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Individual and Team Coaching
“I've had such deep and meaningful sessions with Paul as my leadership coach. He is constantly asking the right questions and challenging me to think differently. I really can't imagine my leadership journey without him.”
Philip Kauth
Executive Director, REAP Food Group
What is Coaching?
Coaching is defined in many ways, and there are many different methodologies, but the essence of coaching is helping someone navigate professional or personal change.
Coaching clients identify the destination, and their coach helps them to define a path to get there. We like to describe the journey as a partnership between coach and client, and thus, the programme is a co-creation. Throughout the journey, the client is building self-awareness—empowering them to see challenges differently, make more effective choices, and commit to lasting change.
The coach doesn’t need to be an expert in the client’s area of work to help them unlock their potential. One of the key skills of coaching is asking the right questions to help the individual work through a question/problem or to seize an opportunity.
Coaching isn’t counselling, therapy, teaching, or training. While all those things have value, coaching is very different. Coaching is not about delving into the past roots of our ways of behaving, but rather, about using the here and now to build practices that will bring us to the future we want to see. Our coaches come from different backgrounds and schools of practice, so depending on your needs, we will find the best fit for you.
Our Approach to Coaching
At Evenings & Weekends Consulting, we work with leaders and emerging leaders to help them seize opportunities for personal and professional growth. We do this by helping our clients understand themselves as well as the issues, challenges or opportunities before working collaboratively to develop customized and specific plans of action.
We centre equity in our approach to coaching. Our coaches are trained in anti-oppression/anti-racism and are dedicated to building a more just and equitable world both personally and professionally. During our solution-finding process, we identify and acknowledge the ongoing impacts of colonialism, white supremacy, racism, colourism, ableism, patriarchy, ageism, transphobia and homophobia in organizations and in society. As a result of our approach, we find that our coaching clients experience outcomes that are more equity-informed than they might otherwise have.
As part of our organizational commitment to reconciliation and mending relations, 1% of the revenue from all projects are donated to The Circle on Philanthropy, an organization focused on advancing a future that increases Indigenous led solutions for systems change and increased equity, justice and self determination. Additionally, each year we allocate 5% of our billable hours in that year to providing pro bono support and coaching to emerging leaders and under-resourced groups the following year.
While we recognize that no organization or individual can single handedly fix all that plagues society, we know that courage, collaboration, and a commitment to equity can make our communities stronger and the world a better place. Every situation, campaign, initiative and project is different and, at Evenings & Weekends Consulting, we approach each with the uniqueness, curiosity, and care that it deserves.
Meet Our Coaches
Coach
Alexis Dawson
she/her
Alexis is an antiracism educator, public education advocate, equity, diversity & inclusion consultant, and Toronto District School Board trustee. A thought leader in antiracist pedagogy and anti-oppressive practice, she is committed to working with public, private and grassroots organizations on developing strategies and training programs to achieve their antiracism and anti-oppression goals. Alexis is a trainer, strategist, team-builder and facilitator driven by vision, values and her passion for inclusive and equitable organizational change. She currently sits on several boards and committees dedicated to Black student achievement. In 2019, Alexis received the city of Toronto’s Access, Equity and Human Rights William P. Hubbard Race Relations Award for her work on equity in education and as a community organizer in Toronto’s Oakwood-Vaughan neighbourhood.
Coach
Azaria Thornhill
she/her
Azaria has worked in communities for over the past 15 years with 10 years of cross-sector leadership experience leveraging strategic partnerships and launching high-impact programs for diverse populations of children, youth, families and seniors. More recently, she has pivoted into the field of mental health and is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying). She embodies a relational, holistic, compassionate, person-centred approach grounded by an intersectional, anti-racist, anti-oppressive, culturally responsive, trauma-informed lens. As a body of culture with Afro-Caribbean roots, she continues to explore the impacts of imperialist white supremacist hetero-patriarchal systems. A fundamental part of her work is to move toward collective liberation and healing.
Azaria is a University of Toronto graduate with a background in psychology, health sciences, community development, food justice, and program management. She has a love for music, movement, nature and spicy cuisine.
