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LEARNING AS WE GO, SHARING WHAT WE KNOW ©
KNOWLEDGE TO ACTION
ACHIEVING RESULTS.
We acknowledge that our work place is within the ancestral,
traditional, and unceded territory of the Syilx Nation.
WHAT WE DO
At K2A, we share what we learn with the aim of engaging people in conversations
and actions that improve the world around us.
We write - books and blogs. We engage - through leadership coaching, community conversations,
and workshops. John's most recent book encourages readers to consider how their past informs
who they are and the future they are creating.
WE ARE K2A:
It is no surprise that in today’s world, there are
very few issues that can
be addressed with
simple answers.
In our increasingly complex world, it is essential that we work together to identify and experiment with possible approaches to address
everyday problems.
CATHIE:
Cathie believes that putting knowledge to action is everybody’s business.
She supports deepening self-knowledge through coaching or leveraging team knowledge through using deliberate conversations and facilitation strategies.
Cathie has a demonstrated history of producing quality results through leadership in research, social policy, and health and social service contexts. The Collaboration for Spread Handbook, Pop-up Health and Social Service Implementation Guide, and Launch and Learn posts are examples of Cathie’s commitment to sharing what she has learned to inform community collaboration and partnerships.
JOHN:
John is a writer and editor. He explores themes connected to how people find their feet in their lives and in their careers. John has published two books with Sierra Tango Enterprises Publisher in Calgary. Growing Up Baptist in Australia: An Inter-Generational Memoir and Easier Said Than Done: Adventures in the Language Business function as companion books where he relates experiences throughout his personal and working life.
Experienced in both private and public education sectors in Australia and Canada, John is a writer and consultant whose professional interests include building and mobilising capacity and striving to achieve better human potential. Growing Up Baptist includes questions to ponder while Easier Said Than Done features helpful tips at the end of each chapter.
Growing Up Baptist in Australia: An Inter-Generational Memoir (2026)
In his book 'Easier Said Than Done: Adventures in the Language Business', John has written a personal and business memoir in which he shares his experiences as a teacher, teacher trainer, manager and language school owner and director. Experienced in both private and public education sectors in Australia and Canada, John is a writer and consultant whose professional interests include building and mobilizing capacity in English language programs for adult and teenage students.
In his first book, John builds on wisdom he gained throughout his career. He shares his experiences as a teacher, teacher trainer, manager and language school owner/director. Although the book focuses on the field of education, feedback from many readers demonstrates its applicability to working with people in different businesses.
Collaboration Handbook, Companion Pop-up Implementation & More
Latest
Coaching Blogs
The Collaboration for Spread Handbook, companion Pop-up Implementation Guide and Launch & Learn posts grew out of Cathie’s experiences in the IMPACT research program. The Innovative Models Promoting Access-to-Care Transformation (IMPACT) initiative was a five-year Canadian-Australian research program that provided an opportunity to build new and existing partnerships, programs, and research to co-create models of care that enhance access and ultimately improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations. While the [Handbook], [Guide] and [Launch & Learn] posts were designed for people who are engaging in collaborative community-based research to advance primary healthcare, the lessons that we learned apply to anyone engaged in developing community-based initiatives. These resources build on existing knowledge and are intended to provide an initial introduction to community-based project implementation. Together, they promote better understanding of the knowledge, skill, and resource requirements needed to develop and sustain community-based collaboration and partnerships.
Regarding Growing Up Baptist in Australia: An Inter-Generational Memoir
“A panorama of Australian life, amazing in its fine-textured detail.”
Robert James Smith, Australian regional historian
“John Taplin offers a vivid portrait of a life shaped by belief, curiosity, and the complicated love between parents and children. His thoughtful reflections and beautifully rendered family history invite readers to consider their own paths toward understanding who they are and where they come from.”
Jennifer Robin Wilson, author of The Heart of Homestay
COACHING
Cathie can support you to identify your strengths, set goals, and act so that you are better able to lead yourself and others to create lasting, positive change.
Through a process of discovery, goal setting, and action, coaching enables progress towards achieving your potential. Coaching is based on a deep foundation of knowledge, beliefs, and behaviours that advance human capacity.
"Great leaders harness personal courage, capture the hearts and minds of others
and empower new leaders to make the world a better place."
- Maxine Driscoll
"Coaching is releasing a person’s potential to maximize their own performance.
It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them."
- Unknown
THE K2A EXPERIENCE
At K2A we are committed to using evidence and knowledge to improve the world around us.
By building on existing research, evaluation and experience we believe that it is possible
to improve what we do and how we do it.
Cathie and I have worked together for many years in many contexts. Whether gathering evidence through research or evaluation, under Cathie’s leadership we consistently focused on moving knowledge into action. Cathie applies the same integrity, practical approach, and good humour in our coaching sessions. It’s knowledge to action coaching, personally applied. Working with Cathie has proven to be one of my best life decisions.
Laura L
Thank you for all your support and guidance along the way. Working with you helped me trust
that I have the answers. That's a gift I'll take with me for the rest of my life.
Dr. Margot C
Cathie coached our research team through the process of a participatory action research program. This was new to all of us, and involved establishing collaborations with health system decision makers and community organizations. She gave us both practical tips and a sound theoretical and methodological basis for what we were doing. But mostly her warm and encouraging presence made it safe to take risks and celebrate every small step towards our goal.
Jeannie H
Read more about K2A's positive impact on clients here.
GET IN
TOUCH
We share what we know, and learn as we go.
We believe that knowledge mobilization is everybody’s business.