'She needs a pep talk!': A husband hopes to boost his wife's morale before she retires
Sadly, it seems, an effective pep talk requires more than just the earnest desire to motivate another person.
Take the case of husband and wife Ken and Mary Anne Cousineau.
Mary Anne has been a teacher for nearly 40 years, working with children with cognitive and behavioural challenges. She adores her job. But at the end of this month, it's over — as of December 31, 2017, Mary Anne retires.
Ken says the prospect is causing his wife "much grief and despair, to the point of her having mild anxiety attacks."
He has tried to motivate her via pep talks, but to no avail. Out of desperation, Ken sent Now or Never an email — an appeal — to help Mary Anne get excited about all that lies ahead.
Here's some of that email:
"She needs a pep talk! I've tried desperately to fill that role with limited success. She needs to know that retirement isn't sitting in front of the television and not having a purpose. She needs to hear that retirement can be the most fulfilling time of a person's life and that all it takes is to embrace the situation and get up every morning with a purpose, either for that day or for something that you've decided is your next chapter."
To help Mary Anne out, the team at Now or Never decided to call in a pro.
Savoy "Kapow" Howe is head coach and founder of the Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club, Canada's first female-owned and trans-positive boxing club. In 25 years coaching, Savoy has delivered thousands of pep talks.
When Ify and Trevor introduced Mary Anne to Savoy, she explained her apprehension about retirement.
"It really feels like just a roller coaster of emotion for me. Some days, it feels like, 'what have i decided to do?'. This just doesn't feel right to be walking away.''
Mary Anne says her identity has been rooted in her work for so much of her life.
"And particularly to leave behind the real joy that I get and how my students feed me on a daily basis and to know that that's not gonna be a part of my everyday life now."
For her pep talk, Savoy asked Mary Anne to identify four of her greatest passions. Mary Anne came up with: family, children with special needs, travelling and cooking. Savoy then asked her to think of a job that incorporated those passions.
"Perhaps providing some kind of mentorship or support to families who are going through a diagnosis," said Mary Anne.
Savoy then told her to try and focus on making that role a reality.
She also gave Mary Anne a "boxing name."
"You said a roller coaster... you've been like a roller coaster? A roller coaster carries a lot of people and it can be quite a job. It also can travel a far distance, powerfully... a roller coaster is fast and powerful. So that's your boxing name."
So what's next for Mary Anne 'The Roller Coaster' Cousineau? Time will tell. But for now, she plans on taking time to breathe deep and reflect on a long and rewarding career in education.
"It's just going to be a year to exhale."