Kim is Reportex’s legal transcription and appeals director. She’s responsible for overseeing the process of turning recorded audio into certified transcripts and managing the preparation of our various appeal products. This includes all aspects of the transcription process in the legal department at Reportex.
She also manages the preparation of appeal records, books and transcripts as well as our e-appeal products. Her keen attention to detail and exceptional project management skills ensure the seamless collaboration of Reportex’s vast network of reporters, transcribers and editors.
Kim is very active and passionate about life, particularly travelling the world and keeping fit with yoga and bikes — all the bikes.
We recently asked Kim a few questions, and here’s what she had to say:
How did you become the legal transcription and appeals director at Reportex?
I was nearing the end of a year away from working. I had coined it my “pre-tirement” — haha.
I applied for this job, interviewed and waited a few days. The job was offered to me, and I have to say back then things around here were very different. Reportex was a small company, and we were a tight group back then. I did work in the office for a few years and was certainly involved in all parts (besides the transcribing) of getting legal transcripts to our clients. I even met some clients face to face back then. It has truly been a pleasure over the past four and a half years to watch this company grow and grow and to meet all the new people who have joined!
Your job sounds like it involves a lot of coordinating. What are your top three tips for staying organized?
Organizing, logistics, planning, coordinating — I really do enjoy them all. Top three tips:
Prioritize.
Do it now.
Keep track (a very solid track) of what is going on.
At Reportex our core values of team, mentorship, equality, community and industry are central to what we do. Which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?
Team certainly resonates the most for me because my job is to coordinate a well-oiled machine. This machine is made up of a fantastic team of people. For this I am oh-so thankful.
What has been your most memorable bike ride?
This summer included so many memorable bike rides. Being “stuck in BC” during this pandemic felt like a lucky break. My wife and I did take full advantage and had cycling trips planned almost every second weekend. One of my favourites was a ride from Squamish to Whistler all on the Sea to Sky Trail. This trail includes dirt trails, gravel, sand, the odd bit of pavement and even some hike-a-bike sections. The views were stunning, which made the 1,251-metre climb enjoyable! I can’t wait to do it again.
Last week was our first week of fall. Do you have a favourite fall tradition?
One last kick at the can! There is always some lovely weather in the fall in BC, so we always hope to get in one last bike trip. The Okanagan is the plan this year. Fingers crossed the sunshine sticks around a few more weeks.
Lindsay is Reportex’s legal training coordinator. She’s responsible for proofreading and evaluating our legal screening tests, reviewing all Catalyst practice files done by our legal trainees and overseeing transcript work done by our new court reporters, scopers and proofers.
She also collaborates with the editing and QC teams to ensure that our wiki content is current, is an integral member of the wiki reboot team and works with the QC team to review and finalize transcripts for production.
When not at work, Lindsay enjoys yoga, painting, the beach and spending time with her dogs.
We recently asked Lindsay a few questions. Here’s what she had to say:
What originally got you interested in your current field of work?
I have always had an interest in writing and editing, and I have always wanted to be some kind of editor. I enjoy proofreading more than content editing as I love grammar and punctuation and the nitty-gritty details that come with proofreading.
I came across the Proofread Anywhere course a few months after I had graduated from college. The plan was to take a year off and then apply to law school. I was the proud new owner of three degrees, and I needed a break, to be honest. I had taken some classes in technical writing, and the technical side of transcripts did not scare me off (and I had an interest in law), so I figured I would give it a shot!
As far as my role as training coordinator, though, I have always been “a trainer,” for lack of a better word. I have never been the person to give a job less than 100 percent (even those minimum wage jobs that you really want to!), and I would always offer to train people and take new employees under my wing. I have actually written three training manuals for three different jobs! When I was working as the kennel manager at a vet’s office, my first act as manager was to completely overhaul their training system, write an entirely new manual and set up new procedures for how we handled our dogs and clients.
I enjoy helping people succeed in their jobs. I think this stems from my first job where I was essentially left high and dry by who was supposed to train me! Once I figured everything out, that is when I started taking new people under my wing and helping them (because whoever was supposed to train them never seemed to be around to help!).
Word on Slack is that you recently created a grammar bootcamp class for Reportex staff and that class starts in early October. Can you tell us a little bit about this?
