Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I'm someone who brings depth to ordinary roles. By day, I'm an administrative professional, the kind who keeps the office running, the files organized, the new hire from getting lost, and the minutes taken accurately. I'm good at this. I've been doing it for over a decade across healthcare, nonprofit, and national organizations. But the deeper story is this: I'm a person genuinely fascinated by existence. By what's underneath the ordinary moment. By how things relate to one another and form a larger picture, and by the human spirit which amazes, inspires and unites us. That curiosity shows up everywhere: in my art (solo and group exhibitions, juried shows), in the meditation & movement practices I teach, in the community mindfulness project I've been quietly building since 2013, and yes, even in how I approach a difficult conversation or challenge at the front desk. I like bringing clarity to chaos, simplifying the complex. I believe that good administration, like good art, is really just a form of care and attention. Work ethic non-negotiables? Integrity, accountability, and care (both the heart kind and the attention to detail kind). Also the underrated ability to read a room. MIND: Completed a 6 week training program (effective communication, counselling, giving and receiving feedback, risk assessment) via Toronto Crisis Centre. Mindfulness and meditation teacher and facilitator, because a regulated nervous system is genuinely useful, especially when managing a busy office. BODY: 15 yrs of martial arts and yoga training - Systema, kung fu, chi gong, tai chi, various energy systems, and moving meditation rooted in Chinese Zen (Chan). Volunteer fitness instructor teaching mindful movement, dynamic stretching, and the quiet intelligence of the body. PERSPECTIVE: Courses in unconscious bias, EDI and belonging, and anti-oppression frameworks, combined with years working with diverse and marginalized communities and travelling to more places than this text box allows. It all left me with a passion for understanding people, really listening and seeing what is needed; sometimes imperfectly, but hopefully authentically. OFFICE: 10+ yrs in office management, clerical support, event planning/coordination, outreach, volunteer training, facilitation and digital content creation. I've managed multi-line phone systems, national meeting minutes, filing systems both physical and digital, and the occasional crisis. If you're looking for someone who is organized, warm, grounded, and brings something a little unexpected to a support role, I'd love to connect.
CHF Canada is the national federation supporting cooperative housing across the country. Advocating for the sector, providing education, resources, asset & financial planning, as well as direct support to member co-ops across the country. Being part of the team, allows me to provide administrative and operational support across multiple sub-teams and programs. Day to day this includes minute taking, scheduling, email communications, data entry, mail merges and mailouts, Zoom tech support, onboarding new members, ordering office supplies, logging invoices, photocopying and general equipment maintenance. The kind of steady, reliable behind the scenes work that keeps things moving. Assisting with drafting documents and presentations, preparing templates, research, and supporting both in-person and virtual meetings are are part of the daily rhythm too. On the program side I support the various Member Awards, CHMA (an education program for co-op managers), and the Aging in Place Exchange Network, where I post regularly, facilitate online community chats, and occasionally coordinate guest speakers.
A parallel pursuit running alongside my administrative career, is creative work. On the photography side, I shoot commercial products, real estate, head-shots, family portraits and events, managing everything from concept, styling and staging through to lighting, shoot execution, and post-production editing. Clients have included manufacturers, real estate agents, actors, models, and small businesses. Work viewable at barbaraszymanska.com. On the content and design side, I help produce basic graphic design, newsletters, flyers, social media content, templates and occasional written material for print and digital use, working with Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, Affinity Photo and Canva. I also collaborate regularly with Northern Diaries (https://northerndiaries.com/), a video production company, contributing photography, graphics and content support for their projects and clients.
The TCRC (Toronto Christian Resource Centre) was a long-standing multi-service nonprofit serving residents of Regent Park and Moss Park — providing housing support, drop-in programs, food security, and community development. It has since merged with Fred Victor. In a relief capacity, I supported daily drop-in operations while maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for a diverse clients. Working from anti-oppression and harm reduction frameworks, I provided needs assessment, active listening, crisis de-escalation, and connected vulnerable community members to appropriate support services across Toronto.
DPNCHC is a community-based organization serving a diverse and often vulnerable populations in west-end Toronto, offering primary health care alongside a range of social, educational and community programs. Over five years I held several positions across the organization, moving between front desk reception, medical reception relief, outreach, and project coordination in adult services. On the administrative side, I managed front desk operations, scheduled patient and client appointments, maintained records and filing systems, handled multi-line phone switchboard, data entry, mail, faxing, and general office duties; all while maintaining a calm, welcoming environment for a broad and sometimes complex clientele. On the community project side, I developed and facilitated workshops both onsite and in partnership with/at Wychwood Open Door, onboarded volunteers coming out of recruitment through to training and orientation, provided outreach support to street-involved individuals, and connected clients to appropriate housing workers, social workers, health services and community organizations across Toronto. Throughout all roles I worked consistently from harm reduction and anti-oppression frameworks, and in English, Polish and Spanish where needed.