Coach
Chanae Parsons
she/her
Hailing from Lucasville, one of the historical African Nova Scotian communities, Chanae is a proud mother and 6th generation African Nova Scotian woman and holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Dalhousie University and a Master's in Adult Education Women's Leadership and Community Development from St. Francis Xavier University. With a strong background in social work and education, Chanae is a dedicated racial justice activist who has made a significant impact in many academic disciplines, as well as the communities that she serves. She is an expert in various fields and subjects including, both adult and early education, community engagement, leadership, Africentricity, program development, research, project management, critical thinking, inclusion and belonging, as well as public speaking. Chanae is particularly committed to empowering youth, focusing on ensuring that Black youth, especially young Black girls and women, have opportunities for leadership roles. Her career is devoted to advancing research, promoting women's leadership, and spearheading community development and education, with a special emphasis on marginalized groups. Chanae exemplifies unwavering dedication to these important causes, showcasing the profound impact of true passion on individuals, communities, and society as a whole.
Coach
Chiyi Tam
she/her
Chiyi is an urban planner and anti-gentrification organizer raised in Vancouver, on unceded Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) lands and waters, in the translation between places and culture. She is currently the executive director of the Kensington Market Community Land Trust. She also organizes with Friends of Chinatown Toronto, which is also exploring community ownership as an anti-displacement strategy for racial & economic justice in Toronto’s Chinatowns. She frequently consults with groups regarding social enterprise legislation, governance and cooperative strategies. She aims to reciprocate knowledge into community.
Coach
Daniel Sarah Karasik
they/them
Daniel Sarah is the founding managing editor of Midnight Sun, a magazine that seeks to be a forum for strategic thinking about how to build sustainable social change movements, networks, and organizations.
They have served as a coordinator of the Toronto-based activist network Artists for Climate & Migrant Justice and Indigenous Sovereignty (ACMJIS), of which they're also a co-founder, and have collaborated on political initiatives that range from organizing large street mobilizations against transphobia to building coalitions to demand a more equitable public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The author of six published books, most recently the poetry collection Plenitude (Book*hug Press), they have been recognized with the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Emerging Artist Award, the CBC Fiction Prize, and the Canadian Jewish Playwriting Award, and served on the board of directors of the Playwrights Guild of Canada and the Paprika Festival, a youth-led performing arts organization.
They're keenly interested in the intersections of art and activism, poetry and political change work, and excited to dream towards social transformation with you.
Coach
Diana Bronson
she/her
Diana has over three decades of experience in the non-profit sector working on human rights, climate change and biodiversity, and food system change. She has also worked on Parliament Hill, in public broadcasting and feminist organizing. She works in both English and French. After leaving her position as Executive Director of Food Secure Canada in 2019, Diana became certified as an Integral Associate Coach and now works to enhance the effectiveness and well-being of her clients who are mostly involved in the non-profit sector. Diana has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities of social change work and sees practices of mindfulness and self-awareness as essential components of the new world we are seeking to build. When not at work, Diana enjoys gardening, cycling, swimming and generally delighting in nature in the Laurentian mountains where she lives.
Coach
Jeremy Long
he/him
Jeremy's combined experience in non-profit, executive coaching and public health provide him a wide range of skills to support executives, and emerging leaders. Jeremy brings a values driven and explorative approach as a coach, applying his experience in leadership development, emotional intelligence, and relationship systems coaching to his work.
Jeremy brings a fresh perspective with over 12 years in social diversity, LGBTQ2+ leadership, health, and stress management helping contribute to high performance, team cohesion and wellness at work. He provides the playful push we all need to reach the next level in fulfillment, performance, and leadership development.
Jeremy holds is a certified professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC, CTI).
Jeremy is recognized as an Accredited Certified Coach (ACC), under the International Coaches Federation (ICF).
Jeremy also is a Relationship Systems Coach trained practitioner (ORSC) and applies Relationship Systems Intelligence to all relationship coaching.
Coach
Kaitlin Sandor-Kerr
she/her
With 15 years of experience in human resources management, Kaitlin is a leadership development coach, consultant and mentor to business and community leaders. She specializes in the empowerment and growth of new leaders and first-time managers, helping them build their skills and confidence, and helping them build leadership habits intended to serve them and their teams throughout their careers.
