Eclectic didn't begin with me. It began with Maureen Kennedy, who was asked to design a continuing education workshop called Effective Written Communication. From that single workshop, Eclectic grew.

I came to Eclectic as a participant. I was working in government as a policy analyst, and I'd been asked to write a briefing note. The trouble was, I didn't even know what a briefing note was! So I signed up for one of Eclectic's workshops to find out.

Over those two days, the instructor and I got talking. At the end, she asked for my contact information. She thought Maureen would want to meet me. At the time, they were simply looking for an instructor. But that conversation led somewhere neither of us expected. In 2008, the baton was passed on, and I was owner of Eclectic.

What drew me in was the chance to build something of my own, without the constraints I'd felt elsewhere, and to help create real change. Back then, Eclectic was small. Two of us ran the whole thing, delivering a handful of writing workshops to about ten clients.

Today we are a team of eighteen, working with organizations across every sector and every part of the country. We've grown from writing workshops into a full communication and performance practice. But what we believe has never changed.

I have always believed that clear and understandable communication is a human right.

I have always believed that clear and understandable communication is a human right. When people cannot access information, or when the information they receive is not clear, they are left outside decisions that affect their work, their lives, and their communities. Making communication understandable, for everyone, is the reason Eclectic exists.

That belief is what keeps me here. I love doing good work, and I love it most when it makes a genuine difference. The people who join our team feel the same way. They want to make a difference, to do work they're proud of, to be given real opportunities, and to be respected and supported while they do it.

That's who we are. A team of people who care deeply about the work, and about the people and communities it serves.