Maureen Pollard & Associates

05/03/2026

Today’s “Re-Think Resilience” presentation for the spring education day with Five Counties Children’s Centre was the 5th and final gig of the week. What a privilege it is to engage with so many groups on the topic of taking care of themselves as they navigate providing care for others as professionals and in their personal lives.

05/01/2026

May 1 is First Responders Day in Ontario.

In 2021 I wrote this song to help normalize the impact of trauma on the job. Working on the front lines of life and death comes with a price, and feeling the pain doesn’t mean you are weak or broken. It means you care and that matters.

Thank you to first responders everywhere who show up with knowledge, skill, and heart to care for our communities.

22 likes, 4 comments. "I'm No Hero with Lyrics "

05/01/2026

Paint the Garden of Your Life is an intuitive creative experience and I love to see what comes to life on the canvas as we contemplate life and death and grief and trauma together.

04/28/2026

If you’re struggling right now, there is help. You don’t have to grieve alone.

Reach out for support or referrals:

https://edshouse.northumberlandhospice.ca/

https://www.camh.ca/en/patients-and-families/programs-and-services

24-7 Peer Support for First Responders:

https://www.bootsontheground.ca/

http://www.afterthecall.org/about

If you are in crisis, you can access immediate support by calling 988.

04/28/2026

04/11/2026

I’m hosting a new podcast called Heart Work: Conversations About Art to Heal the Heart. I’m really enjoying these discussions with my friends, and I hope you will too!

Out Now:
Episode 1 Matt Kowalyk
Episode 2 David Joyce
Episode 3 Steve Shikaze
Episode 4 Melissa Mikel
Episode 5 Brian Tremblay
Episode 6 Michelle Hurtubise
Episode 7 Shannon Linton
Episode 8 Sarah Stapleton
Episode 9 Dima Dupéré

Up Next:
Episode 10 Ron Hawkins on April 17

A publication and community created by therapist and artist Maureen Pollard to share information, art activities and events focused on expressive arts for healing trauma and grief. Click to read Art to Heal the Heart, a Substack publication.

04/11/2026

In the fall I somehow lost access to this page, and only recently figured out how to post here again, so I have a few updates!

I’ll begin here: I made my book of affirmations into a podcast:

You can find the book on my website here:

https://maureen-pollard-and-heart-work-press.myshopify.com/products/what-i-wish-for-you

And you can find the podcast on Substack here:

https://open.substack.com/pub/art2healtheheart/p/what-i-wish-for-you-a-meditative-ae3?r=3ffoe8&utm_medium=ios

What I Wish for You is a book of affirmations that began as a series of journal entries, written as messages intended for the author's four children as they move out into the world as young adults, and then developed into this touching tribute to the things we all wish for those we love.

10/07/2025

This week's substack offers a little preview of Too Soon To Say Goodbye, a tune from Maureen's upcoming EP Sad Songs for a Merry Season.

What do you do when your heart is breaking? Have you tried making art?

Making art with a breaking heart.

09/16/2025

“There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anais Nin

The power of being witnessed.

09/11/2025

If you're looking for a few resources about sketching as part of your healing process, and you're interested in stick figures, this week's post includes a review of two books on this topic. Art can heal the heart!

Book Reviews and Recommendations

09/04/2025

September is Su***de Prevention Month.

Maureen captured the first draft of the song I Hope You Stay in November of 2019 by making voice recordings of the lyrics and melody flowing through her as she drove across southwestern Ontario from Cobourg to Kingsville after attending an event for International Survivor of Su***de Loss Day.

This song is everything she says when speaking to people who are thinking about su***de. It is everything she wants others to say if they’re with someone in such deep pain they can’t imagine why they should stay. It is all of that put to music in this acoustic version, with thanks to Maureen’s friend Matt Kowalyk.

There has been a lot of water under the bridge since the birth of this song. Still, it remains an encouraging missive to the listener, who might be feeling alone in their deep pain.

“If it’s hard right now, I Hope You Stay.”
~ Maureen

Written for World Su***de Prevention Day 2020, the song I Hope You Stay offers words of encouragement to those who are struggling.This version of I Hope You ...

09/03/2025

In August, Maureen set herself 3 creative challenges. Why? As an alternative to doom-scrolling, to build new creative skills, and to deepen her self-compassion practice. (One of the challenges was daily self-portraits - a task that required deep work on self acceptance in a few different ways.

Are you ready for a challenge? Craving a little personal growth? Read about her experiments here, and let it inspire you to build your own adventure.

Goal-setting: hits and misses