Ambition Theory: Women in Construction

Dr. Paul Hickey studies gender diversity in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction leadership. Paul studies women’s industry representation and identifies methods to improve diversity. 

Highlights:  

What Linked In tells us about the path to leadership for women. 

Women face greater obstacles than their male counterparts in career advancement. 

Women’s path requires extra rungs on the corporate ladder, more frequent job changes, and a greater accumulation of education and connections.

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Ambition Theory partnered with the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) on Building Better: Women In Construction Study. Many Women In Construction initiatives celebrate the contributions of women in the industry, which is important. This session aims to take things a step further–we’re focused on ways to take action and drive real change. Tim Taylor, the Director of Research for NCCER dives into the results of the study. 

Highlights 

Explore and examine the results of our study

Hear the experiences of real women working in construction

Provide tangible steps individuals and organizations can take immediately

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Angelo Suntres is the author of the book The Human Side Of Construction. He has represented both contractors and owners and understands the struggles from both sides of the fence. Angelo believes that focusing on the human principles of connection, including effective communication and fostering healthy relationships, is a critical part of ensuring a successful future for the construction industry.

Highlights: 

Why relationships matter in the construction industry and how to build them. 

Transactional vs. transformational leadership behaviours and how this links to business success. 

The generational gap in construction. 

And why trust is the biggest problem facing the industry today. 

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Jerry Naranjo, the CEO of Naranjo Civil Constructors, is a passionate, engaging, innovative, and heart-centered business leader with over 30 years of experience. He has been a pioneer in the civil construction industry in Colorado, leading his firm to build some of the state’s most iconic and innovative river restoration projects. Jerry is a trusted advisor to employees, and clients alike, guiding them with insights on business matters, scaling, operations, organizational management, visionary leadership, and relentless execution. His unique roadmap to success is based in positivity, authentic relationships, and replacing goals with actions.

Highlights: 

Why company culture is one of the most important things in business. 

How to attract and retain high-performing talent. 

What it’s like to be a heart-centered leader in the construction industry. 

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Kat Von Kamrath and Laura Beneteau have worked in the construction industry for about ten years.  A couple of years ago, each of their company’s employee resource groups discussed how standard-issue safety vests don’t fit women’s bodies very well. Kat is in the US, and Laura is in Canada, and they both brought this issue up with senior management and got the go-ahead to order some new vests. It turned out that it wasn’t that straightforward. 

Highlights: 

The importance of having personal protective equipment that fits.

The impact on psychological safety and a feeling of belonging. 

Two different paths lead to the same result: having safety vests that fit. 

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Kathryn Hart guides others to pursue fulfilling and intentional career paths within the architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. As founder and host at Space to Build, she advises others on navigating their roles on and off-site, leads community discussions on the real questions women have in our industry, and shares honest dialogue with women in roles across the industry.

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Tonia Rivers is a military spouse and mother of three with seventeen years of experience in the construction industry. She is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Mothers in Construction, which is committed to elevating the voice of mothers in the industry. Tonia is also the owner and president of WLS Construction Consultants LLC, a construction consulting firm that provides mentorship and training to young professionals and small and disadvantaged business entities.

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Marius Tawembe is a strategic, charismatic, and results-driven construction management professional with a proven ability to build strong, effective teams and inspire people to be better and make a difference.

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Emily Soloby, the founder of Juno Jones, has been on a mission to help women from the beginning of her career. In 2009, she and her husband Ryan took over a small truck and heavy equipment safety training firm, which she has helped grow into a national business. During her years there, she noticed the footwear problem—there wasn’t any! Determined to create safety boots that she’d actually want to wear, Emily assembled a powerhouse team of designers, consultants, and industry experts to bring Juno Jones to life.

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Myrna Layton and Chelcea Driscoll are both safety professionals who participated in Ambition Theory’s Leadership Accelerator Program. In this conversation, we talk about the difference between enforcing safety and building a safety culture.

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Kathryn Coulter works as a control specialist on new installations and upgrades of automation equipment. She was the only woman in her department for many years, but that has recently changed.

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Whenever we speak to men who want to be better allies in the workplace, they’re often unsure about what they can do to help. David Smith and Brad Johnson are the co-authors of the books Athena Rising: How And Why Men Should Mentor Women and Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies For Women In The Workplace.

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Almost half of women in the construction industry have never had a woman role model or manager. They’ve never seen a real-life example of a woman in a leadership position in their company. Ambition Theory wants to change this. In our Leadership Foundations Program, we invite past participants to share how they’ve applied their learnings and the results that they’ve got for their companies. Simona Nicolescu, Jennifer Cross, and Cheryl Philibert joined us in June of 2022 to share their leadership journeys.

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"I didn't believe it."

This is the feedback a male executive at a large construction company shared with us after attending an Ambition Theory workshop last March.

But, after asking just a few women he worked with, he quickly realized their experience aligned with what he learned in the presentation.

His company had invested heavily in recruiting and hiring women and developed a mentorship program and an employee resource group. However, women still weren't advancing at the same rate as men.

He finally understood why. The women's leadership experience was entirely different from that of men in the industry.

Listen to the audio recording of our live series from September 2022.

How Men And Women Can Create Opportunities Together

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"I didn't believe it."

This is the feedback a male executive at a large construction company shared with us after attending an Ambition Theory workshop last March.

But, after asking just a few women he worked with, he quickly realized their experience aligned with what he learned in the presentation.

