Centered Life Coaching

Almost every senior leader I work with at the Government of Canada has the same saboteur.

The Hyper Achiever.

And honestly? It makes complete sense. You do not climb to that level without a relentless drive to do more, be more, deliver more. That drive is a genuine gift. It got them there.

But here is what that same drive costs them at the top:

They cannot sleep. They cannot stop. Their mind is always scanning for the next thing to improve, the next gap to close, the next deliverable to push through. And the system around them keeps asking for more with less, which means the dial never turns down.

The Hyper Achiever that built their career is now the thing quietly dismantling their health, their relationships, and their joy.

This is not a willpower problem. It is a wiring problem. And wiring can be changed.

The Mental Fitness training I provide gives these leaders practical tools they can use in the moment, not in a weekend retreat or a year of therapy, but in the middle of a Tuesday when everything is on fire and they need their brain working for them instead of against them.

The result is still that high-performing, sharp, driven leader everyone counts on. But with something they have not felt in years.

Ease.

If this sounds like you or someone you lead, let’s talk. Book a quick 20 minute conversation with me via the link in my bio.

I have been ruined by a Kouign-Amann.

On my first day in France, I tried one from a small bakery in and nothing else came close for the rest of the trip. It is a pastry from France. Buttery, flaky, caramelized, layered, and apparently quite rare. I searched every bakery I passed (and there really is a bakery on every corner in Paris).

None of them had it.

On my last day, I found one bakery that had it!

I bought three. They came home with me in a Ziploc bag and I have been slowly eating half of one each day since returning to Calgary, letting linger a little longer.

Eating that pastry became one of my Mental Fitness practices today... getting me set up in my wise brain to face all of the things in my life and business that had piled up while I was away.

Want to know how I used it as a mental fitness tools?

Instead of eating while scrolling or planning or worrying, you bring your full attention to what is in front of you. You notice the layers in the dough. The way caramel pulls against your tongue. The exact moment the flavour opens up and spreads around your mouth.

It sounds simple. It is. And that is the point.

Mental Fitness is not only for crisis moments. The reps you do in calm, pleasurable moments are what build the neural pathways that hold you steady when pressure hits.

A pastry can be a training session.

Want to try a few of these reps yourself? Comment PARIS below and I’ll send you a free handout with simple tools you can start using today.

By the end of the week, they were unrecognizable!

At the start of our trade mission to , I watched brilliant q***r business owners shrink under the pressure of a one-minute timed pitch in front of strangers. Voices tight. Minds blank. Bodies braced.

I know that feeling. I felt it too.

So I offered the group something I use myself: a few Mental Fitness tools to help shift out of survival brain and into the calm, clear thinking that actually makes you compelling when you speak.

What happened over the next few days was one of the most rewarding things I witnessed on the entire trip.

People started using the tools between sessions. They would find me in the hallway and show me what they were practicing. By the time they stood up to pitch in front of a larger room of strangers at the end of the week, the difference was night and day.

Same people. Same pitches. Completely different presence.

The biggest unlock for many was a simple awareness exercise: noticing how much mental bandwidth we burn judging ourselves, judging others, and judging circumstances as bad. When you see that clearly, something shifts. You put down a weight you didn’t even know you were carrying and you move through the world lighter and more free.

One tool. One week. Transformed how they showed up in career-defining conversations.

If you lead a team that presents, pitches, or performs under pressure, this is exactly what I do. Let’s talk about what it could look like for your people.

Book a quick conversation with me via the link in my bio.

PositiveIntelligence

I almost missed my high-speed train in France last week.

Had I missed it, I would have faced a 5.5 hour bus ride instead of a 2 hour super comfortable train ride. I was rushing, heart pounding, bags flying.

And I noticed something: the moment I panicked, I started making worse decisions.

That is not a travel problem. That is a brain problem. And it is exactly what I teach leaders to solve.

Here are 7 moments on my Paris trip where my Mental Fitness tools made the difference between chaos and clarity:

-Almost missing my train and choosing to slow my mind down instead of spiral

-Giving a timed one-minute pitch about my company in front of a room full of strangers

-Navigating the Paris Metro in full panic mode (spoiler: panic made me choose the wrong direction every single time)

-Having a disagreement with my partner and using a Mental Fitness tool to genuinely empathize instead of just wanting to prove how I was right

-Walking into the Canadian Embassy Ambassador’s Residence, surrounded by mining company presidents in navy suits... wearing a bright PINK shirt

-Feeling unsafe with an aggressive server at a restaurant

-Finding my heart beating out of my head as I climbed the 674 steps up the Eiffel Tower wondering if my legs and lungs would ever forgive me

Every single one of these moments pulled me toward my survival brain. Reactive. Tight. Small. Fear Filled.

Mental Fitness is what helped me shift back to wise, calm, and clear.

Want the specific tools I used?

Comment PARIS below and I’ll send you the handout directly.

ExecutiveLeadership

I’m delighted to be headed to Paris this week with the Government of Canada and the Canadian Q***r Chamber of Commerce (CQCC)- ***rchamberca.

I’ve got to pinch myself that I actually get to teach mental fitness tools at the Canadian Embassy in Paris.

The more world leaders who know how to create peace within themselves… the more they will create peace in our world.

May it be so!

I’ve integrated mental fitness training into my life and work and it has been a game changer for helping me connect to my senses and be present in my body.

Harvard professor, Martha Beck says it is as if our society these days is operating with a right brain stroke.

We mostly operate from the left brain and are stuck in that fight flight freeze. No wonder anxiety is on the rise.

The mental fitness exercises I teach from the Positive Intelligence framework are an amazing way to bridge our right and left hemispheres so we have access to our sage (or body) wisdom and can create a more peaceful environment for ourselves.

It’s been such a game changer!

I’m on a mission to change the world to a more peaceful place with this.

What world leader do you hope learns these tools next? Feel free to share this with them or tag them in the comments. Perhaps you already admire how amazing they are as a leader… and you want to offer them a hidden advantage that will increase their performance while also creating more ease for them.
Win Win!

The Zoo broke me last night!

Yes, literally the zoo. I took my kids to see Zoo Lights with our chosen family. It was –15°C, the kids were bouncing off the walls after hot chocolate, and in the middle of it all... I broke down crying.

Later, I realized why.

My “Pleaser Saboteur” wanted perfectly behaved kids, a magical night, and no trouble for anyone.

My “Controller Saboteur” was steaming because the kids weren’t listening and I felt disrespected.

Can you relate?

The holidays bring changing routines, extended family, and endless interactions. If you feel friction rising, pause. Often it’s a saboteur part of you being activated.

👉 Curious which saboteur most impacts your performance at work or interferes with your parenting or relationships?

Take the 5‑minute assessment here: https://www.centered.ca/saboteur-assessment