A BIT OF BACKGROUND
I’m a Canadian of mixed heritage.
I have an amazing Norwegian husband.
I am the proud mom of two great young men. My older son’s artwork “Inner Strength” sits on the home page of Livin’ Fully.
Every time I get scored on a psychographic battery, I end up as some combination of Nurturer, Explorer and Learner mindsets.
I’ve enjoyed a career with very few employers, but two of the very best (McKinsey and American Express) and through them I have been exposed to the thinking and practices some of the leading consultancies, agencies and other leading corporations with whom we collaborated.
I was successful. I built and led great teams. That’s my past.
I had made a promise to myself a bunch of years back that, I had to do or start something that gave me the flexibility to watch my boys play sports, to give myself a least an hour a day for my Yoga practice, the autonomy to be totally self-directed, and the opportunity to impact something that mattered.
At that time it wasn’t totally clear what that direction might be.
I have an amazing Norwegian husband.
I am the proud mom of two great young men. My older son’s artwork “Inner Strength” sits on the home page of Livin’ Fully.
Every time I get scored on a psychographic battery, I end up as some combination of Nurturer, Explorer and Learner mindsets.
I’ve enjoyed a career with very few employers, but two of the very best (McKinsey and American Express) and through them I have been exposed to the thinking and practices some of the leading consultancies, agencies and other leading corporations with whom we collaborated.
I was successful. I built and led great teams. That’s my past.
I had made a promise to myself a bunch of years back that, I had to do or start something that gave me the flexibility to watch my boys play sports, to give myself a least an hour a day for my Yoga practice, the autonomy to be totally self-directed, and the opportunity to impact something that mattered.
At that time it wasn’t totally clear what that direction might be.
OPPORTUNITY – ‘It’s not only a women’s issue; It’s a bottom line opportunity.’
I believe that organizations aren’t maximizing profitable growth if women leaders aren’t appropriately represented
all the way up
…And if women leaders are not appropriately represented, they’re not thriving at every point along the talent pipeline.
I observed and personally experienced the challenges for women leaders – and those women who aspired to be great leaders -- even in some of the best circumstances. I heard personal stories from women across many organizations share their frustrations and struggles with their careers, the culture and work life imbalance.
I have met far too many women in far too many “good” organizations who are fraught: disenchanted, frustrated, alienated, with no sense that they belong -- or could -- belong, let alone thrive in their organizations. Fraught but aspirational women who worry whether they ever could fit into the senior executive suite -‘C Suite’, who worry simultaneously whether they really want to fit in to that world.
Many of these women have no driving need to get to the C Suite, but without a real commitment from the C Suite, far too many talented women see apparently impenetrable barriers well before reaching that level.
Over time I became aware of some of the most progressive, forward-thinking companies evolving their commitment to achieve gender equality in leadership but few as of yet have succeeded. A few thought leaders in the space have begun to build awareness, build business cases, espouse the benefits, offer programs and potential solutions. One such organization with articles worth a read is McKinsey & Company. Look for Unlocking the full potential of women in the U.S. economy, by Joanna Barsh and Lareina Yee.
To capture this significant business opportunity, organizations need to fully assess their organization and opportunity costs, and find solutions to create an environment for women to thrive.
all the way up
…And if women leaders are not appropriately represented, they’re not thriving at every point along the talent pipeline.
I observed and personally experienced the challenges for women leaders – and those women who aspired to be great leaders -- even in some of the best circumstances. I heard personal stories from women across many organizations share their frustrations and struggles with their careers, the culture and work life imbalance.
I have met far too many women in far too many “good” organizations who are fraught: disenchanted, frustrated, alienated, with no sense that they belong -- or could -- belong, let alone thrive in their organizations. Fraught but aspirational women who worry whether they ever could fit into the senior executive suite -‘C Suite’, who worry simultaneously whether they really want to fit in to that world.
Many of these women have no driving need to get to the C Suite, but without a real commitment from the C Suite, far too many talented women see apparently impenetrable barriers well before reaching that level.
Over time I became aware of some of the most progressive, forward-thinking companies evolving their commitment to achieve gender equality in leadership but few as of yet have succeeded. A few thought leaders in the space have begun to build awareness, build business cases, espouse the benefits, offer programs and potential solutions. One such organization with articles worth a read is McKinsey & Company. Look for Unlocking the full potential of women in the U.S. economy, by Joanna Barsh and Lareina Yee.
To capture this significant business opportunity, organizations need to fully assess their organization and opportunity costs, and find solutions to create an environment for women to thrive.
Livin’ Fully: RESPONDING TO THE OPPORTUNITY
Based on this opportunity and my experience I have founded Livin’ Fully to:
1) broaden my support for individual women looking to develop holistically and advance in their careers and
2) help organizations build, retain and advance strong female leaders by enabling integrated leadership growth and driving change
Livin’ Fully is a one-woman consultancy dedicated to empowering women leaders – and, critically, the leaders of those organizations that seek to retain and advance them -- by guiding them to drive change.