We have such an incredibly talented group of people working for Reportex. The idea is that we are a company that promises and takes pride in the excellence of our work, so we want to ensure that everyone working at Reportex feels as confident and prepared as possible to be able to provide that excellence when writing emails, reports or whatever else their jobs throw at them. The bootcamp is going to be broken up into different sections, so everyone will likely take more than one session with me. We are going to go over the basics of grammar and writing, and I am hoping that the activities I have planned will make it enjoyable for everyone!
At Reportex our core values of team, mentorship, equality, community and industry are central to what we do. Which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?
Mentorship. I love working with our new contractors and helping them get accustomed to our rules, procedures and style guide. When I was being trained as a proofer, I loved the encouraging and helpful attitude as I really feel like that kind of positivity helps you feel confident in your job and the work that you are doing. I try to pass on that encouragement to the people that I train. I also love that mentorship is not necessarily a one-way street here. There is always someone who knows something that you do not, and I love that I can read through our proofers corner Slack group and see an awesome discussion on grammar that helps me better understand something. I also love being part of the QC team and learning from and working with them, so I guess that “team” resonates strongly with me as well.
What is your top proofing tip?
Triple-check everything! Whenever I see something that I am 99 percent sure is correct, I take a few seconds to check. It never hurts, and every now and then I find it was a mistake! And if I just cannot figure something out, I will leave myself a note, take a break and then check again later. Letting your brain reset is essential. We have to keep these proofing brains sharp!
If you could time travel, when and where would you go?
How about into the future a few months after we beat COVID??
In all honesty, I would love to see North America at some point earlier than the 1300s when the wilderness was still vast. I love camping and hiking, and whenever I am camping, I always find myself wondering what these forests looked like so long ago.
Ari is Reportex’s legal documents director, ensuring all of our digital products meet our signature level of quality. In addition to focusing on transcript quality control, Ari prepares all of Reportex’s appeal products and electronic documents such as e-appeals, e-binders and transcript bundles.
As well as being fluent in French, Ari plays the violin and viola and enjoys donating to local food banks and animal rescue organizations. She’s also a film and television buff!
We recently asked Ari a few questions. Here’s what she had to say:
What do you find most interesting about being a legal documents director at Reportex?
It’s interesting how many different forms a transcript can take and the many jobs and many hands it takes to complete one correctly. I perform a variety of tasks each day such as transcript quality control, assembling appeal books, records or transcripts, creating transcript bundles (which are court transcripts with attachments hyperlinked and bookmarked for easy access), training, proofreading, writing and editing.
Did you find this career, or did it find you?
I started out in the legal editing field as a proofreader after taking the Proofread Anywhere course. I had proofread generally — editing books, articles and websites — but I hadn’t worked specifically with legal transcripts, so this course helped me learn the skills I needed to be proficient working with PDF court transcripts. I worked mostly with American court reporters at the time, so when I started with Reportex, there were style, terminology and formatting differences with Canadian transcripts. I learned how to use computer-aided transcription software, and then I never looked back. CAT software is complex and robust, so I’m always learning new tricks and tips to make work easier.
At Reportex our core values of team, mentorship, equality, community and industry are central to what we do. Which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?
Definitely team. I work with such a wonderfully talented group of people. Everyone is always willing to lend a hand, and we are all always learning new tips and tricks and sharing them with each other to make our work lives easier. Everyone I work with at every level is awesome. I also can’t say enough about Reportex leadership. It is amazing to work with such caring, insightful people. I learn so much from them and from everyone I work with every day. I couldn’t ask for a better team to be a part of.
Do you prefer to read books, magazines or blogs? And what are your top three?
I read a lot of websites. I’m always searching for things. I like checking the Apple News and Google News apps on my phone as well as social media. I also like to borrow e-books and audiobooks from the library using the hoopla library app. I read so much during the day at work that after hours I will usually read shorter texts. But I can never give up reading non-fiction books. I love learning.
Cats? Dogs? Or both?
All animals are great. I live with a pug and a clowder of cats (most are rescued), so I love them all. I hope to always live with animals. They’re the best.
Max is the digital content director for Reportex, responsible for creating written and graphic assets for internal and external outreach and training. He is the creator of the ever-popular wiki as well as partly responsible for our successful bids for government contracts.
