Meet our team

You’re reading this right now because you’re looking for the right expertise & advice to make your work better.

We understand how unique & important this is to you right now.

Our team of knowledgeable certified experts cares about you & provides the practical tools & advice to make work better for you and/or your organization.

We ensure the right coach & consultant fit, and are equally committed to helping you achieve your goals in our partnership & to get true value for your investment. Guaranteed.

Search for a specific team member by name, or search by keyword (ex. science, or HR) to find team members with related backgrounds.

Paula Connolly

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

For 20+ years, Paula has helped clients improve their individual and business outcomes. Her deep understanding of workplace challenges and how to achieve results comes from years of designing and presenting customized training programs for businesses and government.   Paula’s expertise in human resources training and coaching for government clients has seen her lead hundreds of training sessions. She applies adult learning principles and knows the best results occur when participation and questions are encouraged. Paula is adept at adjusting her approach to suit each group’s specific needs, giving participants opportunities to reflect, challenge, discuss and experience new ideas and skills to enhance their growth and learning.    As a Career Coach, Paula has had great success helping clients plan their careers, improve their resumes and prepare for government interviews.    Originally from Prince Edward Island, Paula dabbles in oil painting and is an avid sports fan.    Paula’s training and coaching successes include:
  • Designed and delivered 50+ Career Planning seminars for provincial government’s Administrative Professionals Learning and Development Program including career coaching for over 500 participants
  • Provided career training and coaching to clients experiencing downsizing or restructuring: Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Pan/Para Pan American Games Secretariat, CIRNAC, Ministry of Community and Social Services
  • Provided individual coaching to 30+ government managers to prepare for executive positions
  • Designed and developed courseware for over 40 classroom and on-line training workshops on diverse topics

Professional Designations:

  • Bachelor of Business Administration, Acadia University
  • Certificates in Adult Education and Professional Courseware Design
  • EQ-I 2.0 and EQ 360 Certification
  • Personality Dimensions® Certification

George Muenz

Coaching
George Muenz has over 40 years leadership experience in fast paced organizations from the Military, to Consumer and Industry Electronics, Internet Services, Legal Services, Human Resources, Coaching, Recruitment and Staffing. As a Career and Leadership Coach for over 8 years, George has been recognized for working with clients based on their very personal and individual needs, with practical real-word strategies in an ever-evolving marketplace. Clients have commented that George has helped them clearly understand and articulate their capabilities, value, and potential.  George is an avid road cyclist and coaches people seeking to take on challenges in this sport. 

Professional Designation

CCDP (Certified Career Development Practitioner)

Success Stories

George is excellent as a career coach - from helping with informational reviews, to resume tips, to networking, negotiating and interview help. However, what he adds above and beyond that skill set (and what was most important to me as a client), was empathy, patience and understanding for each individual's situation.  I originally met George when I parted ways with an employer that almost destroyed my confidence and spirit, not to mention my love of working in sales. I ultimately landed a job at a great company and I negotiated a salary increase from the initial offer & car allowance – I don’t think I would have been successful without George’s initial patience, guidance and just being there for me. - Eve Groth  

Drew McVeigh

Leadership Team

Regional Director, GTA

Drew McVeigh boasts a wealth of business development experience. His expertise in business development, sales, and experience in senior-level management provides him with the ability to form a deep connection with CareerJoy’s corporate clients. Originally from Ireland, Drew studied at Queen's University, Belfast, which provided him a solid business base for the next four decades of his career spanning both Canada and the United Kingdom.  Although Drew has spent much of his management career with multinational telecommunications enterprises, he easily relates to employees at all levels in an organization. In addition to being a part of management, his varied career includes working in a small family enterprise and initiating his own entrepreneurial venture.  Drew is a former member of the British Sport Parachute Association, and has been an avid cyclist throughout his life. He has competed in several major international cycling events, breaking a collarbone at Canada's National velodrome and cycling the closed roads of the Tour de France’s mountain climbs two hours ahead of the official race.  Drew credits his varied career and his international management experience with giving him the tools to provide CareerJoy’s corporate clients with the practical advice and insight they need to engage career transition support.

Jake Warren

Jake is a Digital Marketing expert specializing in Analytics and PPC Advertising. Keen to take on new challenges and learn new things, he tends to wear a lot of hats in his practice and enjoys being behind the scenes silently making a difference. testing. He comes from a marketing background with experience in email marketing, sales and communications.

Alan Kearns

Coaching , Leadership Team

Managing Partner and Head Career Coach

Alan Kearns is a leading thought leader on all things work. Author and contributor to The National, The Globe & Mail, National Post and CBC Radio, he shares the latest trends and changes in the Canadian workplace. Voted one of the Top 40 under 40, he is the Managing Partner and Founder of CareerJoy, an award-winning national boutique HR services firm serving 500+ leading Canadian organizations including World Vision, Shopify, The United Way, Toyota and The Government of Canada.
 
From St. John’s to Victoria, he oversees a team of smart, wise, certified professionals offering a variety of HR services including leadership coaching, transition support, employee engagement and workshops. His team is committed to making work better for Canadian professionals and organizations. He believes in the inherent value of the individual and is committed to supporting change and igniting growth.
 
People made better is work made better.

Amanda Beselt

Leadership Team

Client Success Manager & Marketing Specialist

With a background in web content design and a passion for helping others, Amanda excels at making her clients’ lives easier through clear communication practices and plain language writing.

Andrea Nicholls

Coaching

HR Consultant and Employee Engagement Coach

Andrea is well-known for her ability to capture attention with creative and surprising marketing solutions. Having done so for over a decade, Andrea is now changing the ‘engagement’ landscape. Her drive to achieve exceptional results was proven in senior strategic marketing positions with prestigious brands and now her passion for helping the C-suite connect with people on the front lines – and getting them wildly engaged – sets her apart, making her a much sought-after resource.
 
With over 15 years of strategic experience, Andrea has built up a true passion for solving organizational problems and finding new, creative ways of driving growth in today’s market. Andrea has proven accomplishments in change management, organizational development, analysis, strategic use of data, business planning, customer acquisition, up-sell and retention as well as forecasting, product launching and competitive response. Andrea understands the drivers of engagement and the critical link to achieving broader organizational goals; measurement is key to the work she undertakes and underpins her strategic style. Her work often involves multiple stakeholders with competing priorities, but she is able to weave them together and bring innovative approaches to clients.
 

Andrea Phippen

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Andrea Phippen is an executive and career coach with over 10 years of HR experience. Andrea believes in developing others and is passionate about building future leaders. As a lifelong learner herself, she embraces the power of self-discovery, introspection and reflection and has an authentic approach to coaching, facilitation and teaching. She believes that taking the time to invest in another's learning journey is one of the most rewarding experiences possible. She loves coaching others to reach their greatest potential.
 
She believes that her purpose as a coach is to support and challenge her coachees to reach new heights and to realize their true potential in their roles and lives. Her philosophy in coaching is to empower her coachees to uncover their brilliance already within them through guided discovery and accountability.
 
She volunteers her time freely with students at the local university as well as at local non-profit organizations and is the Vice-Chair for a non-profit Board of Directors for SOFIA House, a second stage transition house for women and children who have experienced domestic violence. Her hobbies include weight lifting, running and training for a Spartan race that's been on her bucket list for over a year.
 

Professional Designations

  • Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology
  • Master's of Human Resource Management
  • Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching
  • Certified Executive Coach
  • Chartered Professional of Human Resource Management (CPHR)
  • Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the International Coach Federation
  • Certified in EQ-i 2.0 (a psychometric tool)

Carole Sandy

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Carole’s professional background includes both coaching and counselling. As a clinical therapist, she guides clients in collaborative conversations to help them navigate challenging circumstances, crises in relationships or career/life transitions. Depending on each unique situation, she might employ a narrative, a cognitive-behavioural, or a solution-focused therapy approach. A former educator in post-secondary institutions, Carole has extensive experience working with students and her strengths include guiding students in identifying and choosing the right educational or career path for them.  Her coaching extends to coaching seasoned professionals, during which she draws on her business experience - managing, hiring, coordinating and supervising staff in fast-paced, multi-union environments. Within those environments, she has developed and delivered workshops on a variety of topics including resilience, work/life integration, healthy sleep habits and mental health. Carole’s best and most meaningful coaching experiences have been leading clients to gain strength and clarity while going through a rejuvenation process and searching for the right opportunity. She enjoys encouraging clients to discover their best careers and their best selves, helping them reach their ultimate goals.   

