\u201cI wanted to access support for my grief and my loss, and I just found that there was nothing comprehensive in my community. It was very difficult to find anything online. I couldn’t find anyone, and I needed them. I started talking to other bereaved parents who had similar experiences, and I thought: this is something I can do. This is a way that I can help people.\u201d<\/em> This inspired Zoe to pursue counselling, with a focus on perinatal mental health and perinatal loss, so she could help others navigate their grief. Wilder Way Counselling<\/a> specializes in support for individuals and groups dealing with grief and loss, especially during pregnancy or after birth. Additionally, Zoe offers consulting services and training courses tailored for healthcare workers to address the psychological aspects of perinatal loss and how staff can support grieving families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI started volunteering in my community. I helped put on the annual perinatal and infant loss awareness Walk. I sit on the perinatal Mental Health Committee and volunteer for my local hospice. I like to be in my community.<\/em> I started getting all these connections figuring out how I could help and then my local hospital called me asking if I wanted to consult. So I developed a course to teach healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, obstetricians how to deal with the psychological aspect of perinatal loss within a medical setting, because that was one of the main things that all these parents identified as not going very well.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Starting her business from the ground up, Zoe began researching ways to connect with experienced business owners to learn about managing marketing and finances. She came across WeBC\u2019s One-to-One Mentoring<\/a> program and felt it was the perfect fit. Zoe connected with her mentor over their similar business structures and passion for supporting others in their various stages of healing. Her mentor provided concrete insights into managing the back end of a business while empathizing with the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A key takeaway for Zoe was the confidence and mindset her mentor instilled in her. Previously overwhelmed and struggling with imposter syndrome, Zoe\u2019s mentor helped her believe in herself and recognize her expertise, encouraging her to keep pushing forward to reach her goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zoe highly recommends finding a mentor and is grateful for organizations like WeBC that offer these resources. She now believes the key to success for any small business owner is to find a mentor who can help foster business growth.<\/p>\n\n\n Q: Why did you decide to take the<\/strong> One-to-One Mentoring<\/strong><\/a> program?<\/strong> Aside from the funding I received to start my business, this program has been the most valuable thing keeping me on track. As an entrepreneur, you come into it with your specialty, but you also have to run your business, manage your website, and keep your books. It\u2019s like having a million jobs rolled into one. Without this mentor keeping me on track and helping me with my mindset, I think I would still be overwhelmed and have imposter syndrome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve talked to a bunch of other successful business owners, and almost all of them mentioned mentorship when I asked how they became successful. I understand it\u2019s super important to have someone in your corner who knows the lay of the land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She also helped by giving me the confidence to move forward in my business, making me realize that my experience actually does make me somewhat of an expert on this. She helped me change my mindset and helped me feel like I deserve my place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q: What\u2019s next for Wilder Way Counselling?<\/strong> Given the nature of virtual therapy and the glass ceiling that being a one-on-one therapist puts on what you can do, the future of my business looks like running more online courses, online groups, and getting into more hospitals to offer my services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A group is more financially accessible for the participants, and they create strong bonds during the time they\u2019re together. When the group ends, participants get to keep in touch with each other. I\u2019ve been in a group like this when I was training for coaching perinatal loss\u2014and it had that same effect. I still talk to some of those people every single day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m working hard to continue gaining the trust of my audience so they\u2019ll sign up for these groups, allowing them to leave with a lasting community and some real tangible ideas on how to lean on community to process their grief and honour their loved ones. I think it\u2019s a skill that needs to be learned because we live in a grief-illiterate society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q: If you were to advise anyone starting their own business, what advice would you give?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A: I would say train yourself in the back end. Keep your bookkeeping and finances super tight because it’s a slippery fish. Once it gets away from you, you find yourself at year-end sifting through a pile. Do it every month, every two months, or every three months\u2014don\u2019t leave it until the end of the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I would also encourage new business owners to access the resources available, like the mentorship programs and loans offered through organizations like WeBC. Those resources are there for us to use and they\u2019ll help you succeed. Plus, there\u2019s free money out there, which is imperative for many small new businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where to Find Wilder Way Counselling<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXebR5lYwX00ekApJ5hjhkzfoPz4VJBVEEqMEw81WTJYFI2FcTds_dPzXZLRrmHmqo6gchZEkya8KZFXl2jcqr3xLFLRl8W9sylZmssV-KLsAibkQCjgjGnDdWhqDK_MAm5noc5XgG3QrB5JZgbDK4DCjdla?key=qgLujf5xGq7cnnNF-Xyvzw\")
Client Q&A<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A: I was looking for resources because I knew I would need help starting a business without money and experience. When I was looking online, I found WeBC\u2019s mentorship program and thought it looked amazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Q: Were there any major successes coming out of the program?<\/strong>
A: My mentor was unbelievable. I started getting hospital gigs when she was mentoring me. I don\u2019t know whether that\u2019s causation or correlation, but I had a few big wins during our mentorship and I couldn\u2019t believe it was happening to me. She gave me the capacity to accept those wins into my life and not feel scared or overwhelmed or like I was too new for this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A: I was pregnant with my second son within eight months of losing Wilder and I had a healthy pregnancy and gave birth to my son, Huxley, who is now 3. He gives me all the joy and motivation to just keep on going, keep doing this and keep helping people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n