Kaitlin’s coaching practice centres around a core insight: new managers are not typically set up for success which can lead to less-engaged and ineffective teams. Bringing a lens of balance, equity, inclusion and empowerment, Kaitlin helps her coaching clients to navigate difficult conversations, have candid communications, and develop strategies for empowering teams and working within and navigating patriarchal, racist, capitalist structures. Kaitlin’s approach to supporting managers reflects how employees want: to feel like their work is valued, to feel like they are heard, and to feel like management and the employer are communicating clearly and honestly.
As a professional with ADHD, Kaitlin also offers support and coaching around neurodivergence in the workplace. She brings a unique perspective on levering employees’ super powers, and helping managers find ways to best support them.
Kaitlin’s human resources consulting practice specializes in applying those same principles on an organizational level. Kaitlin helps organizations identify their values, and then works to embed and reflect those values in policies, procedures and operational practices; and she holds her clients accountable to those identified values. She supports leadership in decision making and communication, and is called on to offer her counsel for difficult conversations. At the forefront of that work are diversity, inclusion, belonging, equity and justice. She has experience working with organizations that focus on vulnerable communities, as well as non-traditional governance models and decision-making frameworks.
Coach
Laëtitia Eyssartel
she/her
Laëtitia is a co-founder of Evenings & Weekends Consulting, and comes from a mixed professional background in science, engineering and project management.
She has over 10 years of experience working in the non-profit sector and has focused her career on leading projects and initiatives to increase organizational impacts and financial sustainability, while supporting individuals and teams navigating organizational change.
From 2017 to 2023, Laëtitia was a Senior Director at FoodShare Toronto, Canada’s largest food justice organization. In her role, she provided strategic leadership and support in areas of food distribution social enterprises, risk management, human resources, organizational structure, health & safety, facility management and IT.
When not at work, Laëtitia can be found outdoors with her son and partner or enjoying some delicious food with her family and friends.
Coach
Menon Dwarka
he/him
Menon is an arts leader with over 25 years of experience in executive director, artistic director, and community arts leadership positions in both Canada and the United States. Dwarka's expertise lies in leveraging technology to create diverse programming and administrative spaces, while also applying a post-colonial lens to IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, and Success) initiatives.
Dwarka has successfully guided arts and culture organizations of all scales, including grassroots organizations such as Toronto's 918 Bathurst Centre, where he served as both Artistic and Executive Director. He has also been a valued board member for organizations such as the Canadian Opera Company, where he was chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee. In the United States, Dwarka led the music departments at the 92nd Street Y and Harlem School of the Arts and served as the Executive Director of the Greenwich House Music School. As Senior Vice President of Arts Consulting Group, Dwarka completed IDEAS audits for the Winnipeg Symphony, ArrayMusic, and the Toronto Musicians Association.
Dwarka is a public speaker and has been featured on platforms including CBC Television, WBAI Radio, TVOntario's The Agenda, and The Walrus Talks. His expertise is also showcased through regular appearances on Sesame Street. He was a part of the inaugural cohort of the Banff/Toronto Arts Council Cultural Leaders Lab and served on the City of Toronto's Economic Development and Culture's Strategic Planning Committee, a group specifically formed to advise the City on the creation of Toronto's 2018-2022 Culture Plan.
Dwarka holds BMus and MMus degrees in Music Composition from the University of Toronto, and was an ABD Ph.D. candidate at SUNY Stony Brook.
Mentor
Mercy Ayesha Alohan-Eke
she/they
Mercy Ayesha is determined to help people around them—fuelled by passion, transparency, and authenticity.
Awarded with Seneca College’s Stephen E. Quinlan Award and Nicolas Esper Liberal Arts Award, their continued work to actively improve our community was widely recognized. As the recipient of the Julianne Pettigrew Award at the 2021 OACUHO Residence Life Conference for their outstanding presentation on anti-racist and anti-oppression frameworks in programming.
Having lived an incredibly turbulent life as a child, they are determined to make sure no one experiences the difficulties they have as a Peer Advisor on Lumenus Community Services’ Harm Reduction Hangouts Advisory Committee and CAMH’s Youth Advisory Group to support young people with lived experience of mental illness, substance abuse or sex work.
