Working together
Most of the people who find me are already carrying a lot.
You’ve done the degrees. You’ve passed the exams. You are the person other people lean on when the numbers get complicated or the stakes get high.
What you often do not have is a quiet, truly neutral place to think out loud about what your work and life are doing to you.
That is what our conversations are for.
What a conversation feels like
We talk in real time, one to one. No group, no recording, no observers.
Some people prefer video, some prefer phone. Sometimes we are in the same city and meet in person. The format matters less than the fact that, for that hour, you do not have to perform for anyone.
A typical conversation might wander through:
a board pack you are dreading presenting
a promotion you are circling but do not quite trust
a line you crossed at home that you are not proud of
a health scare you brushed off but have not really faced
a vague sense that you are being underused and overrated at the same time
There is space for hard things and for lightness. We can talk about capital allocation and sleep, portfolio risk and raising teenagers, leadership presence and why you hate networking events. Laughter shows up more often than people expect.
You are not a project. There is nothing here to “fix.” We are trying to see clearly, then act accordingly.
What people bring
Most people arrive with a tangle rather than a tidy brief.
Common starting points:
“On paper this is everything I worked for. Why does it feel flat?”
“Everyone tells me I’m ‘solid’ and ‘reliable’ but no one sees me as a leader.”
“I cannot remember the last time I slept through the night.”
“I’m an introvert who solves complex problems for a living. I still feel invisible.”
“I keep getting asked to ‘have more presence’ and I have no idea what that means without faking it.”
You might also bring something concrete:
a promotion or role you are considering
an offer letter or board invitation
a speech or presentation you want to give in your own voice
a decision about whether to stay loyal or leave
a child or partner whose path quietly worries you
We take your existing strengths seriously: your judgment, your ability to synthesise information, the years you have already invested. You are not starting from zero.
What tends to happen over time
People often begin nervous. They worry they are wasting my time, or that their concerns are “small” compared with what others face.
Over time, a few shifts are common:
Less pretending
The act drops a bit. You stop trying to be the extroverted leader, the perfect parent, the unshakeable professional. You start sounding more like yourself, even when the stakes are high.
More precise courage
Not bigger goals. Better questions.
Do I actually want that role, or do I just feel I cannot say no?
Is this board seat worth the personal and reputational risk?
What is the real cost of staying exactly where I am?
Cleaner boundaries
Saying yes only to work, boards, speeches and obligations that genuinely fit you. Starting to withdraw energy from things that only exist to impress people you don’t respect.
A wider field of vision
You begin to see options you could not see from inside your own story: different roles, different firms, different ways of leading in place. Sometimes the change is external. Sometimes it is internal. Often it is both.
None of this happens in a straight line. Careers, like markets, move in cycles and shocks. My work is to think clearly with you through those cycles, not just at the inflection points.
This is why I prefer longer term relationships. The more we know each other, the more useful and honest our conversations become.
How this complements therapy and coaching
Some of my clients have therapists. Some have coaches. Some have both. Some have neither.
Therapy can be vital for trauma, depression, anxiety and family history.
Coaching can be helpful for sharp goals, performance and structured accountability.
Our work often sits in the space those two rarely touch: the lived reality of leading, or wanting to lead, in complex financial and professional systems while trying not to lose your health, your conscience or your sense of self.
If you are working with a therapist or coach, we respect that. There is no turf war. You are the whole person connecting the dots.
Fees and tiers
I price my time by the level of responsibility you hold and the decisions you are carrying, not by how “worthy” you feel.
As a guide:
250 CAD / hour
Senior professionals and specialists who are not yet in the C-suite but carry significant technical or managerial responsibility.
500 CAD / hour
Executives and emerging C-suite leaders, including partners in professional firms and senior managers in major financial institutions.
1,000 CAD / hour
Founders, firm owners, senior partners and board members whose decisions carry broad organisational and societal consequences.
For some clients, once we know each other well, we occasionally move a conversation off-screen and onto my classic blue-water sailboat on Vancouver Island for a private working retreat. Those days are rare, weather-dependent, and priced by negotiation, not by a fixed hourly rate.
I work best with people I get to know over time. Single sessions are possible, but the real value usually emerges over months and years as we build trust, shared context and a common language.
If the fees do not fit your current reality, you are welcome to treat the website and future essays as a quiet resource and leave it there.
If you decide to reach out
If you read all of this and still feel something like recognition, that is usually the sign.
You are welcome to email me directly at
and briefly share:
where you work, in broad terms
the city you are based in
what you would like to talk about first
I reply personally. There is no assistant, no intake funnel, no mailing list waiting behind the door.
Our first conversation is not an audition. It is two introverts comparing notes on how to move through demanding work and complicated lives without losing what matters most.