Paula Gallant Coaching

09/22/2026

Fall arrives tomorrow evening here in Prince Edward Island, and I’d love to welcome the season with you. Join me virtually on Zoom for Meeting the Moment, a free Fall Equinox gathering.

We’ll take a little time to pause and consider how we want to meet what’s coming next.

I’ll guide you through a few steps from my Fall Reflection Guide and invite you to create a personal practice for meeting the moment you’re in. You can download the free guide here: https://www.paulagallant.ca/paulas-resources-1

Date: Wednesday, September 23
Time: 1:00–2:00 pm ADT
Location: Virtual gathering via Zoom (link will be shared when you register)
Free

Just bring yourself, a moment or season of your life you’d like to reflect on, and a willingness to participate. You might also want to have paper and a pen, or a copy of the fillable Fall Reflection Guide.

Register here: https://www.paulagallant.ca/workshop

I hope to see you there. All are welcome.

Photo credit: Danielle Gauthier, fall walk 2026

09/21/2026

A way to welcome fall.

Fall has a way of making me want to get my act together. The garden is winding down and the light is changing. There’s suddenly an urge to finish things, put things away, and figure out what’s next. Which, of course, is not quite how life works.

So I made a Fall Reflection Guide to help me pause before launching into the next thing, and to notice what this season might actually be asking of me.

You can download it for free here: https://www.paulagallant.ca/paulas-resources-1

And if you’d like to reflect with other people, I’m hosting a free Fall Equinox gathering online on September 23 at 1PM Atlantic. We’ll pause, reflect, and create a small personal practice to carry into the season ahead. Register at the link in the first comment.

09/17/2026

Fall has a way of making me want to get my act together. The garden is winding down and the light is changing. There’s suddenly an urge to finish things, put things away, and figure out what’s next. Which, of course, is not quite how life works.

So I made a Fall Reflection Guide to help me pause before launching into the next thing, and to notice what this season might actually be asking of me.

You can download it for free here: https://www.paulagallant.ca/paulas-resources-1

And if you’d like to reflect with other people, I’m hosting a free Fall Equinox gathering online on September 23 at 1PM Atlantic. We’ll pause, reflect, and create a small personal practice to carry into the season ahead. Register at the link in the first comment.

07/08/2026

In a workshop a few weeks ago, I shared a story about my son learning to ride his bike. After a fall, he was scared to get back on. I remember holding my fingers a small distance apart and saying, "Your fear might be this big." Then I spread them wider and said, "What needs to grow isn't your courage, it's your reason for getting back on the bike."

His fear didn't disappear but his desire to get back on his bike grew (and he’s still riding almost 10 years later!). The question isn't whether fear shows up, but rather what helps us keep going or “gets us back on our bike” when it does.
In those moments, a helpful question we can ask ourselves is:
What do I need right now?

When I ask this question in my coaching sessions, I find many people answer with strategies.
🔹 I need to prepare more.
🔹 I need to work harder.
🔹 I need to let it go.

Those can all be helpful, but they're not the need itself.

Maybe what you really need is connection, safety, meaning, rest, support, encouragement. When we name the need beneath the fear, we have more choices about how to move forward.

Whether I'm working as a coach with leaders, facilitators, or people who spend their days supporting others, the goal isn't to eliminate fear. It's to help people feel connected to what matters, understand what they need, and move forward with intention and skill.

06/30/2026

Here in Prince Edward Island, summer has been slow to arrive this year. Warm, sunny days come and go, reminding me that seasons don't always unfold the way we expect. Grateful that today is sunny ☀️.

Even so, my gardens are beginning to bloom, the spinach and peas are especially happy, the days are long, and life can feel full and busy at this time of year.

In the midst of all that, it's easy to keep moving without taking time to notice what's happening within and around us, so I wanted to share a Summer Reflection Guide that I use as an invitation to pause and take stock.

You can download it (for free) here: https://www.paulagallant.ca/paulas-resources-1

The guide includes reflection questions, an energy check-in, and printable "life garden" worksheets to help you explore what matters most in this season.

And yes, that's me driving a tractor! One of the reflection questions asks what has blossomed in your life that you never could have predicted. I certainly never expected to own a tractor, but I love it!

I hope you'll find a quiet moment, perhaps outside with a cup of your favourite drink, to reflect and listen to what this season might be inviting within you.

If you think others might benefit, please feel free to share the guide within your networks.

06/23/2026

Last week, I spent the day with an incredible group of people talking about presence, facilitation, and the skills we need to lead and guide groups toward connection, conversation, and action. We also spent some time talking about fear.

What struck me was how many different forms that fear takes.

For some, it's the fear that what they have to offer won't be valuable enough. For others, it's the fear of being judged or dismissed because of aspects of their identity, whether age, language, gender, race, or something else. Others spoke about the fear of not knowing what to do when conflict or personal pain emerges, or when uncertainty arises and they can't find their footing.

As people shared, I found myself thinking about my friend and colleague, Gerry Hopkirk. Gerry often spoke about how the collective North American understanding of leadership had been shaped by the image of the Lone Ranger: the person who rides into town, solves the problem, and rides off again.

While he was speaking about leadership, I found myself thinking that this image shapes how many people understand facilitation as well... and maybe life in general.

