Acknowledgements
Land Acknowledgement
Different Wisdom works alongside people in many places. We honour the Indigenous Nations on whose traditional territories our colleagues and clients live and work, and recognize their enduring relationships with these lands.
Different Wisdom is based in London, Ontario, on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak, and Attawandaron peoples. We respect the treaties and agreements associated with this region. We also recognize the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Oneida Nation of the Thames, and Munsee-Delaware Nation as neighbouring First Nations. Their histories, cultures, rights, and relationships with the land continue today.
A land acknowledgement is a beginning, not an accomplishment. We look to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action to guide our learning and action.
One practical commitment is to make our learning and development services more accessible to Indigenous people and organizations. Guided by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 92(ii) on equitable access to training and education, we offer discounted rates, whenever possible, to under-resourced organizations, especially those that are Indigenous-led or serve Indigenous communities. We would also be happy to discuss options with individuals facing financial barriers to accessing coaching, mentoring, or learning opportunities. We recognize that this is one contribution to a much broader responsibility. We will continue learning, listening, and examining how reconciliation should shape the ways we work.
Logo, Photography, and Location
Thank you to Elly Fox for designing the Different Wisdom / Autre Sagesse logos, and to Rin Bartley for recommending our colours.
Thanks to Thomas Merton, whose words in No Man Is an Island give Different Wisdom its name and byline, “There must be a time.” The three stars in our logo recall Orion’s belt in God’s answer to Job out of the whirlwind.
Thanks to Rob Clairmont of Clairmont Photography, whose digital art, contemplative spirit, and love of nature illumine this website. Since 2018, Rob and Andrew have made photographs of lakes, trees, stars, and canoes during annual retreats at Spirit Point, northwest of Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. We are grateful to the French family for their hospitality and stewardship of this exquisite place.
Gratitude to Authors and Practitioners
We are grateful to the authors, researchers, educators, and practitioners whose work has expanded our understanding, challenged our assumptions, and enriched our practice.
We continue to learn from the people, teams, organizations, and communities with whom we work. Wisdom can be found in what authors write; how information becomes transformation remains a mystery. Reflection on experience, disciplined study, and iterative application in service make that transformation more likely.
We have gathered a selection of books and other materials in our Resources collection, including some of the works that have helped shape our practice and perspectives.
Personal Thanks from Andrew Bartley
I am grateful to the Mystery, my family and friends, and the people and communities in my life. In their love and friendship I abide.
To the people and institutions who helped shape me:
- Rev. Jim Mockler, Doug McCarthy, and Rev. Bill Thomson, OMI.
- St. Peter’s Seminary, especially Thomas Cardinal Collins; Sr. Margaret Ferris, CSJ; Joan Lenardon; Sr. Loretta Manzara, CSJ; and Rev. Michael T. Ryan.
- King’s University College, especially John Campbell and Dante Lenardon.
- Bishop Ronald Fabbro, CSB, and Diocese of London colleagues and friends.
- Michael Pearce and colleagues at Ivey Business School; and Western Continuing Studies at Western University.
- Richard Rohr, OFM, and the Center for Action and Contemplation; Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity; Bob McCarty, John Roberto, and colleagues at the Center for Ministry Development; the community of L’Arche; Ken Blanchard for SLII; Stephen R. Covey at FranklinCovey; Bill Goggin and Adult Education at St. Francis Xavier University; Adria Trowhill and Adler Coach Training; ORSCC team at CRR Global; Pam and Dan Boney of Tilt365; and Carol Keith at Puzzle2Purpose.
- Platinum Leadership, which closed in 2025, especially Corinne Walsh, my business partner at Platinum, and the colleagues and clients with whom I learned so much.
- To the people of Different Wisdom: you make my heart glad.
- My other teachers, mentors, and colleagues who modelled love and wisdom through kindness and service.
To the poets, mystics, and storytellers who stretch and sustain me:
Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Ávila, William Blake, Robert Bly, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Cynthia Bourgeault, Pema Chödrön, Leonard Cohen, John of the Cross, Dorothy Day, Kathleen Deignan, Anthony de Mello, Emily Dickinson, Annie Dillard, James Finley, Stephen Fry, Hafiz, Natalie Haynes, Thupten Jinpa, Robert A. Johnson, Carl Jung, Byron Katie, Jack Kornfield, Ursula K. Le Guin, Gabriel Marcel, Thomas Merton, Stephen Mitchell, Albert Nolan, Julian of Norwich, Henri Nouwen, John O’Donohue, John O’Shea, Maria Popova, Steven Pressfield, Oscar Romero, Rumi, Catherine of Siena, Simon Sinek, Mirabai Starr, Rabindranath Tagore, Thich Nhat Hanh, Henry David Thoreau, J.R.R. Tolkien, Eckhart Tolle, Desmond Tutu, Walt Whitman, Macrina Wiederkehr, and Marion Woodman.
In different ways, you remind me we're already one.
