“Sandy is a very effective coach who has the ability to pull out the strengths of an individual and build them up to become all that they can be. The coaching experience exceeded my expectations and the investment more than paid for itself.”
“Coaching brought value to my work life by helping me become a more focused and productive manager with the ability to put my energy towards areas that required attention and prioritize my energies where they were most needed. The coaching also resulted in greater confidence, better stress management and improved work-life balance. At the time of my coaching sessions I was going through a period of work / life overload. Sandy’s coaching style and ability helped me stay focused on the items in my life that were priorities. This focus helped me keep my level of peace up while I was surrounded by chaos.”
– Val Gauvin, Credit Union General Manager
“Coaching exceeded my expectations. I’d rank my experience with Sandy as an 11 out of 10. It was like having someone wise walk you home from school once a week. Sandy’s professionalism and her genuine gifts as a coach made her someone I looked forward to talking to every week. She was mindful to pause, recognize progress and celebrate successes.
“Many times, she equipped me with new language for difficult situations which then helped me communicate more openly and honestly to others about my thoughts and feelings. She gave balanced attention to all the issues we agreed to work on, not just the exciting ones, but also the quieter issues–that is, the ones we tend to ignore– that required patience, perseverance and a new attitude. Coaching with Sandy has done me a great service and I would whole heartedly recommend the experience to other.”
– Victoria, Public Affairs
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much is possible in a short space of time with the right coach. Sandy will be at the top of my list if decide to pursue coaching again in future, or if anyone asks me for recommendations!”
– Manager, Corporate Communications
“I found the coaching experience to be an invaluable tool for my development. It allowed me to work on the issues that I thought were important. Being coached from someone outside of my organization allowed me to benefit from a different perspective and allowed me to explore topics and ideas I would not have otherwise been able to explore. Her help assisted me greatly in motivating and coaching others, giving feedback, delegating and in ultimately improving staff engagement (a gain of almost 30% in two years!). It also helped me with my work/life balance, setting priorities and in celebrating successes (both personal and professional). It was a great experience that benefited me and my organization.”
– Ken Berg, Store Manager, Mountain Equipment Co-op
“I believe anyone in a stressful and very responsible position can benefit from coaching to get thoughts into perspective, stay objective and focus on what is truly important. It was very helpful being able to explain situations to Sandy and know it was in confidence. Not only did coaching help with leadership and work goals, issues in my personal life were also addressed which helped me to approach them with a much clearer head and get back on track with a more positive attitude. Sandy is a great coach and I would recommend her very highly.”
– Chief Financial and Risk Officer, BC Credit Union
“Coaching with Sandy has been a very positive experience for me. The process empowered me to clarify priorities and focus on the strategies and actions that align with my personal values. My relationship with Sandy was validating, trusting, open and honest. I really valued the confidential nature of our relationship as it allowed me to work on what matters most to me, both personally and professionally. Sandy used a variety of strategies and tools during our coaching which helped me stay accountable to my desired goals and actions. I would highly recommend Sandy as a coach!”
– Barb Narsaiya, Regional Nurse Advisor
“Sandy is a positive, authentic and supportive professional who facilitates development by assisting in identifying specific roadblocks and helping to implement strategies to build individual performance. My coaching experience with her was a terrific treat that the company gave to me that will have far reaching impact on my life and me for years to come.
“In fact, I believe the coaching was MORE than worth the investment for the company as it has produced a smarter, more responsive, sensitive, more emotionally intelligent manager that is more in tune to their impact on their direct reports; as well as a more mature communicator within the management team. I also see that I can inspire others to greatness, that I have the skills.”
– Karin Fugle, Credit Union Branch Supervisor
“Sandy Russell proved to be an invaluable resource to me at a time when extreme workloads and unreasonable client expectations were threatening to overwhelm anything and everything I was trying to achieve. I still find that continually I think back and refer to some fragment of a conversation or exercise and relate it to a real life situation. Sandy’s insight in dealing with managerial situations in the office, career planning, personal goal setting or just trying to effectively manage relationships with difficult people and unreasonable client expectations was a comforting relief on many occasions.”
– Brad Best, Manager Information Systems
“Sandy is a wonderful blend of true professionalism, caring and creativity. She coached me on every aspect of my life and through some very challenging times. Every step of the way she was totally with me–she helped me stay on track with my goals even when I was on the verge of giving up. After eight months of being coached by Sandy, I am now more patient with myself and more truly aware of what is most important to me in my life.”
