Shona Welsh, MCEd, CHRP

An award-winning speaker and writer, Shona used to be a corporate change agent but she’s okay now.  She has been speaking to a variety of audiences on work and life issues for almost twenty years, and never thought she’d end up in a family with five children.  She believes that living in a blended family presents all the challenges we face in work and life, and is therefore one of the best places to learn and teach important life skills.  Shona holds a master’s degree in workplace learning, is a certified coach, and teaches at several post-secondary institutions.  She cannot be trusted alone in the house with chocolate. 

John Penton, MEd

John Penton has had various incarnations as a carpenter, farmer, teacher, gravedigger, and ‘kept man’.  He holds a master’s degree in education and is the author of Big Boys Don’t Cry, a study of western society’s approach to the emotional development of boys. An active parents’ advocate, he has given numerous workshops advising parents on navigating the school system for their special needs children.  He has always liked being a father, but like Shona, never expected to have five children.  He keeps a stash of chocolate under the bed that he thinks Shona doesn’t know about.