As a writer and designer with an extensive computer background, Max is responsible for bridging the gap between technology and the humans who can benefit from it. He works closely with our systems and communications leadership to create materials ranging from wiki articles to brochures and videos.
Fun fact: Max plays six musical instruments poorly but enthusiastically.
We recently asked Max a few questions. Here is what he had to say:
How did you come to be the Digital Content Director at Reportex?
I used to live in Vancouver, about six blocks from Reportex HQ. When I started at Reportex eight years ago, we were much, much smaller. I shared an office with our sole QC person and our transcription manager (one person coordinating legal and medicolegal transcription) and handled all our marketing and day-to-day tech support while acting as an assistant to the transcription manager. In between designing brochures and building macros for our reporters, I’d go out in a blizzard to deliver gift bags or stay up late making flowers from crepe paper for an event. I eventually took over all our IT duties and became Systems Director in addition to handling marketing. I was wearing a lot of hats (probably too many), but I loved it.
Eventually it came time to move to Victoria with my partner, and I was apprehensive about having to leave my job. I’d always felt supported at Reportex, and basically every single one of my friends had some sort of horror story about their boss. Our owner Christy was able to find a new role for me that would work long-distance and hired a seasoned IT professional to take over my tech duties (just being “good with computers” was no longer enough for our rapidly increasing needs) along with a marketing person who could attend in-person events in Vancouver.
I keep meaning to go back to school for a second degree in computer science, but I like my job so much that I keep putting it off. I get to focus on the things that interest me and that I’m good at, which is a pretty rare thing.
What are your top three tips for new wiki users?
The search bar is your friend! If something isn’t popping up, try a synonym for the word you’re looking for. You can also use your web browser’s search function (Ctrl + F) to find a word on the page.
We’ve tried to make articles easier to use by organizing them into hubs. Click a link on the sidebar to get to a list of the most helpful articles on a given subject. These lists may not be exhaustive, so if you’re still looking for information, use the search bar.
Remember that we want your feedback. One of the great things about the wiki is that editing it is trivial. If you see a mistake, let someone know, and we’ll fix it!
What is the phone app you use most?
I really like Firefox Focus, a secure web browser that erases itself every time you use it. I use this in conjunction with the DuckDuckGo search engine to avoid being tracked while surfing the web.
Where is the next place on your travel list and why?
The pandemic got in the way of a trip my partner and I were planning to visit my parents in California, so that’s next on the list when things get better. My hometown of Berkeley is cool place, and it’s right across the Bay from San Francisco, so we were basically planning on hitting a bunch of museums, tourist traps, and fancy restaurants before spending some time in wine country and finishing off with a couple days poolside in Las Vegas.
https://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/2020_09_05_BlogFeatureImage_Max.jpeg8801880veritextcanada_48bzhlhttps://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/logo-veritext-canada-300x138.pngveritextcanada_48bzhl2020-09-04 11:54:372022-07-23 14:11:15Connect Series: Meet Max K, our Digital Content Director!
Our production team, directed by Shishi Fan with Talina Flores Vergara, is responsible for ensuring our printed transcripts meet Reportex’s high standards of quality. Along with members of our office services team when needed, specifically Larissa Patlan and Angel Arena, this department works like a well-oiled machine. There are many different kinds of transcripts, each having special printing requirements and these experts make sure each and every transcript meets the stringent Rules of Court. Excellence is our game!
We sat down with the team to learn a little more about them and their vital jobs:
What do you like most about being a production director at Reportex?
I get to be this evil-bringer of bad news, striking hearts with fear with every back-order email to our lovely group of reporters. The amount of trees production has used to make transcripts might be a small forest! Jokes aside, in my position I get the chance to speak to all sorts of people from our audio department to our medical transcript department.
What would you be if you weren’t a part of the Production Team at Reportex?
I see myself fitting in the scheduling department. I used to schedule discoveries in the past between printing, so I look back on those experiences fondly.
What is your top tip for staying organized?
I used to use sticky notes and printed papers. Now that I don’t have a printer at home, I’ve gone into the new age of unread emails in inboxes to annoy the heck out of myself and the (God-blessed) reminders from Slack.
How do you take your coffee?
