I come from a family of mental health practitioners (my husband is a physician, my father is a psychiatrist, my mother is a therapist, my sister is a clinical psychologist) which has given me an education about therapy. I refer my clients to other mental health practitioners when appropriate and I work in a complimentary role when it comes to mental illness challenges.

*https://coactive.com/resources/faq/

What were you doing before you became a coach?

I refer to my coaching career as my second act but it should really be act three if we count my early years of motherhood.

I went to McGill University for my Undergraduate Degree, starting as an English Major and leaving as a journalist.  I studied Political Science at Hebrew University in Jerusalem on scholarship for my third year of undergrad and was accepted into the Creative Writing program for my final year at McGill.  A year living in the Middle East shifted my interest from studying literature to writing on current affairs, and I went on to write for various student newspapers once returning to McGill for my final year.  Upon graduation, I received two undergraduate writing awards: The Lionel Shapiro award for demonstrating outstanding talent in fiction writing and the Chester MacNaghten prize for the best piece of creative writing by an undergraduate student in English. I still can’t believe I received those accolades - imposter syndrome runs deep.

I went on to study Journalism at Ryerson University and, before completing my second year of study, I was hired to work at the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) as a producer on a new Current Affairs program, The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos.  Working at The Hour with a vibrant group of bright and innovative journalists was my first dream job at The CBC.  Over six years, I had the opportunity to work many more dream jobs at the CBC.  I helped develop several successful new models for programming including a multi-platform series called Top of Your Game with Mark Tewksbury and a bilingual collaboration with BDC (Business Development of Canada) which had me travel around the country as Director-Producer profiling small and vibrant businesses doing good.

Midway through my decade-long career at the CBC, my inner overachiever drove me into unsustainable stress and burnout.  In need of relief, I turned to meditation and yoga.  Through this difficult journey, I began to discover a wonderful gift: my life’s purpose as a coach and empathic leader.  

My career focus began to evolve, leading me to create and co-found an award-winning workplace wellbeing incubator at the CBC called Make It Better. I led that project until my first maternity leave and went on to have a second child two years after my first. 

Through my early motherhood years, I studied to become a certified coach, mindfulness facilitator and yoga instructor. A lot more stuff happened - I went back to work inside corporate and realized I was more helpful, healthy and effective as a coach working from the outside with corporates. Finally, in 2018, I fully stepped in with both feet to lead my coaching business.

What should I consider when looking to work with a coach?

Is your coach walking the talk? To what degree does your coach practice what they preach? Clients are not willing to stretch beyond their comfort zone unless there’s a compelling sense that they will experience more fulfillment on the other side. If the coach has done this work in their life and experienced positive results, then you will be more effortlessly drawn to create change in your own.

Does it feel like a good fit? Most coaches offer a complimentary consult which helps you discern whether you trust that this coach can truly help you move towards what you need/want.

Will this coach call me out on my BS? I am an authentic and transparent coach and, when appropriate, I will compassionately call BS on my clients when I notice unproductive patterns repeating themselves. Your coach is not your friend and you don’t need them to enable your unhelpful patterns. A good coach will get you uncomfortable and have you notice and act on areas of your life where you know you need to change and grow.

How can I fit this coaching commitment into my already busy life?

A great coach will help you approach your challenges and desires in an inspiring way which will allow you to become more discerning about how you spend your time and energy. Most of us waste a lot of time on distractions like social media, endless email replies, draining relationships. As we gain awareness into those unproductive behaviours and into what we truly want to create, we become more focused, energetic and efficient with our time because we want to spend it on what we’ve uncovered as our true priorities.

What inspires you?

Being outdoors in nature, slowing down, explore new things with my two children, gathering fresh and local ingredients and cooking new dishes, a summer evening scotch on the porch with my husband, diversity and exploring how it shows up through art, travel and spontaneous conversation, Frida Kahlo, Oprah and my parents.