Can small in-person storytelling circles drive big change in the nonprofit world? After her own experience with burnout, Jennifer DeCoste founded FireLoch as a place where her fellow burnt out peers in the nonprofit sector could rest and reconnect with their work. In this episode, Jennifer shares how untold stories catalyzed the creation of FireLoch, what kinds of storytelling feel most authentic to her, and why she’s prioritizing intimacy over scale.

• 00:30 Jennifer DeCoste's Journey and FireLoch's Mission
• 05:27 The Power of Speaking Up
• 06:53 Jennifer’s Burnout and Recovery Journey
• 10:18 FireLoch’s Funding Model - Who Supports Helping the Helpers
• 14:33 Adapting the Narrative for Government Grant Programs vs Philanthropists  
• 16:01 Collecting Outcome Stories in an Authentic Trust-Forward Way
• 19:23 Collaboration and Partnership in Atlantic Canada
• 21:15 Small Group In-Person Storytelling: Prioritizing People Over Promotion
• 27:22 Evolving Language of Burnout, Wellness, and Success

Find out more about FireLoch 

• Website: fireloch.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/fireloch
• Instagram: instagram.com/fireloch
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/fireloch

About the Atlantic IMPACT podcast

Atlantic IMPACT is a podcast that helps nonprofits across Atlantic Canada use storytelling to drive fundraising and awareness. Each episode features conversations with people working in community, sharing how story supports connection, impact, and long-term growth. Whether you're part of a nonprofit or simply care about your community, this podcast invites you to listen, reflect, and engage.

 Is your organization ready to tell its story? Take the free Storytelling Readiness Quiz at collaborativecause.ca/stories.

The podcast is hosted by Tanya Wall and Michelle Samson, and is produced by Storied Places Media.

So it was almost like the stories that weren't

2

being told were the impetus for the

work that I'm doing, more so than

3

the stories that have been told.

4

Michelle Samson: Welcome to The

Atlantic Impact, where we help

5

nonprofits across Atlantic Canada

use the power of storytelling to

6

drive fundraising and awareness.

7

I'm Michelle Samson.

8

Tanya Wall: And I'm Tanya Wall.

9

Michelle Samson: Hard to believe Tanya,

but we are already at the end of season

10

one of the Atlantic Impact podcast.

11

Tanya Wall: I can't believe it.

12

And, you know, this feels

like a really great episode

13

to close out our first season.

14

We're talking with Jennifer DeCoste,

who is the founder of FireLoch.

15

And FireLoch was born out of

Jennifer's own experience with

16

burnout in the nonprofit sector and

her decision to create a space for

17

rest, reflection, and community care.

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Michelle Samson: Mm-hmm.

19

So this is about taking care of all

of the fundraisers who are listening

20

to this podcast and who are out there.

21

But it's also still very much about

story and Jennifer brought, kind of an

22

interesting twist on what we've been

doing all season and talked about how

23

it was the stories that weren't being

told that inspired her particular work.

24

So that silence or absence of story can

spark change as well as stories can, and

25

it's really interesting and powerful.

26

Tanya Wall: It really is, and she's

bringing a different kind of storytelling

27

forward, one that's rooted in small

gatherings, trust, and connection.

28

Michelle Samson: And she also

touches on how language itself is

29

evolving and how we're finding new

ways to talk about care and success

30

and sustainability in this sector.

31

So in a series about storytelling,

it makes sense to kind of

32

get into language itself.

33

Tanya Wall: It does, and it really feels

like both a point of pause and reflection

34

reminding us that storytelling isn't

just about amplifying voices, but also

35

about creating the conditions for people

to feel safe enough to share them.

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Michelle Samson: Mm-hmm.

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And I hope we've created a safe space

for our guests to tell their stories

38

about storytelling, and a welcome space

for our listeners to learn as well.

39

So if you have enjoyed this series,

we would really love to hear from you.

40

You could leave us a rating

and review on Apple Podcasts or

41

Spotify, or you could send us a DM.

42

You could even head over to

collaborativecause.ca/podcast

43

and fill out the contact form.

44

Whatever it is you wanna tell

us about how you feel about this

45

podcast, we'd love to hear it.

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Tanya Wall: Absolutely.

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We'd really love to hear from

you and now onto our conversation

48

with Jennifer DeCoste.

