<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Betsy Thomas]]></title><description><![CDATA[Coaching for problem-solving, transformation, and leadership. Live a more fulfilled life. Consultant helping improve work culture.]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2026 13:24:09 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.betsythomas.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Motherhood and Entrepreneurship - and the Myth of Balance]]></title><description><![CDATA[ It is a dream of entrepreneurs to create their own world of work and forge their own paths. And the truly amazing part of it was that although it was quite unorthodox, my entrepreneurial dream came true. The business was a success for almost 3 decades. This success enabled me to shape my life around what mattered to me.]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/motherhood-and-entrepreneurship-and-the-myth-of-balance</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe37f0e0c02101aa662678</guid><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 09:27:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/afd7d3_bfaf0a47f5e24c5fa3fe8b5262f0d3d2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Betsy Thomas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Happens When People Get the Right Kind of Support?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Coaching can be remarkable in its ability to facilitate growth and transformation. I don’t think one coaching session will change your life. But steady work with a reliable and conscientious coach can help people make meaningful changes in how they see themselves, understand their challenges, and move forward. Here is what I’ve seen happen when people get the right kind of support. They start to see themselves differently When someone listens to us deeply and reflects back what they hear, we...]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/what-happens-when-people-get-the-right-kind-of-support</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4ea6f091f517cb726f2e22</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 19:39:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/afd7d3_de928f8601fd41c596327eb2b3d85d15~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_941,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Betsy Thomas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hot Tub Zen]]></title><description><![CDATA[I thought that surely by the time I got to my age I would be pretty sorted out and zen. But I am absolutely not. I am still in the middle of becoming.]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/hot-tub-zen</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0c6be79209fbd4f4eedc68</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 14:01:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/afd7d3_623bbc860cc54dd5b630107b6a1a6539~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Betsy Thomas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What DRAP taught us about the impact of workforce adjustment (WFA) - and why it matters now]]></title><description><![CDATA[When federal budgets tighten, it is easy to focus on numbers: how many

roles, how much savings, and how quickly departments can reorganize.

