Connect Series: Meet Victoria Joosten, Operations Manager

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We love connecting and learning about our new-found team across the country. Victoria Joosten is the operations manager at Neesons and our connection to the east side of our operations. She has her finger firmly on the pulse of the needs for legal services in Ontario, and we value her insight and are excited to be working with her as part of the Veritext Canada team.

Can you tell us what led you to your current role and what you love about working there?

I started in the scheduling department at Neesons back in 2016 and had the pleasure of building that role into more of a client/marketing-focused position for four years. I was lucky enough to work closely with Kim Neeson and Dani McCoy to learn the ebbs and flows of the business, preparing me to step into the operations role that I am in today. I love that every single day is different — new problems to solve and a huge team to support, collaborate with and lead. I am learning something new every single day, and I could not imagine working for a more supportive company.

How do you see this new unified national team will help better service the legal industry across Canada?

We have a really great opportunity to become the undeniable leaders in the legal support industry in Canada right now. Our reach is far and wide, led by a team of hard-working, driven and like-minded individuals across the country. We now have access to court reporters and transcriptionists in almost every province nationwide and a support team that is available 24 hours a day. There is nothing we can’t do!

Veritext’s mission and corporate values aim to be respectful, ethical, collaborative, accountable and professional. Can you tell us which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

I would be lying if I said I thought one of those values is more important than the others, but I do have to say working collaboratively and holding people accountable resonate with me the most. I strongly believe in collaborative leadership, focusing on open conversation and organic solutions that will benefit and grow the business. Veritext is full of individuals with creative, innovative ideas, and it is important that we not only hold our team accountable to drive results but also hold ourselves accountable as well. Be the leader you would follow.

Wellness and self-care are important to our team. Do you have a favourite way to recharge or any tips for staying healthy mentally and physically or any tips for staying healthy mentally and physically both at work and home?

I am a huge health nut! I love the standing desk option for both the office and my home, and I keep a huge water bottle by my side. I also make it a priority to take a break from the screen every half hour or so to readjust my eyes for a few minutes. I do intense HIIT workouts every day after work to de-stress, and I am a strong believer that connecting with people will always boost your mood. My tips would include drinking at least 2 litres of water every day, getting your 10K steps in and going outside in the sun! Vitamin D is everything.  

Welcome to International Women’s Day 2022

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by Kerry Sauriol, Marketing Coordinator

March 8 is International Women’s Day, and the Government of Canada’s theme for 2022 is Women Inspiring Women.

It also marks my one-year anniversary with the company. There have been massive changes since then — Reportex is now Veritext Canada — but the one constant has remained: each of our offices across Canada (Reportex, Ace, Royal, Amicus and Neesons) is run by an empowered and largely female-led team, and it is always exciting to see such strong roles continuing to develop and influence this industry for everyone involved.

Over the last few decades the job market has seen drastic changes to the types of employment available. According to Statistics Canada over 2.6 million people describe themselves as self-employed, and approximately 40 percent of them are women. 95 percent of court reporters and transcriptionists in Canada are female. 

Born in 1860, Georgina Alexandrina Fraser was Canada’s first female journalistic stenographer. She also taught young women to do the same. However, it took a lot longer for women to enter the legal services in Canada, and their struggle is aptly described in this Maclean’s article from 1954:

“SEVEN years ago, two energetic but penniless young women freshly out of His Majesty’s services were suddenly faced with the sobering [a]nd dismaying realization that they were once [a]gain living in a man’s world.

Ethel Zatyko and Rena Pettypiece had taken a twelve-month course in the hope of becoming court stenographers. They decided to pursue their chosen vocation in Alberta, which they regarded as a province of oil booms and millionaires. They wrote letters of application to court officials. But when the answers came, their hopes were dashed: the RCAF might recruit women wireless operators, but Alberta doesn’t allow women court reporters.

The girls were stunned and indignant, but never tearful.

They decided to go to Alberta anyway and show what women can do.”

Things have changed in Alberta and the rest of Canada. 

The passion and belief in what we do has not changed. It is what pushes the people here to evolve and continue to look to the future of court reporting in Canada as we connect with like-minded people and organizations across the country. 