49

Jennifer DeCoste: My name is Jennifer

DeCoste and I, post pandemic,

50

ran away to the woods, got a dog,

did some healing, and launched an

51

organization called FireLoch, which

is a gathering place for community

52

and a retreat center for gatherings.

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Tanya Wall: And where

are you based out of?

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Jennifer DeCoste: We're in northern

Nova Scotia, in Antigonish County.

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Tanya Wall: Great.

56

Michelle Samson: And can you tell us

a little bit more about your mission?

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Jennifer DeCoste: Sure FireLoch

is set up as a social enterprise.

58

So when we moved here, coming

from a non-profit background and

59

experiencing a lot of burnout,

post pandemic, the land was really

60

important medicine on my own journey.

61

And so in 2022, 23, we started building

up this space as something that could be

62

shared with friends, with our community,

and with colleagues primarily in the

63

nonprofit sector who themselves were

also experiencing a lot of challenges

64

finding rest and experiencing chronic

cycles of fatigue and burnout.

65

So this is a space where we've created

a hub where teams and organizations

66

can come on their own retreats.

67

Those who can contribute financially do

so, and that enables us to then create

68

rest centered retreats for peers and

colleagues in the nonprofit sector.

69

Michelle Samson: This is so interesting.

70

When you're thinking about the

work that you're doing, where

71

do stories naturally show up?

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Jennifer DeCoste: Stories have been

a big part of the work that I've been

73

doing for a number of years because

most of my focus has been on creating

74

events where people are gathering.

75

Stories are the things that

kind of help us connect.

76

And they really only come into play

when there's a safe space that's

77

been created enough to be vulnerable

and to trust the others that are in

78

the circle to share your stories.

79

So I would say in terms of the work

that I'm doing to create the kinds of

80

environments where people can lean in

with trust, can feel safe enough to share,

81

stories they're kind of like both the

creator and also the conduit for people

82

to connect, and to be honest and to learn

and to grow by being together in person.

83

Tanya Wall: Absolutely.

84

Have you found that the storytelling has

played a part in the work that you're

85

doing with community or with donors

themselves in terms of inspiring giving?

86

Jennifer DeCoste: Yeah, absolutely.

87

I mean, when it comes to donors who are

hesitant to engage with a new idea, to

88

have a story to share that comes from

like a past success, or the impact

89

that you've had in community, or a

story from the participants themselves

90

or someone who's leaned in with a

bit of trust, that begets more trust.

91

I think in particular before

something has launched.

92

So I see, I trust, I can

lean in with my support.

93

Each one of those is a bit of

a snowball that they build on

94

each other and it builds through

the stories that are shared.

95

Tanya Wall: Absolutely.

96

Michelle Samson: Was there a moment

or experience in the beginning

97

that helped you realize that

storytelling could be part of

98

shifting your systems or connecting

more deeply with your community?

99

Jennifer DeCoste: When I think about

the way that stories can impact the work

100

and the direction that I've taken over

the last number of years, I think what

101

started was that there wasn't a story

being shared and that was the problem.

102

So during the pandemic, I was running

a nonprofit organization that grew

103

pretty dramatically out of my living

room while my children were home,

104

never in school for like two years.

105

And we were expanding nationally

and it went down into the States

106

and it was off into Mexico.

107

And I was working from my kitchen table.

108

And people around me hadn't

talked about burnout.

109

They hadn't used the words, there

wasn't an emotional awareness that was

110

being shared in those, in the stories

that I was a part of at that time.

111

We were being celebrated for put your head

down and get things done and plow through.

112

And I didn't feel at the time that

I had permission to rest when things

113

had gotten to the point that they

were beyond sustainable, emotionally,

114

financially, all of those factors.

115

So it was almost like the stories that

weren't being told were the impetus

116

for the work that I'm doing, more so

than the stories that have been told.

117

But when you start to seek out the

story or when you share your own story

118

and people say, me too, that's when it

feels like there's a bit more movement

119

behind the work, when you feel like

you're less alone and when others maybe

120

have language that they can share with

you that, yeah, put things back into

121

context, and showed some pathways.

122

Because it was the fact that we

weren't talking about those things

123

that were causing a lot of problems

for me a number of years ago.

124

Tanya Wall: Absolutely.

125

Is there a particular story that

stands out that you are able to share

126

with us that you feel made a real

difference to your organization?

127

Jennifer DeCoste: The organization

of FireLoch only exists because

128

I started staring the story of

my own experience with burnout.

129

And it was even before I had the language.

