Women Rowing North:
Writing Our Life Stories

A safe, supportive space where older women can reflect, write, and share their life stories.

Are you wanting to write about your life journey and wondering where to begin or how to shape years of experience into meaningful stories?

Women Rowing North: Writing Our Life Stories offers structure, encouragement, and guided facilitation to help you get started. With thoughtfully crafted prompts, a clear writing framework, and the support of a caring group of women, you will uncover the threads of your life - one story at a time. Whether you have never written before or are returning to your voice after years away, these workshops meet you where you are and guide you forward with clarity and confidence.

Your stories matter. Through these workshops you will:

Learn techniques and gain practical tools to write your stories.
Gain a deeper self-understanding through deep reflection, meaningful writing and shared storytelling.
Explore both your own journey and our shared female experience.
Transform from uncertainty about the value of your stories to confident ownership of your narrative.

Structured Writing Guidance

Women Rowing North offers a structured framework for exploring and documenting personal life stories.

Community Connection

Participants have opportunities to connect with other women, fostering a sense of shared experience and support.

Deeper Self-Exploration

Workshops provide a safe and dedicated space for women to delve into their lives, learn about themselves, and explore significant relationships.

Legacy Creation

Through this process, women can create meaningful narratives of their lives and leave a legacy.

Women Rowing North: Writing Our Life Stories is based on Guided Autobiography (GAB), a proven research-based approach to helping people write their stories.

No writing experience required.
No critique of writing style or content - only encouragement and supportive feedback.
A space where your stories are honoured without judgment.
A writing process broken down into manageable steps.
Weekly themes and activities that trigger memories naturally, making writing accessible.
You are invited to write 800 – 1,000 word stories on weekly themes at home, and then read your stories within the safety of a small group (maximum 6 women).
You only share what you are comfortable sharing.

NO WORKSHOPS ARE CURRENTLY SCHEDULED

Workshops

Person in gray sweater writing in a notepad while holding a coffee mug.

Writing My Life Stories

Five themes and writing prompts to give you a clearer understanding of your life journey and tools to continue documenting your legacy.

A cozy bed with a blanket, a mug of coffee with a spoon on top of a book, and some papers with handwritten notes on a rumpled bedsheet.

Exploring My Life Journey

An invitation to a deeper exploration of the meaning and value of your lived experiences.

Roots Run Deep

Our lives are rooted in stories of the past. Join me as we honour where we come from and thoughtfully explore the stories we are ready to carry forward.

A smiling older woman with short gray hair and glasses sitting outside surrounded by green plants, using a laptop and holding a yellow mug.

Monthly Alumni Series

A life story writing opportunity for anyone who has taken a writing workshop with me!

Testimonials

Writing women's stories.

We write stories, women's stories that spring from joy, pain, curiosity, uncertainty, and strength. The voices of the women who read aloud their deeply personal stories bring laughter, tears, questions, kudos, and often a silence that is understood by us all.
—Linda, St. Albans, Vermont
A safe place to share.

As one comes to hear the stories of other women, trust and empathy grow. One feels safe, with Helen's guidance, to share deeply moving experiences, focused on the theme. The women I have met in the workshops are people I would trust with my heart.
—Liz, Vancouver, British Columbia
An invitation to a deeper journey.

I can’t claim to understand the magic Helen has wrought! Through her calm presence and thoughtful prompts she encourages us to think deeply about our past, present and future. This was a learning experience, but more importantly a growth experience.
—Shelley, Calgary, Alberta

Frequently Asked Questions

Guided Autobiography (GAB) is a method for helping people document their life stories. Guided by a trained instructor, participants are led through themes and priming questions that evoke memories of events once known but filed away and seemingly forgotten.
GAB was created by James Birren in the mid 1970s while he was the founding dean of the Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California (USC). The Birren Center for Autobiographical Studies has trained over 700 instructors who offer guided autobiography workshops around the globe.
It is helpful to understand how your life has flowed in certain directions, but that is not the same as analyzing your life. Women Rowing North is about gathering a personal history.
This is not a writing class and there will be no critique of your writing. Group members are invited to give each other respectful feedback and ask clarifying questions without critiquing your writing skills or your experiences. You will find that your writing skills and storytelling abilities will deepen over the weeks.
Write the stories you have a strong emotional connection to. Only share what you are comfortable sharing. Confidentiality is a strong component of this process and everyone will be asked to commit to keeping stories and discussions to themselves.

More Questions?

Please do get in touch. I look forward to hearing from you.

Welcome to Women Rowing North!

I’m Helen—writer, storyteller, and group facilitator. I am passionate about creating a safe, supportive space where women can reflect, write, and share their life stories in a small-group setting.

I’ve been writing since childhood, and I’ve learned along the way that telling my own stories brings clarity and insight. My hope is to offer you the same experience.

I’m a certified Guided Autobiography instructor through the Birren Center for Autobiographical Studies and I have completed a Journal Therapy Diploma. Through writing, listening, and connection, I look forward to helping you explore the stories only you can tell.

I am deeply grateful to Mary Pipher, author of Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing as We Age, for her generosity in allowing me to carry forward the name Women Rowing North for my workshops. When I asked her permission, she responded with grace: “I would be honored. I want everything I know to be shared with others.” Her openness reflects the very spirit of her work—lifting women up, encouraging connection, and reminding us that our stories are meant to be shared.