unofficial bio
Valerie has come full circle in the last sixteen years. After attending law school and then practicing with, and being mentored by, some of Canada’s most successful lawyers, she was continually drawn to the “people issues” in her work – she cared about the internal struggles of her clients, whether they were executives battling labor disputes or safeguarding corporate interests in various ways. She was also passionate about the lives of her colleagues and friends – intrigued by their decision making processes on integrating professional careers with the various, moving parts outside of work.
It became clear to Valerie that coaching would be the right move for her. It would allow her to remain present and challenged in the corporate world by focusing her business on professionals. It would also allow her to fulfill the calling she had since her days as a psychology student, peer counselor and support group facilitator. Now, she combines her interests and experience to focus on professionals at a particular place in life that is so rich with opportunity, but also fatigue, stress, guilt and all out ‘busyness’ – the intersection of career, family, and self.
Valerie is no stranger to competing pressures and difficult decisions. She has lived in seven cities and three countries. She has managed the full spectrum of childcare support while she and her husband worked in cities without family. She built her business in New York City with young children and a new life to create at the same time. She did it again in Montreal in 2012 (while maintaining her U.S.-based business) and used the move to fine tune her transition skills and practice resilience along the way.
Valerie sees the transitions and struggles in life as as opportunities; opportunities to master each stage as a chapter in one’s own book. As she coaches her clients to surpass their own expectations, and take stock of their lives, she continues to strive for her own personal growth. She counts the recovery from injuries to running the New York City Marathon as success that she would never have imagined in the past.
She now runs her business with clients and connections from these former cities and wouldn’t have it any other way. On the tough days, she leans into people she trusts for support, breathes deeply before shifting gears to the next shift, and reminds herself of what matters most in her current chapter. It’s not perfect, nor perfectly balanced. But when it’s thought-out and intentional, it can actually make each day and each challenge fun to face. And that’s her goal for each client: to set an intention, make the change, and find the fun along the way.