We’ve lived through the constant hustle, the work-hard-play-hard mentality, the break-things-and fail-fast ethos of the startup world, and we recognize that this culture is broken. The world is starting to wake up to the fact that society needs to lead technology and not simply watch as unforeseen consequences break down our communities, mental health and concentration.
We believe that coming back to ourselves, to the present moment and to nature are the first steps on the journey to the conscious leadership required to build the companies of the future. We are a team of dreamers, seekers, makers and doers who recognize our calling to enable others to be their best selves and do their best work.
Our mission
As the technological revolution intensifies, entrepreneurs are increasingly called upon to develop resilience strategies that allow them to stay calm when confronting risk, uncertainty and the white noise generated by competing interests and demands.
Focus Hub aims to bring balance to the lives of busy entrepreneurs. Our mission is to help high achievers to “slow up” — to reap the rewards of rest and mindfulness so that they can create incredible companies and impact from a place of creativity, collaboration and curiosity rather than building from fear, scarcity and competition.
We believe that by guiding entrepreneurs back to focusing on themselves, we can not only help them to run better, more successful businesses, but also avoid the pitfalls of the “typical” leader: burnout, depression and constant anxiety.
The team
Amélie Desrochers
Co-producer
“Design & creativity will actually change the world. But one can’t access this bottomless well without learning how to cope with solitude and silence. I simply love sharing the discipline of creativity — and this is the perfect time to practice.”
Amélie helped her father scale a tech company all through her 20s. She learnt the ropes the hard way. She then morphed into a diplomat and a skillful advisor. Always one step ahead, Am enjoys destroying old decaying structures (while respecting all things vintage) and always finds opportunities to perform what she calls ‘creative contamination’. Geeky and macro-minded, her fascination for building dynamic innovation ecosystems brought her to San Francisco, Toronto, Mexico, Montreal and now Grand-Metis, close to the Gaspé Peninsula. After spending more than a decade perfecting the art of finding balance between nature and tech, she’s now cultivating innovation and creative projects in the heart of a garden by the St Lawrence River.
Catherine Bernier
Co-producer
“By processing everything into boxes in order to survive to the perpetual flow of stimuli that distracts us, we have become efficient machines, but we now live, collectively, in a conflict of separation with our environment, forgetting that WE embodies nature, by nature.”
Freelance writer and photographer Catherine Bernier also holds degrees in counselling psychology and teaching meditation. She uses her creativity to awaken people to self-awareness, on both the collective and the environmental levels. Originally from Sainte-Flavie, Gaspésie, she has a special relationship with the ocean and the vast wilderness that has shaped her relationship to photography. Her refuge, an off-grid cabin in Nova Scotia, allows her to align her values with her passion: surfing!
Lauren Jane Heller
Co-producer
“I love being part of the shift toward a new and better world — helping others to grow their mindsets as they dig into their purpose.”
As the daughter of an entrepreneur, Lauren Jane realized early in life that for her, settling for the status quo feels infinitely more terrifying than plunging into the unknown. A seeker and a sharer, LJ is passionate about finding and telling stories. After over a decade working in communications, from documentary film to travel journalism to director of communications, she found her calling as a coach and storytelling advisor. Now, you’ll likely find LJ helping high-potential founders to dig into their purpose, develop their leadership and find their stories, or creating her own stories, hanging out with her family and connecting with herself in nature.
Sarah McMahon-Sperber
Senior adviser
“It’s so exciting to be building a business at a time when we’re finally starting to question the assumptions of scarcity, meritocracy and invulnerability. I feel like these conversations could be game-changers for so many anxious and exhausted entrepreneurs.”
An insatiable word nerd, Sarah has spent over a decade honing her communication chops through everything from journalism to politics, copywriting, content strategy, speech writing, coaching, radio writing – you name it. Now she’s trying to change the way we value content and democratize the freelance economy by heading up a curated collective of badass, seasoned content creators called Content Cartel. She’s passionate about the power of radical honesty, empathy, and vulnerability.
Sandra Taddeo
Psychologist-in-residence
“Real life starts at the edge of your comfort zone.”
Sandra has worked as a kinesiologist and psychologist for 15+ years, supporting athletes, entrepreneurs and digital nomads in setting and attaining meaningful goals and reaching their greatest potential. Her work is centered on helping people create life conditions in which they can thrive, guided by the individual’s well-being as it relates to their relationships, work and passions.
An avid surfer, kiteboarder and snowboarder, she loves discovering new destinations to practice her favourite sports. Her travels, her ongoing education in psychology and work both as psychologist and wellness coach have enabled Sandra to fine tune her observations and understanding to guide her clients in their own journeys to greater well-being, autonomy and self-actualization.
Our values
We’re guided by 5 core values that shape everything we write, record, share and publish.
Authenticity
this journey isn’t always glossy or perfect – and that’s ok.
Humility
we don’t have all the answers – but we have tons of questions.
Active listening
it’s not about being right – it’s about being present.
Diversity
unheard voices mean unheard wisdom – it’s time for that to change.
Positivity
scarcity mindsets have reigned for too long – time to welcome abundance and cocreation.
WITH THANKS
Focus Hub is supported by
