Andrea

Hi there, I’m Andrea. I’m Brad’s assistant and his right-hand lady when it comes to figuring out and documenting operational processes. That basically means I enjoy making charts, using charts and colour-coordinating charts, all for the benefit of our team and clients.

You might run into me when you email Brad. Don’t be alarmed, or try to find an alternate way to get to Brad. If you need to talk to Brad, meet with Brad or have Brad see something, I’ll help you with that.

Some people even compliment me for creating enjoyable email exchanges over boring admin stuff.

For example, one practicum applicant told me, “I appreciate more than anything your cooperation and timely responses, in the little interactions we had, I felt you were so accommodating and helpful!”

Another person said, “Thank you so much for getting back to me, I really appreciate it (and you're hilarious!).”

It’s true, I am hilarious. I try to use this gift to bring joy to the people I’m interacting with, whether that’s including a relevant Lord of the Rings reference in my email response to you or using a workplace-appropriate meme to enhance a dull process update.

I’ve been in the wellness and benefits space since 2004 when I started working at an employee assistance program. This was way before talking about mental health was fashionable. Back then, if  you needed help, you had to sneak off to counselling mid-day and pretend you were going to the dentist.

I’m glad we’ve evolved to making mental health a normal pursuit and I’m so proud of Brad, who I worked with for years at that EAP, for staking his claim in Waterloo and building a therapy clinic that truly helps people.

For the last seven years, I’ve been a freelance executive ghostwriter, working with folks in the wellness and benefits space. But when Brad and I had a coffee-chat last year, and he mentioned he was looking to hire another someone, something happened that I did not intend.*

Without thinking about it for even one second, I said, “Well, maybe I should come work for you.” Then he said, “Well, maybe you should.”

So I did.

I kept my three favourite writing projects and moved to Upstream Counselling. It’s been a roller-coaster ever since, but it’s rewarding to see my efforts directly helping the Upstream team who help our clients navigate the rapids of life.

On a personal note, I moved to Mexico in 2021. A family member told me, “Andrea, if you get kidnapped, I can’t help you.” But so far, I’ve found the most dangerous thing about living in Mexico is the always-imminent risk of some starving street dog stealing your heart and turning you into a crazy dog lady overnight.

My hobbies include learning Spanish by watching TV (it really works, even if you’re middle aged and have no gift for languages), learning how to train my two Mexican dogs (you saw that coming), and figuring out how I can spend the least time cooking while eating the most nutrient-dense foods.

And that’s about all for now. If you need to get in touch with Brad or you have questions about the supervision program at Upstream, drop me a line at andrea@upstreamcounselling.com. (Or email Brad, I’ll be there to help you.)

*PS: Replace “I” for “the Ring” and you’ve got yourself a LOTR quote right there. You’re welcome.

Process improvement and optimization
Process documentation
Business communications
Self-improvement
Natural health
Proper dog training
Second language acquisition as adults
French country food, such as rillettes, pate and terrines

American Writers & Artists Inc. (AWAI): Secrets of Writing High-Performance B2B Copy
Compelling Cases: The Case Study Writer’s Mad Skills Crash Course with Casey Hibbard
Camp Tech: Writing Killer Web Content, SEO: How to Drive More Traffic to Your Website, The Business of Blogging
University of Waterloo, Centre for Extended Learning: Writing Matters, Leadership Certificate
University of Toronto: Introduction to Project Management
University of Waterloo: General Arts Degree