I'm passionate about helping people (individuals and teams) get out of their own way so they can shine. I'm a speaker, executive coach, Board director and consultant on internal culture change, resilience, leadership, conflict, presence, personal brand and other great stuff. I also speak on the topic of mental health, stress, resilience, autism and the need to embrace diversity.
I was a wildly successful, accidental executive who avoided real work until I was 26. After earning an impractical BA in English and Philosophy, I spent two years living on a 40-foot sailboat with five guys (I only slept with one of them, darn it). Started my career at an ad agency in Toronto, and quit everything at 32 to move to the Prairies and be an earth mother. After six months of screaming babies, I hurtled back into the workforce, became an executive at 37 and ran everything from marketing communication to business strategy and enterprise risk. Having never wanted to be a boss, I decided I'd learn how to be kick-ass at it. When my employee engagement scores were 20% higher than the rest of the company, the CEO took notice and I helped him and a peer shift the organization from one of command-and-control to one where employees actively gave constructive feedback up, down and sideways. We landed on Canada's Top 50 Employers list, climbing to #5.
That experience informs much of what I do. Lots of leaders talk about trust, constructive conflict and accountability, but fail to understand that actions speak louder than words. Employees have fantastic radar about who's an authentic leader and who isn't, who has their back and who doesn't, and who has the guts to give them difficult feedback that will help them grow.
I'm a huge fan of Brené Brown's work on courage and vulnerability, and am both a Certified Daring Way Facilitator (weaving her work into speeches, coaching and consulting) and a Dare To Lead Master Facilitator (corporate clients). Other certifications include PCC (Professional Certified Coach) through the International Coach Federation, Institute Certified Board Director (ICD.D), emotional intelligence (EQi 2.0), and Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).
In 2007, I was named one of Canada's 100 Most Powerful Women; in 2012, one of Canada's 25 Women of Influence; in 2014, I was named Humanitarian of the Year by the Canadian Red Cross (SK) for my voluntarism in the area of autism and Dress for Success, in 2018, one of the WISE 50 over 50 award recipients for those who start successful businesses after age 50.