Professional Designations

  • Masters of Education - Acadia University
  • Master of Science, Applied (M.Sc.A.) Couple and Family Therapy  - McGill University
  • Bachelor of Arts (Sociology & Communication) - York University
  • Registered Social Worker, Ontario College of Social Workers

Cynthia Dennis

Resume & Branding

Resume Coach

Cynthia's passion for Human Resources has guided her to devote her career to helping people and companies collaborate and succeed together. Her multidisciplinary career has led her to focus across many of the HR specialities including recruitment, training, organizational development, resume writing and career coaching.
 
With over 20 years of expertise and a degree in Labour-Management Relations, Cynthia has the ability to understand an organization's needs and expectations and transform them into a successful recruitment strategy. On the employee side, she has a proven track record of providing insightful career guidance including professional resume writing to help clients take the meaningful steps towards their next career.
 
Cynthia enjoys meeting and partnering with clients to create a unique story based on their individual experiences and niches.

Cynthia Hannigan-Thaw

Coaching

Client Success Specialist

After completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women’s and Gender Studies and Political Science from Carleton University and a Graduate Certificate in Victimology from Algonquin College, Cynthia discovered her passion of working with people through an internship as a Gender and HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator in Malawi. She went on to support victims of crime in Canada’s criminal justice system, acting as an advocate and liaison throughout Ontario. She has always found herself in supportive leadership roles and is excited by roles that foster creativity and innovative ideas.
 
As a Corporate Development Specialist with Career Joy, Cynthia assists the corporate development team in the expansion of our business, engages with corporate clients, manages projects and works towards continual and maintained growth.

Debbie Sprowl

Leadership Team

Finance Administrator

Debbie has worked in the non-profit world for many years, doing financial and database management. Helping others is what attracted her to working with CareerJoy.
 

Debora Dekok

Coaching , Resume & Branding

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Debora has been a Resume Coach with CareerJoy since 2005 and is also one of CareerJoy’s Biographical Career Report (BCR) analysts. In this role she gets to know her clients’ most satisfying life accomplishments and analyzes those accomplishments to uncover common threads to propel their career direction forward.
 
Before joining CareerJoy, she wrote and photographed breaking news and human interest stories. She has been published in newspapers as well as corporate and military magazines. Throughout her career in journalism, Debora enjoyed getting to the core of a story by gathering information and retelling the story in an easily understood way. At CareerJoy, she does the same with resumes. Debora hones in on a client’s unique skills and experiences, and reframes them with clarity and precision, creating a clear, concise and readable resume so employers can easily understand a client’s career highlights at a glance.
 

Professional designations

  • Technical Writer Graduate Certificate
  • Advanced Resume Development certification from the Career Professionals of Canada
  • Photojournalism Diploma
  • Bachelor of Arts in English and Sociology
  • Certified Biographical Career Report Analyst

Erin Patchell

Leadership Team

Director of Operations & Government Programs

Erin has a gift for both seeing the big picture and implementing the details. She is passionate about helping others achieve success, and takes our mission here at CareerJoy straight to heart.
 

Fleur Trubert

Resume & Branding

Resume Coach

Fleur is passionate about languages and writing. She lived in multiple cities, working in a variety of jobs in retail, marketing, sales, customer service and the public service commission. She thrives to live a balanced life by staying active, healthy and disciplined. Finding a career that relates to ones values is incredibly important to her and she creates resumés that explore specific opportunities and goals. Fleur is bilingual is both official languages.
 

Professional Designations

  • Bachelor's Degree in French Literature
  • Master's Degree in Film Studies

Garen Jemian

Coaching
“I am deeply passionate about my clients’ success. I communicate clearly, to the point and I fearlessly provide objective feedback to my clients. What you see is what you get, increasing the focus and impact of coaching sessions.”  - Garen Jemian Garen's background has more than 15 years as an employee, as an employer, and as a manager, so he has the varied experience to help clients through different lenses. This wide perspective along with deep listening skills and empathy allows Garen to collaborate with clients to drive results and bring success. Most recently, Garen wrote a book entitled  “Happy People Work Harder.  Garen’s strengths include leadership coaching, and he often finds himself connecting with clients in the tech/internet industry. With an education ranging from Business Admin to Industrial Electronics, he easily navigates the arts and sciences, giving him the tools to look at client challenges objectively while uncovering innovative ways to counter those challenges. An example of this is when he coached a Director of Business Development to gain personal and career insights which led to closing a lucrative, multi-million dollar deal.  Garen has also provided corporate coaching for organizations, seeing successes such as reduced turnover and a drop in absenteeism and sick days. While successes are not always measurable, the feedback from Garen’s clients is consistently strong. He regularly hears happy clients say,  "We're better able to communicate and collaborate” or “My boss has turned things around, he/she is a joy to work with now. The team is energized and there's a great vibe."  Garen seeks to experience joy in all he does - songwriting, playing ice hockey, snowboarding, meditating, volunteering or coaching - ultimately guiding clients who are experiencing what he himself has experienced: a transition from the old self to a new version of themselves.

Accreditations

  • Accredited trainer by the Government of Quebec in leadership development, in accordance with the Act To Promote Workforce Skills Development and Recognition.
  • University training in Professional and Personal Coaching in accordance with the ICF (PPCC)
  • University training in Team Effectiveness Coaching
  • Quebec Government Accreditation for organizational training (2018)

Accomplishments

  • Authored book called “Happy People Work Harder” (2018)
  • Achieved PCC level certification requirements (2018) (500+ billable hours)
  • TEDx Headliner/Speaker "Motivation Beyond Money" (2017, shared the stage with the Honorable Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire)

Success stories

“When I first contacted Garen, I wasn't sure what to expect. After years of struggling with the growing pains of adulthood, I was left with crippling anxiety and I was desperate for a change. With his help I was able to prioritize my goals and make the positive changes needed in my life in order to achieve them. What was most remarkable about my experience with Garen was that while I reached out to him for answers, he never gave them to me. Instead, he guided me to better understanding the issues I was struggling with, how to cope with them and most of all, how to address them so that in the future the only person I'll seek for help is myself.” - Samantha T. / Personal Banking Advisor   “This man has changed my life and I cannot thank him enough!” - Marisa M. / Director of Sales and Marketing   “I really felt like something was missing in my life, I felt lazy and unaccomplished in so many ways. Life coaching sessions was brought to me and I thought that was so exciting. After my first session with Garen, I already felt lighter, that weight on my shoulder was not as heavy anymore and I was a lot more confident. Every session made me feel freer and better. To this day I still use what I learned and push myself even harder with new goals and projects.” - Sabrina M. / Mixologist & Manager   “Garen… quel être exceptionnel. Sans lui je n’aurai pas pu être où je suis en ce moment. J’ai vécu des moments très difficiles, soit une période très noir, diagnostiqué par une dépression majeure, où je n’avais pu aucune estime de moi-même, de confiance en moi et où le goût de mourir m’envahissait. J’ai consulté une psychologue lors de ma crise. Elle m’a aidé lors de ma période de crise aigüe mais les rencontres subséquentes, ça ne m’aidait pas du tout son approche. Je cherchais une autre psychologue lorsque qu’un message sur facebook surgit, c’est Garen qui cherche des personnes pour son cours de coach de vie. J’ai sauté sur l’occasion. Quelle approche, j’ai évolué d’une façon exponentielle avec lui. Il a su trouver les bonnes stratégies pour retrouver cette estime et cette confiance perdues. Il n’a pas cherché à chercher les causes, les raisons de mon état mais plutôt m’aider à trouver qui je suis, ce que je vaux à mes yeux et non aux yeux des autres, mes forces, mes accomplissements et le plus importants consolider mes fondations pour que je sois une personne solide… Il m’a aidé à me définir par mes qualités et non par mes accomplissements. Les accomplissements sont un plus mais non la base de ma personne. Lorsque j’ai compris et réalisé ce concept, j’ai recommencé à voir la lumière, à sortir de ma dépression progressivement. Mes propos ne se valent pas de dénigrer la profession de psychologue, loin de moi, mais ce qui m’a le plus aidé est la philosophie d’un coach de vie, soit celle de Garen. Je dois beaucoup à Garen, grâce à lui, je suis guérie de ma dépression, j’ai un nouvel emploi, j’ai des nouveaux projets d’entreprenariat et j’ai un nouvel amoureux, tout ça en quelques mois. Garen, je te serai éternellement reconnaissante. You are my life coach forever.” - A.V. / President & Nurse Practitioner   “As a Fortune 500 executive, at first I was skeptic and must say I was pleasantly surprised at how Garen was able to help during a transitional period in my life. He helped me redefine my goals and align them with my personal core values. I was able to get a bird's eye view of the situation which allowed for increased clarity and ability to make difficult choices. Overall a great support system, highly recommended. Thank you Garen!” - Tania A. / Director of Operations   "Being coached by Garen was the most transformative experience in my life. Not only is Garen a great coach, he is an inspiration and one of the most well read and well spoken people that I have ever met. His depth is rare. I believe what makes him stand out of the crowd is his authenticity: he walks his talk and genuinely takes his clients at heart. I would recommend his services to everyone looking for high quality coaching.” - Caterina B. / PhD Candidate (Management