The passion and belief in what we do also drives us to encourage and support court reporters to be the best in their field. We are excited to be planning more workshops and continuing education opportunities across Canada.  

The passion and belief in what we do drives us to ensure the best technologically relevant services for our clients. Legal services are evolving quickly, thanks to many outside forces, and we are here to make sure you are ready to face them all. 

Our name and logo may have changed, but our core values and commitment to this industry have not changed. Today we support many women-focused initiatives across Canada, including West Coast LEAF, Dress for Success, TLABC Women Lawyers Retreat and ACTLA Women’s Legal Forum. Our commitment to the future is to continue to inspire and support women (and men) to be the best they can be and to always dream big.  

Connect Series: Meet Britney Rumbaugh, Medicolegal Editor/Proofer

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One of our key service areas that is not related to court reporting is independent medical examination (IME) transcription. This is a rather large umbrella term that covers the many aspects of medicolegal transcription services that are required by the medical and legal fields. We are proud of the experts we retain to review these transcripts to the exacting standards of quality and accuracy that we expect in all our work. 

Britney Rumbaugh is one of our editors and proofers with a passion and interest in medicolegal documentation. She took some time to share why she loves this field of work.

Could you tell us in your own words what a medicolegal editor/proofer does?

The medicolegal editor/proofer is a medical language specialist and skilled researcher with the ability to analyze lengthy, complex medicolegal documentation while checking for ambiguities, inflammatory language (as seen in the court), conflicting information, incongruency of facts, false information, missing information, grammatical errors, formatting errors, spelling/typos, etc.

I edit and/or proof reports that have been received straight from an expert or have gone through our in-house transcription services. These types of reports include (but are not limited to) independent medical examinations (IMEs), supplementation reports, cost of future care (COFC) reports, functional ability assessments (FAAs), future cost of care (FCC) reports, functional capacity evaluations (FCEs), medicolegal reports and addendums.

Did you find this career, or did it find you?

I have always had a passion for biology and a thirst for knowledge. I feel that the position I have found myself in is exactly where I need to be, and I feel that the decisions I have made along the way have put me here. I enjoy what I do as well as enjoy the flexibility to be able to work from home — something that is not easily obtained in the medical world.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

There is a great sense of pride in being able to continually expand one’s knowledge while simultaneously helping experts in the field.

What has surprised you the most?

How passionate I am about helping deliver high-quality reports.

As technology continues to change how we all work, can you look into your crystal ball and tell us your vision of the future of the medicolegal transcription/editing industry?

As I have been in this industry for over a decade now, I have been able to watch the major shift in technology. There are many programs on the market that will attempt to do the job of a medical transcriptionist, but in my opinion they fall short. Most often these programs are “trained” to the speaker, and after time (and usually much frustration) they are eventually able to produce a document of subpar standards. Unfortunately, most experts will need to edit the produced document to some degree after it is churned out — and many professionals do not have the extra time to do this.

I feel that good medicolegal transcriptionists and medicolegal editors are irreplaceable, and the demand for our services will only increase as we see a transition into more multidisciplinary approaches to care and recovery (occupational therapy combined with physiotherapy, chiropractic, massage, psychology, etc.).

Veritext’s corporate values are respect, ethics, collaboration, accountability and professionalism. Can you tell us which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

I feel that all of Veritext’s listed values resonate strongly with me. They seem to work in unison — but if I have to choose one, I think respect should be foremost. I feel that respect is a key component in a healthy workplace culture and would allow for strong values across the board.

We talk quite a bit about wellness and self-care on our blog and internally through our Teams channels. Do you have a favourite way to recharge or any tips for staying healthy mentally and physically?

I love to “make old new again.” I enjoy refinishing old furniture. The before and after is always a big driver for me, and the whole process is very therapeutic.

I think the biggest thing for our mental health is to remember to make time for those closest to us as well as for ourselves! Find something that motivates you outside. My family and I enjoy many outside activities and are always on the go. Do what makes you happy!

