Dear IEN,

Back in November I posted several blogs about the passing of my 17 year old daughter.

·         hi kim, is everything okay?

·         I hope and pray that you’ll recover soon for us. We need you.

·         I’m quite hesitant to email you: is this the right time to purchase the writing module?

Although this was personal information I was sharing publicly, I did this for several reasons:

• Life is about struggles and challenges, and the only way we can get through them is together.
• I knew that I needed the prayers of all the IENs I had come to know, for I had felt their prayers on my behalf repeatedly in the past.
• Here I had been providing hope and encouragement and I had come to a place and time when I sorely needed it myself.
• For all those people who questioned, “Is there really a Kim?”, or if all of this was a scam. The comments from caring and concerned IENs are certain to convince anyone of my existence and the loyalty of those who have allowed me to walk with them along their individual paths towards their common dream.

One unfortunate thing, for you, was the timing: her passing happened at the same time as 2015 exam dates for the CELBAN were released from the new national administrators of the exam, now, Touchstone Institute. I had been waiting for this date to release the CELBAN Trap, and start taking it on tour across Canada.

But life happens. It takes us in different directions. It causes our dreams , our goals, our visions, our ambitions to become hazy and distant as we lose the passion, the inspiration and the drive that fuels our motivation: individually and collectively.

This experience has taught me a great deal about the importance of what I had been doing when I created CELBANPrep from the perspective of a career coach, instead of the perspective of an English teacher. I began to see the deep meaning and value in the emotional and affirmational support I had embedded in all that I do. I understood the gratitude and loyalty that comes from having received that support, from those IENs that I had come to meet through CELBANPrep.

But more than that, I have found a new direction, or rather a deeper commitment to the path that had been unfolding before me.

It was intriguing to discover a process unfold as I wrote the CELBAN Trap: 5 Predictive Factors. I wanted to add some case studies from Dear Kim. Yet, as I did the research and started gathering posts I saw a pattern: there were 4 distinctive role or patterns that IENs had fallen into. So I started a second book. As I did I realized that I had already created resources and supports to empower IENs, including you, to protect themself from each of the 4 Ways IENs fall! I had more than the CELBAN Trap to take on tour, but also Time Management for IEPs, Stress Management for IEPs and the Hope Sessions!

But I did not have the first two requirements of obtaining any goal:

1. a decision and
2. the commitment to make it happen.

I was simply following a path that so beautifully unfolded before me, by the grace of God.

But experiences like the passing of a beloved daughter, critical incidents, change us.

Following the passing of my daughter I have found a deep conviction and understanding of the fragility of our minds, our hearts and our spirits. I have gained a deeper appreciation for the necessity of emotional and affirmational support; that we cannot get through this life alone. I have gained a deep knowledge of the importance of self-care in maintaining our emotional and mental health.

As a result of the shift in my focus as an Emotional Health and Wellness Educator, for the past month I have written less about reading, writing, listening and speaking and more about:

• The CELBANPrep Method,
• The CELBANPrep Family,
• What makes CELBANPrep Different, towards teaching
• Professional Communication Skills: verbal and written

You will hear a difference in my tone as I have been, and will continue to be, more bold and direct in raising a voice of warning, asking deep and probing questions because I know the downfall of falling into the trap as:

• an Unsuspecting Newcomer
• a Busy Mom/Dad (Mom/Dad-to-be)
• a Disillusioned Dreamer,
• a Strained Achiever, or worse,
• An Overwhelmed IEN!

Our mental and emotional health is a precious asset that is more fragile than we fully understand. When we continue in life with our emotional well half empty, or we are completely exhausted, it is our goals, our ambitions, our dreams that die. Yet it is those very goals, ambitions and dreams that keep our spirits alive and healthy!

So that is what you will hear:

• A stern voice of warning, and
• A tender voice of compassion and understanding.

There are those who have never understood what I have been doing, the X-factor that I have been providing. They are those who are looking for the cheapest way to pass an English exam, to get over the annoying problem standing between them and their goals. Then there are the wise IENs.

The wise IENs are humbled by their circumstances:

• They know that they need help to achieve their goals.
• They are committed to their dreams.
• They are willing to invest both time and money to achieve those dreams.
• They acknowledge the pain, frustration, and difficulty of the immigration and licensure process.
• They are open and honest about the difficulties they face.
• They embrace emotional and affirmational support.
• They extend their love to support others.

These wise IENs did not become nurses because they were expected to be nurses, or simply as a way to make money. They became nurses because they have a nurturing quality and characteristic within that makes them shine, and makes their patients light up when they walk into the room.

These are the IENs that make me shine, and make me smile when they walk into my virtual room, of the IEPC Campus on the Cloud.

They motivate me, and remind me of my Individual Worth and my Divine Nature.

And it is they that I welcome into the CELBANPrep Family, where I will prepare you not only for the exam, but your career as a nurse in Canada teaching you the important skills of self-care so that you can make choices to stay healthy and prevent nursing/caregiver-burnout!

So the question is: do you simply want to pass the CELBAN, or do you want to become a nurse in Canada. Which is your goal? Because the answer makes all the difference in the world. If your goal is to pass the CELBAN is to take one of the available classes. But if you want to become a nurse in Canada, then you, as a wise IEN, will know when you have found quality training by quality coaches. You will save both time and money by making wise choices. To you, I say, “Welcome!”

In Spirit,

Kim