About Me
What excites me
I believe that every person can lead and influence from any seat in the room, without defaulting to power dynamics or titles. I help leaders learn how to effectively use the weight of the authority they do have, and foster trust-based team environments where team members feel courageous and safe to contribute their best ideas, and challenge status quos and assumptions - so that we can do things today better than we did yesterday.
Why it matters to me
The world’s greatest problems require collaboration, period. Whether it’s mental health, climate change, diversity & inclusion challenges, we can only do it together.
Great teams prioritize friction between ideas, not between people. High-performing teams move fast, not because they rush at all costs, but because they have managed mis-communication well, activated risk-taking, and made it safe to fail.
My Professional Layer
Where we come from, leads us to who we are now
Leadership Development Program Designer, Facilitator, & Coach - Through my business (mindspaceImpact), I focus on supporting leaders in technology, engineering, and finance professionals to develop essential leadership / communication skills and habits. I also proudly work with the fabulous team at Leaders@Scale, delivering 150 workshops per year to executive and senior leadership teams in technology companies. My professional coach training spanned 2 years with the global Co-Active Training Institute (CTI), completing it in 2018, travelling to New York, Chicago, Barcelona, and Singapore.
Latin Dance Instructor - Since 2006, I have been a Latin (salsa, bachata) dancer instructor, and performer, adapting the dance metaphors of trust, connection, and leader-follower dynamics into my experiential workshops. The role of emotions and mind-body connection is an under-appreciated consideration in leadership development - psychological safety is rooted in the body’s experience.
Water Infrastructure Engineering - After graduating with a Chemical Engineering Degree, I worked with global engineering consulting firms (2009-2019), including AECOM, GHD, Jacobs Engineering, and SNC-Lavalin. In my Leadership Programs, I adapt my experiences in leading cross-functional global teams, securing stakeholder buy-in and engagement, and systems thinking principles. Since 2009, I have also developed leadership development experiences for hundreds of young engineering professionals across the US and Canada through the Water Environment Federation.
The Person behind the Professional
Let’s never forget the Person behind every Professional. We are more than just our titles, achievements, and employers. We are humans who hold and express deep personal values through our work.
My 3 values are Water, Dance, and Nature. What are yours?
Water - Born in Manila, raised in Bahrain (Arabian Gulf, the Middle East), and immigrated to Toronto, Canada, I experienced the reality of not having enough clean water, to only have saltwater oceans, to having the abundance of the largest freshwater lakes in the world. Through my travels, and living with a global mindset, I know that not everyone in the world has what they need to thrive, but collaboration and cooperation can help ensure that they can access it.
Dance - Dancers, like leaders, need to develop range. Partner dancing, like any dialogue, requires a balance of deep listening and full expression, and is a constant exchange between leader and follower. In teams, followers may only go as big as the leader is willing and ready to go.
Nature - I gather peace and groundedness through multi-day hiking in the wilderness, and road trips across rainforests and deserts, to mountains and lakes. Nature, like human nature, is adaptive, and is resilient to adverse conditions. Leaders get to co-create the environment that nurtures people to operate at their best, not just adapted to survive.
