About Me

I am Amber.

gravatar2I am Amber, crunchy granola mom and suburban superstar. I am a writer, online community-builder, speaker, engineer and mom to six-year-old Hannah and three-year-old Jacob. I live in the Vancouver area with my husband Jon, the kids and our irrepressible cat Dorothy.

I am on a continuing journey to figure out what I really want to be when I grow up. I call the journey Crafting my Life. It’s all about re-discovering my dreams, finding my passions and making space in my life for myself. I am helping other moms do the same thing, too, through the Crafting my Life online class, and the upcoming Crafting my Life e-book. I’d love to have you join me, as you seek to live with greater intention in your own life.

As I re-invent myself I’m simplifying and living a more sustainable lifestyle. I run. I make stuff and work in my garden. I dance with my kids in the kitchen. I breastfeed and wear my babies. And I frequently sometimes sneak chocolate when no one’s looking.

If you want more of me (and really, who wouldn’t?) check out my awesome guest posts:

I write.

Writing is my passion. It is at the core of who I am. I love using written language to share information, spread ideas and convey emotion. I am even working on my big book dream.

As an engineer I did a lot of technical writing. I can’t share it because my former employer is big on confidentiality. But trust me, it was awesome. I used lots of fancy-pants words like empirical and Gaussian.

These days I write a lot about parenting and life. This blog showcases that best. But I’ve written some other cool things, too:

I connect.

Calling yourself a social media guru feels vaguely ridiculous, so I prefer the phrase “online community-builder”. But whatever you call it, I’m doing it. I believe strongly in the power of the internet to bring people together and build communities, erasing barriers of geography and culture.

In order to build real community we must use social media well. Follower counts and blog subscribers don’t mean anything if we don’t really engage and create honest connections. Here’s how I build community:

Through Strocel.com, I occasionally partner with people who are a good fit to help them get their message out. I am choosy, but my readers are awesome, and they trust me because I have their best interests at heart. If you like what I’m doing, and believe we are a good fit, I would love to talk about how we can work together. Drop me a line and we’ll chat.

I speak.

I love speaking. I’m in my element when I have a captive audience. I would speak even without people listening, if I weren’t afraid that people would overhear me.

I’ve spoken to many groups of all sizes about breastfeeding. If you’ve never breastfed you might be surprised that there’s much to talk about, so you’ll have to take my word for it. I also speak on parenting, finding balance and blogging, which are particular passions of mine. A few of my speaking engagements:

  • September 2011: I spoke about breastfeeding at a mom and baby group in Port Moody, BC.
  • June 2011: I spoke about finding your calling at Beacon Unitarian Church in New Westminster, BC.
  • May 2011: I spoke about balance in parenthood at Once Upon a Belly in Vancouver, BC.
  • May 2011: I was part of a panel discussing parenting and social media at Northern Voice in Vancouver.
  • March 2011: I spoke to a class at Douglas College in Coquitlam, BC about being a breastfeeding change agent.
  • December 2010: I spoke about finding balance to the Vancouver Attachment Parenting group.
  • October 2010: I spoke about blogging and social media to high school students in Coquitlam, BC.
  • September / October 2010: I spoke on breastfeeding at two large mom and baby groups in Burnaby, BC.
  • June 2010: I was on the panel at Harnessing the Power of Digital Mums in Vancouver, BC
  • May 2010: I spoke about motherhood as a spiritual discipline at Beacon Unitarian Church in New Westminster, BC.
  • May 2010: I was part of the mom blogging panel at Northern Voice in Vancouver, BC
  • April 2010: I spoke about maternity leave at the Bellies to Babies Celebration in Vancouver, BC.
  • March 2010: I led a workshop on maternity leave at local maternity boutique Tiny Fingers Tiny Toes.
  • May 2009: I spoke about breastfeeding at a large mom and baby group in Port Moody, BC.

I have buzz.

I love sharing my opinions, and so I love giving interviews. I know a lot about blogging, social media, living sustainably, maternity leave, breastfeeding and parenting. Some of my media coverage: