Welcome back to Field Notes – my running log of small discoveries that shape how I think, lead and create. This week’s exploration? Journaling as active self-renewal.

Picture by me, 2025: UD Performance, Little Burgundy, Montreal.

We’ve all witnessed or partaken in conflict that destroys people and progress – this piece isn’t about that. I’m talking about a mindset: choosing to engage with tension as a catalyst for learning, innovation, and growth. The techniques for navigating that tension without falling into negative dynamics is a topic for another day.

In My Blood

Conflict shadowed my grandparents’ lives: war, occupation, exile. They didn’t seek out conflict, but they faced it with courage, grit and adaptability. When they arrived in Canada, they tackled the many unknowns of starting life over as an immigrant in a foreign land.

Two generations later, I was a middle-class girl living in suburban Montreal. What did I have to push back against?

I found ways.

Training to Win

In university, I turned every exam into a battle. While I studied for the UFE – Canada’s grueling CPA qualification – I psyched myself up by memorizing Muhammad Ali’s speech before the Rumble in the Jungle. “All you chumps are gonna bow when I whup him. All of ya. I know you’ve got him, I know you’ve got him picked. But the UFE’s in trouble. Imma show you how great I am.”

At work, I made the impossible my specialty. During the pandemic, with borders closed, I figured out a multimillion-dollar issue at our plant in Alabama (remotely!) after years of stalled efforts by others.

For a long time, “impossible” felt like an invitation. Conflict made me sharper and more resourceful. But over time I realized: treating everything as a fight bruised not only me, but everyone around me.

Sparring, Not War

The 2024 U.S. election was a gut punch. Watching the world fracture into winners and roadkill was unsettling. My family’s history didn’t feel so distant anymore.

So, I went back to boxing. I figured – and this is true – that if American tanks ever rolled down my street, I’d better be able to outrun them. And maybe land a decent right hook. (My logical brain skipped town for a minute!)

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One night, I stayed late at the gym and watched the boys spar. For those unfamiliar: sparring is applied combat. Two fighters suit up with helmets, mouthguards, belts, and step into the ring to trade real punches. It’s not for the faint of heart: bruises are par for the course, and noses are occasionally broken. But afterwards? The boys laugh, give each other feedback, and cheer on the next round.

That night, it hit me: this had nothing to do with winning or losing. Sparring is voluntary conflict in order to grow. Facing opposition willingly is how we get better, braver, and build community.

Real-World Sparring

Since then, I’ve been asking: where can I “spar” for growth?

• This spring, I felt overwhelmed by the toxic political discourse. So I volunteered for the federal campaign – not for ideology, but to recover my sense of agency. I went door-to-door, heard from hundreds of people, and came away surprised by how much decency and good faith I found across the political spectrum. By choosing curiosity over argument, I found real connection.
• Frustrated by a job market gamed by keywords and bots, I co-founded a biotech startup. We’re working to strengthen Canada’s souveraineté sanitaire – our health system’s resilience and autonomy.
• Most recently, one of the campaign directors I met asked me to join his team as he runs for city councilor in Montreal – a city defending inclusion and shared prosperity day by day, block by block.

None of these moments were victories in the usual sense. If I defeated anything, it was my own outrage and inertia. I chose to step into discomfort and use resistance as fuel.

A Different Kind of Fight

Treat conflict like a war, and we live for victory and fear defeat. Treat it as sparring, and we train for change. It’s the shift from proving ourselves to preparing for what comes next, and helping others rise, too.

Conflict isn’t going away. In these times of uncertainty and turmoil (political, economic, environmental, technological, humanitarian) we need courage and creativity, not just clever talking pieces or easy outrage. My grandparents met conflict by shaping new lives; we are now being called to face these modern challenges head on, by stepping into the ring at work, in our cities and within ourselves. We each are needed to contribute to the good fight – not to dominate, but to build and protect.

May we all, like Ali, show the world how great we are.