About
“You’re a great storyteller, and a reporter with that great combination of empathy and don’t-bullshit-me. ”
I am a storyteller for hire. For the last 17 years I have been a national news journalist in Canada. I am now expanding the focus of my work to include mindfulness, food, art, design, and community-building.
Most recently I was a staff writer at Maclean's national newsmagazine for 11 years, where I contributed to the online and print editions, including more than a dozen of the most popular cover stories. Before that I was a journalist at the National Post newspaper and National Post Business Magazine.
Many of my pieces focus on public interest issues including health, medicine, science and sociology, especially as they relate to gender politics, economic disparity and family dynamics. I covered the 2015 federal election, the murder trial of Russell Williams, and the first days of HPV vaccination in Canada. I am especially proud of my cover story on transgender children, What Happens When Your Son Tells You He's Really a Girl, and this in-depth feature on medical aid in dying, Assisted Death is the New Pro-choice.
My work has been nominated for six National Magazine Awards. My series on concussions, which includes exclusive exposés on Sidney Crosby's unconventional treatment and Eric Lindros's psychological recovery, has been recognized by the Canadian Medical Association and the Brain Injury Association of Canada. My recent piece on The Collapse of Parenting quickly became—and continues to be—the most-read Maclean's story ever, with more than a million hits and counting. I've appeared on many TV and radio shows to discuss my work, including Canada AM (now Your Morning) and 100 Huntley St.
These days I work from my home in west Toronto, where I live with my all-star husband and two young children. I was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. I speak Italian as a second language, and I have a moderate command of French and basic Spanish. I try to make a daily habit of spiritual and physical fitness. I like to cook and clean, collect art, move around furniture, and talk about feelings, among other things. Books and plants are my pets. And a fluffy Aussiepoo.