How HappyStudent.ca was founded

The strong shift of lifestyle of 2020 has pushed all of us to think about our values in more depth and to align our lifestyle based on those. Many families and friends expressed the need for a change in the education system, looking for a more holistic approach. As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world” and now is the time to do what we can to teach our children about important life skills so they can follow their intuition and connect with what is really important.

Happystudent.ca is an organic creation which I, as a mother, teacher and human being, feel is more essential now than ever. The need for support and holistic education has become more obvious as we were all forced to shift our lifestyle, and through these more challenging times, I was able to shift my thoughts and actions from unsureness to empowerment, and I can help you do the same.

Together, you can feel less overwhelmed, find solutions to obstacles you are facing, and feel more confident.

Looking forward to connecting with you!

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 TESTIMONIALS:
Parents from students

  • We wanted to take a moment to send our sincere thanks to you for your tireless work with our child and his class this year! He had a great grade 3 year, and it was all thanks to you! We especially appreciated the special care you took in helping him catch up with his reading, focusing on positive social interactions and community within the classroom, and for ALL of the time you spent with them outside! He LOVED all of the hikes and workouts, and we saw such value in that too.

    Thank-you for your work, especially considering the year we have had. Thank-you for making things special for him and his class.

  • We want to thank you for your support in helping our son learn this year. He has grown so much, and we have watched his mindset shift and his self-talk change. He shifted from believing that he was bad, and that he couldn't be good to believing that he belongs, that he is liked, that he is learning, and that he can make good choices. He has confidence and is growing self-love. He enjoyed learning meditation and brought that knowledge into our home to share with his brother. Nature days and the emphasis on healthy minds and bodies really resonated with Jaron and with us. Jaron felt understood by and connected to you and to others in his class. As parents, this has been a shift from worrying about our child every day in school to trusting that he is growing and seeing him begin to thrive. Your teaching and your commitment to know and see Jaron has had a really positive impact. Thank you so much

  • Our family moved to Victoria in 2018. My son had lived in Powell River since birth. We decided to go on an adventure, so Ethan could live in a bigger city and experience new and exciting things and enjoy different opportunities. It was a very big change for Ethan in many ways. Scholastically for sure, as he had been attending a Francophone school since Kindergarten. When we moved to Victoria he had succeeded in making a hockey team that he wanted. This was really wonderful, however it meant he had to attend a specific school. It was an English stream school. He decided to go for it and work with the Conseil Scolaire Francophone to continue his French online. His goal was to graduate with a diploma in both French and English. It was a rough start and Ethan considered quitting. We started to look for a tutor. The stars aligned and some magic happened and we got connected with Catherine Lamarche.Catherine and Ethan met between one and three days per week from 2018 until he graduated with honors in 2021. Catherine is a very special individual. She had a way of connecting with Ethan that brought out his best. I could drop him off for his session in a grumpy mood and when I picked him up he was always happy and less stressed. Catherine is a gifted teacher who will help a student achieve success scholastically, but they also learn valuable lessons about confidence, respect, hard work, and self worth. She is a wonderful human. We miss her.

Teacher

  • “Over the past year, I have taken some wonderful sessions of Life Coaching taught to me by Catherine Lamarche. I enjoyed them very much and think they are beneficial to anyone who desires to understand who they are on a deeper level. I particularly benefited from the boundary sessions and applied the principle on a daily basis. The vision board and core values sessions were also most helpful and gave me much insight.

Coaching Clients

  • Through my experiences with Catherine as a life coach, she has shown remarkable qualities in this field and with helping me through some difficult situations which I was able to look at with greater clarity and a fresh perspective after our life coaching sessions. I always felt safe, comfortable and easily engaged during our life coaching sessions. Through our sessions I was able to make some changes in my life which yielded very positive results. I would not hesitate to recommend Catherine as a life coach.”

  • "Even before our first session, Catherine had me do a brief exercise with the CVI. This gave me a startling and uplifting insight into myself. It was the first of a series of what Catherine calls "Aha!" moments, which together are radically changing the way I experience my life.”

    “Catherine is steadfastly upbeat and encouraging. She is skilled at nudging me towards reaching my goals. With her guidance, I am creating a more empowered, confident, joyful life for myself, right here and now."

  • Catherine is an intuitive listener and thoughtful coach. She inspired me to set personal boundaries -- something I hadn't even considered that I needed before meeting her! She has coached me on-and-off for two years now. Her approachable tone and high standards have elevated me to stretch higher personally and professionally.

  • « J’ai été agréablement surprise de faire autant de prises de conscience en si peu de séances. J’ai beaucoup aimé les feedbacks de Catherine, surtout les questions chocs qui viennent au bon moment.

  • « Catherine est une coach très à l’écoute de son client et on peut sentir son désir de nous voir atteindre notre objectif. À chaque petite victoire, Catherine démontre un enthousiasme fou et cela a un effet catalyseur. Ses questions sont puissantes et arrivent toujours à point. Elle est définitivement une accompagnatrice très précieuse. »

Families

  • The CVI workshop was a great experience for all three of us. Both boys could totally see themselves in the results and John has referred back to it a few times when he and I get into a miscommunication. It allowed them to start seeing themselves in a different way. I guess from an outsider's view. This helps with empathy. Also it was kind of a way of accepting each others’ differences and learning to get along regardless of our differences. I really enjoyed the experience and very much recommend it.

  • “Le test CVI et l'interprétation avec Catherine m'ont vraiment éclairée en ce qui a trait à la personne que je suis, au plus profond de moi-même. Je peux maintenant comprendre pourquoi, dans mon milieu de travail par exemple, j'ai tendance à agir et penser d'une certaine manière, et je peux ensuite observer les autres agir d'une autre manière, et voir comment nos forces sont différentes et peuvent se compléter. C'est tout à fait fascinant! Ma fille adolescente a également fait le test, et je trouve que cette information est très précieuse pour une jeune, apprendre à être qui elle est, quelles sont ses forces. Elle me dit parfois, à moi ou à ses amis: "Je connais cette information-là parce que je suis banquière." C'est très rassurant, pour les jeunes qui sont en train de chercher leur identité, de découvrir qui ils sont à la base, leurs valeurs personnelles, et non pas essayer de se fondre avec le reste de la population. Merci infiniment Catherine! ”

  • “My experience with Catherine Lamarche and sessions of her incorporated work skills as CVI and Life Coach are stimulating towards inner workings of self. She organizes the sessions to fit the individual and structure times for questions and concerns.

    My training and experience of 25 years in the Healing Arts and Counseling in Emotional Trauma has provided me with great recognition of many modalities to serve individuals and families.

    I am proud to support Ms. Lamarche and her work in our communities, schools and corporations.”

  • “Catherine, YOU are the person that has had the biggest positive impact on my life in a while. I haven’t felt this way in years. Your workshops bring me SO MUCH! Thanks to you, I put a lot less on my shoulders thanks to the fact that I am practicing my boundaries. Yes sometimes it creates conflict but I NEVER lost anything during those times, it is the opposite, I have been gaining so much. I am done being drained by others around me. Ever since we started this, my life is just so much simpler. Thank you!!”

  • “Reflecting on situations that tested my boundaries was a very useful strategy. Through this program, I am getting a better understanding of who I am and why I react the way I do to certain situations.”

  • “Catherine offers great food for thought and asks the right questions that gives us a way to have a good idea of our reality. The discussions help us improve our life and help us respond to the challenges that we face. Catherine offers a personalized approach and respects our pace.”

  • “ I now have a vision about myself, what I want to do in the future, where I want to be, what job and lifestyle I want.”