– Hilary Stoddart, Life Coach and HR Professional
“I would like to thank my credit union for arranging the coaching sessions for me. Having a coach has helped me to clarify my thoughts and then the solution to any challenges seems so clear. I appreciate my coach’s direct approach and vote of confidence, and she let’s me set the agenda! My coach has been a positive influence, a great sounding board, and I look forward to my sessions. I need to invest in myself and I know having a coach is good for my career.”
– Kim Liptak, Credit Union Branch Manager
“Working with Sandy has helped me gain clarity and insight as I continue on my leadership journey. She has challenged me to look deeper and guided me when I have had difficult decisions to make. She never gives me answers (no matter how much I think I would like that at times) but helps me find the answers I am looking for by asking me to be honest with myself. I have so appreciated her perspective as well as her ability to try different strategies in helping me grow. Sandy’s coaching has helped me grow both personally and professionally over the past year.”
– Kim Williams, Director Provincial Specialized Perinatal Services
“Coaching is largely a journey of self-discovery and conquer. The coach guides and supports you in the discovery of what you have within. Once the discovery is made, your coach helps you conquer your new discoveries. Your new discovery needs to be personally conquered for it to become part of you.”
– Mitchel Chilcott, GM, North Peace Savings and Credit Union
“Sandy’s expertise, support and guidance helped me address the challenges and “gremlins” I faced in both my personal and professional life. The tools she provided me with helped clarify my life’s purpose and the contributions I bring – which in turn helped me grow as an individual. I would highly recommend Sandy Russell as a coach. She is an expert at what she does!”
– Julie, Recruitment and Training Advisor
“Coaching through Sandy Russell was enlightening. I found that coaching allowed me to explore what I valued in a work place. This created the opportunity to focus attention on what I wanted from work and make decisions about where and how I could work to achieve greater value congruity and therefore greater gratification and productivity. Often we work along without feeling quite “right” about our work place circumstances, but we don’t understand what is not working. Sandy offers a unique coaching approach that has increased my insight into my strengths, boundaries, and values and that has empowered me to seek a position where I can be the most effective and gratified in my work. Coaching has increased my faith in myself.”
– Jaymie Kennedy, Practice Consultant, Health Canada
“I would highly recommend Sandy Russell as a coach for both professional and personal issues. She is very intuitive, insightful and flexible and was able to give me just what I needed at every one of our coaching appointments. I believe that both my work life and personal life have been enriched as a result of the coaching that we did together.”
– Colleen Mooney, Store Manager, Mountain Equipment Co-op
“Coaching put me on the road to successfully addressing my key development areas. The dialogue between Sandy and I helped me isolate and understand my key strengths as well as the areas I wanted to develop in. The homework provided in each session gave me the discipline I needed to achieve my goals. Sandy’s listening skills, coupled with her obvious passion for her profession, provided me the nurturing, yet disciplined environment I needed to move myself forward.”
– P.Gil, Development Director
“I want to express a special thanks to Sandy. She helped me through a very difficult time in my life which included helping me to keep my focus both at work and at home. I believe she also helped me become a better person.”
– Helen Drewitz, Credit Union Branch Manager
“I was privileged to have been coached by Sandy Russell from March 2007 – September 2007. During this time, Sandy helped me develop a much better understanding of what it would take to become a successful people manager. Going in, I had very little experience with coaching. I can say that I really enjoyed working with Sandy as we quickly developed a positive rapport and a sense of trust between us. I could always depend on Sandy to tell me what I needed to hear, as well as to let me sound out my thoughts on new material before providing her feedback. Now that we have completed our sessions, I feel I am much better equipped with the tools I need to be successful in my new role. I would strongly recommend Sandy to anyone who is looking for coaching, be it professionally or personally.”
– Ben Villanueva, IT Manager, Mountain Equipment Co-op
“Sandy was an excellent guide for me, gently leading me to places of self-discovery. As a result, I can now choose to move forward with more awareness of what works for me and what does not in both my professional and personal life. Sandy is very sensitive to what the client wants to get out of coaching and how far the client is willing to push themselves. I highly recommend Sandy as a coach!”