The experiences shared by public servants who lived through DRAP

show that how cuts are carried out can shape the effectiveness,

culture, and capacity of the public service for years afterwa]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/what-drap-taught-us-about-the-impact-of-workforce-adjustment-wfa-and-why-it-matters-now</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe37f0e0c02101aa66266f</guid><category><![CDATA[Unpublished Reports]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 21 Jan 2026 17:49:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_d31237413aaf4c3c8c3a7e2233c7965d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Betsy Thomas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Strategic Planning That Actually Gets Used: A Simple, Human Approach for Busy Leaders]]></title><description><![CDATA[Strategic planning doesn’t begin with a three-day retreat or a glossy 60-page deck. It begins when you, as a leader, decide to pause, ask better questions, and invite your people into the conversation. When strategy is grounded in what you already know, tested against real data and real voices, and captured in a living document, it becomes one of your most powerful leadership practices instead of another task on the calendar.]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/strategic-planning-that-actually-gets-used-a-simple-human-approach-for-busy-leaders</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe37f0e0c02101aa662665</guid><pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2025 22:17:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_7db1968fde4c478c9fd88294c26d1f72~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Betsy Thomas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[From Time-Suck to Strategic Asset: How Great Leaders Run Meetings People Want to Attend]]></title><description><![CDATA[With a few simple shifts, they can become one of the most powerful leadership tools you have to engage and align your organization. ]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/from-time-suck-to-strategic-asset-how-great-leaders-run-meetings-people-want-to-attend</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe37f0e0c02101aa66267d</guid><pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2025 23:22:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/afd7d3_7da2b3cc55b34c2eab358b7434cb8ac9~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_748,h_347,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Betsy Thomas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Change Your Leadership Style?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Problems in organizations are almost always due to how the leaders are leading. In every single organization I have worked with, including my own, I have found this to be true. Government agencies, businesses, and charitable organizations – the thriving of the organization and the effectiveness of its processes can almost always be measured by the quality of its leadership. Leaders set the tone and shape the culture, and thus the long-term success and sustainability of the organization.]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/why-should-i-change-the-way-i-think-about-leadership</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe37f0e0c02101aa662669</guid><pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 2025 21:49:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/afd7d3_6ca38ffd622e43f5addc07a1ab11158b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Betsy Thomas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sounding the Alarm for Educators in Canada]]></title><description><![CDATA[Big societal changes like the ones we are currently living through in politics, technology, and the world order, are always reflected in the institutions that make up our social fabric. This is especially true of our schools. As we struggle to find new ways to adapt how we think about and deliver education in this rapidly changing world, it is both a difficult time within the educational environment and a time of great opportunity. We are educators and systems thinkers who have been observers...]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/sounding-the-alarm-for-educators-in-canada</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe37f0e0c02101aa662667</guid><category><![CDATA[Unpublished Reports]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:29:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_397a3935384545774e6149~mv2_d_4200_2800_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Betsy Thomas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pairing Food with Organizational Repair]]></title><description><![CDATA[When we break bread together, there is a generosity of spirit present. In organizations that are contracting in conflict, pain, misunderstandings - we as practitioners want to create the conditions for generosity of spirit, and food is such a good way to do that. Leaders who create those conditions by bringing pizza or donuts to work, who offer lunch or even a birthday cake - they  display that generosity of spirit, and they model it through these simple actions and offerings.]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/pairing-food-with-organizational-repair</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe37f0e0c02101aa662676</guid><pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2025 20:37:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_b214bb88741d48499b8759ab68cf04ee~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Betsy Thomas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Being an Entrepreneur made me a Better Person]]></title><description><![CDATA[It is hard for leaders to trust the theories about how to do things differently. After all, what we learn throughout our lives in schools, universities, churches, and workplaces, is that winning means that we dominate the field. We are so accustomed to the idea that leadership means having all the answers and that our job is to tell people what to do and how to do it, and to discipline with consequences like termination when they do not. But that is an exhausting way to work...]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/how-being-an-entrepreneur-made-me-a-better-person</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe37f0e0c02101aa66267c</guid><pubDate>Sat, 06 Sep 2025 00:49:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/afd7d3_30053afa575c4df5965ea4f1fc902969~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elizabeth Thomas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Leadership: a powerful invitation]]></title><description><![CDATA[The ideas I've outlined below are the principles that helped me find meaning and joy in leading people, and I believe them to be key to bui]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/leadership</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe37f0e0c02101aa66266b</guid><pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2025 19:45:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_35482e040b1842e884c66216cd77fc06~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elizabeth Thomas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Case Study: Organizational Trauma]]></title><description><![CDATA[Organizational trauma, like personal trauma, can have serious and lasting effects – on us, our colleagues, and our organizations. It...]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/case-study-organizational-trauma</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe37f0e0c02101aa66267a</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Mar 2025 19:05:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_634758646a7950362d4e55~mv2_d_5568_3712_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elizabeth Thomas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lessons I Learned From the Diaper Business]]></title><description><![CDATA[The three decades I spent in the cloth diaper industry taught me a whole lot about how hard running a small business is, but nonetheless,...]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/lessons-i-learned-from-the-diaper-business</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe37f0e0c02101aa66266e</guid><pubDate>Wed, 05 Feb 2025 21:57:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/afd7d3_31630bf5fbac46e982c5804d6258f030~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elizabeth Thomas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[As a coach, my optimism serves you well]]></title><description><![CDATA[Optimists are not always seen as trustworthy - often they are perceived as swimming on the surface or sticking to shallow waters to avoid...]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/optimistic-coach</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe37f0e0c02101aa662670</guid><pubDate>Tue, 03 Sep 2024 21:23:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_98a3523e17504e2a952d456c34c72a49~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elizabeth Thomas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bankrupt!]]></title><description><![CDATA[It’s every businessperson’s nightmare. In 2015, 1684 businesses went bankrupt in Quebec. My company was one of them. After 27 years of...]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/bankrupt</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe37f0e0c02101aa66267e</guid><pubDate>Tue, 03 Sep 2024 19:41:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_614e5f416f656574374151~mv2_d_2176_3264_s_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elizabeth Thomas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Coaching &#38; Mentoring in a Business]]></title><description><![CDATA[This is an interview I did for Canadian Retailer Magazine about using coaching and mentoring. I hope this short interview will inspire business people to use coaching within their own organizations - it is so powerful! Just to clarify what a coaching approach is, in short.  As leaders/coaches, we: practice self-awareness, showing up fully present, undistracted, and authentic listen actively to understand, not respond don't tell - instead we ask questions we don't know the answer to most...]]></description><link>https://www.betsythomas.com/post/coaching-mentoring-in-a-small-business</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe37f0e0c02101aa662671</guid><pubDate>Sun, 03 Sep 2023 21:06:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/afd7d3_adac7218bb4843a69b6fccdf7f134b36~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Betsy Thomas</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>