Time is one of a leader’s most valuable and limited resources. Yet, in the midst of back-to-back meetings, shifting priorities, and the constant pull to “do more,” time can start to feel like something that happens to us, rather than something we lead through.

But what if we flipped the script? What if time became less about urgency and more about intention?

Effective leaders don’t just manage their schedules—they lead with time in mind. They align their minutes with their mission, their days with their values. When we use time purposefully, we unlock greater impact, clarity, and presence.

Recently, I had one of those A-ha moments—the kind that makes you pause in your tracks and question something that’s been running silently in the background of your life.

I realized that almost everything I do has a purpose. A goal. An outcome.

Even when I think I’m doing something for me—like going to the gym or walking the dog—it’s often tied to a broader objective. Health. Productivity. Routine. Performance.

And while those are noble pursuits, I found myself asking: When was the last time I did something just for the joy of it?

Have you ever felt like a fraud? Are you just waiting for someone to figure out that you're not as capable, smart, or worthy as others think you are? Or maybe you are saying one thing to your colleagues, clients or even your kids, but then you don’t always 'walk the talk' on it yourself?

That feeling has a name — Imposter Syndrome — and you're far from alone.

On Saturday, I received a text from my sister-in-law, saying there had been a bad car accident involving people from my hometown, Walkerton.  This small-town community of 5,000 people had just marked the 25th anniversary of the Walkerton water crisis that had claimed lives and made many people ill over contaminated drinking water.

This car accident occurred on Friday, and it involved 4 teenage girls (two were 16 and two were 17) and their teacher/coach, who was driving the SUV home around 4:30 p.m. from a baseball tournament hosted in Dorchester, Ontario.

I received word from the International Coaches Federation (ICF) that I successfully passed all components of my Master Certified Coach (MCC) designation credentialing with a score of over 90 per cent.

I am honored to join the ranks of only the Top 3 percent of Executive Coaches globally who hold the highest level coaching designation. It was important to me that I pursue this educational path to be my very best and ensure that I can provide you and your organization's leaders with exceptional coaching to help them be their best!

When I Executive Coach a Leader, we need to define in the beginning exactly what they are trying to achieve. We need to be clear on our goals and make sure we are both moving in the same direction.

So, I would like to take a moment at the beginning of our journey together through this blog series to define what my blogs overarching theme of Leading and Living with Purpose really means.

What does it look like to lead and live with purpose?

To see a picture of my family on social media, we looked almost perfect. Two beautiful little girls, an athletic, handsome husband, the quintessential golden retriever puppy, and me. Social media is this century’s biggest PR machine. But social media often doesn’t tell the story behind the photo.

My family is amazing, but we have been broken time and time again.

Today is my birthday! I am now 49 years of age.  You will never hear me complain about turning another year older.  Each year is a gift.  My husband, Jeff, died of esophageal cancer at the age of 46. I have gotten the gift of three extra years (and counting!) more than Jeff did on this Earth.

15 years ago, I created my Executive Coaching firm, Potential Unlimited, upon the philosophy that we need to look at developing leaders in the same way that we would develop any sort of initiative within our business.

We need to lay out all the parts, see how they are working together, and then create a strategic plan with timelines to achieve the goal. This is exactly what I do in my Executive Coaching. If someone comes to me wanting to improve their Executive Presence, we don’t just dive right into some tips and tools around Executive Presence, and then they are good to go. For the good or bad, people are way more complicated than that!

I have never seen stress levels, and I will call them burnout levels as high as they are right now.

A few weeks ago, I began recording short video clips to share some of the brain-hacks I have learned to help me reduce stress while I was in brain rehab after suffering a brain injury 12 years ago.

I feel like I have collected a wealth of information about the brain through this very painful experience, which led me to being a guinea pig about how some of this stuff would actually work on a Type A High Driver type of person.

The results were pretty amazing.

Have you ever felt like an Imposter? Perhaps, you don’t always practice what you preach. Or maybe, because you are only a human being there is no way to completely avoid the traps in life?

Watch my video to learn more on this.

If you are feeling the pressure of life and work, I invite you to watch my latest video featuring some neuro hacks to help you reduce stress and calm your nervous system.

Check out my video Stress Series to learn a simple brain hack to rewire your brain for greater peace.

I invite you to watch my two minute video to teach you an interesting brain hack to teach yourself to let go of stress!

This is the story I have wanted to share with you for about six months now, but I sat on it because I was scared. Let me start at the beginning…

Last August, I was talking to my dear friend, Cheri, about Sarah Polley’s book, ‘Run Into Danger.’ Like me and Cheri, Sarah Polley had also suffered a brain injury.

Sarah’s symptoms had been a lot like ours - extreme visual light sensitivity that led us to wear darkened sunglasses a lot of the time, short-term memory issues, and the biggest and most debilitating symptom was the excruciating headaches caused by stimulation.

I recently picked up a copy of Mel Robbin’s new book, ‘Let Them.’ Like so many others, I also have had times when I have fallen into the trap of worrying too much about others’ thoughts. I have experienced the guilt of making a decision that feels right for me or my family but has gnawed away at me when I worried about whether everyone else outside of me will be happy about my decision. But, if they are not, as Mel Robbins would say, “Let Them.”

We all have different leadership styles. That is what makes us unique. Even if you try to emulate someone else, you are you. And you are bringing your own unique variation of style with you to each organization you go to.

But, does your current leadership style mean that is your natural and only style? No way!

I see and even help leaders shift their styles. As we grow and develop, we change. You can’t really go back to the way you were. You can’t un-know what you know. So how does someone who isn’t a ‘People’ person who has been a strong contributor for years and found themselves in a leadership role now managing, and yes, even motivating people, do it?

Here are 3 components of helping develop a stronger Leadership EQ:

I have had a lot of days over the past dozen years, that just getting out of bed felt like climbing Mount Everest. With debilitating headaches from the brain injury. I had a broken heart after my beloved husband Jeff died at 46 years old of cancer. And then the toll of home-schooling my 8 and 10-year-old children while running a business amid a pandemic while deep in grief. I felt like I was in survival mode every day.

I knew I couldn’t keep going down this path. Being in survival mode for a sustained period doesn’t end well, and I need to be here for my kids. I knew I couldn’t control what was happening in the world around me. But, I could take more control over what was happening inside me.

I began to see that so much really all comes down to perspective. 

If you have been thinking about working with an Executive Coach to help you make a greater impact this year but still debating, let me tell you more about the process here to help you understand if it would be the right move for you now.

When I think back to who I was in my 20s and early 30s, I was a Powerhouse. I climbed the corporate ladder quickly and was a vice president within the financial services industry by the age of 31. I was armed with an MBA, a strong voice, and a quick mind. I also was physically strong, as a certified personal trainer/fitness leader and completed several triathlons.

But life can sometimes find a way of throwing us curve balls (or maybe teaching us lessons that have the opportunity to shape us if we are brave enough to be honest with ourselves). And that is exactly what happened to me on July 18, 2012.