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Desa Global Leadership Inspiring professionals to find voice & visibility on 4 continents. Helping large orgs create more i

AI is getting really good at sounding like everyone, and that should make us all a bit concerned.It's not because I thin...
10/21/2026

AI is getting really good at sounding like everyone, and that should make us all a bit concerned.

It's not because I think AI is bad. I use it daily, I’m fascinated by it as a tool, and I think there’s HUGE potential in what it can help us do.

But I keep coming back to this question: What happens to the part of you that AI could never have lived?

The career pivot that took courage and risk that no algorithm could ever experience.

The difficult convo that changed a peer relationship forever.

The cultural nuances that are so ingrained into who you are that they are unconscious.

The mistake you still think about at 2am.

The perspective you bring into a room because of what you’ve experienced (and not because a prompt told you to).

That’s YOUR difference. And honestly, I think we’re going to need MORE of it.

When everyone has access to the same tools that can create a clean answer in 10 secs, the value isn’t being the person with the most polished response.

It’s being the person with something REAL to say.

So yes, use AI to challenge your thinking, tighten the message, find the gap, help you see something you missed.

But don’t hand it the blank page and ask it to decide what YOU think.

Start there yourself. Ask:

What do I believe?
What gems from my own lived experience can I share?
What do I see that others might not?

Then bring that to the tech.

Swipe through for 3 questions you should be asking before hitting publish on any AI-assisted work.

And if you’re thinking about how to help your leaders develop and strengthen their own voice, visibility and influence, send me a DM. Our Own Your Difference keynote is built for this exact reason, and I'd love to share practical daily tools to support your team.

10/20/2026

There is nothing better than being in a room full of leaders who are ALL IN. 🙌

I just wrapped up an executive leadership retreat, and WOW. The energy in that room!

What really got me excited? The openness. The honest conversations. Leaders sharing best practices, challenging each other, getting vulnerable, and genuinely wanting to figure things out TOGETHER.

We weren’t just talking about FY2027 strategy. We were talking about how to make it mean something to the people who have to bring it to life.

Because let’s be real. A strategy can look incredible on a slide, but if your people don’t understand how they fit into it, feel empowered to take ownership, or know how their work makes a difference, how do you expect to get everyone moving in the same direction?

A few things I’d love to see more leadership teams do:
- Get curious about what’s working across different teams.
- Make room for the conversations that feel uncomfortable but need to happen.
- Customize FY27 strategy to the BU, team & individual so they feel empowered to act.

Small shifts in how we lead can make a BIG difference in how people show up.

I left this session feeling so optimistic about what’s ahead for this group. Can't wait to see how they drive change and results!

For those preparing teams for new FY27 priorities, what’s ONE word you want to define how your team works together in the new year? I’d love to hear it in the comments.

Today, I’m heading to Whistler to lead a keynote and discussion with senior leaders at a global software company’s execu...
10/19/2026

Today, I’m heading to Whistler to lead a keynote and discussion with senior leaders at a global software company’s executive offsite 🏔️

The slides are done, the stories are ready... but I’m still thinking about the people who’ll be in the room and what they might be carrying right now.

AI moving faster than teams can absorb.
New priorities landing before the last ones are finished.
Teams working across functions, time zones and different ways of working.
People looking for clarity while the business itself is still figuring things out.

These are the moments when leadership is really tested. When the path isn’t crystal clear, priorities are shifting, and your team is looking to you for clarity, confidence and a way forward.

Luckily, your team doesn't need you to have every single answer.

They need you to help make sense of what matters, listen to what’s happening around you, and give them enough clarity to take the next step. And to look around the room and recognize that you're doing it together.

That’s the part I'm looking forward to most: hearing what’s really on people’s minds, ideating with these leaders and turning big ideas into practical tools they can use the moment they walk out.