130

I didn't have the words, I

had no research to lean in on.

131

I just knew the way that these

feelings were bubbling up and bursting

132

out, kinda like squeezing that

balloon, and it was popping out in

133

all kinds of different directions.

134

And it was me sharing this story

of like, "I don't think I'm okay."

135

And other people saying, "Well, that

actually is okay, and I feel the same

136

way and here are some ways that I've

dealt with it," that led to collecting of

137

resources and copious amounts of resources

that we've started to accumulate a name

138

specifically within the nonprofit sector

around these stories of burnout, these

139

stories of rebuilding, these stories of

rest and taking breaks and naming needs.

140

And the language of emotions has

been a big part of the journey.

141

And, so I guess the willingness to

start a story without knowing the

142

ending of it has resulted in the type

of work that we're doing here and the

143

very organization itself of FireLoch.

144

Tanya Wall: Absolutely.

145

Michelle Samson: Jennifer, were you

sharing those stories first with a small

146

group of confidants, or were you going on

social media and doing it very publicly?

147

Jennifer DeCoste: I would say without

using the right language for it, I started

148

off by sharing with close connections.

149

And then there was an exploration of it

on social media for sure of like, "Is

150

anybody else feeling the same challenges?"

151

Which is kind of what led to the

research partners that I've been able to

152

engage with over the last couple years.

153

Because I think until you tell a

story beyond the immediate circle,

154

you're only really able to tap into

the resources that got you where you

155

are, not to take you out of where you

are and get you to the next level.

156

So, sharing the story more widely was

certainly more vulnerable, but it led

157

to a greater connection with resources

that I was then able to bring back

158

into play for people around me who

themselves hadn't named some of the

159

emotions or named some of the needs

associated their own journey in the

160

nonprofit sector as it relates to burnout.

161

So, there was that.

162

There was also some work that we had

done with the Tamarack Institute,

163

and that's an organization here in

Canada that does a tremendous amount

164

of work in supporting communities

and community building initiatives.

165

And when we started to talk with

their Circle of Actions group, my

166

organization, a nonprofit organization

called the Life.School.House,

167

was one of their projects that they

were using as a sample project for

168

organizations across Canada to use

to start, like, a plug and play kind

169

of community development initiative.

170

And as we were learning about burnout,

we were able to go back to that Circle of

171

Action folk to say, with these primarily

volunteer led organizations who recruit

172

and engage volunteers in doing community

development work, we need to actually

173

now name that taking care of those

community caretakers is part of the work.

174

So it isn't just about get a

great program, get it launched,

175

you know, keep it going in your

community by hook or by crook.

176

It's like, if we're going to set

these types of community development

177

initiatives up, in what ways are we

wrapping supports around them to ensure

178

that those volunteers themselves are

not going down this path of burnout?

179

Are we setting them up sustainably?

180

How are we taking care of each other?

181

So the Tamarack Institute and the

work that they do was a big part

182

of helping me find the resources

that we needed and also then share

183

what we were learning with others.

184

Michelle Samson: Would you mind digging

into your funding model a little

185

bit more and who is supporting you?

186

What kinds of donors?

187

'Cause this is an unusual

not-for-profit angle.

188

You think of the sort of medical ones

and there's always communities around

189

we wanna really make sure that we can

do research to cure this, or so on.

190

But rarely we talk about the

people who are doing this work

191

and what their mental state is.

192

So, yeah, so who is

supporting you financially?

193

Jennifer DeCoste: Well, there's two

different organizations in play.

194

Before we moved here and started

the organization of FireLoch, the

195

organization called the Life.School.House

196

was a cooperative nonprofit, and

primarily our funding from that was

197

actually directly from community.

198

It was a barter based initiative,

which means that all of the programs

199

were intentionally designed to be

free for people to access, and it

200

was functionally a social design

for a folk school model that would

201

connect individuals and address social

isolation and loneliness by convening

202

neighbors to make things together.

203

To teach each other skills,

to do a skills exchange.

204

And in that particular model, primarily

the resources required to run the classes

205

were all barter based within community.

206

So if we wanted to do a jam making

class, we put a call out and you'd

207

end up with a hundred mason jars

in your driveway ready to go.

208

That organization as it started

to scale, required resources and

209

support that went beyond mason jars.

210

So when we started to think about scale,

we actually got a tap on the shoulder

211

from an organization called Ashoka.

212

And Ashoka is an international

organization for social change makers.