– Pat Lemche, Software Development Manager
“During our one on one telephone coaching sessions Sandy unlocked my “unachievable dream” of qualifying for a Canadian Sr. Golf team which would have me be invited to compete on the No. 1 rated golf course in the world located near Philadelphia, USA. Sandy’s coaching inspired me to shoot for a goal which my negativity had conditioned me to believe was unachievable! Well, I did compete and was selected as a member of the Canadian Sr. Team! There is no doubt in my mind that Sandy’s coaching skills caused me to become both focused and inspired!”
– John Russell, President, Gordon Russell Limited
“Coaching has been an excellent experience for me. Both personally and professionally I have been able to achieve things that may not have been possible without a coach”.
– Matt Groll, Product Development Manager, MEC
“Sandy helped me identify my values and priorities in the beginning. We then spent time working through my personal and business goals ensuring that I was moving forward and progressing in both areas to achieve balance whenever possible. Sandy was key in asking me the hard questions at the right time and providing support materials when applicable”.
– Business Owner, Spa Boutique
“Sandy played a key role in helping me to reflect on my priorities and commit to making changes so that I can spend more time doing what really matters to me. I found that by making commitments to her at our regular meetings I was able to take the first step to making & keeping commitments to myself. I felt that she provided just the right combination of gentle inquiry and challenging questions, enabling me to feel both supported and stretched.”
– Jody Anderson, Banking
“Sandy has been amazing to work with. Her coaching has helped me find my way back to what is important in my life. Her challenging questions and thought provoking tools enabled me to reflect on my values, priorities and decisions to clarify my goals. This coaching was an invaluable experience.”
– Lesley, Healthcare
“This might sound a little cheesy, but it is what I feel. The coaching experience was extremely positive for me professionally and almost more so personally. I worked through some challenges and developed skills to facilitate communication on so many levels. It was also a great opportunity to evaluate myself and truly discover who I am. Thank you for that!”
– Lynn Nielsen, Product Manager
“Sandy Russell is an amazing, fully committed coach. During our six month partnership she challenged me to live a dynamic life with clarity and power instead of one controlled by fear and worry. Thanks to Sandy being right there on the court of my life each week I am now facing a future head on with strength, momentum and a sense of fulfillment.”
– James Melcher, Artist
“I am very thankful for the time we’ve had together. Thank you SO MUCH for all the time and value you’ve given me. I was truly enriched by it. Every coaching call brought more clarity and revelation!”
– Sandra Cosby, BC Minerva ‘Helping Women Work’ program
“I was skeptical about entering into personal coaching. I had a notion that it was something meant for people with more time and money than inner drive. I’m happy to report that after spending time with Sandy that I’m more productive and satisfied with my life. Personal coaching has helped me to realize many short and long term goals that have been sitting on the back burner. Sandy helped me to prioritize and tackle these goals one by one. From a (former) procrastinating clutterbug.”
– Cheryl M.
“When I first agreed to participate in the coaching program, I must admit that I had strong reservations about disclosing anything regarding my personal life and planned to have the main focus be work issues. I quickly discovered that the process intertwined the two sides of my life and through the patience and understanding of my coach I was able to look at individual situations in a much broader way. I was amazed at how quickly I became comfortable expressing my “weaknesses” in dealing with certain issues. Throughout the sessions it became very apparent that by taking a good look at my motives and the level of importance of individual events and situations, I could evaluate them on a different level and come up with an approach that I may not have previously considered.”
– Cindy Short, Credit Union Branch Manager
“The coaching process was less taxing than I thought. It didn’t become a “chore”, but rather something I looked forward to each week. It felt great to “invest” in myself. I am more self-aware now and open to what may lie around the next corner. This (coaching) was unlike any leadership program I’ve ever taken; not simply another binder to collect dust on my bookshelf. “
– Selena McLachlan, Marketing and Research Manager, MEC
“My coaching experience with Sandy was transformational and much more profound than I ever expected. Sandy inspires me. Sandy is wise, fully present and always deeply interested in seeing me succeed. I could always count on Sandy to listen; to honour my experiences and to respectfully and truthfully deliver feedback. Sandy represents a soulful, highly supportive partner for sharing honest feelings, reflections, ideas and resolutions. She has dedicated serving approach remarkable emotional intelligence and an impressive business acumen; all of which make her an exceptionally effective and preferred leadership coach.”