Clearly the answer is to not take coffee. Why would you want coffee when you can have tea that has 100 different other flavours and has caffeine in it too? Come join the tea team with me.
What three things are on your bucket list?
Exercise, exercise, and some more exercise. Sadly, I don’t think I’m the only one who has gotten used to staying indoors to avoid crowds during the best hours of our beautiful summer weather.
What do you like most about being a production assistant at Reportex?
I enjoy working as a part of an amazing team. I enjoy the daily challenges, and I am able to gain lots of new skill sets.
What would you be if you weren’t a part of the Production Team at Reportex?
I came to Canada three years ago hoping to work in the HR field because that’s what I love to do. But life took me to the hospitality industry, where I had worked for a while, and then I got hired on by Reportex. This was a life-changing opportunity for me. I believe that I can passionately work towards my goals and dreams.
What is your top tip for staying organized?
My organizational skills are not something that I was born with. Over the years I have made it a habit, which helps me stay organized.
How do you take your coffee?
Usually with milk and sugar, but my top one is when it comes with a shot of Baileys.
What do you like most about assisting the Production Team at Reportex?
I like working at production because the people around me train me well, and we are good at working together. Furthermore I like being part of it. My grandmother used to say a very well-known proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go further, go with others.” I am very grateful to this company because I really feel at home.
What would you be if you weren’t a part of the Production Team at Reportex?
If I wasn’t here, it would be hard to guess where I would be right now, but I would probably be studying some kind of masters degree related to biotechnology or biology, simply because that subject is my passion and my hobby.
What is your top tip for staying organized?
I am completely sure that most of the time I try to be organized not only at work but at home as well. One of the methods I usually practise (or at least try to practise) is the 5S. For example, if I don’t use something for a year, I keep it or throw it away or donate it. But if I use something daily (at least once), I put it within reach. This way I only keep what I need without losing efficiency.
How do you take your coffee?
I like the tea with cinnamon better, but if I had to choose a coffee, I would choose decaffeinated coffee without sugar and maybe with soy milk or oat milk.
What three things are on your bucket list?
I would love to see a paradise bird dancing.
It would be amazing to see the Northern Lights as well as a night of star rain.
What do you like most about assisting the Production Team at Island Reporters?
It is the trust I have received from my direct superior and the management team, especially since I am the only one working in the office most of the time. The feeling of being valued and supported by the team. I may be alone, but I am connected!
What would you be if you weren’t a part of the Production Team at Island Reporters?
I would probably be in a production team or supply chain team of a manufacturing firm where I can intensively utilize my skills in production planning, scheduling, materials control, procurement and logistics.
What is your top tip for staying organized?
Whether on your desk, e-files, instructions, tools, etc., I find it the most basic system in order to be organized — the 5S: sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain.
How do you take your coffee?
If not for my sleep disorder and hyperacidity, I would take my coffee with one cream and half a sugar. I love coffee, but my body does not — no matter how little the amount is.
What three things are on your bucket list?
Get (at least) a permanent residency in Canada.
Build my dream house.
Take a family vacation.
https://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020_08_28_FeatureImage_ProductionTeam-scaled.jpg11992560veritextcanada_48bzhlhttps://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/logo-veritext-canada-300x138.pngveritextcanada_48bzhl2020-08-28 09:00:002022-07-23 14:11:30Connect Series: Meet our Production Team!
At Reportex we do so much more than just court reporting!
We have many different departments offering all types of litigation support — from discoveries, mediationsand other legal proceedings, to legal tech and editing services, to trial coordination and even a whole medicolegal section. Our medical transcribers transcribe expert reports, reference materials and other documents needed during the litigation process. Nancy Gratham (along with her colleague Louise Kennedy) leads a specialized team that is key to Reportex’s ongoing success.
As the medicolegal transcription quality control director for Reportex, Nancy is responsible for managing our vast medicolegal transcription reference materials, overseeing the consistency of our medicolegal report style (including adherence to the Rules of Court) and training all of our new medicolegal team members.
#notjustcourtreporting
We recently asked Nancy a few questions. Here is what she had to say:
What do you like most about being a medicolegal transcription QC director at Reportex?