Greg Zador

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Greg’s coaching and leadership style has been developed from his extensive partnership- and consensus-building and organizational experiences, both nation-wide and internationally.  Greg’s professional background includes partnering with representatives from business, community and education sectors, as well as government agencies, to provide the support they need to succeed. Greg has a deep personal commitment to community sustainability, with roots in international and community development. From this comprehensive career path, Greg has developed the understanding it takes to provide well-grounded, articulate and strategic advice to executive management teams and to senior boards and councils.  A collaborator and facilitator by nature, Greg works closely with his clients to help them form unique insights which help them grow. Greg’s strengths lie in his deep understanding of how to mentor and motivate clients so they can thrive within their unique situations.   An expert strategist, planner, team leader and negotiator, he delivers concrete results. Clients appreciate having a trainer and coach who can draw from motivational team-building skills, staff support and conflict management to collaborate on achieving their leadership goals.  Greg’s background includes leading and partnering with the following agencies: World University Service of Canada, the Commonwealth of Learning, the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, the City of Winnipeg, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund, and the Standards Council of Canada.

Success Stories

"Greg really helped me identify where I truly wanted to be in my career - still in non-profit but not in the environment I am in now. His approach was excellent in helping me gain confidence, that even though I have been out of the job search game for over 16 years, I can still be successful. Fully utilizing LinkedIn and answering any questions I had about certain aspects on some job postings I reviewed really helped me understand what employers are looking for." – Karen Ball   "(Greg) got me back in the saddle quickly!" – Seamus Ryan   “I found my coach to be knowledgeable in executive management challenges. His approach was thoughtful, interesting and helpful. My experience with Career Joy was excellent. I received what I was looking for – quality coaching sessions to help me arrive at workable solutions to key challenges I was addressing.” – Helene H.   “A greater self-awareness of my strengths and weaknesses and what I can do to address them going forward that will make me a better manager and leader. Loved the Highlands Battery - found that very insightful.”   “Appreciated the one-on-one coaching and how it was done over a longer period of time (i.e. not just back-to-back over the course of a week or two, but more spread out over a few months). Being able to bring tangible issues to the table to discuss and come out with a better idea of what my action plan will be was also helpful.”   “Nothing that I would change- except perhaps adding another couple of sessions! The self-awareness and improved understanding of what areas I should focus on to make me a better leader and manager would be the best part of the entire experience. I have already put many of the lessons I learned through my coaching sessions into practice and I think I see results already! I found the whole thing really useful and have already recommended the program to a friend.” – Stephanie M.   “Greg is gifted at and derives particular satisfaction and reward from developing, mentoring, enabling and seeing the success of others.”   “Greg is a strategic, thoughtful and innovative leader, mentor and manager. His accessibility, forethought, patience, diplomacy and astuteness furthermore contribute to an inclusive, progressive and supportive leadership and management style. His enthusiastic personality has made him a very likeable individual to work with.”   “The mock interview Greg ran through with me was very helpful. His suggestions re the LinkedIn profile rewrite was also very helpful. Additionally, the career exercise and getting objective opinions outside of my own about where my strengths lie was an eye-opener. Everyone can benefit from this type of service.” – K. Cameron   “Your approach is more up to date and reflects current internal & external forces that are a reality of today’s business. People over Profit, Profit over people. You embrace technology and the importance of health & self. Your newsletter is a “Joyous” read with up to date articles that are varied and tap into consciousness. Your approach is not cookie cutter. My coach was completely invested in me. My coach made me the priority & assisted me with focusing on wellness.” – C. Orefici

Jan Kincaid

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Jan Kincaid is a Human Resources professional with over 30 years experience spanning several sectors from manufacturing to pharmaceutical to the not for profit sector. She has been at the executive level for several years overseeing the various disciplines of HR including recruitment, total rewards, leadership development, organizational development, HRIS, Payroll and a Team of client focused business partners.
 
Jan is a graduate of University of Toronto’s Rotman Business School in Advanced Human Resources Management and has been a public speaker at several conferences.
 
Jan is a high energy person who brings a sense of humour and professionalism to her work.

Jan Williams

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Jan Williams knows from personal experience what it takes to attain excellence. As head of her own successful cross-cultural training company in Europe, Jan achieved considerable success in training managers to communicate effectively in international environments.
Jan counts among her top clients executives from Shell, Numico, Bols, Deloitte & Touche and government agencies such as the National Security Service of the Netherlands and the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture.
Jan's professional coaching background ranges from executive and leadership coaching to career and employment coaching. She is excellent at supporting personal branding and skills marketing through her experience as a marketing director and consultant to companies wishing to develop their marketing strategies.

Professional Designations

  • International Coach Federation Accredited
  • Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching, Royal Roads University
  • Graduate Certificate in Instructional Design, Royal Roads University
  • Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages - Cambridge England Examination Board for teaching adults
_______________________________________
"I thoroughly enjoyed working with Jan. She was very engaged in my development and offered practical advice, constructive feedback and a comfortable environment for discussing personal issues. My favourite aspect of our sessions was finding the language to discuss past achievements, personal preferences and future goals. I found that, by talking through everything with Jan, I was able to unearth stories and ideas I never would have thought of on my own and practice concisely discussing them for future networking/interviews. Jan offered a great balance between leading the direction of our sessions, and also letting me direct where I would like to devote more focus. I wasn't sure what to expect as I started our program, but I left my first session feeling energized and encouraged, and that feeling remained throughout our time together." - Richard Mitchell

Jason Parks

Leadership Team

Vice President, Corporate Development

Jason has 20 years of proven business development expertise and believes in creating raving fans from every client experience. Coming from a background in printing and education, the balance of growing business while managing ongoing client projects comes naturally to Jason.
 

Jennifer Cowan

Resume & Branding

Resume Coach

Jennifer writes, mentors and consults. She has created stories for television, radio, print, interactive game apps and corporate websites. Her television work has garnered multiple awards and her first novel was a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Sharing her love of writing, Jennifer teaches media, screenwriting and comedy writing at Ryerson University and the University of Toronto. Having achieved many of her own creative goals, one of her greatest thrills is helping her colleagues, clients and students tell their stories through their resumés.
 

Josh Clements

Resume & Branding

Resume Coach

Josh's writing career began with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and creative writing, and a Master’s in film studies. His love for language started at the age of six, and hasn’t dimmed since. Josh’s greatest strength is helping individuals from all walks of life find their unique voice, and present their ideas in the most compelling way possible.  When it comes to working with clients, Josh is a very patient listener, and feels that sometimes it is the seemingly insignificant details that can really go a long way in crafting an individual’s personal brand.
 

Professional Designations

  • Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and Creative Writing
  • Master's Degree in Film Studies

Judith Cane

Coaching

Finance Transition Coach

Judith has worked in the financial services industry for 27 years first as an insurance agent, then as a full service adviser and finally, since 2010, as a Money Coach. She has worked with hundreds of clients to create a clear picture of their financial situation, build a realistic spending and savings plan, implement a “Get Out of Debt and Stay There” strategy and finally help them begin to achieve their financial goals.
 