Community Building and the Future of Court Reporting in Canada

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No matter where you are located, as a court reporter you have likely experienced huge shifts in the industry. With COVID-19 rapidly transporting most legal services to virtual and hybrid systems, you have embraced navigating this new technology, from digital exhibit marking to document sharing.

At Reportex we have always tried to make the lives of our court reporters better with our thoughtful extras. We provide in-house training via workshops and one-on-one support to ensure comfort and proficiency in the latest court reporting technology and transcript editing practices. Our QC team is also integral in ensuring our consistently high standards as well as sharing useful tips along the way. We pride ourselves in continually fine-tuning our processes to provide reliable and seamless court proceedings for all our clients.

And now we want to do even more. We hope you will watch this space to see more news and stories that affect your life and what you do for a living. And more importantly, what we — now a Veritext company — can do for you as part of our expanding team. We are currently revamping our blog, developing a specialized newsletter, using LinkedIn to meaningfully connect as well as planning more events and workshops to speak to what is important to you, the heart of our business.

Meet Our Director of Court Reporting for Canada

You all know our realtime reporter Leanne Kowalyk. She was our operations director, and now Leanne is the director of court reporting for Canada. Leanne has walked in your shoes throughout her career and is now taking the lead in reporter relations. We asked Leanne for her thoughts on the changes we are experiencing at Reportex and throughout the industry at large across Canada.

If you had a crystal ball in front of you, what would you see lying ahead for the role of a court reporter in the future?

I believe there will always be exciting opportunities for court reporters across Canada. Will there be changes along the way? Of course. Evolution is a necessary part of sustainable opportunity.

I expect that we will lose a percentage of our workforce over the next five years as reporters retire faster than they are coming out of school, so I see a transition on the horizon in that regard. In the States as a whole they expect to be down a third of reporters five years from now. I expect a similar trend here, and the impact of that will be felt in different ways depending on which province you’re in and the current landscape.

In BC we anticipate the insurance caps and “no fault” will begin to impact us over approximately that same time frame, so in a perfect world those two issues will equalize to a certain extent. Having said that, I expect hybrid/virtual work is here to stay, so in joining the Veritext family, we will be opening up that national pool of work to all Veritext reporters across Canada, depending on the designations they hold. In the event that we do end up with a shortage of work here in BC, it will only serve as an opportunity to lend our neighbours a hand across Canada when they are running short (and vice versa).

And what do you envision as your role here in creating that vision?

My responsibility is to anticipate and help navigate these changes in the most smooth, inclusive and supportive way possible while trying to make it a fun experience along the way! The more doors that reporters have open before them, the more opportunities they will have, and there truly are so many. My role is to ensure those doors are open to our reporters so that when they are ready, they will possess all the tools they need to walk right on through them (should they choose to) feeling confident and capable.

For the “newbs” just starting their court reporting careers, can you share any stories from your experiences that highlight how dynamic the role can be?

I would say I’ve experienced the most dynamic part of reporting when faced with the unexpected. Whether it be replacing a sick reporter last minute on an unfamiliar realtime trial or feeling like a rock star when requested back by counsel on a matter that has rebooked, it’s never a dull moment! There is very little you can anticipate in this career, and the more adept you are at going with the flow, the more you will enjoy it.

Sometimes there are unanticipated witnesses, out-of-town jobs or day-of bookings that can be the most memorable and interesting. On the face of it a discovery could look quite predictable, but upon arrival you find out it’s a complicated plane crash, and you learn things you didn’t know you didn’t know about air travel!

One of the occurrences where I was requested by counsel to cover a continuation happened to be a job at a maximum security prison. One day I was writing a regular in-office job, and the next I’m moving chairs around a room with a convicted murderer setting up for a discovery. Thankfully, he was quite pleasant, and rest assured, there were ample corrections officers keeping a watchful eye.

I also had the privilege of covering some days on Vancouver’s first fully electronic trial, which was quite surreal and incredibly interesting.

Once you become confident with your writing and your equipment and have that to rely upon, it becomes easier and easier to just say yes and jump at the opportunities as they arise.

You truly never know what you’re walking into every day, and for me that’s always been a part of the charming and dynamic nature that I love.