What’s not to love? I love my medicolegal team, which is made of the most dedicated, skilled, hard-working, unflappable women imaginable. The Reportex leadership team is cut from the very same cloth and has been an inspiration as they’ve faced down the unrivalled challenges 2020 has so far thrown their way. I’ve always loved working with words and with documents, so that’s a win. Our medical specialist clients are the best at what they do, and every day presents new language, new cases and new challenges. I also love being completely immersed in it all without having to commute to do so.
Did you find this career, or did it find you?
This career definitely found me. Teenage me only wanted to work at a magazine, so that’s what I set out to do. Years later I was managing editor at Western Living, and as much as I loved the work and the people who came with it, when I had my first baby, I knew I had to find a way to work closer to home. After a few years of freelance writing I came across an article with a picture of a woman who was sitting at her dining room table and waxing poetic about her work as a medical transcriber. I was hooked by the idea of a new challenge and by the prospect of never having to pitch an editor another story, so I went back to school, and 15 years later here we are.
Sushi or tacos?
Sushi! No explanation necessary.
What is your top tip for staying productive while working from home?
Work in a deadline-based business. Deadlines are the best motivators!
More practically, I have a lovely office in my home where nothing happens but work. I “go to work” every morning and don’t leave the office until the job is done for the day. While I cherish the lack of commute, I treat my workday as though I’ve left my house behind entirely. Laundry and dishes and dust mites only exist outside of business hours.
A genie gives you three wishes — what are they?
A COVID-19 vaccine.
Everyone who is able gets said vaccine.
Chef Nye mysteriously moves into my house and is made exceptionally happy by plying me with his latest creations.
At Reportex, one of our most prized resources is our ‘Wiki‘. It’s exactly as it sounds… a master repository for anything and everything our team needs to succeed. The Wiki is akin to a Reportex manifesto containing detailed information to support each department and staff member in their role and is edited on a regular basis. Updates can be an enormous undertaking and we’ve recently recruited a team to tackle some of the more intricate details of our latest sweep of updates – The Wiki Reboot Team.
For the past several weeks, our Reportex Legal Wiki has been undergoing a review by our Wiki Reboot Team members – Gaynell, Jamie, Jenni and Miki.
We recently caught up with these team members to ask them a few questions as part of our ‘Connect Series.’ Here is what they had to say:
Gaynell Noel
What do you like most about what you do? What I like most about proofreading is the variety of topics that I get to read. I have learned a lot about so many things that I would never have been exposed to before.
What is your favourite read? Because my job is reading, I hardly read for pleasure anymore. I read news articles online if the headline grabs my attention.
Top grammar tip: Watch out for homophones! There are many words that sound alike but are spelled differently. “Its”/“it’s”, “there”/“their”/“they’re” and “your”/“you’re” are common ones that are frequently used incorrectly. Just remember a contraction is made up of two words. If you break them up, it helps to figure out the correct word to use. “It’s” becomes “it is,” and “they’re” becomes “they are.”
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work? To compensate for not reading as much as I used to, I listen to audiobooks and podcasts. I love putting one of these on when I’m in the kitchen, walking or driving. Some of my favourite podcasts are This American Life, Radiolab,The MothandCrime Junkie. And I use the Libby app to borrow audiobooks from the library. Check them out when you get a chance.
Jamie Kurzdorfer
What do you like most about what you do? Doing research and learning new things.
What is your favourite read? My favourite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. I can read it every year, and it never gets old.
Top grammar tip: Use a semicolon or a period to separate two complete sentences.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work? Reading and teaching my puppy tricks.
Jenni Reed
What do you like most about what you do? As I work exclusively with spoken (not carefully thought out and arranged) words which cannot be corrected, it gives me such pleasure to face what seems to be a tangle of words, and by using the art of punctuation turn it into something that makes perfectly good sense and flows nicely.
What is your favourite read? I’m currently rereading an old favourite of mine: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco — monks, murder, herbals, libraries, labyrinths, oh my!
Top grammar tip: Speak in complete sentences!!!
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work? I enjoy getting out graph paper and plant catalogues and losing myself planning/imagining the flower and landscape garden that I don’t yet have…or going for a hike with my hubby or playing games (card games or Carcassonne) or trying new recipes! And a bit of yoga makes a great break in the middle of a workday.