“Sandy was my advocate and she helped me to experience and become better acquainted with my Higher Self and my inner wisdom. Sandy’s coaching helped me to envision possibilities, make solid decisions, nurture my imagination, and gain clarity so I could see a new way forward. I am doing work now that is much more aligned with my values and principles and I am much happier for it.”
– Laura McCafferty
“In working together over the past year and a half, I found Sandy’s co-active coaching style very professional, knowledgeable and supportive in helping me plan a new career path. Sandy created a space for me to explore many possibilities and gave me some valuable tools to improve effectiveness in my work and clarity toward taking a new direction. She challenged me, allowed me to experiment and create a plan for my future career. I have finally found a much more fulfilling direction in life and career while developing a successful work/life balance that was important to me. I will be forever grateful for having Sandy Russell as my Coach!”
– Neil Haggard, Edmonton
“Sandy & I were first matched over two years ago through a healthcare leadership initiative. She has supported my learning and our coaching work has been incredibly helpful – both in my professional & personal life. There have been many challenges that have allowed me to practice an approach/framework new to me & review the situation. I now recognize that my more enhanced responses to situations – working from a values base & not from an ego perspective – are because of the skills acquired during the coaching relationship. The learning has been invaluable to my personal development. Thank you Sandy!”
– Michelle Ostan, Program Manager, BC Women’s Hospital
“Sandy knew exactly how to keep me motivated and she could ‘read’ me quite well. She always seemed to know how I was feeling and often helped me come to insightful conclusions by asking the right questions.”
– Ariane T, French Web Editor
“I feel the coaching was incredibly valuable. Sandy definitely lived up to my expectations and actually exceeded them. I think it would help for all team leaders to have access to such coaching. I also think Sandy is an incredibly effective coach for young women who are given leadership opportunities. To have someone like Sandy available to empower them (which she definitely does) is very important.
On a professional level, Sandy guided me through several hurdles. In my personal life, the coaching has also been a huge benefit. I feel that it’s made a much happier person, which in turn leads to a better work environment for myself and those around me (hopefully!). The fact that my organization would invest this time and money to give me such a valuable experience shows me that they have the confidence in me that I can grow and learn more. Knowing this gives me strength to work harder and prove to them that I will truly do the best I can.
– Shawna Ragowski, Director of Research, Colliers International
“Thank you so much for all your help and expertise throughout our coaching journey. You made a lasting impact on my professional career and my personal life. It was such a pleasure having you as my coach. You were so open, honest and easy to talk to. I just wanted to take this opportunity to let you know how much I appreciate it and that I had such a great experience and found each coaching call very valuable.”
– Giang Nguyen, Chartered Accountant
“I like how human Sandy is in her ways of relating to the clients and being able to share antidotes from her life to help build a trusting professional relationship. Her technique of ‘holding up a mirror and let one see oneself’ is a more comfortable experience than being given advice. It is empowering when things become self-evident.”
– Anonymous
“This coaching journey has resulted in the achievement of my goals beyond expectations. I felt Sandy’s enthusiasm of my progress and was inspired to try even more. I have learned to become aware of triggers and truly understand my reaction which has led to great improvements in my communication. I delegate more, prioritizing is easier and stronger, I have more time for engaging my team and I have become a better coach. Morale is at an all-time high. Since starting the coaching I exercise more, have started eating better and my entire life is easier and full of appreciation of family, friends, co-workers and my physical environment. The benefits of the coaching seem endless.”
– Randy Ross, Team Leader
“Coaching with you has truly has been one of the most rewarding journeys that I have ever taken. It’s been tough some days especially after a call, maybe while I’m working on a new strategy, or thinking in perspective….but after I accomplish something, and feel free, in control, and content that makes all of the homework and hard work seem worthwhile. And to think it was all inside me, I just need a little help in discovering it”!
– Corporate Trainer
“After my coaching sessions with Sandy, I felt internally illuminated. She presented complex information in simple language and assisted me in finding my own gifts.”
– Manager of Community Outreach
“Coaching gave me the tools I needed to uncover the woman that I really am. By committing to the process I learned a lot about what I want to accomplish in my life and how to make my vision a reality. Sandy helped me get clear on my values and provided me with the support I needed to live and work accordingly. “
– Christina De Haas
“Thank you for being a part of this journey with me. I feel so much more confident and love myself a ton more than before. This has been one of the best things I have ever invested in. I will never forget what you have done for me. I am truly grateful for it all!”
– Anonymous
