About Brenda
The Story Behind the Stories
There was a time when I believed life unfolded in a fairly predictable way. I made plans, followed the path before me, and imagined tomorrow would look much like today.
Then, without warning, life interrupted.
In the months that followed, I discovered that healing is about more than recovering what was lost. Sometimes it asks us to see with different eyes, ask different questions, and find meaning where we once saw only uncertainty.
As I searched for words to describe that journey, I realized that the deepest truths are not always found in facts alone. Sometimes they are revealed most clearly through story. Life Interrupted emerged—a novel inspired by my own experience, that became about something much larger: what happens when life changes course and we are invited to discover who we might yet become.
I don’t write because I have all the answers. I write because I believe stories can help us ask better questions.
That same curiosity flows through my painting and coaching. Whether through words, images, or conversation, I am drawn to what lies beneath the surface—the quiet possibilities that often reveal themselves when life doesn’t go according to plan.
An interruption is not always the end of the story. Sometimes, it is where the truest story begins.
Writing isn’t the only way I explore the hidden stories around us.
Discover my Art
The Spirits of Naki Eywa
The beginning of an unexpected journey
When this vision came I was told – “It’s time to put this to canvas.”
Some beginnings arrive quietly.
Others arrive as a knowing.
Before I ever considered myself an artist, I was given an image — a vision of a shaman standing before a fire, calling forth the spirits of the animals. I understood the image as a connection to another time, another life, and a deeper relationship with the natural world. The message that came with it was simple: “It’s time to put this to canvas.”
There was only one problem. I had never painted before. The idea seemed impossible. How could I bring something so vivid and meaningful into the world when I didn’t yet know how to hold a paintbrush or mix a colour? So began an unexpected journey.
Before I could bring this vision to life, I had to learn the language of paint. For more than a year, I practiced, experimented, and followed where the canvas led me. Along the way, other paintings emerged — each one teaching me something, each one bringing me closer to the moment when I would finally be ready. Eventually, The Spirits of Naki Eywa found its way from vision to canvas.
Looking back, I realize the vision was not only the beginning of my art journey. It was an invitation — a reminder that sometimes we are called toward something before we feel prepared. The path reveals itself as we learn to walk it.
Simple Grace
Learning to bring an image to life
After receiving the vision that would become The Spirits of Naki Eywa, I began the unexpected journey of learning to paint.
The daisy was one of my early attempts to translate an image from my imagination onto canvas. I was discovering, one brushstroke at a time, how colour, light, and texture could express something I could feel but had never before tried to create.
There was no roadmap — only curiosity, patience, and a willingness to learn. Each painting became a teacher, revealing something new about the process and about myself.
The daisy was not just an exercise in painting. It was part of the journey toward finding my own voice as an artist.
Ancient Wisdom
The quiet strength of knowing
As my journey with painting continued, I found myself drawn to images that carried a deeper meaning. The elephant became a symbol of something I was beginning to understand — that wisdom does not come from rushing forward, but from remembering, observing, and allowing life to unfold.
Elephants carry the memory of generations. They move with strength, yet they are known for their gentleness. They remind us that true power does not need to be loud.
While creating Ancient Wisdom, I was learning not only how to paint, but how to listen to the feeling behind an image. Each painting was becoming more than a picture; it was becoming a conversation between what I could see and what I could feel.
This elephant represents the quiet knowing that comes with time — the wisdom gathered through experience, change, and the journey of becoming.
These first paintings marked the beginning of an unexpected journey. What started as a single image waiting to be brought to life became a path of discovery, learning, and connection. Each painting that followed revealed something new — about the natural world, about creativity, and about myself.
The journey continues.
Explore the collection of paintings that emerged from this unfolding story.
The Heart Behind the Stories
If you’ve read this far, you’ve probably realized that I’m less interested in having all the answers than I am in asking meaningful questions.
I’ve always been drawn to the places where life slows down enough for us to notice what we might otherwise miss. Some of my favourite places are where the mountains meet the trees, where moving water quiets the mind, and where life gently reminds us that there is always something larger than ourselves.
Whether I’m writing, painting, or coaching, I’m continually searching for the hidden patterns, quiet invitations, and moments of grace that often reveal themselves only after life has taken an unexpected turn. I’ve come to believe that creativity isn’t simply about making something new—it’s about seeing something familiar in a new way.
My hope is that the stories I write, the paintings I create, and the conversations I share encourage others to pause, look a little deeper, and discover that even the most unexpected chapters can become the beginning of something beautiful.
Whether through words or paint, my hope is to create stories that remind us we are never alone in life’s interruptions, and that sometimes the unexpected becomes the doorway to something beautiful.