​Dr. Marie Hélène Pelletier​, aka MH, uniquely bridges business and psychology. With a Ph.D. in Psychology and an MBA, MH has had an extensive career as a leadership psychologist, executive coach, and senior leader in the corporate, insurance and governance sectors. Her award-winning book, ​The Resilience Plan: A Strategic Approach to Optimizing Your Work Performance and Mental Health​, was named a “Top 5 Book to Read” by Inc. Magazine and Forbes. During our interview, MH discussed her formative years, her educational journey in Quebec, her diverse professional development experiences, and her evolution from psychology into management. We delved into the importance of resilience, flexibility, strategic planning, and the integration of psychology and business for leaders and professionals.

As a child growing up in Quebec City, MH enjoyed family trips to outdoor locations beyond the city, where she had the chance to explore and experience a sense of adventure and taking risks. She related this concept of adventure to her early career experiences as a psychologist when she lived in a more remote area of Quebec where mental health services were not plentiful. Yet, the needs were great in various settings. MH prepared herself to work there by taking additional courses to expand her credentials, enabling her to work in the courts, schools, and hospitals. She had to be strategic in this way to make a living doing work she felt was most important. Within the year, however, her plans changed, and she moved across the country to British Columbia to pursue her Ph.D. That presented some challenges as the rules regulating her psychology credentials varied between the provinces, and she had to take a few extra steps to achieve her goal. While on that journey, MH was able to develop other work options by asserting herself and taking some risks. It all paid off.

Today, MH combines her business and clinical expertise, translating research about health, performance, resilience, and overcoming challenges into strategies professionals, leaders, and their teams need to thrive. She is a Member of the Global Clinical Practice Network of the World Health Organization and a past Director on the boards of the Canadian Psychological Association and the International Association of Applied Psychology. She has presented and authored numerous industry and academic publications, and many academic and industry awards have recognized her work. MH is a highly rated instructor at the University of British Columbia, Sauder School of Business, Executive Education. She is a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, an opt-in research community of business professionals.

Learn more and connect with Dr. Pelletier here:

www.drmarie-helene.com

https://x.com/drmhpelletier/

www.linkedin.com/in/drmhpelletier/

https://www.instagram.com/drmhpelletier/

At 17, Niven Postma, was a new high school graduate and did not know what she wanted to do. Her mother reminded her that she had a dream to live on a kibbutz in Israel, so off she went. For the next four years, Niven traveled and worked in many countries. Then at 29, she held her first executive position in a career that has spanned multiple sectors and roles.

Niven is a strategy, leadership, and culture consultant partnering with clients in diverse industries worldwide to (re)ignite the discretionary energy of people and teams, build an enabling culture, and develop meaningful strategies. She speaks on organizational politics, leadership, culture, and women’s leadership to audiences across multiple industries. Before her current consultancy and PhD studies in Organizational Behavior, Niven served as the CEO of the Businesswomen’s Association, Head of the South African Reserve Bank Academy, and Head of Leadership and Culture for the Standard Bank Group (the largest bank by assets in Africa).

“The real failure is not even trying. This idea that we shouldn't be scared of failure, well, that's impossible. We're all going to be scared of failure. The only thing that jolts us out of the inaction that a fear of failure brings is if we are terrified of regret. That idea that we regret what we don't do, I think is important, that we didn't try.”

Niven is the author of the book, If You Don't Do Politics, Politics Will Do You - A guide to navigating office politics ethically and successfully. She is also a Harvard Business Review and Inc. contributor, a part-time tutor at Cambridge University’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), and a guest lecturer at Stanford University. Niven serves as the Chairman of the Board of Cotlands, an NGO that for 87 years has done cutting-edge work in the Early Childhood Development sector in South Africa and beyond. Niven holds an Executive MBA in systems thinking, human capital development, knowledge management, leadership, and change. She also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Future Studies and a BA in English Political Science.

Learn more and connect with Niven here:

www.nivenpostma.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivenpostma/

https://www.facebook.com/niven.postma?locale=uk_UA

https://www.facebook.com/p/Niven-Postma-Inc-100066499418799/

https://www.instagram.com/niven_postma/

Dr. Corinna Freitag coaches STEM professionals to overcome workplace challenges so that they look forward to Mondays again. She is an executive coach, advisor, and speaker with decades of experience in natural and human sciences through university, industry, and continuing education. Executives hire her to develop and retain their top talent. She holds a Ph.D. in chemistry, is a certified Executive Coach, and received her Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential through the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

Corinna grew up struggling to succeed as a student and believing she wasn’t good with people, unlike her older sister, who earned top grades and was more extroverted. As a result of living in her sister’s shadow, Corinna told herself a story that she was ‘the different one.’

Fortunately, she had the support of her parents, who fostered her curiosity. Corinna persisted for ten years to earn her doctoral degree in chemistry, a program less frequently pursued at that time, which meant it had lower barriers to entry. Interestingly, Corinna was the first in her family to attend university.

After a year-long postdoc position at a university in Toronto, Corinna landed her first role in Germany at a Fortune 500 company developing automotive products. That job enabled her to travel globally and work cross-functionally over 18 years. Eventually, she was training others in processes where she had expertise, affording her experience in coaching and mentoring. Corinna was acknowledged as her company's Global Operational Excellence Leader for over 5 years. At the same time, the company was going through a major reorganization, and Corinna was losing her enthusiasm for her job.

Corinna hired a coach to help explore her career options. As part of the self-reflective processes her coach guided her through, she discovered that she was, in fact, good with people! She also realized that she wanted to pursue a coaching certification. In 2022, Corinna left her corporate role to offer coaching on a full-time basis.

Learn more and connect with Corinna here:

https://www.positiveintelligence.com/

www.corinnafreitag.de

https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcorinnafreitag/