About lisa

At the age of 48, having never played hockey, I joined a team and scored my first ever goal at an international tournament in Iceland. Never having written much other than book reviews and poems, I wrote a speech for the CEO of a major teaching hospital in Toronto that resulted in a $1 million donation offered on the spot. With nothing more than a sewing machine and a bit of nerve, I spent a summer making custom 'trick' clothing for magicians at the Vancouver Fringe festival. More recently, I made protective face masks for community workers in Ontario's Haliburton County at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and in 2022, started pro bono coaching for the Humanitarian Coaching Network.

If there are any threads that tie my life together, they are my love of learning, stepping in to help when needed, and sharing what I know actually works with others. In addition to the experiences above, this has led me to:

>A Masters in Adult Education, focused on organizational transformation, from the University of Toronto.

>My professional coaching certification (PCC) through the International Coach Federation.
>An undergraduate degree in Human Nutrition and Biochemistry from McGill University.

>A certificate in Executive Leadership from the Rotman-UHN Leadership program 

>Taking on the demanding and fulfilling role of Director of Organizational Development at three iconic Canadian institutions: CBC, CAMH and SickKids.
>Teaching Creativity & Mindfulness at the renowned Haliburton School of Art and Design.
>A certificate in Book and Magazine Publishing from Centennial College.
>Cycling solo across Ireland with nothing more than a Michelin map, a change of clothes and a VISA card.
>Writing and performing a one-woman show, Naked at the Bullfight; and being invited as one of six poets-in-residence at the Banff Centre for the Arts.

I am certified in the Strengths Deployment Inventory, Leadership Circle Profile, Lego Serious Play and The Leadership Styles and Climate. I work in both English and French, and have experience coaching and facilitating in international contexts with the Mastercard Foundation.

Finally, my love of travel has taken me to dozens of remarkable places including Iqaluit (in -53 degree weather), villages in the Oaxaca valley (in Mexico), the slave castles of Ghana, and the enchanting isle of Culebra (next to Puerto Rico). Born in Northern Quebec in a town that no longer exists, and raised just outside Montreal, Canada I will forever be a Habs fan, though the 2022 season is testing me.