His company had invested heavily in recruiting and hiring women and developed a mentorship program and an employee resource group. However, women still weren't advancing at the same rate as men.

He finally understood why. The women's leadership experience was entirely different from that of men in the industry.

Listen to the audio recording of our live series from September 2022.

How Men And Women Can Create Opportunities Together

Links:

"I didn't believe it."

This is the feedback a male executive at a large construction company shared with us after attending an Ambition Theory workshop last March.

But, after asking just a few women he worked with, he quickly realized their experience aligned with what he learned in the presentation.

His company had invested heavily in recruiting and hiring women, and developed a mentorship program and an employee resource group, but women still weren't advancing at the same rate as men.

He finally understood why. The women's leadership experience was entirely different from that of men in the industry.

Listen to the audio recording of our live series from September 2022.

How Men And Women Can Create Opportunities Together

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Alexis Clark is the Anchor Business Unit Manager at Hilti North America and is extremely passionate about her work. We talked about the distinct culture at Hilti and what happens when you are a fit and when you aren’t. We also discussed what demonstrating courage in the workplace looks like and how it can lead to exponential growth for companies and your career. 

Highlights:  

- What onboarding for culture looks like at Hilti. 

- What it looks like to be courageous at work. 

- Finding a company with the right cultural fit for you can supercharge your career. 

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Heather and Sarah Cruickshanks are a mother-daughter team who runs L.E. Cruickshanks Sheet Metal. They both started their careers in different industries and are now leaders in the construction industry in Atlantic Canada. 

Highlights  

- The benefits and challenges of running a family business. 

- How their company started as a backyard operation and grew to a multimillion-dollar operation by leveraging a transformational leadership approach. 

- How to transition into the construction industry mid-career. 

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Michael Riegel is the author of the book Build Like The Big Primes, a coach and trainer focused on leadership development in the construction industry.

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The priority for most construction companies today is retention.  Susan McCutchan and Nadia Fratantonio from Pomerleau Construction talked about how the transformational approach to leadership is an extremely effective way to attract and retain top talent. It encourages people to be authentic at work, and it allows you to uncover talents on your team. It makes people want to work with you and stay at the company.

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Brad Kohl is the President and CEO of Lafarge Western Canada. Lafarge is Canada's largest provider of sustainable construction materials and a member of the global group Holcim.

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Years of experience and technical knowledge are highly valued in the construction industry, and today we share a different perspective. Phil Diochon and Jill Tremblay from Verge Technologies talk about how they learned about the industry and grew the company by relying on their transformational leadership skills.

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Lisa Fougere and Laura Hynes from Lindsay Construction took part in the first cohort of our leadership accelerator for women in construction. They shared what it was like to take this program, how they could implement what they learned, and its impact on their company.

I want to say thank you so much to Lisa and Laura for getting out of their comfort zones and coming on the podcast.

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Jennifer Cross shares what it’s like when you take 1:1 coaching with Ambition Theory. During her coaching program, Jennifer successfully transitioned into the commercial construction industry. For her the secret to exponential growth started by answering the question what drives your ambition and finding a company that aligns with her personal values.

We talked about the future of work and how a new perspective on ‘going back to the office’ can change the way we view construction projects.

Highlights

- Why Jennifer decided to enter the commercial construction industry 25 years into her career.

- How to get crystal clear on your long-term career vision.

- How to network in an authentic way

- How to attract opportunities

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Both parents are in leadership roles; they love their careers, have kids, and have a strong marriage. You’ve probably seen people like this and wonder how they do it all. In this episode, we interviewed Dr. Vanessa and Pat Sweet, who have been redefining gender roles as professionals and parents since they started dating in university.

This was recorded live as part of our 2021 International Women’s Day series called Rising to the Challenge: Taking on the social norms and stereotypes that impede careers and business.

Highlights

● Pat and Vanessa shared the process that allowed them to rise to leadership while navigating multiple moves.

● How to align your personal values so you can rise faster professionally.

● The process they go through as a family to make big decisions.

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Lisa Laronde, president of Powell Contracting, didn’t start working in the construction industry or become president the same way peers have. Lisa teases out how to launch into higher positions while making the world a better place. Through personal experience, Lisa shows how transformational leadership created exponential growth in each company division soon after she took leadership.

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Nadine Speirs is the owner of Metal Depot a supplier of metal roofing and wall panels as well as a full-service custom fabrication shop in Winnipeg Manitoba. The majority of the team is female and there is very little employee turnover at the company. Her competitors often give her referrals because Metal Depot’s products and services are just that good. In this episode Nadine shares:

- How she unintentionally built an all-female team.

- Why focusing on beautiful products allows her company to stand out from competitors.

- How she’s built a culture of trust and loyalty that allows her to work remotely from places like Mexico and Spain.

Sandra Benson is Global Head of Industry Transformation at Procore Technologies and on the board of The National Institute of Building Sciences. She got here, by being her authentic self. In this episode Sandra shares:

- How she made the decision to leave her role as the Worldwide Head of Engineering, Construction and Real Estate at Amazon Web Services.

- Why she believes sponsorship is more powerful than mentorship.

- How being her authentic self led to incredible opportunities to influence the construction industry as a whole.

The construction industry is booming, but there aren’t enough skilled professionals to do all of the work. In this episode, we explore the difference between mentorship (giving advice) and sponsorship (giving opportunities) and why mentorship programs don’t actually accelerate women into leadership positions in the construction industry. Learn what to do instead if you want to fully leverage the existing female talent in your company.