We can easily slip into believing that our role is to carry responsibility for everything that happens in a session. We tell ourselves that we need to have the perfect plan, know how to respond to every challenge, and somehow manage whatever arises.

But what if our role isn't to carry the whole thing ourselves?

What if our role is to create the conditions for conversation that allow people to connect with one another and with the shared purpose that brought them together? And then trust that the wisdom, responsibility, and capacity needed for the work are shared throughout the room?

When we see it this way, we no longer need to be the lone hero of the story.

Maybe that's one reason fear is so common in facilitation. Fear grows quickly when we believe we are alone.

As I drove home after a lovely supper with a dear friend who was in the course, I found myself reflecting on how often fear and responsibility become tangled together. Perhaps presence is, in part, the practice of remembering that we don't have to carry it all ourselves.

05/29/2026

If you’ve been wondering whether The Power of Presence in Facilitation is for you, here’s a simple way to think about it:

✔ Yes, if you lead conversations, meetings, workshops, or groups, or want to do more of this.

✔ Yes, if you sometimes overthink, over-prepare, or worry about how things will unfold in the room.

✔ Yes, if you want to feel more grounded and confident facilitating difficult conversations, group dynamics, or emotional moments.

✔ Yes, if you want practical support, not just theory.

✔ And yes, even if you don’t call yourself a “facilitator.”

One person who recently applied shared that they had spent years running workshops, speaking at events, mentoring students, and leading sessions before realizing that this, too, was facilitation. I think that’s true for many people.

Facilitation isn’t only standing at the front of a room with a flip chart. It’s the practice of helping people move through conversations, learning, reflection, decision-making, and change together.

At this point, I’m not planning any additional offerings in 2026, so this June cohort is the only one currently scheduled.

The program includes:
• a full-day in-person training on June 9
• a virtual orientation on June 3 (recorded if you can’t attend live)
• a private 30-minute coaching session
• reflection practices and online resources

We’ll gather at Andrew Hall, UPEI in Charlottetown, PEI.

This is a small-group experience with space for meaningful dialogue, practice, and individualized support.

If payment timing or logistics are the only thing holding you back, feel free to reach out and we can talk it through.

Registration closes June 2.

Learn more and apply here: https://www.paulagallant.ca/facilitation-path/ -power-of-presence

05/25/2026

There’s a common myth that presence means being calm, composed, and steady at all times, but real presence has very little to do with perfection.

Last week, I had the flu and missed the wake of a dear friend. The experience reminded me how important it is to be able to stay with a range of experiences instead of trying to push past them or hold everything together neatly. Grief, disappointment, tenderness, exhaustion, joy, uncertainty, connection. Being human asks us to move through all of it.

That’s true in facilitation and leadership too.

Being present does not mean having it all together. It means learning how to stay grounded and intentional while also being fully human.

When we stop trying to prove ourselves or be the most clever person in the room and instead meet the moment and the group with openness, honesty, and care, something shifts. Trust deepens and possibilities expand. Others feel permission to show up more fully too.

This is something we explore in The Power of Presence in Facilitation. Together, we practice staying present without performing, naming what is happening in the room, holding space without rushing to fix or control, and standing in our humanity even when things feel uncertain.

The program begins in June here on PEI and applications are open now through June 2. Apply now: https://www.paulagallant.ca/facilitation-path/ -power-of-presence

What myths about presence have you noticed or experienced?

05/22/2026

What does it look like to grow your confidence as a facilitator?

Sometimes it starts with realizing you don’t have to rely on over-preparing, hiding behind slides, or questioning whether you're ready.

This year’s The Power of Presence in Facilitation: From Worried to Confident cohort includes:

✔ Entrepreneurs and content experts who want to lead engaging webinars and workshops
✔ Leaders stepping into new roles
✔ People who bring others together every day but never thought of themselves as “facilitators” before

And program facilitators like these past participants:

“Not only did I feel more present, but my confidence in managing the room was greatly impacted.”
— Jasonique

“I became more aware of how my presence and communication style influence the people I work with. I gained practical tools that I could apply right away.”
— Bushra

"Through one on one focused coaching, I was able to reframe a recurring challenge I have in order to have greater confidence moving forward in my work."
— Megan

Doors close June 2. If you’ve been thinking of joining, now's the time. To learn more and apply: https://www.paulagallant.ca/facilitation-path/ -power-of-presence

05/18/2026

Curious about The Power of Presence in Facilitation but not quite sure what it looks like in practice? Here’s a closer look at what the day includes.

✔ We’ll gather in person in Charlottetown, PEI for a full-day session on June 9, held at Andrew Hall, UPEI. This is where we ground the work together—through practice, reflection, and learning directly from real-time experience.

✔ To support your integration, the program also includes a one-hour virtual orientation on the morning of June 3, along with simple practices and reflection prompts you can return to after the session.

✔ You’ll receive a one-to-one, 30-minute coaching conversation focused on your real-life facilitation challenges, offering space to explore what’s actually showing up in your work and how you want to meet it.

This is a small group experience which allows for meaningful dialogue, personalized feedback, and a sense of connection that’s often missing in larger programs.

If you’re ready to explore what it means to show up fully in your facilitation—without performing or trying to fix everything—this is your invitation.

Doors close June 2, and we gather on June 9.

You can find all the details and apply at: https://www.paulagallant.ca/facilitation-path

If you have questions, feel free to reach out directly. I’m always happy to connect.