About Mindfully Inclusive

Hello!

My name is Meranda, I am the founder of Mindfully Inclusive which was created from my desire to advocate for inclusion in my community, specifically for children with disabilities.

Prior to becoming pregnant with my first born in 2016, I was a full-time business woman with a career in sales. I took post-secondary schooling in marketing and thoroughly enjoyed my work selling in the modular trailer/workforce housing industry. I learned much about our economy and what drives Alberta. The construction and oil industry was booming during those years and I felt successful and proud in that role.

Over the past 15 years in my spare time, I enjoyed (and still do!) practicing yoga and participating in workshops to further my knowledge. I attended yoga retreats both in Canada and Mexico, then completed my yoga Teacher Training Program. I started teaching part time, but always appreciated being a student most, growing my skillset in learning the fundamentals of yoga. While pregnant I completed a yoga course focused on teaching kids and children with special needs. Little did I know while taking the children’s yoga course, I was indeed pregnant with a special little boy who would be born with a rare genetic disorder.

Entering the world of disability parenting required me to enter a whole new world, stepping away from my previous career and focusing all my efforts on surgeries, medications, understanding various diagnosis’ and sourcing the best therapies possible to ensure my son lives his best life.

Fast forward to present day: I am now a mom of two after welcoming a baby girl during 2020, and my experience in the disability community has inspired me to create a business which puts inclusive tools and resources in the households of families both with and without disabilities. I wish to bridge the gap between these two worlds through education, mindful activities, and conversations. I also hope this online platform will become a space where parents to those with disabilities can connect and share support.

I have always had a love for yoga and for children. Anyone who has known me well knows how much I have always wanted to be a mom. Yoga is a powerful tool for children of all abilities to regulate emotional wellbeing and nurture confidence and positivity. Looking back, all these yoga tools I was cultivating in over the years really were preparing me for my motherhood journey. A journey more unique and challenging than anticipated but one that has transformed me into the mom I always dreamed of. I still have big goals and I still love sales and marketing, but I love yoga and being a mom most.

Click here to see me featured on CTV Edmonton News

Meet Vincent! Rare Warrior with microdeletion3q13, hypotonia, epilepsy and cerebral palsy. Loves his people, the Edmonton Oilers hockey team, books, truck rides with Dad, and Spinny stools! (aka Office Chairs!).

So here I am, trying to put it all together in order to bring out the best version of myself and to encourage our community to bring out the best versions of themselves. Let us help our children navigate through this life by nurturing their social skills and assist in raising an emotionally healthy world that embraces differences; a world where everyone succeeds no matter where their path leads. Let us practice mindfulness, both with ourselves and with others, practicing inclusion and promoting kindness for all.

 

Want to learn more about my journey?

Read my blog!