Miki Patel
What do you like most about what you do? What I like most about proofreading is that it can be applied to any industry. Where there are words, there’s a need for proofreaders to ensure that the quality of what is written is met. I also like the fact that proofreading is a skill that can’t be completely automated, so there will always be a need for proofreaders no matter how far we get into automation. Working from home on my bed is also a perk. I can work anytime, anywhere.
What is your favourite read? It’s been a while since I’ve read for leisure, so I’m going to have to go back to my teenage years. My favourite book would be Night World. I really did enjoy reading fiction back then. I’m sure I would still enjoy it if I had the time to sit down and read.
Top grammar tip: Memorize homophones (words that sound alike but have different spellings, meanings or origins) and learn how/when to use them. There’s no way around this, and it drives us proofreaders crazy when we see people using words like “effect” and “affect” incorrectly.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work? I enjoy learning new skills. I consider myself to be a lifelong learner. I didn’t want to just stop at learning how to proofread court transcripts. I’m currently enrolled in Internet Scoping School so that I can also potentially scope in the future. I want to learn transcribing, bookkeeping and graphic design in the near future. I always like to say that no skill is a wasted skill. All these skills that I build might all come in handy one day in my professional life.
https://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2020_07_24_FeatureImage_WikiRebootTeam-1400x649-1.jpg6491400veritextcanada_48bzhlhttps://veritext.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/logo-veritext-canada-300x138.pngveritextcanada_48bzhl2020-07-24 09:00:002022-07-23 14:16:48Connect Series: Meet our Wiki Reboot Team Members!
Avang Aboubakr (Headquarters, Vancouver), Alicia Tobias (All-Star by Reportex) and Kelsey Fletcher (Island Reporters, Victoria).
With our offices slated to safely open on Monday, July 6, we couldn’t think of a better time to introduce you to our office managers at Reportex – Avang, Alicia and Kelsey.
We recently asked them each a few questions. Here is what they had to say:
First up, is Avang Aboubakr, our office manager at Reportex Headquarters, Vancouver. Avang joined the team right in the middle of our office closure and has hit the ground running.
What are you most looking forward to about the safely re-opening?
I am overjoyed to be reuniting with my colleagues, as well as adhering to our safety protocols.
What has been the silver lining in having the offices temporarily closed?
The opportunity to spend more time with family and having their support as I embarked on a new position with the Reportex team.
How have you connected with yourself during these challenging times?
I have focused on centering myself through meditation, and finding my inner ‘handyman’ with home renovations. I’ve also discovered some at-home fitness routines… and red wine has been a huge part of my diet.
Fun fact: When not in the office, Avang enjoys meditation, wine and Korean dramas.
Next, isAlicia Tobias, our office manager at All-Star by Reportex located in New Westminster. Alicia has been a member of the All-Star team since January 2012.
What are you most looking forward to about the safely re-opening?
I am most looking forward to reconnecting face to face with my co-workers and clients. Prior to our offices shutting down I had been on mat leave for a year so it has been an extra long time since I have seen everyone’s smiling faces.
What has been the silver lining in having the offices temporarily closed?
Something positive that has come from having the office temporarily closed is being able to catch up on a large backlog of work emails.
How have you connected with yourself during these challenging times?
I found that at the beginning of the pandemic I was spending too much time cooped up in the house. This was adding to my anxiety and stress surrounding everything going on in the world. So now I try to spend as much time outdoors as I possibly can, whether it be going for a walk, or sitting outside and enjoying a cup of coffee. I realized that it is the simple things like getting fresh air or reconnecting with nature that help ease my mind and give me a sense of calm.
Fun Fact: When not in the office, Alicia enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching Netflix, reading, travelling and exploring local trails and parks.
Last but not least, isKelsey Fletcher, our office manager at Island Reporters located in Victoria. Kelsey opened Island Reporters three and a half years ago, with a partner Colleen Murray. Kelsey doubles as an Office Manager and Realtime Court Reporter. Kelsey has been instrumental in the Cowichan trial in Victoria.
What are you most looking forward to about the safely re-opening?
I’m looking forward to having the office stop looking like a ghost town! It will be great to start hosting in-person discoveries again because it’s hard to feel connected to our clients from afar like this.
What has been the silver lining in having the offices temporarily closed?