213

They have a phenomenal program that

starts a lifelong fellowship with a

214

stipend, a salary stipend, that enables

organizers to continue to explore the

215

idea of scale for their initiative.

216

So they funded us for three years

with the resources to build a

217

back bone to the organization,

which was incredibly helpful.

218

And we partnered that with some

engagement with local philanthropy.

219

So we had a couple of individuals

within our local community who named

220

the challenges that we were addressing,

like social isolation primarily, as

221

something that they were really interested

in finding creative solutions for, so

222

they provided a runway of funding as

well that enabled us to kind of top up

223

from an operational perspective, top

up the staffing resources that were

224

required to scale the organization,

and to provide the resources to

225

the volunteers in our community.

226

When we named that the model itself was

possibly one of the challenges, i.e.

227

like this engagement with volunteers,

and doing direct action work in community

228

feeding people, and sourcing housing for

folks in our community, and doing all

229

kinds of gatherings, and went to create

this space here at FireLoch, several

230

of those local philanthropists actually

helped us financially and support the

231

model that we've got here in place.

232

We're also a grant

funded organization now.

233

As a social enterprise, we have a

nonprofit arm that centers around

234

our arts for health work and does

grant applications independently,

235

does that program development.

236

And the other half of the work is that

we've engaged recently with the Community

237

Foundations of Nova Scotia, and they've

been a phenomenal organization to provide

238

backup and support for a project that

we call Care for Caretakers, which

239

is a fellowship program that engages

people in the nonprofit sector to come

240

in and do programming, specifically

addressing chronic burnout in the sector.

241

So the backbone support that's provided

by CFNS enabled us to do a lot of

242

different work within the last year and

a half or so that was very specifically

243

in support of the nonprofit sector.

244

And, yeah, it was a new funding

partnership for me to connect in

245

with, having not really touched

larger foundational funding before.

246

So yeah, lots of different pathways.

247

But I believe that's probably true of

most grassroots organizing, is that

248

it does require real creativity when

it comes to engaging with funding and,

249

yeah, creativity is the word of the day.

250

How can I make these funds work to

keep that pilot project alive, to keep

251

resourcing this work that may take a

couple of years to prove its impact,

252

those types of things, has required some

creative grant development, let's say.

253

Tanya Wall: Yeah, you've done a great

job in diversifying your funding, and

254

I would imagine that for each of those

different types of funders or individual

255

supporters, how you're presenting what

you're doing may look a little different.

256

Are you able to touch on that a little

bit about how you might adapt the

257

story of your organization depending

on who the funding audience is?

258

Jennifer DeCoste: So FireLoch as a

social enterprise tells stories of

259

impact with much larger funding partners.

260

So when we were applying for, say,

federal funding, we secured the New

261

Horizons grant for seniors, for instance.

262

We did a year long program last

year with that New Horizons program.

263

The stories that we would tell there

are very factual, very like, this is

264

how many people will be engaged, this

is how many people will be volunteering

265

in the program, this is the intended

impact, this is how we're gonna measure

266

it from an evaluation perspective.

267

Those funding applications are fairly

cold in comparison to engagements

268

that we've had with philanthropists.

269

And some philanthropic funds, but

primarily individuals that we've partnered

270

with, very much wanna hear more about,

the vision, the heart of the work.

271

They wanna hear why, they wanna know

why this work is important and they

272

wanna know how, you know, why it's

gonna connect and build the kind of

273

communities that they wanna live in.

274

So the stories vary pretty dramatically

between kind of the general grant

275

applications, and then the invitation

to participate in partnership with us

276

is a fundamentally different story.

277

Tanya Wall: Yes.

278

Michelle Samson: Jennifer, I'm curious

about the stories around outcomes.

279

With all these stories that are

being shared by the people who come

280

and they gather, are you hearing

back from after they go back or even

281

at the end of say, a retreat, how

they're feeling and how this is going

282

to help them get back to the work?

283

Jennifer DeCoste: Yes, and...

284

Fortunately from some of the projects

that we had done when I was working

285

through the stipend with Ashoka, we

had created a basket of evaluation

286

tools that are very personalized.

287

So the work that I've been doing is

about gathering humans and leading with

288

that heart and the connection between

the people that are sharing space.

289

And so our evaluation and our toolkit

really needed to be something that was

290

in the same vibe, had the same kind

of energy of the gathering we were

291

creating, as opposed to like a cold

email after the fact that just, you

292

know, answer these five questions.

