Alvina N. Services Conseils Inc.

03/06/2026

I’m excited to report that I’ve successfully completed 39 orbits around the sun. 🎂👩🏼‍🚀

A couple of them are a little blurry…especially the last three. 36 to 39 has been quite a ride!

One thing I’ve always believed is that aging is an honour. Every year means more experience, more perspective, more life lived.

And yet, as women, we’re often taught to hide our age. When someone asks a woman how old she is, the response is often:
“Oh! We don’t ask that.” 🤦🏻‍♀️

That has always puzzled me. Why shouldn’t we celebrate it?

Looking back, my life has followed a bit of a pattern: moving countries as a kid, navigating careers where women often have to carve out their place, and then more recently… cancer.

Each time I’ve learned the same thing: you don’t wait for perfect conditions. You have to build anyway!

So today I’m celebrating 39 and feeling grateful for every orbit.

With International Women’s Day around the corner, I’ve also been thinking about women’s health. Ovarian cancer is still one of the most underfunded and under-researched cancers affecting women, which means progress depends heavily on awareness and support.

So between now and World Ovarian Cancer Day (May 8th), if anyone feels moved to help support ovarian cancer research, I’d be grateful.

Donate here or link in bio
http://action.ovariancanada.org/goto/Alvina

Life experiences are the material but you and I remain the builders.

Grateful for another orbit. 💫

01/14/2026

Grateful for the people I got to build with this year 🩵

2025 was a year of showing up more fully.
Owning my work. My voice. My place in the room.

It was a year of collaboration and real conversations. Of choosing work that felt aligned and deeply human. After cancer, those things became non-negotiable.

I spent a lot of time this year thinking about how we build things.

We design structures, plans, frameworks…and sometimes forget to check in on the people who have to live inside them.

Across systems and sectors, I keep seeing the same pattern. Things work better when people are brought in early, listened to often, and invited to build together.

When people help shape something, they care for it differently.

It becomes ours.

And yes… teal keeps showing up with me. A hard experience doesn’t disappear. It becomes lived experience. And lived experience carries weight, clarity, and direction.

That’s what I centered my work around in 2025:
People.
Relationships.
The human experience.

As I head into 2026, I feel clearer than ever.

Curious about what’s next… and who I’ll get to build with along the way.

Happy New Year 🎉

10/15/2025

I was feeling a little creative this evening. Here is a little poem about these magical beings. You might know them 😉

— Unaware of Their Might —

Have you ever met a being
so quiet and so powerful,
And somehow unaware of what they carry?

They walk through the world
looking for strength in stars,
in stones, in anyone but themselves.

And yet…

They can command the air
to move in ripples and waves,
to send patterns of meaning across space,
to shift another mind with nothing but breath…and call that power speaking!

They can ignite storms in the silence of their minds,
tiny flashes, one after another,
turning questions into understanding,
and ideas into change…and call that power thinking!

They can take light
that has traveled for millions of years,
bend it through the lens of their eyes,
and turn it into vision, story, beauty, truth…and call that power seeing!

They can move matter,
convince wood, stone, and steel
to hold the shape of a spark, an idea,
to make imagination solid…and call that power building!

And still,
Somehow…they forget.

They forget how mighty they truly are.

So this is your reminder,
dear mighty being, reading this poem:

What you call speech,
is air rearranging itself to carry your intent.

What you call thought,
is electricity carving pathways through your mind.

What you call sight,
is light surrendering itself to be understood.

What you call creating,
is atoms moving where you asked them to go.

This may sound like metaphor,
but really,
it’s just physics disguised as poetry.

You are already moving the world every time you
think,
see,
build,
or speak!

Own these powers.
Use them with care.

Because you were never small,
You just got used to them.

And forgot how mighty you really are.

09/13/2025

🍋 Teaching my kids how to make lemonade

This morning, while helping my 8-yr old son with his homework, he suddenly said a phrase in French:
« Quand on te donne des citrons, fais-en de la limonade. »

I stopped: “Wait…what did you just say?”
He repeated it and explained he’d seen it on a poster in his classroom.

So I asked: “Do you know what it means?”
He said: “Not really.”

And there I was, explaining that sometimes life gives us things we don’t choose. Things that are hard, unfair, or sour. But we still get to decide: do we stay stuck in the sourness, or do we make something out of it?

A few hours later, I found myself still thinking about that exchange. Because the truth is, I don’t just want my kids to remember my words. I want them to see, in my choices, that I tried to live that very lesson.