She has spoken on stage and in workshops across Canada and is an engaging speaker who has an ability to connect with audiences, both large and small, at a personal level. Her listeners walk away not only inspired, but also armed with practical, actionable information that they can use to achieve their financial goals and live the life they want. She has presented workshops with Industry Canada, Invest Ottawa, Enterprise Renfrew County, Canadian Medical Protective Agency, National Research Council Canada and Veritaaq.
 
Judith is Canada’s Money Coach and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, The Globe and Mail, Canadian Living and Chatelaine. She has a weekly segment on 1310NEWS and is seen once a month on CTV Morning Live talking about everything money so if you are up early enough, you’ll see her there.
 

Professional Designations

  • Human Resource Management Certificate

Karen Haas

Coaching , Resume & Branding

Career and Leadership Coach

"There is one thing which gives radiance to everything. It is the idea of something around the corner.”  ~ G.K. Chesterton   Karen has a talent for helping clients see the value of their unique combination of skills and the possibilities those skills hold. She is a former Financial Planner who loved helping people achieve their financial goals and has shifted over to helping clients reach their professional goals as a Branding and Career Coach.  When coaching clients and writing their resumes, Karen deciphers each client’s driving factors for success and what exactly sets them apart in their field. She is skilled at recognizing ways of leveraging accomplishments and abilities to strategically set and reach goals. By identifying things clients may have overlooked, she helps them to see how their skills can be transferable. Using an analytical approach, Karen facilitates clients in seeing the potential that may not always be obvious to themselves. Karen strives to make a positive impact on society through meaningful events. She is heavily involved as an advocate, public speaker and volunteer with organizations and events related to childhood cancer and children's healthcare. She also sits on the Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Community as a Paediatrics Community Member.  Karen’s writing experiences include producing and editing articles, newsletters, technical and academic papers, and creative content for websites. Her greatest life achievements include performing at the Calgary Olympics during the Preview ’88 Figure Skating, Hockey, and Speed Skating events as a member of the selected figure skating team.  

Accreditations & Professional Affiliations

Bachelor of Arts - University of Calgary

Success Stories

“I wanted to say thank you so much for your expertise and your support during this process. I am telling everyone how instrumental you were in this process.” - AL   "Kevin and Karen were critical players in helping me get back on my feet in such a short period of time. I wish I could work with these two forever. Even though I thought I knew how to network, Kevin taught me a lot more. Same with Karen and how to write a real resume." – Andrew Hind   “I cannot thank you enough for this. WOW! It looks amazing. I actually don’t even know what to say. How did you learn how to do this? I am eternally grateful for this!” – AH

Kathleen McLean

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Kathleen is a fluently bilingual Certified Professional Coach. She specializes in assisting clients to make effective and lasting change. Her approach is by exploring and identifying personal goals, identifying solutions to leadership challenges and setting objectives and plan to advance their careers.
 
Kathleen started her coaching career following 36 years in the Public Service, the last ten of which were as a successful senior executive. She brings extensive experience in most Public Service disciplines including strategic business planning and corporate reporting, finance, and human resource management. She is a dynamic, inclusive, adaptive and proactive coach and senior leader who is known to have excellent listening skills. She has a good sense of empathy, a positive outlook and an ability to motivate others.
 

Professional Designations

  • Certified Professional Coach
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Administration
  • NATO Defence College Graduate

Kevin Schafer

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Kevin has been a Career and Leadership Coach and Certified Career Strategist since 2005.  He is passionate about providing career development strategies to help his clients work towards improving their situation. He has developed expertise in resume development, interview preparation, career goal setting and especially networking.
 
Having spent 16 years in the hi-tech industry and 5 years in the music industry, he has developed a coaching specialization in both the tech and arts industries.
 
Whether it’s soccer, basketball, careers or volunteering, coaching is usually at the centre of his involvements. He is also a mentor for “street engaged” youth, developing relationships with them and helping them make positive choices for the future.
 

Professional designations

  • Certified Career Strategist

Client feedback

 
"Personally the process was influential in raising my self esteem after a period of under/unemployment and other personal life events. By assessing my skills using the Highlands tool, I got a better understanding of my skill level and where I might fit in to a workplace, and why things didn't always work out for me in the past. On a professional level, I've started a new job that leads into a couple of different possible careers that were deemed highly appropriate for my skill set. I'm making much more money than I ever have before, as well." - Sue Lantos
 
"Kevin and Karen were critical players in helping me get back on my feet in such a short period of time. I wish I could work with these two forever. Even though I thought I knew how to network, Kevin taught me a lot more." – Andrew Hind
 
“[Kevin] was instrumental in guiding me towards an objective and helped give me the peace of mind and motivation to work towards it.” – Ryan
 
“I learned a more strategic and systematic method to crafting my resume, approaching a possible employer, preparing for interviews, and finding a job. I feel that I am now equipped to go out and find or even create the job that best fits my career goals and this would not have been possible without CareerJoy’s program.” – S. Bullivant
“Personally, I have always struggled in deciding which career path to take. This program helped me to clearly define my strengths, natural abilities, and passions, and supported me every step of the way in discovering the right path for me. Professionally, this program was highly effective as well; I was provided suggestions and strategies for professional development, as well as ideas and motivation on resources to use to my advantage.” – H. Wallace
“I did get a much clearer sense of my strengths and weaknesses, and also have a general direction and a start of a strategy towards starting my next career.” – A. Szabo
 
“When you find yourself out of a job and you are behind the times on applying electronically. This gives you some direction. I regained a bit of confidence. I am more comfortable with the whole process of finding a job in a different field.I came to see what it took to change my career and what I was good at. The testing did that and I found areas I want to explore to find a better job.” – K. O’Donnell
 
“First and foremost, Kevin was an excellent coach for me. He first met with me when I was at a very low point and was able to relate to my situation and be a very sympathetic ear. CareerJoy has personally helped restore my self-esteem. It has also given my some useful resources for job hunting and assessing potential new jobs.” – D. Isaacs

Laurie Fenske

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Laurie’s coaching successes are rooted in her ability to lead clients to find their best solutions within themselves.  Clients are drawn to Laurie’s passion and commitment for helping clients to achieve substantial improvements in their work through high-energy coaching sessions and workshop facilitation.  As a coach, Laurie seeks to be a trusted advisor, accountability partner and guide in order to support her clients in identifying their goals and developing toward them, one step at a time. Each individual's definition and measurement of success is unique, and Laurie listens to understand, ensuring the client’s voice is heard so a trusted partnership can be formed. Drawing from her extensive professional experiences, Laurie offers Individual Executive and Leadership Coaching for clients who are striving for more but need leadership guidance to reach their top goals.  She has also had great success as an Organizational Strategic coach, partnering with organizations or entrepreneurs seeking to elevate their business to the next level of success. Laurie offers customized training programs and workshops to enhance the learning and development successes of individuals or teams. Outside of coaching, Laurie is an energetic, contributing member to her community and an avid sports fan.

 Professional designations

  • Professional Certified Coach 
  • Member: International Coaching Federation
  • 2019 Nominee RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award
  • Certified McQuaig Facilitator
  • Certified Book Yourself Solid ® Coach
  • Indigenous Awareness Certified
  • Indigenous Communication & Consultation Certified

Success Stories

“Her focus on my needs and the coaching process allowed me to find and follow my path to greater success. I recommend her coaching services to anyone looking to advance themselves and their goals and objectives.” – Joseph S. CEO   “Those whom Laurie coaches gain from not only her considerable skills, but also from her understanding of the pressures and importance of performance in business. Her leadership and coaching experience in competitive, performance-oriented business environments is a valuable and rare combination.” – T. Taylor, PBDM   “As a coach, I have a high standard for coaches and Laurie nailed it. She’s professional, completely focused on the client’s goals and helped me achieve more than I set out to. She has incredible coaching presence, takes her job very seriously and helps you raise your own standards by the way she practices what she preaches. I cannot recommend her highly enough; she exceeded my expectations and helped me over-deliver on my own goals.” – A. Task     "I’m very grateful for the professional services offered by CareerJoy, the whole process has been amazing. The assessment) confirmed the strengths and abilities I was aware of and revealed some new ones. My Leadership Coach Laurie, was wonderful and inspiring to work with. I highly recommend CareerJoy for those who are in a job transition. Thank you for all your help." - Vittoria Dugger

Lillian Thomsen

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Lillian enjoyed a full professional career in the Canadian Foreign Service serving in culturally and linguistically diverse positions both in Canada and abroad. In her final position with Global Affairs Canada she served as the Director General and Dean of the Canadian Foreign Service Institute, which is comprised of four schools, offering courses to public servants and selected non-governmental clients in a range of internationally focused courses, leadership and professional development.
 
