​More about Carmen?

I've had quite a few spins around the sun, and I'm proud of the vantage point I now have.

It took curiosity, a willingness to follow the unexpected, and a healthy dose of trust in the higher order of the universe to get me here. And when I look back, I can see that the path—though rarely straight—has been quietly preparing me for exactly the work I want to be doing now.

I hold undergraduate and master's degrees in urban planning, with a specialization in community economic development, and I've spent more than 25 years working as a senior manager, adult educator and learning designer across corporate, non-profit, government and educational environments in Canada and around the world.

I've worked with larger-than-large and teeny-tiny teams. I've built programs, facilitated learning, led teams, designed experiences and helped people and organizations navigate change. I've travelled by chicken bus in rural Zimbabwe, taken rails above and below ground across Europe, driven cars all OVER the road in Asia, ridden snowmobiles in northern Saskatchewan and travelled by boat across many of the Great Lakes.

And through all of those experiences, one thing has kept pulling me forward: connection.

Connection to the world around me. To the humans, animals and adventures I encounter. To creativity. And, perhaps most importantly, to myself.

That last one became especially important when, after years of building a successful career that looked very good on paper, I realized I was tired. I wanted more space in my life for creativity, family, curiosity and joy. I wanted to model for my daughters that work could be something we choose—not simply something we endure.

So, in early 2021, I got brave.

I left my corporate career and followed my entrepreneurial passion, creating Ply Studio, a creative arts and wellness business built around a simple idea: we feel better when we make, connect and create.

It was one of the scariest and most liberating decisions I've ever made. It brought me full circle.

In my early 20s, I'd set out to be an artist and an educator, before taking a rather spectacular detour through urban planning, capacity building, knowledge management, international development and organizational learning. Thirty years later, I can see that none of those chapters were detours at all. They gave me the perspective, skills and experience to understand something I now care deeply about:
The spaces we create matter.

They shape how we connect. How we learn. How we feel. How brave we are. How much of ourselves we allow to show up.

Today, my work is increasingly focused on creating those kinds of spaces for women in midlife.

I design and facilitate retreats, workshops and experiences that invite women to pause, reconnect, get curious, make things, laugh, learn, move, rest and be in community. Spaces where we can step outside the roles and responsibilities we've carried for years and remember that there is still so much more of ourselves to discover.

Because midlife isn't simply a transition to manage. I believe it can be an incredibly creative, expansive and connected chapter of our lives.
My background as an educator, learning designer, creative wellness coach and experienced facilitator comes together beautifully here. I know how to design experiences that are thoughtful and engaging. I know how to bring people together and create the conditions for meaningful connection. And after a few spins around the sun myself, I also know that sometimes what we need most isn't another thing to accomplish—but a place to simply be.

I'm especially excited about where this work is heading next: toward a more integrated approach to women's midlife wellness, with a vision for a studio/clinic designed specifically for women navigating menopause and the years beyond—a welcoming place where women can find an integrated roster of health, wellness, creative and community-based services under one roof.

A place to get informed. Supported. Curious. Creative. Connected.

A place to feel more like yourself—not less.

Because if there is a thread running through every chapter of my career and life, it's this:
We are better when we are connected.

And I want to spend this next chapter creating spaces where women can connect—to one another, to their creativity, to their wellbeing, and ultimately, to more of who they are becoming.

Onward, upward. Let's take up some space.

- Carmen xo