FOR OPERATIONS LEADERS IN CONSTRUCTION
I've sat where you're sitting.
For 18 years, I coordinated the planning, financing, design, and construction of buildings for institutional clients — schools, universities, sports centers, laboratories, housing. I managed budgets and schedules. I eventually became a Vice President, with a decentralized team spread across the country.
I was known for trying different ways of running team meetings and performance reviews — following curiosity instead of the traditional structures modeled around me. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn’t.
That’s exactly why I coach the way I do now. Not from a textbook — from having carried budgets, schedules, revenue targets, and people all at once, and having had to figure out leadership on the way.
As your coach or facilitator, my focus is on you. But maybe you want to know a bit about me.
- I've transitioned careers a few times.
- I've been an individual contributor, a people leader, and now a solopreneur.
- I've had local teams and decentralized teams.
- I've worked in public and private sectors, and for public and private sectors.
- I'm a dual citizen CAN-USA (but if it's the Olympics and I say "we're winning!", I mean Canada.)
CAREER #1
Railway Engineer (Montreal) — the kind of engineer that crunches numbers versus the one that drives the trains!
Out of university, I landed a summer internship as a junior engineer with Canadian National Railways. Promotions and lateral moves over the next 7 years were based on technical expertise and proficiency. I enjoyed working through design and implementation challenges. A reorganization of the 20,000-person company sparked a period of personal reflection. I felt secure at the large firm but also felt I had little control over which box in the org chart had my name in it. I liked trains and bridges, but was there something that I’d be more excited about? I kept working, while spending about a year with resources like “What Colour is Your Parachute?” and talking with a wider group of people. I became motivated to transfer my design and implementation skills from trains to sports facilities.
CAREER #2
Construction Project Manager (Washington, DC & Oakland, CA) — guiding universities through planning, financing, designing, and renovating or building their buildings
I found my way to a small, private consulting company in Washington, DC that serves non-profit entities who own facilities for mission-based purposes. These were mostly schools and universities, and they all had sports centers as well as laboratories, housing, libraries, etc. For 18 years, I coordinated the planning, financing, designing, and construction of buildings and managed their budgets and schedules. I eventually became a Vice President, with a decentralized team spread across the country. Following an instinct to find a new challenge, I picked up the book “Designing Your Life” and again, started talking with a wider group of people. I became motivated to become the leadership coach my younger self would have benefitted from, while allowing me to potentially be my own boss and work from anywhere.
CAREER #3
Leadership and Career Coach (Ottawa) — helping professionals keep moving in their career
I began this third career in 2019 while living as a digital nomad, wandering the globe with a suitcase and a backpack. I was in Bangkok, Thailand when the world closed due to the COVID pandemic, and I quickly decided to get to Ottawa. It was initially temporary but now I’m very happy to call it home. Through 2020 I focused on my coaching training and certifications and fully launching the business. (Fun fact — I named the business after my two grandmothers — Winifred and Aletha.) It continues to be an honour to serve many amazing and inspiring professionals.
Other Fun Facts
I love to visit different countries for multiple weeks at a time. I’ve been to 47 so far.
I am an avid curler — the winter Olympics ice sport. I’m happy to talk about curling anytime, any place, and definitely open to coordinating for you to give it a try.
I was a DJ on my college radio station, and later sang in a garage band during graduate school.