293

We would rarely hear back from people

when we went about it in that way.

294

But we created this basket of tools that

we could share with organizers, and I

295

use them actively here at FireLoch as

well, that are more story centered.

296

So at the tail end of a gathering,

we do a lot of circle practice.

297

So if you're gonna open in circle,

you're gonna close in circle, which

298

means that before we leave, we're

taking a breath together, we're gonna

299

come back into this shared space.

300

We're gonna talk about what has

landed, what's sticking, what

301

questions may still remain.

302

What our intentions are and set those.

303

Fortunately, because we now have

permanent space, we see a lot of

304

people come back time and again.

305

So we get to follow the story

in person, where they'll come

306

back for another opportunity to

connect or to rest or to learn.

307

And it really is the closing

story, the closing circle, where

308

we'll hear a lot of the stories

that we can then share forward.

309

We've partnered with Saint

FX University on our Care for

310

Caretakers Fellowship in particular.

311

That was a year long program

where it started with a, like

312

an intense three day gathering.

313

It was all fully funded, but a full

day three day gathering on site

314

and then a six month community of

practice and then an additional

315

celebratory three days together.

316

And, because we had time phased

learning, because it stretched out over

317

a period of time, there were lots of

different ways to use that basket of

318

tools to talk about how this shows up

in their body, talk about how it showed

319

up in their organization, talk about

the changes that they'd experienced.

320

And it was because we had longer periods

of time to check in that we were able

321

to capture a lot of stories in that kind

of a program, and follow it through.

322

So I would say.

323

Some funders that we work with that ask

for evaluation that looks and feels in

324

particular way makes it really challenging

to feel like we're in partnership.

325

That feels much more so like we're in

response mode to their funding objectives

326

versus the needs of the community.

327

And there have been several

funding opportunities I've

328

turned down because of that.

329

If it doesn't allow for the flexibility

to work with the needs of the

330

community, then it's not the right

kind of funding partner to engage with.

331

And, I mean, that's been hard in

certain cases to say no to, but

332

it felt extractive.

333

And if the stories that they were

trying to gather were taking from our

334

community and making it a part of their

marketing initiative, for instance, or

335

just something that was inconsistent

with the values of the programming

336

that we were offering, then we've had

to walk away from funders as well.

337

Tanya Wall: That can be tough.

338

Jennifer DeCoste: Yeah.

339

Tanya Wall: Yeah.

340

You've talked a lot about partnerships and

collaboration and I'm curious if there's

341

anything specific around Atlantic Canada

for you when it comes to partnerships and

342

collaboration that you could speak to.

343

Jennifer DeCoste: A number of years ago,

I was part of an initiative that led to

344

the design of something called WeavEast.

345

The Goals of WeavEast was to connect the

connective tissue of social innovators

346

across Atlantic Canada, to collect

stories of grassroots organizing

347

and community initiatives and to

share those into this ecosystem of

348

social innovators in Atlanta, Canada.

349

That was 2019 and we had all of

the best plans and intentions.

350

They did really wonderful work

for about a year and a half.

351

During the pandemic, the funding

model for that shifted pretty

352

dramatically pretty quickly.

353

And there's more on that

that you can read online.

354

But I do think that project was really

one of the most grounding, I think,

355

practices that I've been involved in.

356

So to think of the Atlantic Canadian

region as a collection of stories

357

where maybe individually, it's hard

to see those on a national scale.

358

It's hard to show up in national

conversations when you're just, you know,

359

a one-off organizer or an organization.

360

But when we shone together in

constellations across Atlantic Canada,

361

all of a sudden the light was bright

enough that people could see it.

362

So we were invited in to participate in

projects like what was happening with

363

Social Innovation Canada at the time,

and a lot of the work that was coming

364

out of Waterloo, it showed up more

visibly, and I think that those points

365

of connection are really essential

for a region like Atlantic Canada to

366

be able to get big work happening and

share the stories of what's happening

367

in Atlantic Canada on a national scale.

368

It really needs to be done through

collective storytelling as opposed

369

to individual hits out via social

media or via newsletters or even

370

speaking in engagement opportunities.

371

It's just more effective when

we can do that work together.

372

Tanya Wall: Absolutely.

373

Michelle Samson: I am wondering if we

can get very specific about what this

374

looks like when these stories are shared.

375

Is it marketing pieces?

376

Is it one-on-one conversation?