Two years ago this month, I was preparing for my last chemo treatment.

This Thursday, I spoke in an interview-style conversation with Health Canada’s policy leaders about how patients are already using AI in real life.

If you had told me back then where I’d be now, I never would have believed you.

But here I am. And to me, that feels a lot like lemonade. 🍋➡️🍹

09/12/2025

✨ Yesterday I had the privilege of joining an interview-style conversation with the Health Policy Branch at Health Canada | Santé Canada guided by Tamara Brown. It was an opportunity to share my own personal lived experience as a patient using Ai, mixed with my professional experience as a change management advisor for digital transformation.

The room brought together policy analysts, advisors, managers, executives, economists, data specialists, and subject-matter experts across digital health, data governance, Indigenous health, health system sustainability, and AI.

What impressed me most was the openness and quality of the dialogue. The questions were excellent! Thoughtful, probing, a healthy balance of hope and scepticism. Exactly what we need when talking about emerging technologies like AI in healthcare and medicine.

One theme I shared is that while these important conversations are happening inside the system, patients are already using AI tools outside of it. That makes it urgent to develop solutions or frameworks that allow people to use Ai safely and equitably.

I often compare it to the early days of cars:

🚦 At first there were no traffic lights, no paved roads, no licences.

🛣️ Over time, we built the highways, signage, and rules of the road so people could drive safely.

📜 Maybe AI in healthcare will need its own version of “driver’s ed”. A baseline of literacy to support responsible use.

👛 And just like how we carry our wallet in and out of a car, maybe we need to think about our data the same way? Perhaps our data should travel with us, and not be left behind in the machine.

Because while people are already “on the road,” the opportunity is to build the highways, signage, and safeguards that make the journey safer for everyone.

🙏 A huge thank you to
the Health Policy Branch,
Tamara Brown, Manager, Strategic Planning and Engagement
and Elizabeth Toller, Director General, Health Care Strategies
for hosting this conversation and for engaging so deeply with the questions that matter most.

09/09/2025

✨ 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 $𝟭,𝟬𝟬𝟬 for Ovarian Cancer Canada through the Walk of Hope. 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨!

I’m really happy about that milestone…
but I also need to come clean.
So… 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗲?
Actually… 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵.

𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵: On Sunday morning, I almost didn’t go. 😬

Between back-to-school chaos and my kids’ last baseball games, I felt late, tired, and honestly unsure if it was worth showing up.

And to be completely honest: no matter how much I post, most people in my circle don’t really know that this walk exists. So, knowing that I would walking without much family or friends by my side carried a complex kind of loneliness 💔

Lying in bed, thinking about what to do, it struck me…the walk itself mirrored the disease because Ovarian cancer is a “lonely cancer.”

It doesn’t get much attention or funding, despite being the deadliest gynecological cancer. Too many people are forced to walk this path unseen, unsupported, misunderstood.

And so, I came to realize that the solitude I felt wasn’t just mine, it echoed the reality of this disease.

𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗲: I got up, got ready in record time, and went anyway!! 🙌💪🩵

And the irony? In facing that loneliness, I found unity and hope.

Because while it may look like a simple walk to the naked eye, for me it represents the fight, whether personal, communal, or systemic.

And if no one shows up…
to walk, to support, to donate,
to treat, to research,
then this path will remain lonely.

That’s why I will ALWAYS show up.

To those who did, whether in person, or through donations: thank you. 🩵 Your support mattered more than you know.

The walk may be over, but the quest to eradicate ovarian cancer continues. Every step, every donation, every word of encouragement matters.

👉 Donations remain open until the end of the month:
🔗 link in bio or click here: https://secure.ovariancanada.org/site/TR/2025WalkofHope/WalkofHope2025?px=1763076&pg=personal&fr_id=2142

09/02/2025

🩵 Only 5 Days to Go! 🩵

There are just 5 more days until Walk Day on September 7th!

I’ve set a goal of $3,800 and right now, I’m at $113 raised so far… which means there’s still a long way to go, but I believe we can make it happen together! 🙌

Every dollar counts, and every donation fuels the research, support, and awareness that create more birthdays and more hope.

👉 Donate here today and help me close the gap: https://secure.ovariancanada.org/site/Donation2?idb=2017676975&df_id=3742&FR_ID=2142&mfc_pref=T&PROXY_ID=1763076&PROXY_TYPE=20&3742.donation=form1 (link in bio!)

