"Basia really helped me to work through difficult situations, improved participation in difficult conversations and in facilitating challenging team meetings. She definitely helped me with clarity in my leadership journey. I am not sure where I would be without her!"
J.S.
Health Services Manager
"Basia is like a ray of sunshine. In the midst of the pandemic my team was feeling disheartened and disconnected. Basia led an Active Hope session for us during our online retreat. With genuine warmth and skillful facilitation, she helped us share our struggles, generate optimism for the future, and rekindle our team spirit. "
Z.U.
Physician
As a coach, consultant, mediator and facilitator, Basia Solarz (pronounce) (she/her) helps people reconnect with the best of who they are, even when things are at their worst.
She holds the view that people have the desire and capacity to balance the needs and concerns of themselves as well as others, but the destabilizing effects of conflict often lead to negative thoughts, feelings, behaviours and interactions that feel uncomfortable and disappointing. With support, people can find their way back to their innate strength and responsiveness to others so that they can move in the direction of what is most meaningful and gratifying to them.
Rather than taking the path of least resistance to overcoming challenges and conflicts, Basia encourages clients to take the Braver Path, the path most aligned with their values and who they aspire to be.
She does this by holding space for meaningful conversation, helping individuals and groups shift from “What’s the matter?” to “What matters?”
Basia began her professional path in public education, where she was motivated to help students learn about and practice peer mediation. She went on to lead the community engagement team of the urban greening program, Philly Green, which inspired her to explore ways to help people work through conflict. She was especially drawn to methods of facilitating group processes that promote participatory leadership.
Basia worked for the healthcare system in Nova Scotia for 12 years as the Consultant for Communication and Conflict Competence. There she provided conflict and leadership coaching, mediation, facilitation of transformative dialogue and learning and development services to people at all levels of the organization, helping them to return their focus to patients and families.
Basia’s education and training reflects her passion for and belief in the power of dialogue. In addition to training in Transformative Mediation and Dialogue, Basia has studied approaches from the Art of Hosting, including circle practice, Open Space Technology and World Café.
After completing a Masters in Adult Education at St. Francis Xavier University, Basia became certified as a co-active coach and is now credentialed through the International Coach Federation as a Professional Certified Coach.
In 2014, she was invited to become a Fellow for the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation and is currently leading a research project to develop a form of conflict coaching that is based on the transformative framework.
Basia’s clients appreciate her gentle wisdom and support for their personal and professional growth, and her artful approach to holding space for conversations that matter.