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Inner leadership is about continuously clarifying what is important to us. Often times, we spend so much time coping with the problems, we forget why we are on this path in the first place. This is where the real work begins. As I always say, we can only lead others to the depths in which we have led ourselves. We can’t expect others to be more open and willing to improve than we are. We can’t expect others to engage in feedback loops if we as leaders can’t engage or acce

Our minds move at lightening speed, and while while that may protect us from danger, there is also something dangerous about this. Let's explore further. Leaps of abstractions are essentially the generalizations or assumptions that we have about people, places and things. They actually slow down our thinking, especially our abstract thinking, because we think so quickly, while forming assumptions, we lose the ability to challenge those assumptions. Lets use this as an example

I had new doors installed the other day. That sounds like nothing, right? It took months—from ordering to installation—and when the installers finally arrived, they were two men. At first, I didn’t think much of it. They were here to do a job. Then my mind shifted. I am outnumbered. I am home alone. What if they hurt me? I went to the bathroom and, before I could stop it, intrusive images flooded in—visions of them coming in, of things being done to me. My body reacted before

What we are actually talking about here are mental models. What are mental models , why are they important, especially in positions of leadership? Mental models are deeply held, engrained beliefs that we carry within. Many of which stem from our childhood, and often live in our subconscious. They are created from the messages we were given by our parents, later on in life from leaders, peer groups, or from our own personal experience. Also known as thinking patterns. In the f

A few years ago, I was at a friend’s business getting a service done. This procedure took about an hour, so there was lots of time to catch up, and lots to catch up on. The conversation started with what was new. The casual small talk. It then went to be about people experiencing homelessness, the people using drugs in the back alley of their business, etc. While I agreed that it was unfortunate for business owners to have to deal with that, I had a very different viewpoint o

Life can throw us curve balls, heartbreak, and a million other things. As hard as we may try to get answers from that person, hit replay, and create scenarios in our head out of desperation to find answers, sometimes, we won’t ever get the answers we are so badly seeking. We have to come to terms with that. We have to move from why to acceptance. More often than not, it says more about the other person than it does about you. So while it’s important to reflect on how you show

" Change brings opportunity" -Nido Qubein Change. What a scary word, right? So often, when we heard the word change, it can feel daunting. Sometimes it can lead us to thinking “here we go again”, and worst case scenario, it has us wanting to run for the hills. What if we changed the way we thought about change ? I want to highlight that change fatigue is a real thing, where change is happening far too often, before people or organizations can even figure out why the change h

"Our greatest glory is not in ever failing, but in rising every time we fall"- Nelson Mandela. Dear younger self, You didn’t have to go through the things that you did, and I wish you didn’t know what it felt like to never feel good enough for your dad. Little did you know the impact that would have in the future, with relationships, male bosses, etc. I am proud of you for leaning in and doing the work so that you could break through the cycle and the pain that came along wit

“Have you been fired before? That was the question I was recently asked. When I heard it, I thought it was the most insane thing to ask someone. My facial expression likely reflected how insane I thought it was. I responded “No!” like it was one of the greatest sins you could commit, and would be embarrassed to admit even if I had been. He continued “ you should try it sometime. It’s the most freeing thing that can happen to you” . I reflected on this statement, while having

"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all"- Helen Keller I used to think I was pretty familiar with taking risks, and considered myself a risk taker. Wow, how brave am I? What I didn’t realize was how much of a risk taker I was not, until more recent years. In 2016 I left an abusive relationship for good. The battle continues, but I made a choice to create a better life for my daughter and I, and to create a safe space she could thrive in. More on that to come in

What does it really mean to live authentically? Some people may tell you that it’s about showing up as they are, unapologetically. While pieces of that are true, it is much more than that. When you are living authentically, you are aware of your values and how they guide how and the decisions you make. Living authentically means you are aware of your interactions with others and how you show up in the world. It’s not about saying “this is who I am, like it or leave it”. Showi

There is a story about this picture… Here is a structure that never ceases to amaze me with it’s beauty and it’s strength. A bit of history for you- it was built in 1907-1908, and the man responsible for the build did not believe it would hold a train, so he ended up taking his own life by jumping from the bridge (this bridge is still in operations, with trains passing over multiple times a day). Over time, this bridge would become a staple for many other people who were unh

All the cool girls are getting fired. Yeah, you heard me. Fired. Not because they’re failures—because they outgrew the boxes they were told to sit in. Because they stopped shrinking. Because their brilliance made someone uncomfortable. Getting fired doesn’t mean you carry a dark cloud or a scarlet letter. It means life just cleared the path you were too loyal, too tired, or too damn committed to walk away from. There’s no shame in being released. Sometimes it’s the universe s

"There is growth and beauty on the other side, I can promise you that". Life can throw us challenges, some more difficult than others. There is no arguing that. Something that I have learned on my healing journey is that sometimes you have to enter the challenging times on your own. All of our supports are around us, but sometimes we need to walk through the forest on our own. To hear the silence. To be with that silence. To feel the feelings we have long avoided. When we rel

"Anything you lose for speaking your truth isn't a loss. It's alignment". Author unknown. For many years, I held back. I knew I had a powerful story to share, and as life went on, so did my experiences. Many of which I did not expect, but there were lessons in each. The fear of speaking my truth stemmed from post secondary. Largely because they tell us to not share our personal stories, especially with the clients that we are working with. While I believe there is a time and

***Trigger warning*** This story contains a personal story about suicide and PTSD. Please seek help if you are struggling. Five years ago, I was diagnosed with PTSD. Facebook memories reminded me of this today. I thought it would be helpful to share my story, experience and what helped me to heal and become the person that I am today. It looks different for everyone, so please note this is a personal story, not medical advice. If you find something that may be helpful, please

A journal reflection from experiences that have led me on this path in the pursuit of lifelong learning and personal mastery. A few years ago, I was having a conversation with my then partner about having a growth mindset. We were sitting on loungers at our resort in Mexico and I had been indulging in the book “originals” by Adam Grant. In the book, Grant talked about leadership and how we approach life, which can be defined as “originals” or “conformists”. I was sharing this

I want to start off by saying that I often hear people get empathy and sympathy confused, or they use the terms interchangeably. So, let’s make sure we are of the same understanding of what the difference is. Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone, or having pity on them. Empathy is being able to sit with someone in their experience. Empathy is not something you can espouse onto others. In order to have empathy in the workplace, and across teams, you need to have empathy withi

Because effective behaviour management isn't punitive. It's intentional, informed, and responsive to the human behind the behaviour. I’ve been seeing a growing number of questions about managing behaviours and using contingency management when working with justice-involved individuals. This is an important conversation—and one that requires a deeper dive. While the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) principles provide a strong foundation, effective practice goes beyond applying a

"If we want safer communities, we don't need to be 'tougher.' We need to be smarter. The goal is not to punish — but to prevent"- Susan Burton and Stephen Despins. I’m sure we have all seen the new post and image (attached) from our Prime Minster, Mark Carney about getting tough on crime. This approach includes hiring more police officers, and a change in the criminal code around violent offenders. While I can appreciate the concern (none of us want violence in our communitie