The construction industry is booming, but there aren’t enough skilled professionals to do all of the work. This episode explores the difference between transactional and transformational leadership models. Why the construction industry needs more transformational leaders and why the current system fails to develop these skills.

Jennifer Todd is the founder and president of LMS General Contractors, she’s been featured on the cover of Construction Business Owner Magazine, was the Engineering News Records Top 25 Newsmakers of 2020 and one of ENR’s top 20 under 40.

During this interactive live podcast, Jennifer shared:

● How she entered the construction industry as an admin assistant and rose through the ranks to become a CEO.

● Why building relationships is just as important as managing projects in the construction industry.

● How to overcome challenges and setbacks in your career.

● How women can get started in the industry as an employee or as an entrepreneur.

● How she approaches failure so she can bounce back and keep moving forward.

The YWCA Change Project has developed Gender Inclusion training to support male leaders in the trades. During this interactive live podcast, you will learn:

● Why trying to change women is not the answer, and why we need to shift culture instead.

● How the YWCA came up with a curriculum focusing on male supervisors as a means to make the industry more inclusive to women.

● What employers can do to support leaders to make their teams more inclusive.

This interview includes 3 different perspectives:

Participant: Jeremy Tucker, Operations Superintendent, Lindsay Construction

Facilitator: Stephen Law YWCA Shift Change Program Facilitator

Strategy and culture change: Tracy Boyer Shift Change Coordinator, YWCA Halifax

Ashley Kielbratowski is the co-founder and Chief Growth Officer at Harbr, a construction tech company that greatly improves source data collection for fast and accurate invoice approvals.

Harbr was founded in 2016 their clients and partners include CBRE, Paul Davis, Golf Town, Killam REIT, Foresight Atlantic, MacInnes Cooper, and the NSLC.

Ashley shares:

- How she became a founder in the construction tech space.

- Why trust and transparency are important in the construction process and how Harbr has automated this.

- How Harbr is using text messages to empower contractors to get paid for their work faster.

Mara is the Director of Design and Construction at Urban Capital Property Group, the company behind Reina Condos, the first all-female development in Canada.

Mara shares:

Annette Lindy started her career as an Architect in Berlin at the same time as the wall came down. Before finding her dream job in business development, she worked as an architect in Europe and Canada. Annette shares: 

We're explaining the difference between mentorship and sponsorship and how men are mentored differently than women. 

Phil Jewell says you don’t have to master technical skills to be a great leader. Phil shares stories of how he was able to lead teams where he had zero knowledge of his team members’ technical work - he was even the leader of a bomb squad. We talk about servant leadership and how serving your team instead of teaching them what to do is the actual definition of leadership.

We have some exciting announcements coming soon from Ambition Theory, so make sure you subscribe to our newsletter, so you don’t miss out. Go to ambitionthoery.ca to sign up.

“The way we lead is the way we live. Leadership is, therefore, a belief, a behaviour, and most importantly, a habit”

Learn how to build mental strength from Marathon runners Christy Pound and Leah Rimmer.

Apply these tools to your career so that you can achieve what you want even when it feels like the odds are stacked against you.

In this live recording of The Ambition Theory Podcast, you will meet Christy Pound and Leah Rimmer, marathon runners and partners at large law firms. They’ll be sharing:

Have you ever been given an expectation of what you should be striving for in your career?

A few weeks ago, inside the Ambition Theory Membership, we hosted our first event for adults and kids, and it was a huge success.

Hosted by our member Emily Rodger - a leadership coach and world champion cyclist who rode a bike for the first time at age 27.  When people told her she was too old to become an elite athlete, she defied their expectations and travelled worldwide, winning races.

We unpacked the question ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ And how this question can be limiting and why you should be asking different questions instead.

Sorry I have to say something. Sorry I have to leave early. In our society today, we apologize way too often. Anouk Malavoy believes we should never apologize for who we are. In this episode, Anouk Malavoy, the Vice President of Business Development at Astley Gilbert, shares her story of how she was able to stop apologizing and how it accelerated her career and leadership growth. This is a conversation about bringing your whole self to work and not apologizing for the multiple areas of your life.

Connect with Anouk on linked in https://www.linkedin.com/in/anouk-malavoy-375b821a/?originalSubdomain=ca 

Fotini shares her simple and innovative strategies, debunks common negotiation myths and explains why effective negotiation does not follow a one-size-fits-all approach. 

Fotini is the author of the book Say less Get More Unconventional Negotiation Techniques to get what you want. 

This is the second time Fotini has been on the podcast. Multiple listeners have used the techniques from her first interview to negotiate higher salaries and make better deals for their companies.

Connect with Fotini here https://fotiniicon.com/ 

Get her book here https://www.amazon.ca/Say-Less-Get-More-Unconventional/dp/1443459526 

Dr. Mindy Howard knew she wanted to be an astronaut when she was a little girl, but the path is never a straight line. In this episode, Dr. Mindy Howard and I talk about how an opportunity at the age of 45 allowed her to pursue her childhood dream. When most people were coasting along in their careers, she took the opportunity to become a commercial astronaut. This is a story of resilience and not giving up on your dreams. Mindy shares strategies to train our minds like an astronaut and use these techniques to achieve our goals here on earth.

