The Catalyst

Issue #5

Originally Distributed February 27, 2026

Inside this issue:

Framework – The Engagement Pyramid: Designing for real participation
Field Notes – What we’re seeing in motion across local communities
Spotlight – Monarch Momentum Business Community
In the Media – Community Innovation Network, CTV News clip
Action Prompt – Designing for the level of engagement you actually need
Your Next Breakthrough – Strategic support for your next stage
Closing Reflection – Find your people. Build together.

Framework of the Month

The Engagement Pyramid

One of the most useful tools I’ve been introduced to recently (and now reference in my work almost DAILY) is the Engagement Pyramid, originally developed by Gideon Rosenblatt.

It’s been an invaluable resource in my work with Georgian College’s Social Innovation Department and the evolving Community Innovation Network, especially when supporting changemaking social entrepreneurs, community leaders, and institutions, but I’ve also been sharing it in every client meeting, at every coffee date, and with almost every hiking buddy…

At its core, the Engagement Pyramid reminds us that not all engagement is the same — and that’s not only okay, but it’s hugely useful information.

The pyramid moves through six levels:

• Observing – Learning, watching, becoming aware

• Following – Staying connected, receiving information

• Endorsing – Low-barrier actions (sharing, signing, attending)

• Contributing – Giving time, skills, or resources

• Owning – Taking responsibility, co-creating

• Leading – Mobilizing others, stewarding the work

Here’s the insight that matters most for this moment:

Strong communities don’t expect everyone to lead. They design pathways that let people engage where they are now, and grow over time.

When we misunderstand engagement, we either:

• Ask too much, too soon, and burn people out

• Or ask too little, and stall momentum

The leaders making progress right now are the ones designing for engagement intentionally, not hoping it happens organically.

As you read this issue, I invite you to hold three questions:

• Where am I in this pyramid right now?

• Where are my clients, collaborators, or community?

• Am I designing pathways, or assuming participation?

Field Notes

What we’re working on (and what it’s shifting)

Spotlight

Monarch Momentum Business Community

If the March 5th sell-out was a signal, Monarch Momentum is proof of the pattern.

Monarch Momentum is the home for heart-centred entrepreneurs who are building meaningful businesses and who understand they were never meant to figure it out alone.

What makes it powerful isn’t just the strategy. It’s the rhythm.

Weekly work sprints
Monthly masterminds
Quarterly gatherings
Visibility and publishing pathways
Real-time support inside a private community space

It’s not a content library you “keep up with.”
It’s a living structure you step into.

And that structure matters, because when entrepreneurs are supported:

• Clarity compounds
• Confidence grows
• Consistency becomes sustainable
• Isolation dissolves

The founders of the Monarch and Co., Amanda and Kiel, built the community they wish they had when they were starting out.

A community rooted in integrity, alignment, ambition, and wellbeing.

It’s business strategy with soul.
It’s accountability without burnout.
It’s expansion without performance.

And most importantly, it’s proof that when community is designed intentionally, growth stops feeling like hustle and starts feeling like momentum.

If you’re building something meaningful and craving the right environment to support it, this is a powerful place to explore.

Media Room

Huntsville Library Community Impact Lab Opens

This month marked an exciting milestone for our region: the official opening of the newest Community Impact Lab at the Huntsville Public Library, in partnership with Georgian College and YMCA of Simcoe Muskoka.

As CTV News shared, the Lab is designed to tackle some of Muskoka’s biggest challenges by sparking rural innovation and long-term sustainability.

But what makes this initiative powerful isn’t just the space itself — it’s what the space represents.

These Community Impact Labs create a physical and relational home for collaboration. They bring together educators, entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, municipal partners, and residents who are ready to move from conversation to coordinated action.

From left: Sheila West, Vice President Academic, Georgian College; Joanne Foxton, Manager Social Innovation, Georgian College; Nicole Norris, Director Social Innovation, Georgian College; and Suzie Addison-Toor, Vice President, Student Success, Georgian College.

This is community infrastructure in motion.

When institutions choose to co-design with local leaders rather than operate in silos, something shifts. Ideas accelerate. Trust deepens. Participation grows.

As part of the Network’s educational backbone, I’m proud to serve as Lead Course Designer for the Social Innovation for Community Impact Micro-Certification. This month, we released the first module of the Emerging Level — equipping local changemakers with shared language, practical tools, and pathways for deeper engagement.

Community innovation doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when people intentionally decide to build together.

Take Action

Your Catalyst move this month

Design for Engagement

This month, try mapping one initiative, community, or offer you’re leading against the Engagement Pyramid.

Ask:

• Where are people currently engaging?

• Where do I need more ownership or leadership?

• What’s one intentional step I could design to support that next level?

Small design shifts can unlock enormous momentum.

Your Next Breakthrough

Strategic Support for What Comes Next

Community creates momentum, but momentum without direction can stall.

This is where strategic partnership matters.

Right now, I’m supporting:

• Solopreneurs ready to move from “doing everything” to focused, scalable growth

• Established organizations navigating evolution, restructuring, or expansion

• Community leaders who need clear thinking space in complex environments

This work is not about giving my client more ideas, but:

• Clarifying your next strategic move

• Strengthening your engagement pathways

• Turning scattered effort into coordinated action

• Designing systems that support your growth

If you’re sensing that you’ve outgrown your current structure, pace, or strategy, that’s a sign you’re ready for a different level of support.

If that’s you, I’d be honoured to provide Strategic Thought Partnership to support your next level.

Closing Message

Find Your People. Build What Matters.

What I’m noticing more than anything right now is a quiet shift in where energy is flowing. The people doing meaningful work aren’t looking for bigger platforms or louder messaging — they’re looking for aligned rooms. They’re asking better questions about who they build with, how trust is formed, and what kind of structures actually sustain momentum over time.

The Engagement Pyramid is a helpful reminder that not everyone needs to lead for change to move forward. Real progress happens when people are invited to participate at the level that feels right and are supported as they grow.

That’s what I’m seeing across Georgian College + the YMCA SM’s Social Innovation Network. It’s what I’ve experienced inside Monarch Momentum. And it’s what I see every time a gathering fills not because of hype, but because people want to belong to something that matters.

If you’re building something with heart, don’t carry it alone. Seek out the environments that sharpen you, steady you, and expand you.

The right community doesn’t just make the work lighter — it makes it stronger.

With you in the work,

Jess