Mercy Ayesha has always been an active citizen, performing various roles in political and electoral campaigns in both her home of London, UK and her new home of Tkaronto, Canada, with a lifelong commitment to contributing a positive change to their community.
Coach
Minnie Njeri Karanja
she/her
Minnie has worked in the not-for-profit sector in Canada and internationally. She is committed to global socio-economic justice and equity. As an independent consultant Minnie coaches and mentors organizations on developing and implementing effective government relations strategies to influence public policies that advance inclusive and equitable societies.
In her recent past role as Director of Government Relations and Public Policy at the Network for the Advancement of Black Communities (NABC) she advised on government relations strategies to influence policy on a range of socio-economic issues including affordable housing, youth unemployment, justice and policing, child welfare and philanthropic reforms.
In 2022, she was appointed by the Minister of National Revenue to Canada's National Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector. In this role, she advocates for an equitable and inclusive regulatory environment for charities.
Minnie is proud of her African heritage as a woman that was born and raised in Kenya. She currently lives in Canada in the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations - also known as Vancouver.
When she’s not working, Minnie enjoys reading, walking in nature and travelling.
Coach
Mojdeh Cox
she/her
Mojdeh is an impact and results oriented community builder and leader. For nearly 15 years, Mojdeh has coached organizational leaders and consulted with institutions across all sectors seeking to heighten their equity lens and carry the principles of justice, equity, inclusion and belonging into all elements of their business operations. She is an award-winning facilitator and learning and development designer, inspired by the popular education model to mobilize knowledge through an anti-oppression lens.
Mojdeh believes that a supportive, inspiring organizational culture where there are shared values and goals is how cross-functional teams in complex systems thrive. Mojdeh has expertise in labour relations, change management, government relations, and issue-based campaigns and advocacy. Most recently, her thought leadership on radical accountability has been nationally recognized in her tenure as President and CEO of Pillar Nonprofit Network.
Coach
Mueni Mutinda
she/her
Mueni is a Kenyan-Canadian with a passion for meaningful conversation, and seeing and meeting people where they are at. She is skilled at fearlessly cultivating and nurturing meaningful connections and strategic partnerships for enhanced cooperation through facilitation, coaching, training and mentorship, leading departments and building networks.
Mueni is a conscientious, focused and assertive leader, who has successfully built and maintained strong teams, both in Canada, and across East and West Africa. Mueni’s analytical expertise is demonstrated in her passion and commitment to engage at a system’s level through a conscious equality lens. For Mueni, real and sustained transformation can only emerge when all of us are included and able to fully participate in building and rehabilitating broken relations (seeing ourselves as deeply interconnected), to co-create equitable, inclusive, engaging and meaningful spaces, ideas and possibilities.
Mueni is the founder and principal consultant at Mutinda Consulting, an Equity and justice-centered, and radically inclusive approach to program management. She recently led community consultations in collaboration with the Province of Prince Edward Island, a partnership which contributed to the province' first Anti-Racism Action Plan. Mueni is delighted to work with others and sees the opportunity to do so as the gift of this present moment. In this way, Mueni is a disruptor, truth-teller with love and vision for the possibility of the energy inherent in each one of us.
Mentor
Paul Taylor
he/him
Paul is a long-time activist, non-profit leader, educator, media commentator, and a co-founder of Evenings & Weekends Consulting.
For the last several years, he has also taught in the areas of organizational leadership, people resources and fundraising at Simon Fraser University.
From 2017 to 2023, Paul served as the Executive Director of FoodShare Toronto, Canada’s largest food justice organization. At FoodShare his leadership was consistently recognized for inspiring adoption of equity-focused people policies and practices in organizations well beyond FoodShare. Paul’s experience includes Executive Director roles at Gordon Neighbourhood House and the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House. He has also chaired the British Columbia Poverty Reduction Coalition, served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and as Vice-Chair of Food Secure Canada.
He has written several op-eds on leadership, the non-profit sector and various social issues. In 2020, Paul was named one of Canada’sTop 40 under 40, one of Toronto Life’s 50 Most Influential Torontonians and voted as Best Activist by Now Magazine readers.
When not at work, Paul is almost always found in the kitchen, on his bike, in a good book or at a local protest.
