The Wisdom of Trauma: Film Screening
& Experiential Well-Being Workshop
Thursday, October 29, 2026, 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Healing Hub Collective, 185 Frobisher Dr, Waterloo, ON
What if the question isn't, “What's wrong with me?”
What if we asked, “What happened to me?”
So many of us carry stress, emotional pain, or patterns we don't fully understand. We try to push through. We work harder. We tell ourselves to think more positively. We keep going.
But what if there is another way to understand what we have experienced?
What if curiosity and compassion could change the way we see ourselves?
You’re warmly invited to join us in Waterloo for a community screening of The Wisdom of Trauma, featuring the work of Dr. Gabor Maté, followed by an interactive conversation, reflection, and experiential well-being workshop led by Paula Nowak, M.Ed.
The film offers a compassionate perspective on trauma and invites us to consider how our life experiences can shape the way we relate to ourselves, others, and the world around us.
Rather than asking what is wrong with us, it encourages us to become curious about what we have experienced and how those experiences may continue to influence our lives.
It is an invitation to see ourselves and others with greater understanding, compassion, and curiosity. And perhaps, to meet ourselves with a little more kindness.
After the film, we’ll pause and explore.
The workshop with Paula will create space to reflect on what resonated with you and explore practical well-being and nervous system regulation practices.
You are invited to slow down, reconnect with yourself, and experience simple practices that can support greater awareness, grounding, nervous system regulation and emotional well-being.
This is not about fixing yourself. It is not about having all the answers.
It is about creating space to pause. To notice. To breathe. To reconnect.
And to explore new possibilities for your well-being.
Come as you are.
Whether you are interested in personal growth, emotional well-being, healthy connection, or simply curious about Dr. Gabor Maté’s work, you are welcome here.
You may leave with new perspectives, practical tools, deeper understanding, and perhaps a little more compassion for yourself and those around you.
Meet Paula Nowak, M.Ed.
Paula Nowak, M.Ed., is an educator, speaker, Well-Being Coach, and facilitator with more than 30 years of experience in education, including 15 years as a school administrator. She helps individuals and organizations better understand stress, build resilience, and support emotional well-being. Paula combines her experience in education with training in mindfulness, movement, nervous system regulation, and coaching to offer practical tools that can be used in everyday life.
Paula’s approach is shaped by both professional experience and personal lived experience with adversity. Trained by Dr. Gabor Maté in Compassionate Inquiry®, she brings a practical, compassionate perspective to understanding stress, emotional regulation, and resilience.
An evening to pause, reflect, and reconnect.
Come curious. Come exactly as you are.
Space is limited, so book your spot early!
We’d love to share this meaningful evening with you.
Cost: $35 for Screening, Workshop & Bonus Video featuring Nervous System Regulation techniques
Content Note: The film includes discussions of trauma and addiction that may be distressing for some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.