For me personally, I have been involved in a lengthy and intense land claim trial, and once COVID hit and things shut down, the courthouse closed and I found myself on an extended holiday. After the initial stress wore off, I realized that I had been given an amazing gift of plenty of time off at the perfect time of year. I live on a farm with a big garden, and it was spring, so I threw myself into gardening, breeding chickens, incubating/hatching eggs, baking, and I tackled some projects that had been on the back burner for a long time. It was amazing to have eight weeks off.
How have you connected with yourself during these challenging times?
I’m introverted and used to spending time on my own, so the social isolation wasn’t really something I found terribly difficult. And I don’t tend to get overly stressed or anxious about stuff in general, so the pandemic didn’t really have a big impact on my life, other than in a positive way with the bonus time off. I would say I fared well through this strange COVID time, but I’m aware that many people weren’t so lucky. I found myself feeling grateful more often and appreciating everything I have.
Fun Fact: When not in the office, Kelsey enjoys sailing.
Meet our Marketing & Communications Director, Megan Ejack. Megan joined the team in March 2019, and has since been an amazing asset to the Reportex team. Megan is known for her strong leadership and interpersonal skills and endless creativity.
A highly experienced visionary with a background in dance, communications and strategic planning, Megan previously worked at TLABC for 12 years as their Development Director.
When not at the office, Megan enjoys football, travel, sunshine and wine and is currently working towards her certification at the acclaimed International Sommelier’s Guild (ISG).
We recently interviewed Megan on our theme of ‘connection’ and to see how she was making out during these challenging times. Here is what she had to say:
How have you found meaningful ways to connect with your work during these challenging times?
I feel incredibly grateful to be able to keep working, albeit a little differently, but it has also been very intense to lead a team, with my colleagues, through this crisis. I’ve found that the key is balance. People are looking to you for answers and assurance, and there is a huge push to adapt quickly and keep the business running, so you have to try and remain calm and focused even when things are in chaos around you. There have been days when putting on a brave face has taken everything I have. But knowing that what we’re doing really does matter and is helping the whole industry keep running feels amazingly gratifying.
I have found some solace in my role as Mktg & Comms Director, because it’s my job (even in normal times) to find ways to connect with our team, our clients and our industry. But these days, I get to be a little more creative! In many ways, I have found inspiration in new platforms to use, in connecting through our social media and our marketing efforts, as well as checking in with our team as much as possible.
It helps to have the greatest team beside you, for the good days and the hard ones… and wine, wine helps too.
Have you found a way to connect with your community during these challenging times?
Despite being isolated on my own, I’ve been really grateful for what I affectionately have been calling my morning and evening freedom walks in my neighbourhood. I live in Kitsilano and I like to walk down to the beach. As I pass my neighbours who are doing the same, it has been nice to slow down and take the time to say hello or good morning more than usual… and the faces are becoming familiar, it really feels like a community now.
Although it has always been part of my life, I feel that I’ve also been really focused on shopping and supporting local. There are so many new options for delivery and services coming out of this, it’s easier than ever to support my neighbourhood restaurants and businesses. I imagine that there will be a huge focus on continuing to support, shop and travel locally and prioritize supporting our Canadian economy.
Also – the Facebook group “What do you see from your window” has been a shining light joining people from across the world – all of us existing in this same pandemic! Really cool.
How have you connected with yourself during these challenging times?
It has been more important than ever to really listen to my body and soul as we navigate our health, the media, business, family, fear, anxiety and the whole range of emotions every day. I carve out the time to meditate each morning and afternoon and to move my body, even if it’s just a short walk or some yoga.
I’ve also been fueling my mind with productive and positive things to combat the fear and uncertainty. I’ve been focusing on developing my leadership skills through the ‘Masterclass’ app and I’ve also been reading a lot – my recent favourite is ‘Untamed’ by Glennon Doyle.
Speaking about connection generally, is there something specific that inspires you about this idea?
Everything about connection inspires me. Understanding how we are all interconnected and how we connect to our own selves in this world is truly all there is.
Wellness Wednesday withChristy Pratt Reportex President, Owner and Realtime Reporter Christy Pratt talks about leadership, self-reflection and ‘the new normal‘.
