In honour of an incredible mentor: Kathleen Rake

When I first moved to the Fraser Valley, I barely knew anyone. I had been part of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) in Vancouver, but many writers from the Valley rarely made the trip into the city. So I took a leap and started organizing local meetups.

One of the first people to show up—and one of the first to truly show up for me—was Kathleen Rake.

From that very first meeting, Kathleen was all in. She believed in building a community for freelancers here. She opened her home for events, shared thoughtful feedback on wild ideas, and constantly found ways to lift others up. Kathleen had a knack for connecting people and making them feel like they belonged.

Some of our most treasured PWAC Fraser Valley meetings were the wine tastings held at her home, where she would pair a variety of wines with delicious meals and walk us through the experience. She used to say, “The best bottle of wine isn’t the most expensive, it’s the one you enjoy with a group of great friends.” And that’s exactly how she lived—gathering people around food, wine, and shared dreams. Thanks to her, I met people I never would have crossed paths with otherwise.

With her encouragement, we started a Fraser Valley PWAC chapter. At her suggestion, she and I co-hosted my very first in-person writing workshop. When I launched Happy Freelancing, she was one of the very first to subscribe, becoming a founding member and leaving me a lovely note of support in the process. She was the first to sign up for co-working sessions. At those sessions, she suggested we stretch the work periods a little longer, to 45 minutes instead of 30—because freelancers needed time to settle in and focus.

She hadn’t been able to join lately, as her health declined. Last week, she passed away.

Kathleen was one of those rare people who made you feel seen. She was generous with her time, wise in her guidance, and kind. She guided you without telling you what to do. She was a true builder of community. A champion of others. A thoughtful and supportive friend, who was also able to tell you what you needed to hear, not what you wanted to hear. And she was endlessly willing to answer questions and share her perspective.

I feel incredibly lucky to have known Kathleen and to have had the benefit of her support and guidance over the years. And I know I’m far from alone. She made a lasting impact—not just on the freelance community, but on everyone she connected with in the places she called home. Her absence will be deeply felt—in our co-working sessions and across the broader community she helped shape.

Kathleen set the standard for what it means to show up—for your peers, your community, and your business. It’s a standard I’ll keep striving to meet. I hope others will, too. Because if we can support each other even half as well as Kathleen did, this freelance world will be a much stronger, kinder place.

If you knew Kathleen, I hope you’ll take a moment today to reflect on the ways she touched your life. And whether you knew her personally or not, I invite you to carry her spirit forward—in whatever way you can. Maybe that’s encouraging someone just starting out, making space for others to be heard, or simply showing up with kindness and curiosity. We all have the power to shape the communities we’re part of. Kathleen reminded us of that. Let’s honour her by living it.

Heidi

P.S. I’m not sharing this because I’m looking for condolences—I’m sharing it because Kathleen meant so much to this community, and that spirit deserves to be honoured and remembered. Her impact wasn’t mine alone to feel. It was shared by many. This post is a small way of acknowledging just how much one person’s generosity and presence can shape something bigger than any of us.