Can't wait :) See you in Whistler 🙌

So pumped to be speaking at HRFest Canada! 🎉Here’s something I keep coming back to when I work with leaders: How do we g...
10/15/2026

So pumped to be speaking at HRFest Canada! 🎉

Here’s something I keep coming back to when I work with leaders: How do we get people to take ownership without every single decision, problem, and tough convo landing back on their manager’s desk?

For HR leaders, I’m sure this sounds familiar. You want managers who trust their teams to make decisions, speak up early, and work across silos without needing constant intervention.

But how do we actually make that happen? Because telling people to “take ownership” only gets you so far.

That’s what I’ll be exploring in my closing keynote at HRFest Canada. I’ll share my Purpose → Permission → Pursue framework, along with practical tools HR leaders can take back to their orgs to build accountability, encourage candid convos, and help teams move forward with confidence.

📍 HRFest in Toronto
📅 Wednesday, November 11
🕝 2:25 PM

A big thank you to HRFest for having me and for bringing together the people shaping the future of HR.

Who’s joining us? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to meet you! :)

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving from my family to yours ❤️This year, I’ve been thinking less about what I’ve accomplished an...
10/12/2026

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving from my family to yours ❤️

This year, I’ve been thinking less about what I’ve accomplished and more about who has been beside me through it all.

Because behind every workshop, strategy session, client convo, big idea… there are people who make all of it possible.

My family, who know me before the title or keynote.

The friends who check in just because.

The mentors and colleagues who have opened doors, challenged my thinking, championed me, and been there for the messy middle too.

And my kids, who have a funny way of reminding me that the most important moments usually aren’t the ones on my calendar. They’re the bedtime convos, inside jokes, random questions in the car, and laughs at the dinner table.

I’m grateful for all of it. Especially the small moments.

A long dinner where nobody is rushing away.

A ridiculous family story that gets retold for the 100th time.

A friend who somehow knows you need a call before you say it.

A convo that goes a little deeper than, “How’s work?”

This weekend, I’m trying to pause long enough to really notice those moments.

Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with good food, good people, and plenty of moments worth noticing.

Who is someone you’re especially grateful for this year? Tag them. And tell them why.

A great offsite can transform the energy in a room.People slow down, have the convos they’ve been too busy to have, reco...
10/07/2026

A great offsite can transform the energy in a room.

People slow down, have the convos they’ve been too busy to have, reconnect, get clear on what matters, and sometimes say things out loud that needed to be said months ago.

But here’s the question I always come back to:

What happens when everyone gets back to the office on Monday?

Because that’s where the offsite convos start to become everyday leadership.

Trust grows in the small moments when a leader:

• Does what they said they would do.
• Creates clarity when things feel uncertain.
• Listens actively and makes space for people to speak up.
• Communicates with transparency.
• Follows through on commitments and reinforces accountability.

So here’s one simple way to carry the offsite forward:

Pick ONE commitment from the room.

Then, in your next team meeting:

1. Name it: “What did we say we wanted to do differently?”

2. Assign it: “Who owns the next step?”

3. Revisit it: “What have we done since the offsite, and what still needs attention?”

It only takes 10 mins but it sends a powerful signal: what we talked about at the offsite matters enough to change how we lead when we’re back in the day-to-day.

That’s the heart of The Trust Advantage: giving leaders practical language, tools, and behaviours they can take with them when they leave the room.

The offsite creates the space. The everyday moments create the ripple.

If you're currently planning a leadership offsite, DM me “TRUST.” I'd love to hear what you're designing and explore how we can make the experience translate into everyday leadership behaviours.

Reconciliation can't be a one-day conversation.On National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we honour the children who ...
09/30/2026

Reconciliation can't be a one-day conversation.

On National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we honour the children who never returned home, Survivors of residential schools, their families, and Indigenous communities across Canada.

September 30 asks us to listen. To learn. To reflect.

But the responsibility doesn’t end when the day does.

How do we carry that learning into tomorrow, next week, and the way we show up throughout the year?