Three months ago when Reportex closed its offices and moved all but one of our team members offsite, we had no idea how long any of this would last or what the world would look like when we came out the other side. This pandemic has tested my leadership chops like no other event. With over 90 staff and contractors relying on me to get it right, I didn’t have the luxury of losing my footing or wallowing in self-doubt. I spent the entirety of March 20/21/22 having private Zoom meetings with each of my staff and reporters (roughly 50 people), putting a game plan in place so we could weather this storm of unknown duration together, as a team, while ensuring that everyone’s needs would be met. It was a scary, uncertain time for everyone, and the courage, understanding, flexibility and resiliency of my team buoyed me in profound ways.
Despite the many challenges brought about by COVID-19, this has been a time of tremendous reflection and growth for many of us. We all find ourselves re-entering a world that isn’t quite as we remember it. In speaking with our team members across Reportex, All-Star by Reportex and Island Reporters, I have learned that the idea of a return to “normal” is different for everyone. While many feel ready to leave the confines of home, others are feeling trepidatious. My team’s safety and wellbeing was front of mind for me when we entered this pandemic, as it will continue to be over the coming months.
When we first started isolating at home back in March, I like everyone found myself adapting to a somewhat new way of working. As a court reporter I’m very used to working on transcripts from anywhere in the world, but as a business owner I was very accustomed to conducting meetings in person. Technology is an incredible gift, and I rely heavily on it in both my personal and professional life, but it didn’t take me long to realize that ‘Zoom fatigue’ is real. I’ve never stared at my own image as much as I have these past few months, and a couple weeks ago I clocked 20 hours on Zoom in two days. At the end of that week I was out of words, and for those of you who know me, that is a very rare phenomenon.
On days when I wasn’t Zooming for days, I took some time to really examine the pace I’ve been maintaining these past few years. I’d been doing back-to-back realtime trials of huge complexity for the better part of ten years straight, and when I wasn’t in court, I was doing my other day job of running Reportex, including overseeing three expansions, hiring 20 new team members and acquiring two other reporting firms, all in the past 18 months.
The forced slow-down afforded to me by the pandemic gave me the space I needed to breathe and reflect, and it didn’t take me long to realize that what I thought was a healthy norm for me pre-COVID was, in many ways, anything but. I’ve always been extremely driven and my mind has always moved at Mach 8, but these past few months have allowed me to realize that if I dial back my enthusiasm to, say, Mach 6, I’m even more effective and productive than I was before.
Once this realization smacked me in the face, I decided to set some intentions for myself in an effort to create a new normal that wasn’t so exhausting and that allowed me space in my day to breathe, observe and be present. Now more than ever I want to achieve that illusive concept of “balance” I’ve been hearing so much about all these years. I still want – need, really – the thrill of the rush, but I also need the symmetry. And most of all I want to master the art of self-care, which is what will ultimately create the space I need to blend harmony with hustle.
My intentions are by no means novel (I’m sure they appear in some form or other in the memoires of highly effective humans that I’ve been meaning to read), but I designed them in a way that I knew would resonate with me. At 46, it’s unlikely I’m going to completely overhaul my life, so I needed to be crafty. Here are a few of my favs:
Mindful Mornings. No more hitting the ground running the second I wake up. I’m slowing things down, meditating, enjoying my coffee and preparing for my day. The emails and messages can wait.
Soulful Nights. No more crashing into bed after working 14-hour days week after week. I could easily work till midnight every night if I wanted to (and I did for years), but I no longer want to. Instead I’m wrapping up work by 7:00 and I’m spending my evenings cooking, reading and reflecting on my day with gratitude (and a slightly smoky single malt).
Stop, breathe, trust. This is easily the most rewarding shift I’ve made as a leader, and it’s definitely been the most difficult to execute. Stopping myself from diving right in, taking a beat to take a breath and trusting that I’ve been clear in my instructions and expectations, eliminating the need for repetition and reminders. This is where the real magic happens in creating calm days and where I’ve really been able to carve out space for myself.
I’m delighted that we are introducing ‘Wellness Wednesday’ into our weekly blog content, as I think this topic is extremely important. I know I’m not alone in this period of self-reflection, and as we move forward it is my hope that we will all continue the healthy habits we’ve created for ourselves during this strange time. We went into this crisis together, and we will come through it together, hopefully a bit happier and lot more harmonious.
