Meet Diane

Before I coached ambitious women through their most challenging leadership moments, I walked through a few of my own.

A coach before I could drive

I was a coach before I could drive. I’ve always loved helping others rise to their potential.

At age 19, I left university in Canada to pursue my first professional coaching role as the State Coach for South Australia’s synchronized swimming team.

It was a big role, and I remember being so brave and certain in my values at that young age.

I learned quickly that not everyone appreciated my boldness. I have a vivid memory of finding my personal belongings in garbage bags at the end of my host family’s driveway when they didn’t like one of my decisions.

We’re taught from a young age to temper our boldness. Fit in. Play the good girl.

But fitting in can come at the cost of ignoring our inner wisdom.

Born this way

Leading in organizations

After returning to Canada, I finished my degree and shifted into sport and event leadership. As part of the Pan Am Games delivery team, I helped fundraise $12 million to bring athletes across nations together.

I advanced into a role with the University of Victoria where I learned to connect values to action and inspire people to invest in change.

Later, I joined the executive team at the Royal BC Museum and built a team and program from the ground up.

It looked like success. And for a while, it was.

But I began to feel the disconnect.

The culture was traditional and hierarchical. I was younger than the rest of the executive team, and I led differently. When I asked for flexibility returning from maternity leave, it felt like I was breaking an unspoken rule.

Instead, I was expected to be always composed. Always available. Always on.

I started asking myself, can I really keep doing this in a way that feels sustainable and true to myself? I couldn’t keep shrinking to fit.

If you feel tension between the life you’ve built and the leader you’re becoming, you’re not alone. I’ve been there, too.

In my experience, that feeling lingers as long as you stay out of alignment. It doesn’t go away.

The moment everything shifted

That clarity came during a women’s leadership event.

One of the speakers was someone I had admired for years—an executive with an impressive title and resume. I expected to walk away inspired. Instead, I walked away certain: I didn’t want that life.

She talked about what it took to get there — the hours, the sacrifices, missing time with her kids and family. It hit me: that wasn’t the “success” I was looking for.

It was time to listen to my intuition and take a brave step in a new direction.

Brave enough to begin again.

Reinventing myself at 43

Within the year, I left my job without a plan. I just knew I couldn’t keep ignoring my inner voice, screaming that this wasn’t the right fit.

I enrolled in the Executive Coaching program at Royal Roads. Later, I took a deep breath and applied for my Master’s in Leadership. At 50 years old, I was starting something new again.

Imposter syndrome? Oh, yes.

But it also felt so right.

How I Got from There to Here

Learning to Build a Business

I wanted to set up my own company but I had no formal business background. So I joined a two-year entrepreneurial program and started from scratch.

Launching Inspired Results Group

I created IRG to bring courageous, values-aligned leadership into more rooms — through coaching, programs, and keynotes. It started small, but I grew a strong team and clientele.

Training with Brené

I became a certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator and trained directly with Brené Brown. Her work gave language to what I’d felt all along: boundaries, vulnerability, and courage are core to effective leadership.

Back to Royal Roads — As Faculty!

Years after graduating from the Executive Coaching program, I returned as a faculty member. This was a full-circle, “pinch me!” move. I am teaching alongside mentors I’ve looked up to for years.