing?

Somatic writing is a practice that supports us with accessing deeper layers of presence, wisdom and creative thinking through connecting the mind and body through writing. Creative writing is combined with breathwork, mindfulness practices, and gentle movement to access inner-wisdom and guide creative expression. It encourages tuning into the body’s feelings and experiences as a way to unlock deeper emotions, ideas and new stories.

Sliding Scale:

We offer sliding scale pricing ranging from CAD $35 - $50. This allows participants to choose a price within their means, fostering inclusivity while also supporting the sustainability of this work. We encourage those who can contribute more to do so, which in turn helps subsidize participation for those with financial limitations.

About the Facilitator: Shalyn Isaacs, M.Ed Counselling Psychology

Shalyn Isaacs has been facilitating mental health and trauma education workshops every year for academic, corporate and non-profit organizations since 2016. She holds a Masters of Education in Counselling Psychology from the University of Toronto and held a private practice specializing in working with survivors of racial and gender-based violence. She has worked as a Mindfulness Facilitator at York University and the University of Toronto. She founded a grassroots organization called Womens Mental Health Talks at York University in 2016 that provided bi-weekly mental health peer support groups for women and gender diverse communities. In 2020 she founded the Embodied Liberation program that welcomed a small cohort of racialized women to learn together and from each other about trauma, healing, and somatics (mind-body-spirit connection) from a decolonizing framework.

She believes mental health education and creative writing are powerful tools for supporting individual and collective healing and social-political change.

Her work involves bringing communities together to learn, share, and support each other towards personal growth and generational healing.

Host or Publisher Shalyn Isaacs