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jasondorland5441

Dad to a butterfly child & 2 rescues. Husband to an inspiration. Author. Olympian. High performance coach. Keynote presenter. Workshop facilitator.

We're told that our workshops are true to the name

We're told that our workshops are true to the name—they involve "work!" And we like to think the good kind—where, at the end of the day, you feel good about yourself because you've pushed boundaries, challenged old paradigms, engaged in difficult conversations, and welcomed personal reflection that genuinely makes a difference.

A big thank you to our most recent group of participants at West Island College, Calgary. Feedback like this doesn't happen without a room full of individuals willing to play full-on!

See you again in February for days 3 & 4...

The Blue Jays taught us a thing or two about cultu

The Blue Jays taught us a thing or two about culture, and it may not be what you think!

Wow, was that a World Series or what? One of those rare instances where you could not write a better script if you tried!

Sure, as a Jays fan, the hangover still stings—I mean, Game 7 was truly gut-wrenching to watch, and I’m not even a baseball fan. But once I started watching at the beginning of the Seattle series, I was hooked. It had everything: elite athleticism, clever strategy, excitement, suspense, drama, elation, disappointment—truly a rollercoaster of emotions.

But if we’re honest with what we were all thinking, the Dodgers were not supposed to win—they just weren’t. And, in so many ways, they didn’t deserve to either. Over the course of seven games, Toronto was the better “team.” It almost defies everything we learned as children, where the good guys always win, right?

However, last Saturday night, we were reminded that sport isn’t necessarily interested in our depiction of what’s fair—in the end, it came down to moments. When you compare Toronto’s with LA’s, they took advantage of theirs while we didn’t of ours. Come on, let’s face it, you can’t leave fourteen runners on base and expect to win Game 7 of the World Series.

Continued in my Substack—link in bio! Enjoy...

Twenty years later, an 'origin story' emerges. Th

Twenty years later, an 'origin story' emerges.

This past weekend, I spent time worth savouring watching a group of young men who I coached twenty years ago jump back into a boat and head out for a reunion row—pure magic!

I miss coaching rowing a lot. I was reminded of how much and why on the weekend as I followed this crew around on Shawnigan Lake, BC, where, as young teenagers, they learned, developed, and grew into an impressive rowing crew that went on to win the Canadian High School Championships in 2005. This gathering marked their 20th Anniversary of that special year.

In the fall of 2004, I had five athletes and the coxie returning from the previous year’s National Championship crew, all exceptional contributors who would form the foundation of our 2005 crew. Knowing they had rowed all three terms the previous year, I decided they needed a mental and physical break. We agreed that they would spend the fall term in the outdoors program under the tutelage of a good friend who would keep them fit and provide some necessary time away from rowing while kayaking and camping on the west coast of British Columbia—lucky boys! Our coxie would trade in his steering ropes for an oar and endeavour to learn how to row.

My job was simple: take the junior athletes from the previous year and prepare them to join the returning seniors in three months. The new squad was a diverse group, and if I’m honest, I had my work cut out for me—the five athletes on hiatus were high-calibre. Asking the returning juniors to get up to their speed was no small feat.

Continued in my Substack—link in bio! Enjoy...

Building a Culture of Trust: Strategies for Strong

Building a Culture of Trust: Strategies for Stronger Teams and Relationships.

For me, this one has always been a chicken-or-the-egg conundrum—which one comes first, trust or safety? Regardless, when you have both, you have something unique and powerful!

Simon Sinek’s quote at the bottom of this article captures the opportunity available to any organization interested in building trust. For many, it remains elusive, and we observe this in our work. When we facilitate challenging conversations during our workshops, for instance, those groups that lack trust often hesitate to speak up and share. Conversely, in groups where participants feel safe and trusting of everyone present, sharing naturally occurs more easily.

That doesn’t happen on its own or by accident—it takes work. And, it’s work I didn’t recognize until I started coaching. As an athlete, I just assumed that spending enough time with my teammates would build a trust that supported everyone. Turns out, not so much—it’s not just about the quantity of time, but what happens during that time that matters most.

I’ve written about trust and safety before, based on my experience in sport as both a coach and an athlete. Click on either of these two links if you want to take a look. Trust = Safety. Safety = Trust. And, No Trust—No Team.

But what about business, education, or any other organization that requires individuals to work together as a cohesive and high-performing team? Well, the same holds true. The context doesn’t change our human experience of trust; we either feel it or we don’t.

Continued in my Substack—link in bio! Enjoy...

I needed this Thanksgiving—maybe we all did. Th

I needed this Thanksgiving—maybe we all did.

Thanksgiving is one of my favourite holidays; there's just so much to savour. The bright autumn colours, the smells in the kitchen, and the coziness of gathering around a festive dinner table.

As a teenager, I remember Thanksgiving as our first holiday break from school. I anticipated with excitement our four-day reprieve from teachers, homework and long days in a classroom—it meant we had time to breathe!