Connect with Dr. Mindy Howard here: https://www.innerspacetraining.com/ 

Diversity and inclusion initiatives that are motivated because it’s the right thing to do - isn’t a strong enough motivation. There needs to be more. It needs to drive revenue or profit, or it’s not going to be worth the effort. 

Aoife Lyons and Maritza Noriega from The Glenlivet share the business case and the reasons they took this global single malt scotch brand and are making it more inclusive so that everyone can enjoy it. The best part about this story is that it drives revenue growth for the brand and helps them stand out from their competition.

This was recorded live as part of our International Women’s Day series called Rising to the Challenge: Taking on the social norms and stereotypes that impede careers and business. After listening to this conversation, you will feel challenged to look for opportunities where inclusion can lead to business growth and profit. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Learn more about The Glenlivet Here: https://www.theglenlivet.com/en-CA 

Watch the campaign here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58EX1fPQYnE 

Both parents are in leadership roles; they love their careers, have kids, and have a strong marriage. You’ve probably seen people like this and wonder how they do it all. In this episode, we interviewed Dr. Vanessa and Pat Sweet, who have been redefining gender roles as professionals and parents since they started dating in university. 

They shared the process that allowed them to both rise to leadership while navigating multiple moves. The biggest takeaway from this interview: when you’re aligned personally, you can rise faster professionally. This was recorded live as part of our International Women’s Day series called Rising to the Challenge: Taking on the social norms and stereotypes that impede careers and business. 

After listening to this conversation, you will be armed with the skills to see beyond your next role and change your perspective to see roadblocks as new opportunities. 

Connect with Pat here: https://www.engineeringandleadership.com/ 

Connect with Vanessa here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-sweet-78a524bb/ 

Pre-pandemic, you were responsible for taking charge of your mental health in the workplace. But as the pandemic continues this approach might be a little outdated and risky for your team. As a leader, mental health should be a priority. But how can you effectively empower your team when it comes to individual mental health?  This episode was recorded live inside The Ambition Theory Community. Registered Psychotherapist Olethea Pimenta teaches us that self-care and meditation aren’t enough. If you really want yourself and your team to get through these tough times you need to look at systems outside of yourself. Because going it alone simply doesn’t work anymore.

Failure is a normal part of the road to success. Some of the best ideas or improvements are the result of a previous failure. But failure is scary, and we often avoid talking about it. This avoidance can cause you and your organization to avoid taking risks and miss out on opportunities. In this live episode, Michael Hartley, CEO of Minetell, walks us through a concept called The Capacity to Fail Safely. Learn how to implement systems that can take a brittle organization and transform it into a resilient one. 

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work at a company where everyone was an A player? Everyone was motivated, hard working and by just being around these people it held you to a higher standard. You became more motivated yourself, you produced more, and you loved every minute of it.

This is what it’s like to work at Platform Insurance. In this episode, Scott Beitel the Chief Operating Officer reveals how they built this amazing culture.

Do you feel like your workday is never-ending? Do you feel like you’re not being as productive as you should be? In this episode Pat Sweet shares strategies on how to manage your to-do list every week, how to say no to things that aren’t aligned with your goals and how to overcome distractions. At the end of the episode, he shares one simple action that you can take today that is guaranteed to make tomorrow more productive for you.  

Connect with Pat Sweet on the Engineering and Leadership Website https://www.engineeringandleadership.com/ 

Have you ever heard the saying "The only thing hard work gets you is more hard work?" It's easy to focus on tasks that produce a large volume of output. But unfortunately, keeping your head down producing results, even if it is part of your job description, isn't actually going to get you ahead.

Why are my employees not taking initiative right now? Why are they not stepping up to the plate? Why are they not motivated? On this episode of the Ambition Theory Podcast I talk about my Forbes article where we discuss motivation and how to unlock your employee's hidden potential.

Asking for career advice just isn't enough. Asking for an opportunity where you can learn as you go is what it's really going to take to move you forward. This is the power of sponsorship. In this episode I'm reading my very first Forbes article explaining the concept of sponsorship.

Have you ever wondered if the men in your workplace are interested in helping women advance their careers? 

In this episode Jeffery Tobias Halter and I cover the things that you've probably thought about, but were too afraid to say out loud. We unpack the myth of meritocracy and we talk about unconscious bias. This interview offers some very practical tips on how to get men on board as diversity champions.

Do you ever feel like you aren't good enough or don't deserve what you have? 

In this episode, Mary Bicknell and I have a conversation about why imposter syndrome exists and what you can do to overcome it. The tools Mary shares will increase your confidence so that you can stop feeling like a fraud or an imposter.

 Why don't women always support other women? 

It’s unfortunate but true. In this episode I’m sharing a story of when I fell into the trap of not supporting another woman’s success. This issue comes up a lot, and it’s easy for us to point the finger and blame others. The truth is, if we really want things to change, we need to start with ourselves.

Have you ever heard the saying ‘Everything you’ve ever wanted is one step outside your comfort zone’.

Have you ever wondered the reason why women rise to leadership at a slower rate than men? 

The reason is their lack of social capital. In this episode I explain why putting your head down and working hard just isn't enough to get ahead. What you really need to do is to understand the value of relationships in moving things forward. We talk about what the evidence says about social capital and what you can do to start leveraging yours.

Have you ever heard the saying ‘Everything you’ve ever wanted is one step outside your comfort zone’.

Do you ever wonder why some people get ahead in an organization or company and some don't?