She specializes in executive level competition preparation including identifying leadership competency gaps and opportunities for growth, interview preparation and conducting mock interviews followed by individual assessments. She has also done extensive coaching of public servants and of colleagues in the not-for-profit sector, where she is very active. She has extensive experience facilitating retreats, change management and leadership development workshops in both the public and not-for-profit sectors and is bilingual in both official languages.
 
Lillian serves as a Governor of The Ottawa Hospital, where she is Chair of Governance, Vice-Chair of Quality and sits on a number of other committees. She is active in the education and arts sectors in Ottawa, particularly in the support of young and emerging classical music talent.
 

Lisa Pierosara

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Lisa is a senior certified professional coach, facilitator and collaborative program leader with a history of fostering transformative change, communications excellence and leadership effectiveness. She has a particular focus and advocacy in supporting the inclusion of women.
 
Lisa has 25+ years of experience across corporate Canada and academia including a background in MarComm in telecom. After many years coaching young professionals at The Schulich School of Business and working with Canadian employers for the MBA program, she now consults as an affiliate coach with CareerJoy, among other projects with executive clients across all business sectors. Lisa walks the talk of pursuing work that “fits” and personal branding that is inspiring and relevant. She is a certified career & leadership Coach (CTI, Adler) and Effectiveness Consultant (Reddin Global).
 
Lisa is a wife, mother of teenage daughters, business owner, women's mentorship program leader, dog mama, and avid slope-seeker.
 

Professional Designations

  • Bachelor of Arts
  • Associate Certified Coach

Success Stories

 
"Lisa has been a lifesaver to me during a very stressful time of being laid off. She has helped me to recognize the skills that I have and how to be able to convey these in an interview setting. Lisa is extremely positive and has this easy ability to empower... and to bring out the very best." – Niamh Buckley
 
"I really liked Lisa. I think I have a better sense about my abilities, interests, and better job interview skills. I think it is a helpful process to better get to know oneself." – Megan Young
 
“Lisa was an excellent communicator and facilities the exchange of ideas very well. My sessions felt like they were brainstorming events. I have a much better understanding of what I am looking for in my career life and how career /balance should be. Having a career profession acting as your advocate is a very powerful catalyst when looking for a new direction in a persons work life. The system works. It’s effective and provides results.” – Mark G.
 
“It helps you get unstuck and focuses on yourself more than focused on a career. People get stuck on a career and not looking into what makes you happy as a person. I found everything to be very helpful, especially the Highlands Ability Battery test – this is where I found my weaknesses and strengths.” – Christina E.
 
“On a personal level I was able to understand my underlying motivating drivers, what I want out of my lifestyle, what I am able to compromise with, and what is an absolute necessity in my life. This was absolutely integral to my success going forward. On a professional level, I’m extremely close to closing an opportunity that fits a lot of my ideals. Having someone there making you accountable for what you do an not do was a great motivator as well.” – Adrian L.
 
“I found the ability to contact my coach whenever I had a question, very helpful. 1 on 1 work with Lisa was great! I love to be able to ask questions and get a full answer in person. The value of the process for me was changing my mind set. Before I started CareerJoy, I didn’t know where to begin. I felt lost with a useless resume and no ambition. Lisa helped me discover my talents and personality traits and supported me excellently throughout the process… which allowed for confidence and a desire to pursue a career in occupation therapy. I feel like I am moving forward now, thanks to career joy.” – Raymond C.
 
“My coaching experience has been priceless. It has made all the difference for me in my career search.” – D.S.
 
“Lisa gets to know you, then assists in devising a plan to help you discover yourself.” – E.C.
 
“I have gone through an amazing transformation while working with Lisa, about my future career. There was so much that I didn’t realize about my own decisions or motivations that I have discovered while working with her…the knowledge I gained from my sessions with Lisa have really made my life easier on a number of levels. I strongly believe it is the difference that allows you to love what you do and live for your passion.” – S.V.
 
“Very efficient… it helped me!” – A. Davalu
 
“Working with Lisa allowed me to set my career search based on my interests and fit. I was able to discover these interests and I’m now in the driver’s seat with my next career. I felt the regular one on one coaching kept me accountable and focused. It kept me grounded during times of uncertainty. The process brought me confidence in times of need, kept me accountable and on track towards being in a marketable position for my career. I discovered my personal values, interests, and passions. The process greatly assisted in preparing for career opportunities by way of a solid professional resume and cover letter. There is tons of value. The program is a small investment in steering a person into a career path that fits.” – T. Frisk

Lynda Peto

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Lynda’s coaching philosophy involves unlocking each client's potential and supporting him or her in developing and achieving a sense of agency in their careers. She has been with CareerJoy since 2014, and has had great success supporting professionals through career transitions. Her background of 20+ years as a sales and marketing professional, as well as her entrepreneurial experience, is invaluable in coaching mature professionals with exploring mid-career transitions or “encore careers” by matching their skills and experiences with new opportunities.  Lynda has also coached students with identify and develop career ideas and goals, helping them gain the skills required for a successful transition into the workplace. Having worked as a University Career Educator for 11 years, she has coached both students at the beginning of their education as well as new grads looking to start their careers. As a certified Designing Your Life Coach, Lynda employs the Design Thinking Process as a framework to help clients get unstuck and apply the mindsets to build a well-lived and joyful life.  She understands intuitively how to best support clients as they navigate through uncertainty to gain the clarity, joy, fulfillment, and passion that can be achieved by making a successful career transition, leading them to develop skills and knowledge in career identity and personal branding, career exploration, job search, resumes and cover letters, interview skills, networking and using LinkedIn effectively. Ultimately, Lynda seeks to lead clients in gaining greater self-awareness, developing a life/work direction, increasing understanding of learning and work opportunities and maturing into self-directed learning, work and transitions.  

Professional Designations

  • Certified Career and Employment Coach
  • Certified Designing Your Life Coach based on the #1 New York Times Best Seller “Designing Your Life - How to Build a Well-Lived and Joyful Life” by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.
  • Certified Career Coach and Facilitator from the University of Winnipeg
  • Certificate in Adult and Continuing Education

