When I reflect on effective leadership, the quality I often think of is integrity. Most of us would agree that in order to be successful as a leader, one must have a high degree of integrity. And I want to press the “pause” button for a moment to reflect on the meaning of the word integrity. Webster’s dictionary defines it as “the quality or state of being complete or undivided”. What is it to be complete or undivided and how is this embodied in a leader?

The author Parker Palmer often refers to the notion of the Divided Life; how from an early age we are shaped by messages from our families and from society that it is not safe to be out in the world as our true selves. As we grow into adulthood, we grow into a life where our inner selves are disconnected from our outer selves. My experience of a leader with a high degree of integrity is one where their inner and outer selves have merged into one. These leaders are undivided, sharing their inner truth outwardly, and are known for who they truly are at their core.

When we think of positive role models of leadership, we may think of Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks – people who have had the courage to be known and to stand in the face of criticism. They have engaged conflict for the sake of what they believed in.

So let’s talk about you and your role as a leader in your life. In your career, in your relationships with others and in relationship with yourself, where is your opportunity to be courageous? Do you hide your truth from those who disagree with you in order to avoid conflict? And perhaps more importantly, how does that feel when you catch yourself doing it? When I catch myself, I notice a feeling of discord; of being divided and unheard, of un-wholeness, of being out of integrity.

And so here’s a call to that leader that lies within you that is waiting to be heard. There’s a place for you to be known and it’s time to be courageous.  Contact me to release the leader in you.

What’s “Leap Into Life”?

What's your Big Leap?

My company name came to me one morning as I awoke while on vacation in my most favourite place on earth, on the island of Eleuthera, The Bahamas. That waking moment is captured in “Leap Into Life” – it represents the passion, commitment, forward-motion and aliveness that I get to experience in my life every time I leap. It’s the courage involved in living a life steeped in authenticity, in the truth of who I am at my core. It sometimes feels risky and yet I know that when I leap, despite the perceived risk, somewhere along the way the net will appear to catch me if I fall, or I might just continue to fly.

Truth be told, the day before the name came to me I was at a place on Eleuthera known as High Rock. It’s a place known only to few and off the beaten track. It’s a 30-foot jump off a coral cliff into deep crystal-clear Caribbean blue water below. I watched my husband jump hand-in-hand with my daughter first, followed by my son. I witnessed their utter delight, as they landed into the safe embrace of the water below and enjoyed that moment of aliveness reflected in their smiling faces. My desire to experience that became stronger than my fear, stronger than my perceived risk of the jump. I jumped and experienced the exhilaration of aliveness that only a 30-foot free fall into water can deliver.

It has become a metaphor for this company that I have founded, a company that encourages leaping, despite the perceived risks. I work with my clients to understand their perception of risks, the beliefs they have about themselves that are holding them back from living out their dreams, their passions, their own unique creativity. All for the sake of living out one’s own unique purpose and claiming one’s place in this world. I believe that we all have something unique to contribute, and we find it when we are willing to leap.

It’s about potential. About living into what’s possible when you are able to meet your fears and limiting beliefs head on and reach beyond.

You can read more about my company and my coaching services under About and Services tabs.

This site represents a culmination of many years of travel. Destination unknown. You know that saying about how it’s not about the destination, but about the journey itself; destiny, rather than destination. Destiny, defined by Merriam-Webster as “a predetermined course of events often held to be an irresistible power or agency”. The past couple of years are a journey of destiny, one where I’ve made myself available to an “irresistible power” that’s drawn me along a path of listening, noticing, discovery, courage and truth.

What I’ve come to know along my journey is that each of us has a unique wisdom that is meant to be shared with others. It’s in sharing that unique wisdom that enriches the world around us, that has an impact on the communities within which we operate. We all have our part to play in creating the environment that helps us to thrive. At the core of what I’m talking about is relationship. One cannot come to know the truth of who they are, their own unique wisdom, without relationship. Communities are created through relationship. And effective leadership relies on the creation of community through relationship.

Another insight I’ve learned on my journey is that at our core as human beings lies a deeply seated desire for being known, for experiencing a sense of belonging. This site is about being seen, witnessed, being heard, finding your voice in your life, in the workplace, in your relationships – with others and with yourself. I’ll be sharing my experiences and my discoveries as they pertain to relationship, community and leadership. I invite you to engage in the discussion and share your own experiences and have your voice heard through this community. It’s a place to start. My wish for this website is to have an ongoing dialogue that fosters positive change in our respective communities.

And so it begins…