About Leslie

Growing up in a family of four kids, we were always moving. New homes, schools and friends all seemed like one huge adventure. During my teens we lived in six different countries, on three separate continents! I learned a lot about people, customs, cultures and diverse perspectives.

After graduating from high school in England when I was 16, I found a job, a flat with friends and began a life-long love affair with fashion, London and my newly independent life.

At 20, a broken engagement prompted my next adventure, this time back to my North American roots. Curious to experience life here as an adult, ready for a new way of being in the world, and now very single and far more serious and responsible, I had an insatiable drive to be self-sufficient and independent. Who needed a man anyway?!

The next decade is merely a blur – sooo busy with university, study, work, career, dating – and so fun and exciting! I then met and married my husband, moved across the country (of course), bought our first house and had our first baby. Whew!!

Stacy, 9 yo

Then everything went sideways.

Three days before Christmas in 1997 on the far side of the country, my younger sister Stacy was mugged at an ATM machine, dragged into an alley and robbed of 35 lousy dollars. While she was in the ICU, hovering between life and death, my family and I were asked to make THE life-support decision. Thankfully Stacy came out of the coma, but she had a global brain injury that left her permanently incapacitated.

Even after that, life kept throwing me wallops: a surprise, high-risk pregnancy that required bed rest for six months and hospitalization for another two (happily producing beautiful, healthy, identical-twin girls!). And the death of my father-in-law, and a second life-support decision to make for Stacy, who died suddenly, just before any decision could be implemented.

When nothing makes sense, you grip tightly to anything that smacks of “normal,” and that becomes your mission: to keep it normal. Like looking after your kids, carrying on with work and life, getting really, really busy – so there’s no time left to think, or feel or sleep…

Stacy’s death plunged me into a life-altering collapse that lasted for years.

I went from a healthy, highly functioning, intelligent mother of three, enjoying a successful corporate career to someone unable to write a cheque or shop for groceries. I was eating prescribed antidepressants like candy, constantly in and out of hospitals with a highly compromised immune system. While my husband took care of me and our three kids, medical teams focused on the poor state of my lungs, while therapists attempted to help me function in daily life.

Then came that day, back on a gurney in the emergency room again, literally flat on my back, unable to breathe. I was physically and emotionally shut down, severely depressed and lacking any personal foundation. At the same time, though, I had this knowing deep within – a sense that I had to pick myself up NOW – and get myself well – or I would not make it. The feeling had such a commanding sense of urgency and authority that I knew it had to be heeded. That was my defining moment, my turning point, and truly the beginning of my journey back to life.

After that day in emergency, I took charge and over the course of 6 to 9 months, got off all my meds and worked with a homeopathic practitioner. It became clear to me that living from the neck up as I had been doing, left me disconnected. I needed to be in better touch with my heart, my emotions and me! I learned to let go of things that were not essential to my well-being and stretched outside my comfort zone by asking for help. All of this led to my discovery of yoga, my personal spiritual beliefs, a deep sense of who I am, and an unexpected delight in creating art. I became happier, healthier, and enjoyed balance and self-care – probably for the first time in my life.

And as it does for everyone, life continued…

Since that time of personal transformation, I have collected an assortment of life-changing transitions – some best ever, others devastating. The net-net is this: I know what it is to lose loved ones, to feel utterly alone and isolated about something too private to discuss, to be blindsided by an event with no clue what to do, to face unexpected career trajectories, and to live in the fallout of other people’s life choices…

But here’s the thing:

Ultimately, my personal odyssey of healing and growth instilled in me a profound respect for the qualities and values that genuinely matter in life. My transition, from falling apart to where I am today, has been a powerful, purposeful, expansive and rewarding journey. During the most strenuous times, I discovered my own strengths, stepped into my own power, released what didn’t serve me and consciously aligned with my true values. And… I believe I honor my sister every time I serve as a guiding light and catalyst for another woman.

Although this is my story, I know that you have your story, too. And while each one of us is unique, our pain and loss is very much the same.

When facing a difficult or life-altering situation, it’s not even on our radar to imagine the transformation we are inviting! But inviting it we are – and this is truly exciting. Only when we get to the other side, do we discover how very powerful our journey has been – packed with surprising gifts, personal growth and new possibilities!

Today I’m fully embracing the gifts of my journey, and I’m definitely qualified to help you navigate yours.

Whatever your challenges or pain or loss, I believe I can help you find your way back to an authentic and productive life – quite possibly, one even better than before. So if life has thrown you into your own tailspin, however strenuous it might be, I’d love to be your guide.

Let’s chat about what’s going on with you – confidentially of course – and explore how I can best support you. In fact, I invite you to schedule a complimentary clarity chat with me!

Schedule Appointment

Pssst!

I love polka dots; they always make me smile!
My long-term goal is to be a competitive swimmer by the time I’m 80.
When my husband and I were newly pregnant, the OB-GYN held up two fingers to indicate twins, and we thought he was giving us the “peace” sign.
One of my most embarrassing teen moments was leaving Paris with my mother, who made me walk through Orly airport carrying a string floor mop (don’t even ask why!).
My husband and I had a long-distance romance for a year and racked up $1,000 in long-distance calls (that was before cell phones). When we married, I wore a beautiful, red designer gown (it was the holiday season)!
I will eat my way through anything chocolate, especially if it comes with peanut butter.
Suitcase-packing mastery is one of my unique talents.
Every year I go to Mont Tremblant for an artist’s retreat, where I live in my pj’s and make art with friends for seven glorious days!

I couldn’t be better! Leslie’s coaching really helped me to kick our little life in gear and it has been onward and upward since then. I am having a great time getting to know myself and have started some new activities. From the bottom of my heart, I am truly grateful to Leslie for the empowerment that she was able to lead me to. I am truly happy in the place that I am in and can’t wait to see what the future has in store!

Kelsey G.

Analyst, Montreal, Canada

Credentials

Looking for the perfect expert trained to untangle the stress and mess of your personal challenge, crisis or transition? Then read on, for my professional creds…

Underpinning every aspect of the work we do together, is the Core Energy Coaching™ process. This breakthrough change model takes traditional coaching results to a whole new level. And the results really can be extraordinary, both personally and professionally. Unlike traditional short-lived coaching successes, your results will last! They will be measurable, and for many clients, they are life-changing. Read more about the process here.

I am a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) through iPEC (Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching), a world class coach-training program accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF).

I’ve earned advanced credentials: As an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) from the ICF, I adhere to the ICF Code of Ethics, which you can read about here. I am also ELI-MP certified as an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner through iPEC to interpret results of a one-of-a-kind assessment tool I use with all coaching clients. Read about this amazing tool here.

I’m located in Montreal, Canada and work with clients worldwide. In addition to solid coaching credentials, experience, and proprietary systems exclusively tailored to meet individual needs, I also bring twenty years of corporate and executive expertise to each of our sessions.

Web copy used by permission. No reproduction or retransmission is permitted without expressed written consent of Bruce D Schneider and the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC).

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