It’s been a spectacular year at our little firm.

Which feels a bit awkward to say in some ways – after all, the collective marathon we’ve all been running since March 2020 has taken a devastating toll on so many.

The essence of our work has always been about enhancing self-awareness and supporting the personal growth and development necessary to lead effectively and sustainably at the highest levels. But for the past 18 months there has been an additional layer of support we have frequently been asked for, as leaders process the state of the world.

Executive coaching is not about “helping” in its purest forms, yet we’ve been doing a lot of that recently, given the heavy and complex load most of our clients have been carrying. We are grateful that we are invited in to privileged conversations with extraordinary leaders who want to take care of their people while also taking care of themselves and their families. And we are even more grateful for those organizations and leaders that understand that being a thriving human is the necessary first step towards being a better boss or member of an executive team.

Every year, rather than send tangible tokens of our appreciation to all who’ve hired us, endorsed us and (most importantly) willingly engaged in the challenging work of self-development, we donate to some charities that we believe are doing good and important work in the world. Or at least that I, as founder and day to day leader of this little enterprise, believe are doing good and important work in the world. Here are the organizations we are supporting this year:

Indspire: Like too many Canadians I was shocked by the stories that emerged this year about the tragedies at Canada’s residential schools. And I shouldn’t have been. Money can’t change history but it can change the future. Indspire supports education and achievement for Indigenous Canadian young people.

Canadian Cancer Society: I can’t think of a single person who hasn’t been touched, directly or indirectly, by the collection of devastating diseases that fall under the “cancer” umbrella. Until we are free from this scourge that takes too many loved ones too soon, this is an organization that needs our support.

SickKids Foundation: One of the things that Toronto has the right to be incredibly proud of is this hospital, and the cutting edge research and medical innovation that goes on there in the hopes of bringing brighter futures to kids from around the world. A new building is long overdue, so part of our support goes here.

I want to say a personal thank you to the wonderful coaches that make up the Parachute Executive Coaching team. You are dedicated and talented and funny and brilliant at what you do and it’s my pleasure and privilege to work with you. Thank you for sharing your talents with our clients. I will continue to do my best to bring you good work.

Thank you to the individual clients and to the organizations that have chosen us as their partner in the important work of developing and growing their people. We love what we do, are proud of the standards we hold and the reputation we have, and we look forward to continuing to serve you in 2022 and beyond.

With gratitude,

Karen