About Joanne

 

I’m Joanne Shank, M.Ed., an educator, speaker and facilitator based in Barrie, Ontario, and the creator of The Damselfly Path. For more than 30 years, I worked in education as a teacher and school principal. Learning has been a constant thread throughout my life: understanding how people grow, how our experiences shape us, and how we can use what we learn to enrich our lives and relationships.

My background includes an undergraduate degree with concentrations in psychology and economics, a Bachelor of Education, and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership. I also completed professional coach training through Erickson. These experiences inform my teaching, alongside my continuing interest in philosophy, creativity and the complexity of being human.

Today, I bring this work to organizations and groups through talks and interactive workshops, primarily online. I draw from The Damselfly Path to help participants deepen self-awareness and develop capacities they can use in their own lives and relationships. If you are planning an event or learning opportunity, visit Speaking and Workshops to explore a possible fit.

The Damselfly Path brings these interests together. I created it as an invitation for women to deepen their relationship with their own lives—to become more curious about who they are, what matters to them, and the possibilities they can nurture.

I believe there is something deeply worthwhile in becoming better acquainted with the life that is ours: our strengths and limitations, our relationships, our experiences, our circumstances, and our hopes. Within that particular life are opportunities for meaning, connection, creativity, and contribution.

This blog, Lessons Along the Way, is where I share reflections, personal stories, and ideas that invite further exploration. My Guides for Exploration offer opportunities to take that inquiry into your own life, at your own pace.

Art and nature are woven into this work. Painting, gardening, and noticing the beauty around me are important parts of my life. The damselfly has become a recurring presence in both my art and my writing—a symbol through which I explore change, perception, strength, and possibility.

My hope is that something you encounter here helps you see your life with fresh attention—and recognize something meaningful you want to understand, cultivate, or bring into the world.

Welcome. I’m glad you’re here.

Joanne Shank, M.Ed.