In this episode I unpack why setting clear goals is the key to being more influential in your organization. It's also the best way that you can do your part to close the gender gap in the workplace, be a role model for others and also attract the opportunities that are going to get you ahead.

Have you ever heard the saying ‘Everything you’ve ever wanted is one step outside your comfort zone’.

Whose career takes priority in a dual income family? 

In this interview, I got to connect with Jennifer Petriglieri, the author of Couples That Work: How Dual-Career Couples Can Thrive in Love and Work. I read her book in the fall, and when I was reading it, I have to say it was like Jennifer was in my head observing my life, and how my partner and I have made decisions about our careers and our relationship. If you haven’t had a conversation with your partner about what ambitions you have from a family perspective and a career perspective, the best time to have that conversation is NOW! In this episode we talked about how to have that conversation, how to really thrive in difficult times, and make decisions so that you can be successful in love and in your career.

Have you ever heard the saying ‘Everything you’ve ever wanted is one step outside your comfort zone’.

"Mindset is everything."

The truth is the world is a crazy place right now. I'm pulling back the curtain and sharing what I've learned so far during the Covid-19 pandemic and how I'm applying it to my life and my business. This week we’re talking about how to think above  the line and keeping positive so that you can use your creativity to find opportunities to move forward and take action, and what I'm doing to fuel my ambition personally and professionally so that I can stay motivated.

Have you ever heard the saying ‘Everything you’ve ever wanted is one step outside your comfort zone’.

"Showing up outside the mold is what makes you stand out."

You want to be successful in your industry. Like me, you probably believed that fitting in and acting like everybody else was going to be the key to being successful. But as I found out, the truth actually is,  being yourself and leveraging your unique brand of leadership will get you further ahead. Today I’m sharing how I figured this out for myself and how you can too.

Have you ever heard the saying ‘Everything you’ve ever wanted is one step outside your comfort zone’.

Don Bureaux is the President and CEO of Nova Scotia Community College. He successfully created a gender-balanced leadership team by reframing one simple question. Instead of asking 'Do you have what it takes to be a leader. He asked 'What kind of leader do you want to be?'

Don believes that your strengths are not the things you are good at, but instead the things that get you excited.

My clients keep telling me that they are feeling more confident. They’re getting more business, they’re becoming better leaders and people are noticing. In the third of a 3-part series on How to Thrive at Work in Uncertain Times I’m sharing strategies to help you figure out exactly what you want and how to make it happen. Because here’s the truth, most people get stuck in the grind and forget what they are striving for.

My clients keep telling me that they are feeling more confident. They’re getting more business, they’re becoming better leaders and people are noticing. In the second of a 3 part series on How to Thrive at Work in Uncertain times I’m sharing strategies to help you figure out what to focus on now so that it brings value and gets you noticed. Because here’s the truth, hard work doesn’t get you ahead, being visible does.

My clients keep telling me that they are feeling more confident. They’re getting more business, they’re becoming better leaders and people are noticing. In the first of a 3 part series on How to Thrive at Work in Uncertain times I’m sharing strategies to manage your thinking and your mindset so that you can create opportunities for yourself and the people around you.

In today’s podcast, I had a conversation with Edith Duarte, who is a leader and a mother, who when the Covid-19 pandemic started, decided that she wasn’t going to slow down. She stepped up, she created opportunities, she got promoted, and she is sharing how to make that happen with you.

Edith Duarte is Senior Account Manager at BDC. She is a trusted advisor in her business community and helps Canadian business accelerate their growth by offering BDC’s platform of financing, advisory services and capital. She is originally from Mexico and has had the wonderful opportunity to develop her professional skillset in Mexico, U.S.A and Canada working in the private and public sectors. She holds an MBA and an Engineering degree. She lives in Ottawa with her 2 young daughters and is a weightlifting enthusiast and long-distance runner.

In this week’s episode, I sit down and talk with Tinaye K Manyimo, who is the founder of Shumba Consulting, and a diversity and inclusion expert. We talked about how hard it is to actually implement diversity and inclusion initiatives and about why companies don’t actually implement them. They talk about diversity all the time, but don’t actually take action. My favorite part of this interview was when Tinaye actually gave me an epiphany moment, when he explained the limitations of internal diversity and inclusion roles.

Tinaye or T.K (he/him) is the owner of Shumba Consulting a small business of diversity based in Halifax Nova Scotia whose mission, with a core lens of diversity and inclusion, is to work with businesses, organizations and groups to develop and deliver engaging and impactful workplace education and management solutions. Originally from Zimbabwe, he moved to Canada where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Organizational Behavior and Industrial Relations as well as a Bachelor of Arts and Community Studies from Cape Breton University. He is currently a member of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion as an Individual Practitioner and a Canadian Certified Inclusion Professional (CCIP).

Have you ever heard the saying, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”? About a year and a half ago I was looking around, and to be honest, I felt like I didn’t have enough female role models in the business world that were entrepreneurs building something bigger than themselves. Then I met Faten Alshazly, who is the Chief Creative Officer and Co-founder of WeUsThem, a global advertising agency who happens to be based in Halifax. Every time I saw her, I learned something new. She challenged me, she gave me a new idea, and she was so honest and vulnerable about what it really takes to start a business. In this episode we talked about diversity, and how WeUsThem is able to enter new markets and win business against very large advertising agencies from the traditional creative hubs like New York and London.

She is the winner of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada Award, the Women of Influence Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and also the winner of many creative awards.