Success Stories

"It is valuable to bring your personality/talents/aptitudes together to evaluate your career possibilities." - Catherine Sawatsky   "I found the meeting with a supportive Career Coach who helped me look at different aspects of my past and present careers as very helpful. She also provided guidance to looking forward at potential opportunities." - Susan Shannon   “I like the process of looking into oneself to look at individual qualities and then looking at ways to develop those further including through marketing them.” – Sam S.   “I’m very clear on my strengths and what I should pursue in terms of the ideal working environment for my personality, character, strengths, and future dreams. Realized the necessary attributes of a job that I need as well as what type of work I should be avoiding. Confirmed innate strengths and also what does not come naturally to me. Gained wonderful insight from the comments and observations that both my friends and Lynda made. I enjoyed the frequent check-ins with Lynda and the fact that we have to determine what our values are, as well as what our friends deem to be our strengths and greatest abilities.” – Jennie M.   “More self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses. A better understanding of myself and what it is I really want to do. The one-on-one sessions were helpful.” – Jonas M.   “Personally, this program alleviated my anxieties towards the career search process. It showed me what I was doing right, what I needed to improve upon, as well as advice on putting forward my best image and avoiding common pitfalls. Professionally, it broadened my perspective in understanding that career improvement is a difficult, long term process which requires constant work; it’s not necessarily as simple as “finding a better job”, as major a part as that might be. Improved, streamlined, and more concise cover letter and resume. Greater confidence in the image I’m presenting to employers upon applications and interviews; affirmation of what I was doing right, and correction or improvement upon my weaknesses or mistakes.” – Derek E.   “It is an excellent way to really get to know yourself, and then to learn about careers where you can be comfortable and shine in. Work is such a big part of life, it is very important to find something that is a good fit for you, and I was a poster child for the misery and unhappiness being in the wrong job can bring. My coach was very sensitive and willing to work with my rather unique situation. She went above and beyond her job description and became totally invested in my situation, and became the supportive, wise friend I needed at that time.” – G Jacobucci   “Working with Lynda from CareerJoy has been a very productive and helpful process. The in-depth assessments helped me identify my strengths, abilities and passions. I was then able to research careers that best utilized these traits and started charting a new career path. I was able to identify the job description that matches my skills & abilities. I learned how to write a focused resume and cover letter. The best part is that I found a job in a new industry and a new position. The process was extremely valuable to me on both a personal and a professional level. I have know for years that I needed to change my career path but I struggled to find a way out. This process gave me a job description to aim for and then I was able to construct a resume that highlighted my skills to match the needs of the employer. I am very excited about my new position, my new path and the new company.” – Sandi G.   “Personally, the modules were valuable for re-examining what I need to feel fulfilled in life. I really appreciated completing the Highlands Battery, which was a useful tool to examine natural skills and abilities I have and the different careers that would fit the results. On the professional level, the process helped me fine tune my resume, cover letter, and interview skills, encouraging me to think more from the hiring personnel’s perspective and what would make me stand out as a perspective employee. The process also helped me to figure out which natural skills I bring to the table, and what type of work environment I would thrive in. I can’t really think of anything that could be improved.” – K. Unrau

Margaret Van Amelsvoort-Thoms

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Margaret Van Amelsvoort-Thoms is a bilingual CareerJoy Senior Leadership Facilitator. She is also a former Director General with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS).
 
After a 35 year career in the public service, of which 30 years were spent in human resources. Before her retirement, she was on assignment as the Special Advisor to the Chief Human Resources Officer. Previously, she was the Executive Director, People Management & Community Engagement at the Treasury Board Secretariat. In this role, she was responsible for supporting transformation of human resource, including the business model; facilitating strategic planning for human resources decision-making; HR community capacity-building; and she was also responsible for people management policies such as Employment Equity, Performance Management and Values and Ethics. A graduate with a BA from McMaster University, Ms. Van Amelsvoort-Thoms has worked in human resources for the public service for 30 years.
 
In 2018, she was the recipient of the Human Resources Council Michelle C. Comeau Award for Career Contribution in Human Resources in the public service.

Michelle Horne

Coaching

Image and Branding Coach

Michelle helps her clients as an Image and Branding Coach to discover their Personal Brand statement, define their style identity and use that image to create success in personal and professional situations. Michelle has been described by clients to dig deep to help her clients define their authentic brand and style and get results. Michelle is also a professional speaker and an international trainer. She is known for her thoughtful, thorough, but always fun approach to helping clients take ownership of their authentic images.
 

Professional Designations

  • Certified Image Professional
 

Success Stories

"Michelle is a dynamic image consultant who has provided corporate training and individual services to a diverse group of clients. Her spark and enthusiasm ensure that she connects quickly with her audience." - Catherine Bell
 
"Michelle provides a comprehensive service that goes far beyond making sure that you look great. In fact, she doesn't even start with how you look - she first learns about you, your lifestyle and your personality. She builds on that foundation to teach you how to create an image that reflects who you are. Michelle's services gave me a better understanding of myself from a perspective that I had never really considered before. The things I learned during the process have given me great confidence as well as tools and techniques to reflect my intentions and my personality in the image I present on the outside." - Maria Ford

Rebecca Bartley

Resume & Branding

Resumé Coach

Rebecca has always had a passion for writing and the art of telling a great story. With over 7 years of experience in public relations, communications, marketing and writing she has worked alongside a number of organizations from international corporations to small businesses and from government to online outlets. She believes that every client has a story to tell and she revels in knowing that she can help others with their stories.
 
Rebecca loves working one-on-one with clients in order to discover what makes them tick. It’s her passion to find out what a client’s greatest strengths are and how they define themselves. Rebecca helps clients create their own personal brand and coach clients on how they can best market themselves in any situation. The best feeling for her is seeing her clients succeed.
 

Success stories

"I am very happy with the process and the timely follow-up and follow-through were greatly appreciated. During one of the interviews, I actually used your version of my resume. It was well-laid out and the VP of Marketing was noticeably impressed. I was successful in securing a new job that I am excited to start now! Thank you for putting together something I can be proud of!" - Justin Hall
 
"It all looks great! I don't have any additions that need to be made. It's awesome how detailed you were able to make it. I hadn't thought about listing my skills at the top of the resume before! It really gives the reader a good summary of what I bring to the table before getting into the finer details. Thank you so much for this!" - Patience Mwangi
 
"These documents are fantastic! The opening to the resume is powerful and makes the breadth of my value proposition very clear." - Tony Anderson
 
“Thank you so much for the revised copies. I like the added section “Selected Achievements” which highlights my sales and some leadership experience. I believe this resumé is going to “wow” potential employers and get their attention. It’s concise and right to the point. Once again I appreciate your advice and support.” – Fernando Raimi
 
"The resume building and LinkedIn components were invaluable. My coach Rebecca gave me lots of helpful tips and tricks to propel my career forward. With her help and guidance, I was able to rework my profile to stand out from the crowd by highlighting what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for." - Dave Cheung
 
"Thank you for your excellent work on my resume and cover letter. Your tips are very practical." - Delphine Delsahut
 
"The process as a client was hassle-free. Rebecca took my original resume from a document that tells my story and turned it into one that sells it. I look forward to applying to opportunities with a resume that is going to stand out from the crowd!" - Rob Meloche
 
"I was very impressed with the quality and professional look of both the cover letter and resume. Also, thanks for the tips on saving it to a PDF to keep the professional appearance. I was impressed with the process and how you over delivered on the expected date of completion!" - Michael Ebert
 
"Rebecca patiently drew my story out of me and crafted a concise resume that captured a lengthy career in an eye catching way that drew attention to my achievements. I didn’t think my career was that remarkable, but with Rebecca’s help, she was able to put to paper my story of accomplishments. I realized that my story is unique and I have marketable skills. Thank you for your help Rebecca!" - Shawn Boven

Richard Rochefort

Coaching

Certified Career, Executive and Leadership Coach

Richard is an expert in leadership development, management excellence and learning. He is perfectly bilingual (English and French). Richard is a certified executive coach, excellent facilitator and outstanding public speaker.
 
Richard is certified in the application of various psychometric assessment tools. He has extensive experience designing and facilitating innovative conferences, strategic planning sessions, executive retreats, management forums and staff general assemblies.
 
Through storytelling, practical examples and interactive exercises, he delivers dynamic workshops, learning sessions and keynote addresses on various topics such as leadership, teamwork, service excellence and organizational culture change. He served as a senior executive for 23 of his 35 years in the Public Service of Canada.
 
Retired in 2012 as Vice-President of the Canada School of Public Service, Richard was responsible for all federal public service training programs in Canada. Prior, he created the Service Canada College and served for six years as its Senior Director General. Throughout his career, he devoted relentless effort to the renewal of institutions using coaching, mentoring and learning as strategic levers to create and sustain a culture of service delivery excellence. He is currently working across Canada and internationally on reinforcing public and private institutions.
 

Professional Designations

  • Certified Executive Coach

Sandra Bobkin

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Sandra has more than 15 years of private and public sector experience in a variety of learning, leadership and management roles. This includes service in the retail, financial and health care industries. Her coaching has focused on leadership and team development, effective communication, emotional intelligence, career transition/management and 360 feedback results.
 
Sandra has had the privilege of coaching everything from Bay Street executives, to newly appointed leaders to official’s at the most senior levels of the Federal Government. She has fostered a powerful reputation of assisting individuals who seek to expand their influence repertoire and pursue their leadership and professional goals. A diverse background in adult development and learning, emotional intelligence theory, and leadership development enables Sandra to assist individuals in developing options and creating solutions for sustaining success.
 
