Just came across this quote so ... @Crystal Wright @Sandra Valks @Paul Boerger @Kevin Marius @Brandon Triola ... thank you for being part of who I become! Love ya all! Sandi

Our elders speak of the eagle feather. As a youth or young adult you start at the base, the wider part of the feather. So many choices. So many options to try - where to live, what to do, where to study etc. This continues for quite awhile but with time, the paths narrow by choice or circumstance. Not a said thing, just a chosen path. But then it gets exciting, as you move closer to the tip of the arrow. Things get laser focused here. No more time for fluff. Now you know who you are and where you want to go and you quickly learn how to get there. My tip - The Approachable Indian. My rebrand - blue to represent the calm waters and the calm I bring to those stressed over Indigenous/Canadian engagement and relationship building. Blue to appeal to the Conservatives I so often work with (in Canada blue is Conservative and Liberal is red, opposite to the US). New pics showing my passion and energy and Indigenous pride. And the promise - to always be approachable to Indigenous and non as we build this bridge together. Laser focused. Intentional. The Approachable Indian. (New colours coming to website by week's end.) LOVE!!!

This Mother’s Day, I wanted to share something a little different for this community. As speakers, coaches, educators, and leaders… we spend so much time helping people feel seen, understood, encouraged, and inspired. But sometimes the women who shaped us never really saw themselves that way. Not fully. So here’s a prompt designed to turn a simple photo into something that feels like legacy, memory, storytelling, and honor all at once. A cinematic portrait worthy of framing. Upload a photo of yourself, your mother, grandmother, daughter, mentor, or the woman who helped shape your voice — then use this prompt: “Create a high-end cinematic cartoon portrait inspired by luxury animated films and editorial illustration. Preserve the exact identity, facial features, skin tone, age, expression, and recognizable essence of the uploaded person. Do not turn them into a generic AI character. Keep them looking like themselves — warm, real, radiant, and emotionally grounded. Style: A blend of: • Pixar-level emotional storytelling • soft glam editorial illustration • modern luxury animation • painterly cinematic lighting • elegant cartoon realism The image should feel like a scene from an animated film about motherhood, sacrifice, wisdom, softness, resilience, and legacy. Wardrobe: Elegant. Refined. Timeless. Flowing fabrics, satin textures, tasteful jewelry, graceful silhouettes, layered textures, rich jewel tones or warm neutrals. No revealing clothing. No exaggerated fantasy styling. No plastic perfection. Lighting: Warm golden-hour glow or cinematic studio lighting with soft highlights and emotional shadows. Emotion: The portrait should communicate: • emotional safety • nurturing • quiet strength • wisdom • comfort • resilience • generational love Include subtle storytelling details such as: • flowers • books • handwritten letters • framed memories • warm window light • heirloom jewelry • soft fabric movement • gentle hand placement Optional typography: Add one elegant word such as:

@Sandra Valks ... master of LinkedIn Lives. Can you walk me through how to do one? (Programs you use, etc.) I want to take this off my Bucket List lol Thanks!

And the world turns ... (A fact, not a reference to an old soap opera.) Today, as I think of a friend attempting to function and go about his normal day after the sudden and very recent passing of the man who raised him, I remember all the times the world kept turning despite the fact that mine had just shattered. Watching as friends laughed while I was lost in the grief of losing my Dad, feeling so distant from them even though we only stood a few feet apart. Watching the cars drive by on their way to work while I was waiting frantically for the ambulance that would make my infant daughter okay .... spoiler alert, they couldn't. Any day that work and the world kept going after an abusive episode blew my family apart. And honestly, the grief after losing my Mom was so incredibly intense, I didn't even notice the world turning. I was too intent on not being part of it to notice. But the world does turn and the seasons change and the grief eventually does lessen for those wise enough not to make it their identity. And eventually, we rejoin the world, a little wiser, a little older, a little sadder perhaps but we return. We return so we can carry on what those just passed had started, taking the best of them, leaving the rest. Today, my thoughts go out to all that grieve. I see you. I feel you. I hear your silence. I know your pain. Take your time ... the world can spin without you for awhile. Love you! HUGSSSSSSS Sandi