Why are my employees not taking initiative right now? Why are they not stepping up to the plate? Why are they not motivated? On this episode of the Ambition Theory Podcast I talk about my Forbes article where we discuss motvation and how to unlock your employee's hidden potential.

Amelia Merrick is studying for her PhD at the University of Toronto. In her research, she is looking to answer these big questions: “How do we support young people’s transition into life-giving work?” “How do we learn to think critically about and for our work?” “What is the role of the workplace?” “What is the role of post-secondary institutions?” “What do we do to make it more likely that work enables us to do and be what we have reasons to value?”

In our conversation we discussed how social capital can give you opportunities others may not have access to, how to recognize your privilege, and how to create trust and pass on knowledge in your organization.

I met Charles Milton about a year ago, and the thing that stood out to me about him was this desire that he has to help people. He wants other people to succeed, and to help them overcome whatever barriers are in the way of them moving forward in creating the success that they want. I am so honoured to consider him one of my friends and that he came on the podcast to share his story with you. He is the founder and CEO of Bursity, which is a company that is bridging the education gap, and getting more students the money they need to pursue higher learning.

In the inaugural episode of the Ambition Theory Podcast, I sit down with Sylvia Parris-Drummond, CEO of Delmore "Buddy Daye" Learning Institute. I am very grateful to have people like her in my life, as we had an open and honest conversation about the #blacklivesmatter movement and learned about the black community in Nova Scotia.

Previously the Diversity at Work Podcast, the Ambition Theory Podcast focuses on strategies and thought leadership around creating a workplace where everyone is welcome and everybody can thrive and we’re not going to shy away from the difficult conversations. The rebranding of the podcast reflects the rebranding of my company, which was previously Andrea Janzen Professional Coaching, and is now Ambition Theory.

On this episode of the Diversity at Work podcast, we are sharing a special episode in honor of Father's Day. I sat down and talked with Michelle Travis, who is a law professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law, and the authour of the book, Dads for Daughters. In this interview we talked about practical things that fathers of daughters can do today to make the workplace better for women, so that when their daughters get to the workplace their daughters can thrive and can more easily get into a leadership postition if that's what they want. 

Unfortunately, today in the workplace the gender gap is real, and the progress that we're making is very slow, and if we don't speed things up, things are not going to be different for the next generation. Today, even if you tell your daughter she can be anything she wants when she grows up, the truth is it will be harder for her, especially if she wants to be in a leadership role. 

The reason I'm sharing this today is to give fathers very practical tools to take to their workplace right now and implement them in order to have an impact and create a place where everyone can thrive, including their daughters. 

In this episode of the Diversity at Work podcast, we are talking about preparing for a job interview. I actually started out as a career coach – I could see all of these amazing skills that they had, but they couldn’t see it for themselves let alone convince someone else in a job search process that they were capable of doing the job. A lot of the interview prep I saw online was very scripted. But when you’re rehearsed and just saying a script you can’t connect authentically with people. And let’s be honest that connection during an interview is what gets you the job. People decide based on feelings and then they justify their decision based on qualifications. The other problem was – no matter how many potential questions we brainstormed, there was always one that we never thought of that would stump someone.

In this episode of the Diversity at Work podcast, we're talking about building your resume and LinkedIn profile to help you get a new job, especially if you have been laid off during the pandemic. 

So many people have gotten laid off that the unemployment rate in April in Canada was 13%. That means a LOT of people lost their jobs. And I know the ripple effects are not over. This is a REAL Problem. And it affects everyone. Even if you’re listening to this and have a job right now it doesn’t mean that you’re going to have one in 6 months. Unfortunately this is the reality we are facing today.

I started out as a career coach – The crazy part was is that people had very high success rates. They’d get the job. And they’d get jobs really fast. The challenge is these clients wouldn’t actually like their jobs. Because I didn’t ask the fundamental question: "What do you really want?" I realize now in hindsight that it’s because I missed the fundamental question: "What do you really want? What drives your ambition? What are you striving for?"

I went back and found my resume building template and have shared them in this episode. This actually got people the interview. But it also built confidence so that when they got an interview the wowed the interviewer and got the job. It also built up their confidence to negotiate a salary. And all those amazing things.

We recently re-branded the company! What does ambition theory mean? In a nutshell, it's Motivation + Strategy, it's the sweet spot between personal development and tactical strategies so that you can actually implement what you're learning.

The first question we ask all of our clients is 'What drives your ambition?'. The answer isn't always straightforward, but once you can answer this the path forward becomes clear. In this episode I'm sharing what it is and how I figured this out.

You had all these grand plans for 2020, you were going to get that promotion, you were going to get new clients, you were going to make more money and you were going to be an amazing role model. But now things are different, and maybe you're wondering if it's still OK to have these goals. Today I'm sharing why being ambitious is more important than ever especially for women who are in leadership positions. I'm sharing one simple tool that you can implement right now that will help you to move your goals forward, contribute to your community and be a role model for others. 

This episode of the Diversity at Work podcast is a bit different - I invited Trudy Dyer, Executive Director of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on the podcast – but we’re not talking about her, we’re actually talking about me, and how she saw this potential in me that I did not see in myself. She offered me an opportunity, and immediately my reaction was to say no, and thoughts of imposter syndrome filed my head. I wanted to bring her on the podcast to really share how she stepped up to the plate, how she was able to get my thoughts in check, and allow me to see this opportunity for what it really was – a way for me to get out of my comfort zone and get into that zone where the magic happens.