Let’s do this!!
3,800 is within reach! 💪

08/25/2025

🚫 DON’T READ THIS.
Seriously. Keep scrolling. Stay comfortable.

Because if you do, you’ll learn the truth:

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer in Canada.

Survival rates? Stuck for 50 years!
More than half of women diagnosed? Gone within 5 years.

Easy to ignore.
Easy to pretend it’s not your problem.

Until it’s your sister.
Your mom.
Your friend.
You.

But you’re still here, reading…
Which means you already broke the rule.

Now prove it.
👉 Prove you’re the one who doesn’t look away.
👉 Prove silence won’t win this time.

Join me at the Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope. (Link in bio)

Donate. Walk. Share.

This isn’t awareness.
This is survival.

Drop 👣 if you’re walking.
Drop 🩵 if you’re donating.
Drop 🔁 if you’re sharing.

Let’s make Ovarian Cancer impossible to ignore.



https://secure.ovariancanada.org/site/TR/2025WalkofHope/WalkofHope2025?px=1763076&pg=personal&fr_id=2142

08/20/2025

💬𝗕𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱.
It was probably the very first piece of social advice most of us got from a parent, guardian, or teacher before heading off to school, camp, or a playdate. Simple, universal, memorable.

Fast forward to healthcare, and suddenly we dress it up with complex language: empathy, compassion, therapeutic alliance, patient-centeredness. All important. But at their core, they’re pointing to the same principle: 𝗯𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱.

✅Research shows that when physicians communicate kindly and clearly, patients 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 than when they’re simply given more information.

✅A receptionist who welcomes someone with warmth can shift whether that person keeps showing up for care.

✅A nurse who notices fear and offers reassurance may be the reason a patient discloses a dangerous side effect.

These aren’t “soft skills.”
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
Anxiety reduction, disclosure, adherence, and error prevention are all tied directly to kindness.

But here’s the harder question:
👉 𝗜𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀…𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴?🤔

Healthcare naturally drifts toward complication: policies, protocols, technologies, hierarchies.

The discipline required is to 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 and re-layer complexity ensuring it still aligns.

Because if dignity, trust, and safety aren’t built in at the foundation, no amount of sophistication or IT will make the system work.

So before we chase the next innovation or roll out another initiative, maybe the most powerful test we can run is also the simplest:
👉 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱?

In healthcare, 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀.

06/30/2025

🚨Ok! Here we go! Post 1 of Recap Series.

“𝑾𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔.
𝑾𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒔.”

That was the golden thread as the 2025 Value-Based Healthcare Summit opened in Montreal. First with Elizabeth Teisberg’s call to redefine value around what truly matters to people, and then again the next day with Scott Wallace’s challenge to rewire how we measure success.

Elizabeth talked about human outcomes. She invited us to stop designing around disease and start designing around lives.

And Scott reminded us that you can’t innovate what you don’t measure. But you also can’t measure what you don’t value!

Together, they reframed the stakes:
⚡ 𝗜𝗳 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿—𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹.

Their anchor? Three outcomes people actually care about:

💪 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Can I do the things that matter to me?

☺️ 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁: Is my suffering—physical, emotional, psychological—being addressed?

🧘🏻‍♀️ 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗺: Do I feel safe, seen, and supported in the process?

These aren’t “𝗌𝗈𝖿𝗍” outcomes. They’re 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀! They’re what make care 𝘜𝘚𝘈𝘉𝘓𝘌, not just available. ✨

Let’s remember…

👉 That 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 isn’t an afterthought, it’s 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗹.
👉 That 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆 isn’t noise, it’s 𝗶𝗻𝗽𝘂𝘁.
👉 That 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 doesn’t start with the right metric, it starts with the right 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼.
𝗶𝗳 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

💥 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗽 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁.

Stay tuned! 😃

06/18/2025

06/13/2025

I’ll be at the Value-Based Healthcare Summit in Montreal next week.

I’m not showing up as either a systems transformation expert or a cancer survivor. I’m showing up as both.

There’s a lot of talk about experiences vs outcomes…as if they’re two sides of a debate.

But it’s not either-or.
✨Experiences shape outcomes.✨

They shape how people heal, how they’re treated, how they trust, and how they make it through.

👉Without experience, there is no outcome.

If you’ll be at the Summit, let’s connect!

I’ll be there for the real conversations, the ones where we name what’s not working and still believe we can design better. Because that’s where true transformation starts!

Let’s design for the reality people actually live.

🔗 Learn more: vbhcsummit.com