For me, that means continuing to listen to Indigenous voices, learning more about the history and experiences of Indigenous Peoples, and being honest about what I still don’t know.

And it also means turning reflection into action.

A few ways I’m thinking about carrying this forward:

• Read books by Indigenous authors to my kids. "When We Were Alone" by David A. Robertson is on my list.

• Take some time to learn with resources from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

• Be more intentional about where I spend. The Canadian Council for Indigenous Business has a directory of Indigenous-owned businesses and suppliers.

Small places to start. And a reminder to myself that the learning doesn’t end today.

What is one action you will take beyond September 30?

09/28/2026

A keynote shouldn’t be something people enjoy for an hour and forget by Monday.

The best moments happen after.

Looking back at this special day with the Verve Senior Living team, that’s what stands out to me.

Yes, I love the energy in the room. I love the conversations, the laughter, the moments when you can almost see an idea click.

But what I care about most is what people do with it afterwards.

Do they trust their voice a little more?

Do they have something practical they can actually use?

Do they show up differently for the people around them?

That’s always the goal.

Not inspiration for inspiration’s sake. Tools that help people take action.

It’s one of the reasons I love this work so much, creating spaces where leaders feel seen, heard and valued, then giving them practical ways to create that same experience for others.

Because the keynote might last an hour.

The ripple can last much longer.

Planning a leadership event, conference or team experience? DM me “IMPACT” and let’s explore how we can create an experience your leaders will actually use long after the event ends.

09/25/2026

Before you log off this Friday, think about how you want your team to feel on Sunday night.

Because someone on your team might be sitting on the couch at 7 p.m., technically off work, but mentally already in Monday morning.

They’re thinking about the meeting that still feels unclear. The decision that never got made. The conversation they know is waiting for them.

I think we underestimate how much uncertainty follows people home.

We tell our teams, “Have a great weekend! Disconnect!”

But if they’re leaving Friday with 5 competing priorities and no idea which one actually matters on Monday, it’s pretty hard to switch off.

The Sunday Scaries aren’t always about having too much to do.

Sometimes it’s simply: I don’t know what I’m walking into.

So before your team signs off this week, take 5 mins and ask:

“What would help you feel clear and ready for Monday?”

Maybe it’s one priority clarified. One decision made. One conversation that shouldn’t hang over the weekend.

That’s what the Ownership Advantage is all about: small, practical tools to make work feel more clear, collaborative, and productive.

Sometimes, a better Monday starts on Friday.

I'd love to hear from you: What do you do on Friday to help your team start Monday well?

AI can generate more ideas. But can it generate truly innovative ideas?That question stayed with me after yesterday's Iv...
09/24/2026

AI can generate more ideas. But can it generate truly innovative ideas?

That question stayed with me after yesterday's Ivey Executive Roundtable with Professor Rob Austin on “GenAI Can Generate. Can It Innovate?”

I’m walking away even more certain that your lived experience is becoming MORE valuable, not less.

The countries you’ve lived in, industries you’ve worked across, customers you’ve listened to, mistakes you’ve made. Your culture, relationships, instincts and unconventional ideas.

Those aren't things to edit out of your professional voice.

They're part of what makes your contribution different.

AI can absolutely help us brainstorm, synthesize, and move faster, but we still need people willing to say:

“I see this differently.”
“Something about this doesn’t feel right.”
“Here’s what my experience tells me that the data might be missing.”

That takes more than AI literacy. It takes psychological safety, diverse perspectives, cross-functional conversation and leaders who make room for dissent and active face-to-face debate.

So maybe the leadership challenge in the AI era isn’t just learning how to use AI.

It’s learning how to use it without outsourcing the very thinking, judgment and uniqueness that makes you valuable and distinctively YOU.

AI can generate the average of what already exists.

You still get to bring the difference.

What are you doing to make sure AI amplifies your thinking and your voice, rather than replacing it?

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