Director of People & Culture
Leading without performing. Growing without burning out.
Director of People & Culture, global agency. Leading a 50+ person team through rapid growth and increasing executive responsibility.
The Unspoken Tension
She earned the promotion.
But the transition from manager to director felt heavier than she expected.
"I was carrying a lot of weight."
She was leading at a high level — and deeply tired.
Not because she wasn't capable.
Because she was constantly proving.
Proving she belonged at the table.
Proving she could handle the scope.
Proving she was ready.
She couldn't quite find her voice at the director level.
"I felt like I needed to hide areas of myself, or try to lead like other people would lead."
At the same time, her ambition was growing.
"I wanted to grow… but I knew that the way I was doing it before wasn't going to be sustainable without burning out."
She was thinking about expansion.
And quietly asking:
At what cost will I grow?
At work, she wasn't fully grounded.
At home, she wasn't fully present.
"I felt like I wasn't showing up 100% anywhere."
And when she first considered investing in coaching?
"Investing in myself didn't feel natural."
Alignment over method
Why She Chose TIAP
She had already been exposed to business coaches and leadership frameworks.
What made this different was not another model.
It was alignment.
"I go a lot between my head and my heart… and I just knew from a foundational level… the way that she saw things, I connected 100%."
She followed for over a year before reaching out.
And when they first spoke:
"I just felt this alignment. I felt that she was the right person to be in my journey."
She wasn't looking to do more.
She was looking to lead differently.
From proving to presence
The Shift
The first shift was internal.
"I understand now that I don't need to prove my value."
That sentence alone changed everything.
Her strategic time became sacred.
"My strategic time is now sacred, and protecting that time has changed everything for me."
She healed her relationship with time.
"I have healed my relationship with time."
Instead of leading from urgency or chaos, she began leading from presence.
"Now I lead from a place of being more present and centered, not from urgency."
Her voice strengthened — not because it became louder, but because it became hers.
"An area that has been life-changing for me has been the trust in myself."
"I feel more empowered… I've found my authentic voice to lead and to live."
Leadership stopped being performance.
"What makes this program different is that sometimes as a woman in leadership, I felt like I had to perform. And here, there's no character. You don't need to perform."
She describes the work simply:
"It's not adding more to your plate. It's changing the way you carry that plate. To me, it's been life-changing."
And beyond leadership:
"Shauna has given me resources and space to rethink how I live, not just how I lead, and integrate that into my life."
Measured Outcomes
2025 → 2026
Tangible shifts across leadership effectiveness, wellbeing, and strategic capacity.
20%
Decision-Making Effectiveness
driven by emotional intelligence growth
10%
Vision & Values Alignment
reflecting deeper identity clarity
10%
Wellbeing Regulation
reducing burnout risk
3
Promotions Navigated
with sustained confidence year-over-year
60%
Strategic Focus Time Increase
without increasing working hours
50+
Person Team Led
with sustained delegation & autonomy
As scope expanded, some team performance indicators reflected system strain — the natural tension of growth.
The difference now:
I'm proud to say that I bring more calm to the table than before."
Her team feels it.
"I feel more intentional with the things that I'm doing — and I think that's something that my team feels as well."
The Deeper Impact
She successfully navigated major professional and personal transitions during this time — including becoming a partner in the agency — with coaching support to process, own, and celebrate those milestones.
More than two years later:
"It took me so long to process because I struggled to receive. Working with Shauna has been critical during those transitions to actually celebrate them — to process it, to own it."
"I can't picture my life, in my growth journey, without Shauna."
"It's not just about coaching. It's about liberating who you are."
“You feel like there's a safe and brave space."
"I feel seen, but I also feel challenged while being deeply supported."
"I've felt an improvement with the trust in myself… accepting, loving, and celebrating who I am as a woman and as a leader."
Director of People & Culture
Global Agency
The Lesson
Why this matters
Sustainable leadership does not come from asking people to work less while expecting the same systems to hold.
It comes from redesigning how leadership, accountability, and performance operate together.
For Nature Canada, this work created a model where well-being and results reinforced each other, protecting both the mission and the people advancing it.