On this episode of the Diversity at Work podcast, I interviewed David Hudock, who spent 32 years in senior leadership positions in the Canadian Navy. I sat down with him to talk about what it’s like to lead in crisis situations, as we are currently navigating uncertain times. I wanted to learn from someone who has experience leading big teams during really challenging times. I was looking for a perspective that is different from the typical business books on how to step up, how to be there for your team, and what it looks like to be a leader today.

The world is a crazy place right now. I'm pulling back the curtain and sharing what I've learned one month into the Covid-19 pandemic and how I'm applying it to my life and my business. I'm talking about:

- Mindset hacks that can keep you positive so that you can use your creativity to find opportunities to move forward and take action. 

- Why I'm investing in professional development right now and how it's helping me to move my career forward. 

- How to reframe any fear or anxiety by asking one simple question. 

- What I'm doing to fuel my ambition personally and professionally so that I can stay motivated. 

In this interview, I got to connect with Jennifer Petriglieri, the author of Couples That Work: How Dual-Career Couples Can Thrive in Love and Work. I read her book in the fall, and when I was reading it, I have to say it was like Jennifer was in my head observing my life, and how my partner and I have made decisions about our careers and our relationship. If you haven’t had a conversation with your partner about what ambitions you have from a family perspective and a career perspective, the best time to have that conversation is NOW! In this episode we talked about how to have that conversation, how to really thrive in difficult times, and make decisions so that you can be successful in love and in your career.

On this episode of the Diversity at Work podcast, I sat down with Dr. Vanessa Sweet. She is preparing for the biggest challenge of her career, which is being on the front lines during the covid-19 pandemic. In this conversation we talked about how training your mindset has been a crucial part of her medical training. How to thrive in times of crisis and how imposter syndrome is showing up for her and the other doctors that she works with right now, and how they're overcoming it. 

This episode of the Diversity at Work podcast is a very special episode. It is our first LIVE podcast recording that we did on March 4th to acknowledge International Women's Day. It was at an event called Celebrating Ambition, for diversity champions in the construction industry in Toronto. This event started because I was frustrated navigating the construction industry by myself. I met Jodi Millen back in January, and Lindsay Reynolds jumped on board soon after. We realized that trying to do something by ourselves was going to be hard and wee would have a bigger impact if we created something together. In this interview we talked about how to network, why leveraging relationships is the only way to move your career forward, and how to look at relationships in a positive way, and why you need to look for abundance instead of competing. 

Thank you to our sponsors PCL Construction, Platform Insurance, Hancock & MacArthur and The Ontario Industrial Roofing Contractors Association.

Have you ever heard that saying "When you’re looking for a leader, all you need is to find someone who is one chapter ahead of you"? On this episode of the Diversity at Work podcast, I interview Tonia Szkurhan, who is a Canadian living in Rome, right now, in the middle of the covid-19 pandemic. We talked about how Tonia is pivoting her singing career, what its really like to be on lockdown for 18 days, and why Tonia was so disapointed when Candians turned up at the grocery stores hoarding toilet paper. 

 Tonia Szkurhan is a Canadian singer based in Rome. She has an impressive repertoire of musical theatre, jazz, pop, and rock music. Tonia has sung in many high profile clubs, theatres and events in Canada, Italy and the United Kingdom.  If you would like to learn more about Tonia or listen to her music, please visit her website or YouTube channel and follow her on Instagram and Facebook:

On this episode of the Diversity at Work podcast, I got to talk to Olethea Pimenta, a registered therapist who is the most innovative therapist I have ever met. We talked about fear in uncertain times and how the fear you are experiencing right now might be something you've already gone through before. She gave me a bunch of techniques to help reframe what is happening with your fear and anxiety so that you can move forward, stay positive, and see opportunities to really thrive in this time of uncertainty,

In this episode of the Diversity at Work podcast, I got to interview Jamie Deveaux, who is a chef and was recently on the Food Network show, Wall of Chefs which he won! We talked about food, and how slowing down in times like these is a great way to ground yourself and connect with your family. We also discussed how foodis such a good way that humans connect with each other through, and when we are in this state of isolating ourselves, how we can actulally use food to keep our relationships going and find a bit of positivity in these times.

Jamie is a recipe blogger, reality cooking show winner, and upcoming personal chef/small event caterer. He has a passion for slow cooking and mindful food practices, including promotion of local food initiatives, food security, and a healthy, deliciously feed, community. 

On this episode of the Diversity at Work podcast, I sat down with Pat Sweet from the Engineering and Leadership blog to talk about strategies around working from home. We talked about productivity methods and how to stay connected with people when you're working remotely. We also talked about stategies for both leaders and team members on how to show up for the people they work with and how to best support them where they need it right now. Pat also works at LockheedMartin, as a systems defense engineer and loves to work at the intersection between business and technology.

On this episode of the Diversity at Work podcast, I sat down with Ashley Maria and Lea-Ann Woodward Berst, a mother and daughter team who produced and directed the documentary Pioneers in Skirts. In this movie, they talk about women's ambition and the reasons why the gender gap really exists. If you've listened to my podcast for a while, you probably know that the gender gap is not a women's issue, it's a cultural issue. So if you want to have a conversation with your daughter, with your partner, with your coworkers of any gender, this is the movie that explains it. In this interview we talk about what you can do as a parent to promote gender equality for the next generation. How you can have conversations with both men and women and how you can have a conversation with your family. Watch the movie and get started to take action and figure out what your part can be in closing the gender gap. 