I help women recognize the strengths they bring as women and individuals to their work, and recognize strengths they exercise at work can help in their personal development. I help women leverage their strengths to define their personal vision. I guide women in ways to activate their vision, to transform their leadership and their lives.
I call it Livin’ Fully because living fully for women is an essential part of their solution. For women to thrive they must live fully . . . and the leaders of organizations must become enablers.
I guide leaders to define a cultural vision and help them with a process for that vision to flow out to the organization. I guide them as to the personal actions they can take to reinforce the vision and drive change.
Livin’ Fully is me. I know what I do and how I do it. I know what I don’t know. I may take a different route with every woman I support, with every network of women or senior leader I guide, with every audience to whom I speak but arriving at a set of actions or practices to activate meaningful change is constant. The kind of change that has the power to transform women leaders and organizations.
There is no orthodoxy at Livin’ Fully, no magic incantation, no secret sauce. All that utilize the Livin’ Fully approach must define a vision and must commit to consistent effort until their efforts produce change.
I borrow upon a broad range of learned skills, techniques, best practices, as-yet unproven hypotheses and a diverse set of personal experiences, my own and those of the women with whom I have worked. My approach is rooted in years of practical leadership experience, leadership best practices, Gender Intelligence insights and leverages the disciplines of Emotional Intelligence, neuroscience, social and performance psychology and contemplative practices .
I borrow from these disciplines as appropriate to guide the efforts that produce meaningful change.
For a visualization of my Approach click this button below.
1) broaden my support for individual women looking to develop holistically and advance in their careers and
2) help organizations build, retain and advance strong female leaders by enabling integrated leadership growth and driving change
Livin’ Fully is a one-woman consultancy dedicated to empowering women leaders – and, critically, the leaders of those organizations that seek to retain and advance them -- by guiding them to drive change.
I help women recognize the strengths they bring as women and individuals to their work, and recognize strengths they exercise at work can help in their personal development. I help women leverage their strengths to define their personal vision. I guide women in ways to activate their vision, to transform their leadership and their lives.
I call it Livin’ Fully because living fully for women is an essential part of their solution. For women to thrive they must live fully . . . and the leaders of organizations must become enablers.
I guide leaders to define a cultural vision and help them with a process for that vision to flow out to the organization. I guide them as to the personal actions they can take to reinforce the vision and drive change.
Livin’ Fully is me. I know what I do and how I do it. I know what I don’t know. I may take a different route with every woman I support, with every network of women or senior leader I guide, with every audience to whom I speak but arriving at a set of actions or practices to activate meaningful change is constant. The kind of change that has the power to transform women leaders and organizations.
There is no orthodoxy at Livin’ Fully, no magic incantation, no secret sauce. All that utilize the Livin’ Fully approach must define a vision and must commit to consistent effort until their efforts produce change.
I borrow upon a broad range of learned skills, techniques, best practices, as-yet unproven hypotheses and a diverse set of personal experiences, my own and those of the women with whom I have worked. My approach is rooted in years of practical leadership experience, leadership best practices, Gender Intelligence insights and leverages the disciplines of Emotional Intelligence, neuroscience, social and performance psychology and contemplative practices .
I borrow from these disciplines as appropriate to guide the efforts that produce meaningful change.
For a visualization of my Approach click this button below.
HOW DID I GET HERE …. AND WHY
As I mentioned, I had realized a decade ago that at some time in the foreseeable future I wanted greater flexibility and autonomy in my career.
As the ridiculously systematic person I can sometimes be, I reviewed the mountain range of highs and lows of my career, highs and lows both in terms of success and satisfaction. I revisited my material and emotional track record.
I sought commonalities in what had been said to me and about me in the folder of formal and informal feedback I had received. Lots of highly complimentary feedback from the women and men with whom I worked as a leader, as a strategist, as a colleague, as a subordinate. As I reflected on this feedback, I noticed the number of times folks expressed appreciation for my support of their personal and professional growth, valued the feedback and direction I had provided. I recalled the satisfaction I got from directing folks and seeing that direction work and last. I was leading by guiding.
That was echoed most among the women with whom I directly or indirectly worked. I remembered the growth of the women with whom I had formal and informal mentoring and coaching relationships. I remembered the formal and informal networks of women (and men) that I created and nurtured. I remembered the number of women who became readily and rapidly promotable in my teams.
But I also remembered those fraught women in good organizations.
Women who could do more for themselves with a dose of guidance. Organizations that could do more to allow women to thrive with a dose of guidance.
… AND WHY: I believe there’s a need for consultative guidance in advancing women in the workspace.
My roots are consulting. I have the knowledge and experience in advancing women in the workspace. The idea and practice of leadership fascinates me. I had, the intellectual stimulation and the implications for my approach to being a leader that I derived from the exposure to the theorists/practioners/gurus/sherpas of management.
And importantly to me because I care, I am passionate about helping to advance women in the workplace and having a positive impact on lives of women and organizations.
As the ridiculously systematic person I can sometimes be, I reviewed the mountain range of highs and lows of my career, highs and lows both in terms of success and satisfaction. I revisited my material and emotional track record.