Sandra’s coaching philosophy related to career transition focuses on encouraging/supporting clients to be both introspective and action oriented. As a coach she has always endeavoured to create opportunities whereby clients gain the tactical skills needed to strategize about their career paths. As well, she has continuously challenged them to “reflect” and ask deeper, more meaningful questions of “who they are” within their journey. The creative tension between these two seemingly opposing dynamics facilitates much of the client’s growth and change.
 

Professional Designations

  • Masters in Adult Education
  • Bachelors Degree in Nursing Science
  • Professional Certified Coach
  • Registered Nurse
  • ADLER Certified Professional Coach
  • Certified in EQ-i 2.0 (a psychometric tool)
  • Accredited the Professional Certified Coach Designation (PCC) through the International Coach Federation
 

Success Stories

"Having access the HAB was very helpful and beneficial. Sandra was very knowledgeable and really good at pinpointing what I wanted. The tools and documents provided made it easier to job search and network." - Sara Noble
 
"Sandra is a great career coach. She took the time to do a thorough analysis of my abilities and proclivities and then pointed me in the right direction. She helped me find the value in my experiences, from professional perspective, which helped both with employment prospects and self-confidence. She’s knowledgeable, fun to work with, and, I strongly believe, sincerely invested in my personal success." - David Dewsbury
 
"Sandra Bobkin is a skilled and seasoned executive coach. She listens to her clients, brings constructive and thoughtful insight to discussions and assists in creating focused goals and plans. Sandra always brings enthusiastic, positive energy to her sessions, and is a pleasure to work with. She has high integrity and reliability. Sandra is very knowledgeable about career planning, resume writing, interview preparation, and network building. I have recommended her to other colleagues looking for effective executive coaching." - Laura Bhoi

Shoshana Allice

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Shoshana specializes in supporting leaders through personal and professional transitions, and building effective teams which create engagement and get results. Since 2004, she has coached, mentored, and advised leaders across North America and abroad. A former Learning & Leadership specialist in Canada’s Federal Public Service, Shoshana has coached and facilitated career and leadership development at all levels. Her experience in the Federal Public Service and in health care have given Shoshana a deep understanding of leadership within a complex unionized environment. She understands the challenges of attending to personal career and leadership aspirations while navigating changing mandates and funding pressures. Keenly interested in each client’s unique story, Shoshana encourages rich conversations to build strong coaching relationships. Clients are drawn to her down-to-earth, genuine personality which naturally provides them with a safe, exploratory environment. She is not afraid to gently push clients by asking the hard questions in order to decipher what they really want.  One of Shoshana’s gifts is the ability to synthesize information and hear 'between the lines. She pulls together what clients can't quite put into words yet, gaining and sharing a deeper insight into their values, strengths, and deeply held beliefs, as well as potential blind spots. Challenging their stories about what might limit them, or the limits of their abilities, she is able to leverage their complementary strengths and drive powerful changes. Career successes Shoshana takes pride in include developing and rolling out an emerging leaders program as well as a coaching-based succession planning initiative for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.  She has also worked in India, where she rolled out a Coaching Skills for Managers program: She introduced the program at a national conference, trained 10 facilitators to deliver it, and helped develop and roll out a marketing strategy for it. Shoshana’s coaching successes for individuals include:
  • Helping an executive director-level client make some hard decisions about his next steps by connecting deeply to his values and truth. The client ultimately created a life legacy he is both proud of and nourished by.
  • Supporting a manager in taking a new level of leadership by connecting her with her own courage and commitment in order to have a courageous conversation with her director.
  • Supporting a front-line leader to identify the work she deeply wanted to do and facilitating a 3-way conversation engaging her director in that vision, who got on board and brainstormed ways to make connections and build bridges for the client. 
Clients working with Shoshana can expect to practice and develop strong muscles in vulnerability, courage and clarity to gain the leadership skills they desire.

Professional Designations:

  • Masters in Human Systems Intervention
  • Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CTI)
  • Professional Certified Coach (International Coach Federation)
  • Certified in EQ in Action (Emotional Intelligence psychometric tool)
  • Certified in Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Client Testimonials

“I just wanted to THANK YOU for your coaching and "focus on me" over the past months. You have had a major impact on my life and have helped me get though some very interesting times with several personalities I have had to engage with. Without your help, I would have been lost.”
"In the year that I worked with Shoshana she was a significant component of my success in setting up a new team that was developing a new work capability. She provided individual coaching for my direct report team and advised me on business strategies to facilitate team building while delivering on our commitments." - Eric V.
"Shoshana is an excellent coach and is exceptional at facilitating team dynamics. An excellent resource that I highly recommend.” - Linda S.
“Shoshana is a wise, playful and intuitive coach. Most recently I worked with Shoshana to help me work through some confusion and 'stuckness' I was feeling. Shoshana listened deeply and through … creative exploration, helped me connect to a deep part of myself. In only one hour with Shoshana, I found clarity about what I want and a plan forward about how to make it happen. Working with Shoshana is always a breath of fresh air. I feel seen, heard and taken seriously… A booster seat for the soul, Shoshana has a way of 'lifting' my sights beyond what I might not see on my own. Leaving that session with a plan and feeling powerful and energized gave me the momentum I needed to follow it though. I've made the changes Shoshana helped me get clear about and experience the benefits of them daily - within myself and my staff.” - Julie R.

Stephen Williams

Coaching

Career and Leadership Coach

Stephen Williams came to CareerJoy with a comprehensive HR background. He has more than 25 years of experience as an HR Leader specializing in Employee Development, and possesses the solid business acumen, pragmatic thinking and bottom line focus to guide leaders in gaining what they need to grow and advance their careers.
 
In addition to leading HR and training departments, he also has extensive facilitation experience and is at his best when facilitating clients’ career transitions. His keen insights provide the crucial feedback clients need and his deep understanding of HR provides a strong support for clients seeking to re-enter workplaces or change career direction.
 
A former recruiter, Stephen has recruited hundreds of employees and retains an inside perspective which is invaluable in helping clients successfully navigate the recruiting process.
 
Stephen loves it when clients have a 'light bulb' moment which leads to improved clarity, as he is passionate about helping those who are looking for the next great opportunity to move forward and develop their full potential.
 

Accreditations and Education

  • Co-Active Coach – CTI – Coaches Training Institute
  • Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP)
  • Certified Human Resource Leader (CHRL)
  • Certificate in Human Resources Management (CHRM), Humber College
  • Certified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Facilitator
  • Certified in DISC profiling
  • Certificate in Human Resource Law, Osgoode Hall Law School
  • Hon. Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.), University of Toronto
 

Accomplishments

  • Designed & developed North American wide training initiative and Leadership Development program
  • Developed Career Guidance program that provided structure to leadership development and succession planning
  • Improved relationships with union business agents by actively engaging them in problem solving and managing issues with their members, resulting in reduced grievances and better bargaining results
 

Client testimonials

"I have gotten out of the self-blame mode to a more self-confident mode. Ready to take on life. I also have a perspective on the recruitment styles being a new comer to Canada. "On a personal level- I am more positive despite my previous work experience. On a professional level- I know my weak points during an interview and am working towards improving myself." - Jean Koshy
 
“Stephen is a great coach and mentor. His knowledge of Human Resources and basic people skills is beyond expectations. He can read people and adapt to any environment.” – KP
 
"My sessions with my coach allowed me to better understand what the process is like from the HR side of the desk. This understanding help immensely in navigating the transition process from initial application through to offer acceptance." - RM
 
“I wouldn’t be the Manager I am today without your help” – SG
 
“I came to CareerJoy to get my resume in shape and work on my networking skills, but you have taken me on a journey where I have learned more about myself and have a better focus of where I want to go.” – AB
 
“I am glad to let you know that I have accepted a job offer from XX. I had an excellent interview with the head architects of the firm where we discussed my background and their current projects and they expressed their willing to assist me with obtaining my license. This is a great opportunity and your advice helped me a lot on this endeavor. After years of trial I feel I am getting back on track with my career in architecture. Thank you again for the great advice you provided during the coaching sessions. - SA

Tanya Smith

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

As an accredited integral leadership development coach, Ms. Smith works with individuals to develop/build their competencies in order to improve their capacity to achieve long term excellence, self-correct and self-generate.
 