Meet Jenn Kendall, Director of Human Resources

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Jenn is the Director of HR, responsible for the hiring, onboarding, performance management and training of our teams across Canada. Our director of human resources has had diverse experience applying HR programs in a lawful, fair and consistent manner in many industries across four provinces. She has specialized in change management, organizational structure, business development, start-ups and expansions. She also has training and experience in Nonviolent Crisis Intervention, suicide intervention and conflict resolution. Outside of the corporate world she has been teaching yoga and meditation for nearly 15 years.

At Reportex our core values of team, mentorship, equality, community and industry are central to what we do. Veritext’s mission and corporate values dovetail nicely with our already solid foundation. Together we aim to be respectful, ethical, collaborative, accountable and professional. Can you tell us which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

It’s pretty challenging to pick just one as I think they are all essential components to building healthy, cohesive teams and an environment where all feel welcomed, valued and appreciated.

For today I will focus on respectful. A workplace, regardless of size and service, provides employment to people of varying backgrounds, belief systems, perspectives, ethnicities, etc. Each one of those individuals will have a different role and level of responsibility within the organization. Each one also has an equal right to be there and to have an important contribution to make in the overall success of the organization. While we aren’t required to like everyone we work with, there is an expectation that each individual can come to work and be treated respectfully. Without a basic level of respect for our co-workers, the ability to complete the requirements of each of our positions and our overall job satisfaction become significantly impacted, having a long-term and lasting impact on the individual and the business itself.

Based on your experience and knowledge what is the key element to maintaining a strong team during stressful times like COVID-19 and corporate transitions?

I would say there are two things that are essential: 

The first is empathy — an understanding and appreciation that everyone navigates and copes with change and unknowns in a very different way. The way we might do it isn’t how someone else would do it. That doesn’t make it wrong. When everything is going well, we have a tendency to appreciate the characteristics that make us different and unique. When faced with challenges, it becomes easier to lose sight of those same qualities and harder to appreciate them. 

The second is giving our co-workers the benefit of the doubt. Each and every one of us is doing the best we can. While I would say this is true all the time, in difficult times it becomes vitally important to bring this front of mind. 

We talk quite a bit about wellness and self-care on our blog and internally through our Teams channels. Do you have a favourite way to recharge or any tips for staying healthy mentally and physically?

As a trained yoga and meditation teacher those are my initial go-tos and have been for the past 15 or so years. If I’m not on the mat, I can be found wandering somewhere out in nature.

Meet Kim Neeson, Regional VP, Eastern Canada

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Meet Kim Neeson
Me

We are thrilled to be working with Kim Neeson, our connection to Toronto and the east. As regional vice president for Veritext Canada (East) and principal/founder of Neesons, a Veritext Company, she leverages over three decades of court reporting experience, technological insights and dedication to her clients. Kim Neeson is one of the nation’s foremost experts in advanced-technology reporting and CART. Over the years Kim has been an active member in organizations such as NCRA, STAR, CSRAO and Lawyers Feed the Hungry, and she is a fellow of the Academy of Professional Reporters. Kim is a CSR (in both Ontario and Alberta) as well as an RPR, CRR and CRC. She recently became a certified coach, obtaining her Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential.

Can you share with us how you became a court reporter and what led you to found Neesons?

I originally wanted to be a lawyer, but at the time I was thinking of it, the profession had too many lawyers! My aunt knew someone who was a court reporter. I met her, saw that little machine, and I was hooked.

I created Neesons as a place where I could put my technology-forward thinking to work (this being the mid 90s, when realtime was still in its relative infancy) and create a top-of-class court reporting firm where we’d do lots of high-stakes litigation with the best-in-class court reporters around! I wanted to become a niche business with clients who appreciated the kind of services we could deliver.

Is there a trial or experience that you feel made a big impact on you and how you view the role of a court reporter?