I sought commonalities in what had been said to me and about me in the folder of formal and informal feedback I had received. Lots of highly complimentary feedback from the women and men with whom I worked as a leader, as a strategist, as a colleague, as a subordinate. As I reflected on this feedback, I noticed the number of times folks expressed appreciation for my support of their personal and professional growth, valued the feedback and direction I had provided. I recalled the satisfaction I got from directing folks and seeing that direction work and last. I was leading by guiding.
That was echoed most among the women with whom I directly or indirectly worked. I remembered the growth of the women with whom I had formal and informal mentoring and coaching relationships. I remembered the formal and informal networks of women (and men) that I created and nurtured. I remembered the number of women who became readily and rapidly promotable in my teams.
But I also remembered those fraught women in good organizations.
Women who could do more for themselves with a dose of guidance. Organizations that could do more to allow women to thrive with a dose of guidance.
… AND WHY: I believe there’s a need for consultative guidance in advancing women in the workspace.
My roots are consulting. I have the knowledge and experience in advancing women in the workspace. The idea and practice of leadership fascinates me. I had, the intellectual stimulation and the implications for my approach to being a leader that I derived from the exposure to the theorists/practioners/gurus/sherpas of management.
And importantly to me because I care, I am passionate about helping to advance women in the workplace and having a positive impact on lives of women and organizations.
MY OFFERINGS
I INSPIRE and CHALLENGE women to be strong leaders
Many women are not aware of shared challenges they face in leadership and career progression and they are also not aware of the strengths they hide, that with a focus and practice they could transform their leadership and become more satisfied with their lives. I have seen the light go off and inspiration set in from just one provocative session.
I developed inspirational messages and an approach, that I deliver through speaking engagements and workshops, to motivate and provide a pathway for women to develop and grow as strong leaders
I run GROUP PROGRAMS to make good companies better
Women want to develop professionally and personally but unless organizations provide programs women tend not to fit it in. I have seen women struggle in the workplace to effectively build networks beyond their immediate circle. I founded a mid career women’s network and over the years saw women flourish in their development and create community.
I developed a foundational workshop series and group mentoring to offer organizations an affordable way to support professional and personal development and enable network building.
I (and some great collaborators) organize RETREATS that accelerate the process
The opportunity: I have seen learning accelerate and strong bonds built quickly during intense multi day sessions that I have led. I have found success in creating unforgettable experiences by infusing sessions with the untraditional.
To create gentle disturbances that encourage breaking-through, I have joined together with Dave R. wellness pioneer, to offer amazing customized retreats to help women accelerate holistic development and build community
I provide ONE ON ONE GUIDANCE to women facing the challenge of becoming a senior leader
Many senior women wish someone had provided them guidance along the way to understand how to effectively evolve their leadership, leverage their strengths and get advice with business and work life balance challenges. I have provided guidance to many women over the years and found it most impactful in times of transition.
I offer one on one coaching for women in transition to senior leadership roles
I offer ADVICE FOR ORGANIZATIONS to leaders who want to make an impact
I can definitely understand why companies are losing many of their best mid-tier women. I know what its like to work in a male dominated culture with only a small representation of women at the top. I have provided advisory council to senior leaders to help raise awareness of what women want and suggested ways they can evolve their environments.
I offer cultural guidance to help organizations become a place where women leaders thrive
Many women are not aware of shared challenges they face in leadership and career progression and they are also not aware of the strengths they hide, that with a focus and practice they could transform their leadership and become more satisfied with their lives. I have seen the light go off and inspiration set in from just one provocative session.
I developed inspirational messages and an approach, that I deliver through speaking engagements and workshops, to motivate and provide a pathway for women to develop and grow as strong leaders
I run GROUP PROGRAMS to make good companies better
Women want to develop professionally and personally but unless organizations provide programs women tend not to fit it in. I have seen women struggle in the workplace to effectively build networks beyond their immediate circle. I founded a mid career women’s network and over the years saw women flourish in their development and create community.
I developed a foundational workshop series and group mentoring to offer organizations an affordable way to support professional and personal development and enable network building.
I (and some great collaborators) organize RETREATS that accelerate the process
The opportunity: I have seen learning accelerate and strong bonds built quickly during intense multi day sessions that I have led. I have found success in creating unforgettable experiences by infusing sessions with the untraditional.
To create gentle disturbances that encourage breaking-through, I have joined together with Dave R. wellness pioneer, to offer amazing customized retreats to help women accelerate holistic development and build community
I provide ONE ON ONE GUIDANCE to women facing the challenge of becoming a senior leader
Many senior women wish someone had provided them guidance along the way to understand how to effectively evolve their leadership, leverage their strengths and get advice with business and work life balance challenges. I have provided guidance to many women over the years and found it most impactful in times of transition.
I offer one on one coaching for women in transition to senior leadership roles
I offer ADVICE FOR ORGANIZATIONS to leaders who want to make an impact
I can definitely understand why companies are losing many of their best mid-tier women. I know what its like to work in a male dominated culture with only a small representation of women at the top. I have provided advisory council to senior leaders to help raise awareness of what women want and suggested ways they can evolve their environments.
I offer cultural guidance to help organizations become a place where women leaders thrive