Esther, was homeless while studying to be a nurse. Graduating with honors, she was certain she would find a job right away, but, after sending out 40 resumes, she didn’t get a single call back. She started working on-call for an agency and was earning $0-$1000 a month (her income was not guaranteed) by the time she applied to be in the Up With Women career development program.
With her coach, she strategized on how to land herself permanent work, and, once she got the job at a hospital, she and her coach focused on how she could make herself an asset to the organization, thereby securing her employment and allowing for growth. With a little success under her belt, she thought “what else can I do?”. She decided she wanted to also start a small part time financial services business. By the end of the program, Esther was earning $5,000 a month, she had a secure position in the hospital, and she was growing her business.
Claudette worked in reconciliations at a major financial firm when two major barriers upended her life. She has a physical disability that causes her hands to shake, preventing her from being able to write, so she had to leave her office job. At the same time, she fled an abusive husband, with her 3 children. They had nowhere to go.
She had been referred to Up With Women by Interval House’s “BESS” program. Working with her coach, she turned a love of baking into a part time job, and then she negotiated with the bakery to co-locate the space so she could launch her own baking and catering business. By the end of the program, she had a deal with Bruno’s Fine Foods and had secured a meeting with Bombardier.
Iman became homeless after fleeing an abusive relationship. After living in the YWCA, she struggled to find permanent, full time work. She joined UWW with the dream of finding permanent, full-time work.
When Iman joined the program, she was working as an on-call support worker. The work was unpredictable, so her first aim was to find full time work, but when she met her coach and got started in the program, she immediately decided she had bigger dreams: she wanted to own and run her own spa.
She secured permanent, full time work and then she enrolled full-time in aesthetics school, while working full-time as a support worker. Working with her coach, she was able to excel in both areas, while navigating an exhausting schedule. She is well on her way to fulfilling her dream of owning her own spa business.
A medical doctor in her home country, J. came to Canada to build a new life for herself and practice medicine. While she prepared to do her certifications to practice in her new country, she worked full time in a variety of jobs. J. had to flee a violent situation and ended up living in a shelter. Having suffered family losses, J’s main goal for joining the program was to work with her coach to find the best way to get her certifications while also keeping her full time job. During her certification process, she also contributed hundreds of hours of volunteer service to medical facilities. J. is now well on her way to achieving her goal of practicing medicine in Canada.
Cheryl Keates, ACPC, PCC, 
Ellen Malcomson (BA Hons), ACC Ellen Malcolmson is the Principal of Ellen Malcolmson Executive Coaching Inc. and a Senior Associate Consultant with Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions. Ellen’s coaching practice is grounded in her extensive senior leadership experience and her passion for partnering with her clients build their confidence in their own unique strengths and capabilities. Ellen coaches from a truly unique perspective; she brings an understanding of the corporate world from her experience as a senior executive in one of Canada’s largest companies, an appreciation for the challenges of both operating and governing in the public sector from her work as both CEO and Board Chair at a large Ontario hospital, and the delicate balancing of multiple stakeholders required to be a successful CEO in the not for profit world. In 2010, Ellen made the transition from operational leadership to strategic consulting and executive coaching.
Eman Hamzeh Alsmady, BSc, ACC
Loretta White BASc (Hons), CPC
Jennifer Collins BASc, CEC, PCC
Shieh-Chi Chen (pronounced Shee-Tzu) is the President and Owner of 2Sisters Consulting Inc. is a skilled executive coach, facilitator and organizational development consultant and has worked in Canada and internationally for Fortune 500 Companies. Shieh-Chi combines her world view with a passion for valuing differences, by delivering thought provoking and results-oriented programs. She works with women, minority leaders, business owners and change agents who want to make a leadership contribution to their organizations and the world around them. She has worked with for-profit and non-profit organizations as well as three levels of government, from small and mid-sized companies to multi-nationals.
Sydney Blum is an expert in non profit strategy, scaling, evidence-based program design and fund development.
Rubina Havlin
Lai King Hum, Principle, Hum Law Firm / Deputy Judge, Superior Court of Justice, Toronto Small Claims
Anekie Nembhardis an upcoming innovative and passionate Human Resource Professional specializing in the area of Learning and Development.
Jacqui Allard is Senior Vice President of Strategy, Marketing, Performance and Enablement with RBC Personal & Commercial Banking (P&CB). She leads teams responsible for developing strategies that support and integrate lines of business while ensuring the alignment of the P&CB project portfolio across the enterprise.
Harmeet Toor brings her own combination of empathy, energy and lived experience to the program. She’s excited to join the organization while it continues to grow and cannot wait to see how her creativity, curiosity, resourcefulness, and communication skills can be of use to the team, partners, coaches and most importantly clients of Up With Women.
Program Manager Althea Mercury is a social worker with a BSW from Ryerson University. She began her career as a crisis counsellor at Scarborough General Hospital helping adults with mental health difficulties develop coping skills to reintegrate into the community.. Althea deepened her assessment and counselling skills during her seven year tenure with mental health services provider Three Springs in Alabama where she was, most recently, Director of Admissions.
Leah Archambault worked for a number of years as a research associate in Social Epidemiology and Oncology with Cancer Care Ontario, the Ontario Breast Screening Program and the University of Windsor. Later, she worked in non-profit and patient advocacy with Colon Cancer Canada. Leah has lived experience with homelessness, while attending University in Toronto, and feels blessed and inspired to be working for Up with Women.
Kimberly Niles, Project Manager, migrated from the Caribbean in 2011. Prior to migrating Niles has several years of experience as a Customs Office with the Customs & Excise Department. She holds a BBA In Information Technology, Associate Degree in Business Administration and Diploma in Network Administration. Hopes to commence her Masters Degree in ‘New Media Studies’ in the near future.