It was also a weekend of birthdays in our home. My dad's and my oldest brother’s birthdays both land on this weekend. So naturally, they shared a cake and the singing that came with it. In fact, our dad would’ve been 100 years old this past weekend. Whoa—the passage of time!

Katie, or Lady Katherine, as we sometimes referred to her, was also born on Thanksgiving weekend. Talk about foreshadowing; that beautiful lab-cross would spend the next sixteen years filling our hearts and home with love, joy and laughter—all of which we’re thankful for.

On this past Sunday, we returned from a work week in Calgary to be greeted by dogs four and five, who, with wagging bodies, cried and cooed as we met them in the front hall. Many of you have experienced the same and appreciate that there are very few creatures that welcome us like our pets—it’s something Robyn and I will never tire of.

Continued in my Substack—link in bio! Enjoy...

Digital Overload: How to reclaim your attention in

Digital Overload: How to reclaim your attention in an age of constant connectivity.

I've had more conversations with friends, family, and colleagues regarding this one topic than anything else in the last few weeks. And, no wonder, people are feeling the effects in multiple ways.

Richard Bach was bang on when he penned this gem, “We teach best what we most need to learn.” Personally speaking, this is alive and well in me at the moment, for sure. The result of a perfect storm—shit storm, if I’m honest.

First, we had the election here in Canada a few months ago. Given that I don’t watch or listen to mainstream news sources like CBC, CTV, and Global—I learned my lesson during COVID—I now rely on podcasts, independent media, and articles from various voices on Substack. I go looking for information; I’m no longer spoonfed.

Trouble is that it requires commitment and time, sometimes lots of it!

With Canada’s economy in the crapper, I’ve been paying close attention to the US tariffs and the subsequent back-and-forth between the two countries. If you haven’t noticed, there’s a small army of educated, articulate, and fairly opinionated pundits only too happy to describe how they feel about the whole mess. Digesting all of it has taken time, too.

Continued in my Substack—link in bio! Enjoy...

Because it's not fair nor is it safe—it's as sim

Because it's not fair nor is it safe—it's as simple as that.

For a number of years now, I've been asked more than a few times what my thoughts are on the whole transgender athlete thing—up until now, I've declined to share anything publicly.

It all stems back to a conversation a few years ago where I was asked, “If you were still coaching rowing, and there was a transgender athlete (biological male) who wanted to row in the girls’ program, would you let them?”

It was a reminder of how much things have changed. When I began coaching in 1988, if someone had told me that one day I would be asked a question like the one I’ve just shared, I’m not sure I would’ve even known how to respond.

From that first crew almost 40 years ago, there’s been an evolution in my coaching style to be sure. Goodness, I’d like to think that’s true for every coach. We grow and learn, and our perspectives change. I’m no different. However, what has evolved are my thoughts on training, motivation, technique, racing strategies, rigging, and essentially anything related to the sport itself. What hasn’t evolved, because it’s never had to, until now, are my thoughts on who can row in what category and why. Honestly, I’ve never been pushed to reflect on that one.

After a moment's thought, my answer was easy, “No, of course not—that’s not fair.”

Continued in my Substack—link in bio! Enjoy...

Facing Fear Head-On: Strategies to overcome self-i

Facing Fear Head-On: Strategies to overcome self-imposed limits.

Oooh, this one's a zinger! It's one of the prickliest topics we come across when working with clients. Why? We're hard-wired to avoid things that threaten our well-being—it's a physiological response.

In many ways, it’s a good thing, too. In fact, we should be grateful for this response—it means our self-protective mechanisms are working overtime to keep us alive. Technically, it’s referred to as our negativity bias, which is a fundamental characteristic of the human brain: our tendency to give more attention to negative experiences, information, or stimuli than to positive or neutral ones of equal intensity. It's not just that we notice the “bad stuff” more—it's that it registers faster, we dwell on it longer, learn from it more deeply, and let it shape our emotions, decisions, and memories disproportionately. Man, ain’t that the truth!

There are some standard analogies of our negativity bias you may be familiar with; it’s like an overzealous smoke detector that responds the exact same way to a fire that could burn your home down and burnt toast that stinks up your house. Or it’s better to mistake a stick for a snake than a snake for a stick. Our hyper-alert defensive tendencies keep us on our toes, that’s for sure.

However, in today’s world that doesn’t have sabertooth tigers wandering through our neighbourhood parks, that same part of us that’s evolved over time is still looking day and night for threats. That’s why purposefully facing fear can be so triggering for some people. And yet, when we do, we open up possibilities that may not have been there prior.

Easier said than done—I hear ya! I’m not a fan of heights. And, I don’t often go looking for ways to face that head-on! But, in many instances, that’s precisely what needs doing.

Continued in my Substack—link below. Enjoy!

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