Her 25-year career experience spans the public and private sector. She has worked in leadership roles in both the public sector of the Canadian Government and in private sector industry. She has worked with and supported individuals and teams in both developing and strengthening their competencies to achieve personal and corporate objectives. Tanya is bilingual and can coach in both official languages.
 
In addition, Ms. Smith also specializes in Personal Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Business Coaching, Career/Transitional Coaching, Mindfulness, Action Learning Facilitation, Human Resource Management, Project Management, Strategic & Business Planning and Community Engagement Planning /Corporate Social Responsibility Planning.
 

Professional Designations

  • Action Learning Certification
 

Success Stories

“I used Tanya Smith’s services as a coach for a period of 8 months. This was a period of transition in my life in which Tanya was able to work with me in preparing me for adapting to a new phase in my life. Tanya was extremely supportive and helpful in assisting me with this period of change. Her unbiased view was one that always made me feel at ease to open up and share all my thoughts with.” – Julie Cranton, Manager, Government of Canada
 
“Tanya is an outstanding coach with patience, a listening ear and wise discernment. She has an easy, intimate style of coaching which made for a comfortable, safe environment to share my experiences. I will definitely look for opportunities to work with her again!” – Susie Hill, Entrepreneur
 
“I feel very fortunate to have worked with Tanya Smith. She helped me transition through a major milestone in my life: a new work opportunity. As a result of our time together I have seen a greater self-confidence and improvement in in my leadership ability. The techniques she provided throughout our coaching program, I will be forever grateful for. I will continue to use them in my day-to-day life whether it be at the workplace or at home. I thank you for your continued support and for the successful coaching experience.” – Janet Lorimer, CPA, CMA

Taryn Brady

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

Taryn's love of science and technology has been a common thread throughout her career.  After her first job as field biologist with Canadian Wildlife Service she knew that working with people was more her passion than tracking elk.  As a Career Coach, Taryn helped hundreds of engineering students through the recruitment cycle in Engineering Cooperative Education (University of Alberta) with resumes, interview skills and job search while also assisting employers from across Canada with recruiting talent. Wanting to spread her wings Taryn went on to start her own business to provide strategic planning and marketing communications services for a wide range of companies and organizations – including many technology start-ups.  Years of experience guiding teams, individuals and leaders to achieve goals culminated into Taryn’s true passion – career and leadership coaching.
 
Now as a CareerJoy Coach, Taryn offers a wealth of experience spanning industries from government, university, research, science and technology and manufacturing to oil and gas. One thing for sure, Taryn is a cheerleader for awakening the human potential in each of us. Clients have come to know Taryn as an authentic, creative and solution-focused Career and Leadership Coach.
 

Professional Designations

  • Associate Certified Coach
  • Certified in Leadership Circle Profile
  • Bachelor of Science (Zoology),
  • Masters in Spiritual Science
  • Certified in Insight Seminars series
  • Leadership Edmonton Program
  • Professional Speakers training
 

Success Stories

"Taryn was very upbeat and helped me 'off the ledge' on more than one occasion." - Dave Bunney
 
“I loved the fact that [my coach and resume writer] both communicated and worked together to help me with my goal. When I met Taryn it was like talking to my friend. She had great suggestions and ideas for helping me find a job and I could tell she truly cared and was invested… I had no idea what to expect with Career Joy but to be really corny… they have made this difficult journey a joy because of their friendly helpful advice. If I had any questions, my emails were answered right then and there. I can’t give enough positive feedback. CareerJoy is lucky to have these women working for their company.” – Anne G.
 
“It was a very valuable experience for me. I was given tips on how to conduct myself during interviews which I appreciate. The self-evaluation that I was made to undergo helped me find my strengths and weaknesses.” – Reynald L.
 
“Taryn helped me stay in tune with what I needed to stay focused on and how. She offered good insight into tools to use during a career search and during the interview process. Taryn provided guidance on where to improve my CV and cover letter.” – John T.
 
“As someone who did not have a lot of experience applying for jobs and going through the interview process, I really found it helpful in just understanding in the process you go through in getting a job. I found the resume and cover letter to be extremely helpful, as well as the coach helping me understand a lot of the assets that I have for a company that I would not usually expect to have identified myself, leading to more confidence when applying for a job. On a personal level the main thing that I gained was self confidence, it showed me that I have something to offer the work force, and gave me the know how to go through the process of getting a job so that I am able to give myself the best shot of being successful. On a professional level, as someone who does not have a great amount of professional experience, it gave me an insight into how things will work in the future when it comes to moving up in an industry or how to weigh different options for careers as I move through my own career. I found the experience very positive, the coach was very helpful, and all the resources that come with the package are also really helpful, along with the fact that I can start to see tangible results after only 4 sessions.” – Evan J.
 
“Very good value for professional and personal in terms of future school investments. It was very useful in displaying my talents and abilities towards a school path.” – Taylor H.
 
“Excellent coaching. The ability to meet with my coach via phone, gmail, Skype & in person was quite helpful.” – Esther C.
 
“More confidence in applying for jobs, much-improved resume, improved interviewing skills. Coaching sessions were very helpful.” M. Coulter
 
“Face to face sessions were very helpful and engaging. (Tangible outcome:) Better understanding or confirmation of my strengths & confidence support. This program would benefit anyone looking for career support whether you are just starting out or whether you have been in the job force as myself for years.” - L. Drach

Thomas Labelle

Coaching

Certified Career and Leadership Coach

He feels extremely fortunate to be in the position to excite and motivate clients about career and life “possibilities” and to help them devise strategies towards achieving their goals. The ability to help people discover or reshape their career and life goals is a privilege that Thomas enjoys and takes very seriously, while understanding that life craves and functions best with generous sprinkles of healthy humor.
 
The complex world of work requires an individual to be proactive and responsive to consistent change. As a knowledgeable, compassionate, and inspirational coach Thomas helps empower individuals to meaningfully connect, not only to their occupational aspirations, but in all facets of their lives.
 

Professional Designations

  • Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching
  • Certified Career Development Professional
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Human Service Administration
  • Member of the International Coaching Federation
  • Member of the Calgary Association of Professional Coaches
 

Success Stories

“I can say with tremendous confidence that Thomas’s skills and commitment towards his profession are amongst the best in the career advisory industry. It could clearly be seen that he loved what he did as he worked tirelessly towards achieving his ultimate goal, of developing the students of today into the leaders of tomorrow.” - Z.V., Engineering Student (University of Calgary)
 
“I have had the pleasure of working with Thomas in both professional and learning environments. Thomas consistently shows up with integrity, combined with a grounded and poised approach (along with a great sense of humour!) to everything he does. I highly recommend him as an educator, advisor and coach!” - Selena Murillo (Executive & Empowerment Coach)
 

Tudor Robins

Resume & Branding

Resumé Coach

Tudor enjoys writing anything that tells a story and considers resumes to be the ultimate “short story” of a person’s life. As a professional resume-writer for more than a dozen years, Tudor has created over a thousand resumes for roles from Architect to Zookeeper. She specializes in re-organizing and re-writing the story of your career in a way that is clear, compelling, and impactful to prospective employers.
 
A great resume is about more than words on a page. A great resume is about confidence. Tudor’s goal is to give you the confidence you need to explore your options, secure interviews, and land a role that fulfills you.
 

Professional Designations

  • Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Journalism

Victoria Miles

Coaching

HR Consultant and Employee Engagement Coach

Victoria has 25 years of experience in helping organizations shape and deliver strategies centered around the intersection of commerce, culture and community. Whether it has been through leadership roles in global brand companies, as an entrepreneur in a leading-edge corporate consultancy, or working for international and national non-profits, she has always focused on those things that will be truly transformative.
 
She has demonstrated her ability to build and lead dynamic teams in a range of fast-paced, and often inflexible industries, and possesses the unique combination of analytical and creative thinking. Victoria is respected for her ability to develop, manage and implement large-scale initiatives around change management, organizational dynamics and employee engagement. Her process of strategic inquiry includes expertise in creating survey tools and measurement techniques to truly evaluate engagement. Part of her work includes the design of customized, tactical approaches to helping organizations understand their culture through their people dynamics – then create tools to help them build and strengthen those relationships.