I have been privileged to work on many important pieces of litigation over the years, such as the overturning of the wrongful conviction of Steven Truscott, the trial of the Holocaust denier Ernst Zündel (where I used my first PC and CAT software!) and the first cross-border trial ever conducted in the Nortel Networks bankruptcy, where Neesons provided much of the technology and realtime in two different jurisdictions. Court reporting was such an important part of all of these cases, and I was so honoured to be a part of history in the making. There aren’t too many careers out there where you can say that!

As Veritext expands west, what are your thoughts on this new phase of growth?

I’m super excited to bring together east and west. It’s about time! As many of the larger law firms have become national in scope, I’m so pleased that through Veritext we’ve been able to become an almost national court reporting firm. I think this uniquely positions us in the legal industry and will present for us new opportunities of growth and exposure.

How do you see this new unified national team helping better service the legal industry across Canada?

Christy and I share a passion for bringing technology to the legal industry. I see us being able to bring about even more change and enhancement to the litigation experience for our clients, with access to our expertise and know-how no matter where they are in Canada. Discoveries in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto? No problem! One-stop scheduling. One team. One vision.

Veritext’s corporate values are respect, ethics, collaboration, accountability and professionalism. Can you tell us which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

I don’t know that I could pick one of these values alone. I believe in and have practiced all of these values in my life, both personally and professionally. When I built my business, all of these values played a role. In fact I was spurred on to start my own business when the freelance firm I was working for didn’t have these values. I wanted to create that space where these values would be lived. I believe that by embracing our differences, we are stronger as a whole. Maybe I’d add a value: inclusion. 

Wellness and self-care are important to our team. Do you have a favourite way to recharge or any tips for staying healthy mentally and physically?

I am lucky to have an escape from the city in Blue Mountains, Ontario. So I get out and hug a tree pretty often. I also love to take my fur baby, @JaxLaxthePWD, out for long walks on the trails we have here. 

As a reporter I learned the importance of looking after your body — it does take a beating, writing on that machine all day — and so working out, stretching and doing yoga and Pilates are all a part of my routine. Keeping those upper body muscles loose and stretched is just so important!

Meet Lana Allen (again)

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We love seeing the worlds of Veritext and Reportex connecting and getting to know each other better.  Recently Jan Ballman of Veritext Minneapolis took the time to interview our very own Lana Allen, RPR, RCR, CCP. Lana is a realtime court reporter. Realtime reporting is the instantaneous translation of oral proceedings into English text. Counsel’s laptop or iPad is connected to the reporter’s secure realtime network, enabling counsel to read and annotate the text on their screen in real time during the proceedings.

Lana has over 20 years’ experience in both criminal and civil cases, with experience and an extensive knowledge base of Aboriginal, medical, marine, environmental, construction and engineering-related terminology. She also does communication access realtime translation (CART), also known as realtime captioning, for the deaf and hard of hearing.  

You can read and learn about Lana’s globetrotting ways here. 

 

Connect Series: Meet Zinnie Breitkreutz

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Zinnie is our documents specialist and copy editor. In addition to editing written content for Reportex, she is involved in quality control and the preparation of various documents and appeal products. Zinnie was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, and has loved the written word for as long as she can remember (as a child she could never understand why finding errors in books, menus and signs exhilarated her!). She currently lives in Beaumont, Alberta, with her husband and three school-aged kids.

While editing and proofreading are indeed skills that can be learned, what innate personality type do you think it takes to be an expert QC collaborator and copy editor?

While I’m not sure there is a specific personality type, I know there are definitely certain traits that anyone in this line of work needs to have. When you spend your days happily hunting for errors and inconsistencies, conscientiousness is crucial in order to stay focused and finish tasks meticulously. Perfectionism is a blessing and a curse — editors have to strive for perfection but not obsess over it and risk getting bogged down. It’s also important to be able to look at documents with curiosity and a critical eye, not being afraid to research things, point out weaknesses and make suggestions. Humility is also a beneficial trait since editors don’t generally feel the need for recognition; we tend to enjoy staying behind the scenes.