On this episode I interviewed Natasha Compton, who is a PR expert and owner of Be Curious PR. She and I talked about strategies to communicate with your customers and your employees during times of crisis. Natasha shared some examples of what you can do if you want your customers to be excited and keep buying things from you during this time of uncertainty. 

We also talked about how to communicate internally and what to do if your employees are actually not on board with the decision that has been made at the senior level. If you are an employee at a big company, if you own your own business or if you just want to communicate with your family and your community, sit back, relax and enjoy this episode, and learn strategies that can help you to be that leader and be the best role model that you can be during these uncertain times. 

Welcome to the Diversity at Work podcast Season 2! Today we are taking a break from our regularly scheduled programming and are launching a special season on thriving in times of uncertainty. It is March 23rd today and we are right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a leadership coach, I have a ton of resources that can help people get through difficult times. People are working from home, people are losing their jobs. Things are pretty crazy right now. And I wanted to use the next couple of weeks to bring some guests on, share strategies on how to see opportunities, and how to stay positive in this time, where to be honest, there's a lot of fear and anxiety happening.

Today, I'm going to give you one tool that you can start with right now to feel grounded, not to set big goals, not to feel very ambitious, but so that you can start to try to be positive, start to see opportunities and really be in a place where you can serve others. You can be that role model, you can step up and be that leader in your family, with your coworkers, and in your community. 

It's been a year since the Diversity at Work Podcast started, and to celebrate we're re-releasing our favourite and most popular episodes as we gear up for Season Two coming soon!!!

Reva Bond Ramsden is the Dean of Construction for the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). After learning that females represented only 2% of the student population in the School of Manufacturing, she got really curious about the the gender gap. This curiosity led Reva to become a trailblazer and advocate for getting more women into construction, trades and technology. Through the group called Women in Trades and Technology she is working to create role models for women interested in non-traditional careers. Her philosophy "Where you are in life, there's always someone ahead of you, and there's always someone behind you." She believes that you don't have to wait to be a role model and we all have the opportunity to be a role model for the next generation.  In this episode, Reva also shares a story about what happened when there were 3 women in a 4th year auto body class (this had never happened before). Both genders shared their stories and the men in the class decided to take action about gender equality in the workplace. When women are included, amazing things really do happen. You don't want to miss this episode!

It's been a year since the Diversity at Work Podcast started, and to celebrate we're re-releasing our favourite and most popular episodes as we gear up for Season Two coming soon!!! 

In this episode I chat with Fotini Iconomopoulos, who shares negotiation strategies that you can implement right away to get what you want at work. Fotini is an MBA professor, a keynote speaker, a consultant to Fortune 500 companies and soon to be published author. We talked about the gender pay gap and how important it is for women to negotiate and advocate for themselves at work.

So many women avoid negotiating, but the truth is it doesn’t have to be that way. There are proven strategies that you can implement today to become a more confident negotiator. Fotini shares why hearing the word ‘NO’ is actually a good thing, because it’s actually the start of the negotiation process. If you’re looking to understand more about the gender pay gap, if you want to get promoted or are looking for a raise, this episode is for you.

Find her on Instagram: @fotiniicon

Connect with her on LinkedIn: Fotini Iconomopoulos

In this episode, I chat with Darren Steeves owner of Vendura Wellness. With a multifaceted background in exercise physiology with athletes and health consulting in organizations, Darren's focus is on resiliency and building mental strength whether you are an Olympic level high-performance athlete or just a regular human. 

Vendura Wellness utilizes evidence based best practices within Multi-Disciplinary Total Health Teams to deliver unique strategic planning for your organization. This collaboration of health professionals working within all all aspects of health enables the Vendura team to maximize employee total health and performance. 

In this episode I sat down and chatted with Sylvia Parris-Drummond, CEO of Delmore "Buddy Daye" Learning Institute. In this conversation we discussed how to best facilitate diversity and learning both in the workplace and in schools, and how to create a welcoming atmosphere for diverse populations in these places. Through her I learned about the details of the African-Nova Scotian experience and how the repercussions of the colonial experience affect people in her community today.

Sylvia's work in education and the community is rooted in core Africentric Principles. She has a successful history of collaboration with the communities and stakeholders with whom she has worked. Through her extensive public sector involvement, Sylvia has gained a deep understanding and appreciation for what it takes to conduct policy analysis, oversee publishing projects, and develop and implement education, multicultural and diversity programs.

In this episode I sit down to chat with Jenifer Hargreaves, CEO and founder of Tellent, an organization that brings together experienced female professionals who have evolved beyond the 9 – 5 work model to connect, network and find meaningful and financially rewarding work so that they can lead, live and earn on their own terms.  Jennifer is a business owner and master problem solver committed to connecting and bridging work opportunities for professional women in the new economy. In this conversation I learned how having flexible working conditions can lead to increased productivity while keeping workers happy, a value I am passionate about maintaining in my own company. 

If you would like to join the tellent Community with a 10% discount, check out the links below:

In this episode I sit down and chat with Amy Marks, CEO of XSite Modular, one of the leading companies in prefabricated modular building and consulting. Amy created the position of prefabrication consultant,  defining the language and concepts used throughout the industry. Amy is a thought leader in both domestic and international circles, and has served on many boards and been a keynote speaker at industry events. In all these opportunities, Amy has championed diversity in the prefabrication and construction industries.