377

Is it case studies, testimonials?

378

What does this look like?

379

Jennifer DeCoste: Maybe I'm just

getting older now, and I used to

380

think about this so much differently.

381

I used to think that, you know, if we

were shoulder to shoulder and if we

382

were loud enough, that people would

recognize that the work that's happening

383

in Atlantic Canada is really setting the

stage for some really important work.

384

Like we could influence, because

there are some things that we

385

really know well in Atlantic Canada.

386

We know how to take care of each other.

387

We know how to work in collaboration.

388

It's in the soil here, it's at our roots.

389

Now that I'm older, it's not that I don't

think that it is important for those

390

stories to be shared where it is helpful.

391

The most important work for me now is

smaller group gatherings where we can

392

be intentional about rest and finding,

collectively, some energy and then finding

393

the support that we need to keep doing

the small local work that has huge impact.

394

And that has been a big shift for me.

395

So in terms of the storytelling piece,

inviting people into a very personal

396

story seems to be the thing that gets

more traction now, and also feels

397

more authentic than spending time

trying to create, a big initiative

398

that is well branded and marketed,

and you have paid advertisements

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and all of those types of supports.

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It really is more about dropping a pebble

in a pond in a small group and watching

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the ripples go out from there because

that story was impactful in the small

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and intentional place where you dropped

that pebble or you planted the seed.

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Yeah, gathering in person quite

often, or as much as possible, is

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a different way of storytelling.

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And a stickier way of

telling those stories.

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You walk away and that story is

a part of me that you shared.

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That story is now a part of my story.

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And it walks with everybody differently

than when you see something on social

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media or even when you're seeing an

article that's been published or it's

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perhaps just the stage that I'm at

in life, but it feels more authentic.

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Michelle Samson: I think you're tapping

into something, you know, we're so

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oversaturated with digital media and,

you know, not all of it feels authentic

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and there's almost a category of social

media posts that's just being vulnerable

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and spilling your guts, but sometimes

you feel like it's just attention

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getting as opposed to a real story.

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There is nothing quite like

sitting across from people IRL

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and having those conversations.

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Jennifer DeCoste: Yes.

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And if I agree to be there, and if

we've done good work in building up

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the trust, it's just like, I can't, I

don't have the language for it yet, but

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there's something that's fundamentally

different than even reading the vulnerable

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story, air quotes, on social media.

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There's a trust issue at play here

right now where it really strongly

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feels like a lot of those things

have been crafted and drafted by AI.

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So the trust is lower than ever before

versus when we light a fire and we sit

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around on the land together and you're

telling me a story from your experience.

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And I feel the emotion of that because

I'm sitting with you like our shoulders

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are touching, our knees are touching.

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Like, it's just very different.

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I don't know how that is scalable,

necessarily, other than the fact

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that when small groups of people, you

get 15 to 20 people, and they're now

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collectively carrying each other's

stories, that's like a bundle that you're

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now carrying out into the world, and it

will weave its way into conversations

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that you're having with others.

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It's difficult to track the ripples in a

pond, to quantify that necessarily, but

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I will say that it feels different and

that's where I'm putting my time now.

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Tanya Wall: Yeah, as you're speaking,

I'm thinking there's so much that

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sounds like very sacred experience

that happens amongst the people that

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come together, and whether that can

be translated out in a way that feels

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ethical, in a way that feels good,

versus the spirit of the experience.

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So I don't know if that quite aligns

with what you're finding, but those

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personal details stay within the

circle of people who have participated,

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but it's more the impact that could

then be translated out to others to

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understand how important the work is

that you're doing and the experiences

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of the people that are participating.

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Jennifer DeCoste: Yes, and when

someone is sharing a story that they're

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carrying, it's now going through

their lens, so they're translating

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it as it gets shared outwards.

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I think the risk of shrinking

down the audience, I guess, of a

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message is that you risk certain

individuals not feeling safe in

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certain types of gatherings, right?

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So unless we're very, very intentional

in how we call those kinds of gatherings,

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unless they are inclusive, unless we

make intentional effort to do outreach

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and to move with the pace of trust.

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Sometimes gatherings that I would love

to host tomorrow won't happen for two

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years because it's gonna take a long

time to build up a connection with that

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community such that they will trust

this type and this style of gathering.

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We have to be okay with pacing

according to trust if the work that

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we're trying to do is taking place

in small and intimate gatherings.

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I'm okay with that.