At Reportex our core values of team, mentorship, equality, community and industry are central to what we do. Veritext’s mission and corporate values dovetail nicely to our already solid foundation. Together we aim to be respectful, ethical, collaborative, accountable and professional. Can you tell us which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

Team and collaborative are at the top of my list, without a doubt. I am so grateful for the people I get to work with. Many people I know dread meetings, but I get to look forward to them! Drama with co‑workers? Pressure from superiors? Nope! I have a tremendous sense of gratitude for the fact that I have such a positive work environment. The most challenging projects and tight deadlines can be experienced in a completely different way when you’re working alongside the most amazing team.

Sometimes I pause and think about just how much effort goes into producing a single transcript or appeal product, and it’s incredible. I’ve always been impressed at how much we value quality at Reportex — enough to invest whatever is needed to ensure that we are delivering top-notch products every single time. This simply couldn’t happen if each member of our team didn’t have a pivotal role to play in the collaborative process.

We talk quite a bit about wellness and self-care on our blog and internally through our Teams channels. Do you have a favourite way to recharge or any tips for staying healthy mentally and physically?

Although I’ve always viewed wellness as incredibly important, I had a very disordered way of approaching it until I entered my 30s. One of the most valuable things I’ve learned over the years is that I don’t have to be perfect or live up to societal standards. I do try to incorporate intentional movement into each day, and that’s always a great choice for both my mental and physical health — but I certainly don’t do it because someone else says I should! The most important thing to me is being my best self and doing what feels good to me on any given day or in a given season of life. For instance, I might run and do strength training most days one week, and the next week I might decide that long walks and yoga feel best. One day I’ll crave and enjoy salad for lunch, but the next day might be pizza or a couple of chocolate chip cookies. I’ve found it extremely freeing to give myself permission to take up space in the world, learn how to listen to my body, find balance and avoid comparison. This, for me, is true wellness and self-care.

My faith keeps me grounded, especially in the tumultuous time we’re living in. I’m a very early riser since I love the stillness of mornings, and that’s when I’m most productive and energized. I also love a lot of random things that keep me feeling great mentally and physically (even though my husband likes to tease me for the array of comfort items and routines that I have). These are a few of my favourite things (and yes, whiskers on kittens would be on the expansive list if I had an unlimited word count!): essential oils, lots of water, my body pillow, Netflix, daily chocolate, intuitive-ish eating, kombucha, good books, buttery popcorn, coffee/tea and lingering hugs from my kids.

Connect Series: Meet Abby Morssy

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Abby is the virtual proceedings technician for Reportex, responsible for managing and facilitating virtual proceedings for clients and assisting with technical setup and support. Abby lived in a few different places growing up, including Egypt (where she was born), the UK and even Saudi Arabia. She moved to Canada in early 2017 and was particularly fond of cloudy and rainy Vancouver as her first Canadian city as it was a nostalgic reminder of the London weather that she had grown accustomed to.

As someone who is in the thick of it, what do you see as being the growing needs or trends when it comes to virtual proceedings?

I believe virtual proceedings are here to stay, even as things slowly get back to normal, with a hybrid model being the more likely outcome. As the virtual sector continues to experience growth, connectivity technologies such as 5G and improved wifi will be essential in providing and maintaining high-speed connections. Consumer-grade devices with enhanced hardware that can manage virtual communications will become more widespread and cheaper. Software companies will continue improving their apps to improve accessibility for consumers, especially those who are less technically able. We’ve seen that with Webex and Teams at the start of the pandemic as they looked to simplify their user interfaces to compete with Zoom.

At Reportex our core values of team, mentorship, equality, community and industry are central to what we do. Veritext’s mission and corporate values dovetail nicely to our already solid foundation. Together we aim to be respectful, ethical, collaborative, accountable and professional. Can you tell us which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

I would say collaboration, particularly when it comes to a work environment. Impactful collaboration fosters a strong sense of community. Actively listening to fellow team members and supporting them to reach common goals leads to close-knit relationships and stronger bonds. It also makes it easier for them to reciprocate when others need help and support. This contributes to a healthier work mindset — that we all have a part to play, and we learn, succeed and fail together.

We talk quite a bit about wellness and self-care on our blog and internally through our Teams channels. Do you have a favourite way to recharge or any tips for staying healthy mentally and physically?

