Mum not only taught us about family but she encouraged us to give back. It was at her suggestion that I began looking for a volunteer opportunity and I joined a suicide hotline as a crisis counselor. The lessons learned from this experience can’t be captured on a page. The experience taught me about the stigma around mental health, the joy of giving selflessly to help a stranger and the need for human connection.

I was already interested in what motivates and influences people and through my experience at the hotline, I realized that many of the techniques we used could support people in other situations and my love of HR was born! Listening skills are at the heart of crisis counseling, along with the ability to ask the right questions. This transitioned easily to HR and I still apply active listening techniques in my consultations today.

When the phone rang, remaining calm was key to working with a caller to get them through the crisis. In HR, there are many situations that can give rise to feelings of stress or panic – an employee resigns, serious financial issues, a mistake made on a client account – to name a few. My ability to remain composed in any situation has allowed clients to step back enough that together we can work on a realistic path forward.

Once I transitioned into HR, there was no looking back. I am passionate about HR consulting because it’s an opportunity to build deep relationships with my clients, to conduct work that is meaningful, to improve on something that is a pain point for a client. I strive to find new solutions to old problems. It’s an opportunity to recognize that firms don’t serve clients, people serve clients. That’s why it is important to focus on the people in your firm and how their experience is influencing their performance. I love the challenge of finding new ways to enhance the employee experience while increasing productivity and efficiency. I also love exploring what motivates people and how new approaches can serve small businesses. Every interaction with a client is personal and special, because of the opportunity it provides to help others.