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It's a beautiful place to

wait here in the woods.

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And I don't know that it

would work otherwise, right?

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Tanya Wall: Yeah.

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Jennifer DeCoste: You have to be very

careful when you're sharing story in

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that way, that it is something that is

safe for all of the participants and

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that your outreach is very intentional

so that the circles are broad enough.

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There's also the book, Priya

Parker that wrote How We Gather.

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She was talking about, like, in

order to open a circle, you have

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to close the door kind of thing.

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You know, like there has to be safety

and who has gathered and that there's

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some circling, I guess, of the space.

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And that has been a part of

the story sharing as well.

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There are a lot of things that'll

happen here that never get carried

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out as story, other than in the hearts

of the people when they leave here.

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So, the way that we collect our

stories, the way that we share, has

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to also be preserving the safety

and the sanctity of the circle and

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the intentions of the gathering.

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Tanya Wall: You've mentioned a couple

times, Jennifer, around language

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and how, I think you said in the

beginning you didn't have the language

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and then the language has evolved.

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I just would love to hear a little bit

more about what that means for you.

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Jennifer DeCoste: What does it

mean that the language is evolving?

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I think would speak to how

learning happens in community.

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So there are

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layers that kinda get uncovered and

the language of burnout in particular,

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of wellness as a practice, the

language of group gatherings and

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safety and all of those types of

things had to evolve over time for me.

488

And therefore the way in which I

gather humans now it's fundamentally

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changed in the last 10 years.

490

Specifically on the topic of burnout

though, and taking better care of

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community caretakers, people who

work in the nonprofit sector, I think

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there was a lot of language around

productivity, a lot of language around

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scaling So going up and out and bigger

and higher and produce, like a lot

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of the language of capitalism kind of

has trickled its way into the psyche.

495

And when you're doing work that's kind

of centered around your heart's work,

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it can't be framed in the same way.

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It needs new language.

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And I've been fortunate to connect

in with amazing folks like the System

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Sanctuary and and others here in Canada

who are doing work around scaling at

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depth and slowing down to the pace

of trust and really thinking about

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the language around how we define

success in certain initiatives.

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The evolution of their study and language

and sharing those stories has very much

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helped me name a different way of practice

that isn't so tied up in the hustle

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and the bustle of productivity as the

scale and the measurement of success.

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So that's, yeah, that's been very

helpful over the last number of years.

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Tanya Wall: Oh, thank you.

507

Michelle Samson: Jennifer, this has

been such a fascinating discussion.

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Do you have any final thoughts?

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Is there anything you wish we'd asked?

510

Anything else you'd like to

say before we close this out?

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Jennifer DeCoste: I am grateful

for the opportunity to share about

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our work here at FireLoch, in

particular because it's brand new.

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Like we've only been here for about

two and a bit years, in practice.

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So the idea of there being a gathering

place for nonprofit organizations and

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for folks who need to rest and connect

with others, this is a space created

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intentionally for that to happen.

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And we just want people

to know that it's here.

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It's an act of social enterprise, which

means it's seeking all the time, seeking

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collaborations with others and other

organizations that might want to make

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this their own space to create the types

of gatherings that they wanna hold.

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So yeah, that's exactly

what we're here for.

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We'd encourage anybody

to reach out at any time.

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Michelle Samson: And we'll put all of

your coordinates in the show notes.

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Jennifer DeCoste:

Beautiful, yes, wonderful.

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And I think this type of initiative

only works when other people lean in

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because of, you know, what's the quote?

527

"People support a world they help create."

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So, you know, we invite community

in, we invited early, we will

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invite continuously, and very

intentional with our outreach as well.

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So please, if anybody in your circles

would like to know more about it, we'd

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be really happy to share the space that

helps us achieve our vision of ensuring

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that this is a collaborative and care

centered space for the nonprofit sector.

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Michelle Samson: All right, Jennifer.

534

Thanks so much for joining us.

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Jennifer DeCoste: Okay.

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Take care.

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Michelle Samson: Is your

organization ready to tell its story?

538

Take the free Storytelling Readiness

Quiz at collaborativecause.ca/stories.

539

New episodes are coming soon.

540

Follow us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

to make sure you don't miss any.

541

The Atlantic Impact is an initiative of

Collaborative Cause Consulting, which

542

provides strategy and hands-on support

to help nonprofits across Atlantic

543

Canada achieve their fundraising goals.

544

It is produced by Storied Places Media.