Coach
Rickesh Lakhani
he/him
Rickesh believes that we are all responsible for each other’s success, and that social impact organizations will do their best work when they are nurturing from within and grounded in truth and trust.
He has over 15 years of experience in the social impact sector, including serving as the Executive Director at Future Possibilities for Kids, a community-based organization serving children, and as the Director, Campaign at United Way York Region, leading an $8M annual fundraising campaign. Rickesh is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), sits on the Global Council for the Community-Centric Fundraising movement, and has volunteered with numerous causes and boards.
He enjoys spending time with his family including his 3 children, camping, bike riding, cooking, and playing drums.
Coach
Roxanne Duncan
she/her
Roxanne is an experienced mission-driven executive with deep expertise in non-profit leadership. She began her career in the cultural sector, driven by a belief that art is a powerful agent for social change. She has led major capital projects, fundraising campaigns, complex partnerships, and has steered organizations through transformational growth, supporting teams through turbulent times of change.
She has worked at the intersection of public policy, business, law, academia, science, technology, media, and art, creating space for difficult conversations across diverse perspectives.
Roxanne’s coaching helps people find their leadership voice, manage governance and board challenges, create clear intentions for career transitions, make values-aligned decisions for themselves and their organizations, and create vibrant organizations that operate with care for people and communities.
She currently serves on the board of directors for Rise Up!, a digital archive of feminist activism in Canada. Outside of work, she finds joy snacking at the beach, walking in the forest, singing loudly in the car, or curled up with her darling cat.
Coach
Sally (Yue) Lin
she/her
Sally has over a decade of experience working in the fields of public health and public policy. Currently, she works full-time as a public servant for a provincial government, where she works collaboratively across multiple sectors on issues related to harm reduction, substance use, and mental health. In addition to her government work, Sally has been providing career coaching to equity-deserving professionals who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Colour and/or as a member in one or more marginalized group(s) since 2021. She has mentored and coached dozens of clients from diverse backgrounds and sectors to help them achieve their career goals and aspirations.
Sally is a graduate of both McGill University and the University of British Columbia where she specialized in psychology, anthropology, and public health. She is also a Cantonese Canadian,1.5 generation immigrant with a weakness for a good bowl of noodles.
Coach
Sam Katz
he/him
Sam is an award-winning non-profit leader with 17+ years of fundraising experience.
He is the Director of Philanthropy at the AIDS Committee of Toronto.
Sam is Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and a member in good standing with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). He considers his superpower to be his authenticity, allowing him to build meaningful relationships with Canada’s leading philanthropists. Sam has successfully raised over $45 million in gifts and pledges for affordable housing, educational institutions, healthcare, homelessness, the performing arts, and social services.
His experience includes Director and Senior Director roles at four Toronto charities. Sam has also volunteered on numerous boards and is currently the Co-Chair of Community One Foundation.
When not at work, Sam is usually planning his next travel adventure, volunteering, or spending time with friends and family.
Coach
Sophie Duncan
she/her
Sophie is a consultant and researcher working at the intersections of social, economic, and environmental justice issues. As one of our consultants, she works with clients on issues related to organizational governance, equity and inclusion, and organizational change. Sophie is also a Project Manager for the Leading Social Justice Fellowship, a cross-sectoral leadership development program focused on social justice and run in partnership with United Way Greater Toronto, the School of Cities, and Rotman Executive Programs. In this role, Sophie coaches teams from across the GTA on project planning and implementation and co-leads program design, evaluation, and partnership coordination. Sophie is a board member at the Fair Finance Fund, a non-profit social finance fund dedicated to providing loans and mentorship services to local food and farm enterprises that value strong local food systems, local economies, and a healthy planet.
Sophie holds an MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and a BA from Wesleyan University. Her previous work includes research on behavioural insights and Canadian food policy with Behaviourally Informed Organizations, consulting to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers on a new development strategy, leading food access and community development programming in rural Vermont, and more. From 2013 - 2014, Sophie was a Fulbright Researcher in Morocco, studying traditional food and ideas about innovation and authenticity.
Outside of work, you can find Sophie out in the garden, in the kitchen, or enjoying local trails.
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