I am grateful to have discovered and have gotten into meditation during the pandemic, and I credit it with reducing a great deal of stress in my day-to-day life. Doing a 10- to 20-minute session in the morning before starting my day and another session in the evening to unwind has helped me greatly in decluttering my mind and getting me to focus on things that truly matter. I have become calmer, less reactive, less stressed and more grateful since building this daily habit, and now I can’t imagine my days without it.

Are you still fond of cloudy and rainy Vancouver weather? 

It’s almost customary to complain about rain when it’s wet and cold and to wish for its return when temperatures are soaring. However, after experiencing one of the hottest summers this year, I’m so glad to see the city gradually returning to cloud and rain. Plus this also means it’s pumpkin spice latte time!

You can learn more about Abby’s virtual world and our other e-Solutions services here.

Connect Series: Meet Jenni Reed

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Meet Jenni Reed. As our legal training assistant, Jenni helps manage the onboarding process for the talented people who create and edit Reportex’s quality transcripts. She is involved in editing and writing new wiki material as part of the wiki reboot team as well as helping to keep our training and reference resources up to date. She is also part of our busy QC team, preparing our transcripts for printing.

Jenni grew up in the United States and moved to England after she graduated, where she lived for many years. After making a return to the US, she moved up to Alberta.

Jenni has always been interested in proofreading and editing, so once she finished homeschooling her three children in 2017, she decided to use her eye for detail and love of structure and coherence to pursue a career in transcript proofreading. She has been with Reportex for two years.

At Reportex our core values of team, mentorship, equality, community and industry are central to what we do. Veritext’s mission and corporate values dovetail nicely to our already solid foundation. Together we aim to be respectful, ethical, collaborative, accountable and professional. Can you tell us which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?

I would have to go with collaborative. One of the things I love most about Reportex is the strong sense of teamwork and of all of us being part of an amazing bigger picture. Over time I learn more and more about what different people do here, and I think it’s great that although there are so many of us, no one is just a name or a role, but everyone is valued as an individual.

I am so thankful for the people I work with on various teams. I love our meetings and how we have formed very functional as well as fun relationships with one another. When there’s a huge learning curve, we tackle it together. When there’s a challenge or a huge workload to work our way through, everyone pours themselves into it. There is definitely strength in numbers! Considering that so many of us work from home, I think it’s a real testimony to what Christy has put together here at Reportex that we can feel like such a close-knit group.

We talk quite a bit about wellness and self-care on our blog and internally through our Teams channels. Do you have a favourite way to recharge or any tips for staying healthy mentally and physically?

I’m not as good as I’d like to be at fitting proper workouts in, but I do love to get up from my desk and move throughout the day. If you were a fly on my kitchen wall, you’d see me doing funny things like jumping jacks or toe-touches while I heat my coffee in the microwave! I’m finding that doing some yoga during my lunch breaks is both relaxing and invigorating. And if I can get out for a hike on a weekend, then life is good. I’m working on being more deliberate about what I eat and drink, not just grabbing whatever but trying to make healthy choices, and I definitely feel better when I have that focus.

For mental health I find that getting out and gardening, going for a walk or sitting on the porch with all my cats (we have eight of them!) feels like good “me time.” I like to start my morning early so that I have time to just be myself for a little while before work, whether that means gardening, reading, praying or even just playing a game on my tablet. By the time 8 o’clock rolls around, I’m ready to go!

What’s easier: managing a group of editors and proofers or homeschooling three children?

Haha! Hands down, it’s got to be number one! Homeschooling was such a joy, but I came to it from a place of thinking I’d never do that. My daughter begged for years, so finally I looked into it, and I was amazed to find that it was just what we needed. With different ages and personalities it was a real juggling act, for sure, but we loved that we weren’t confined to what was taught in the schools. We got to do English and world history, learn about botany and animals and read lots of good books together. With all of that of course comes having to motivate everyone to do their schoolwork.

I enjoy being able to interact with each of the editors as I help with job assignments and answering proofreaders’ questions, and I do hope that I’m able to be a help to them where they need it. Like I said before, we’re all valuable parts of the team, and being a part of that with them is such a privilege.