Innovate You

09/21/2026

Throughout my career, I have noticed a pattern.

If you give me a new challenge, a complex problem, or an opportunity to create something better, my energy rises.

If you ask me to keep doing the same thing in the same way, I can do it, but it takes far more energy.
Looking back, this explains a great deal about how my career evolved.

I gravitated toward technology innovation, transformation, and leading change. I felt energized when I could solve a new problem, introduce a different approach, connect people and ideas, or build something that had not existed before.

It also explains why entrepreneurship fits me so well.
No two days are the same.

One day, I may be coaching a leader through a breakthrough. The next, I am designing a Leadership Lab, facilitating a workshop, speaking, or developing a new collaboration.

For a long time, I thought this was simply my preference for variety.

My Fascinate® profile gave me clarity:
Trust is my Dormant Advantage.

When you hear “Trust,” you may think about being trusted by others or building credibility. That was my first thought too.

Within the Fascinate® System, Trust is the language of Stability, expressed through consistency, dependability, familiar patterns, and proven methods.

Having Trust as a Dormant Advantage does not mean I am untrustworthy or unreliable.

It means that, among the seven Fascinate® Advantages, Trust is the communication language I use least naturally.

I can create structure, honour my commitments, and follow through. However, relying on familiar patterns for too long drains my energy, especially when I can see an opportunity to improve or reimagine them.

This insight helped me understand my journey differently:
I can create stability when it serves the goal. Constant sameness is not where I thrive.

I am most energized when I lean in with my Primary Advantage: Passion and Secondary Advantage: Innovation.
Both were shared in my previous posts.

That is the value of self-discovery. It does not put us into a box. It gives us language to recognize what energizes us, what consumes our energy, and how we can lead with our unique value that others experience at our best.

What kind of work can you do well, yet still find surprisingly draining?

If you want to understand how others experience you at your best and use that insight to lead with confidence, own your impact, understand others, join Hilda Gan and me at the Distinctly You Leadership Lab™ for women leaders on October 15, 2026.
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/distinctly-you-leadership-lab-registration-1984253973048?aff=oddtdtcreator

09/20/2026

What energizes one leader can quietly drain another.
Yesterday, I shared that my Primary Fascinate® Advantage is PASSION.
Today, it is about my Secondary Fascinate® Advantage is INNOVATION, the language of Creativity.

For me, to use my innovation advantage, I would ask one question:
“What else is possible?” or "How can I do it in a different way for a better result?"

I rarely see only what is. My mind usually starts exploring what could be.
It shows up when I connect ideas across technology, leadership, coaching, and human experience. It energizes me to design new workshop experiences, challenge familiar approaches, and find a different pathway through a complex problem.

In the past when was asked to take on a project or run an event, I like to challenge myself to create different ways of achieving the set goal, whether it is a brand new experience, or bringing new elements to the existing experience.
In environments with little room to stretch my creative thinking, I notice my energy and engagement begin to drop.

My Primary Advantage, PASSION, draws people into the conversation.
My Secondary Advantage, INNOVATION, opens new possibilities within it.
Together, they form my archetype, The Catalyst.

There is also a watch-out.
Because exploring possibilities energizes me, I can move quickly or continue generating ideas when someone else needs more structure, evidence, or time to process.
Knowing my Advantages reminds me to make the pathway clear, not only the possibility being exciting.

If thinking of new ideas and think different ways to do things is draining for you, Innovation could be your Dormant Advantage.
You can still be highly creative and capable of innovation.
Dormant does not mean weakness.

You may create your greatest value in another way: strengthening an idea, identifying risks, building trust, creating consistency, or turning possibilities into dependable results.
In workplaces that celebrate innovation, this distinction matters.
Teams need people who imagine what could be. They also need people who make those ideas credible, workable, and sustainable.

On October 15, Hilda Gan and I will use the Fascinate System™ to help women leaders understand how their Fascinate Advantages work and apply those insights to real leadership situations at the Distinctly You Leadership Lab™.

If you are ready to understand how you contribute at your best and communicate more effectively with people who contribute differently, we would love to have you join us.
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/distinctly-you-leadership-lab-registration-1984253973048?aff=oddtdtcreator

09/19/2026

The strength you overlook may be the one others remember most.

When I first received my Fascinate® results, I learned that my Primary Advantage is Passion.

At first glance, Passion might sound like enthusiasm. In Fascinate®, Passion is the language of Relationship.

It shows up in the energy I bring into a room, the connections I create, and my ability to help people feel included in a conversation.

Learning this helped me recognize something I had not fully valued:

When I am at my best, I do more than communicate information. I bring warmth, empathy, and energy that invite people to engage, contribute, and see new possibilities.

Discovering my Fascinate Archetype has changed how I communicate and lead. When I coach, facilitate, or speak, I ask myself:

✨ What do I want people to feel?
✨ How my message can be meaningful to them?
✨ Whose voice needs to be invited into the conversation?

It has also given me greater confidence to lean into how people already experience me at my best: warm, expressive, intuitive, and energizing.

Of course, effective leadership requires us to adapt to different people and situations. Self-awareness gives us a strong and authentic place from which to begin.

Too often, capable leaders focus first on what they need to fix.

Perhaps a more powerful question is:

What is already distinctive about how I lead, and am I using it intentionally?

On October 15, Hilda Gan and I will explore this with women leaders at the Distinctly You Leadership Lab.

You will learn how others experience you at your best and practise applying that insight to communicate, influence, champion ideas, and lead with greater intention.

📅 October 15, 2026
⏰ 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
📍 Studio 28, Markham
🎫https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/distinctly-you-leadership-lab-registration-1984253973048?aff=oddtdtcreator

If you are curious how you can lean into what makes your leadership distinctly powerful, I would love to have you join us.

09/08/2026

“A leadership pipeline grows when potential is recognized, developed, and invited forward.” - Amy Au

Many organizations say they want more women in leadership.
But wanting stronger representation is not the same as building a pipeline that actually moves.

I have seen talented women deliver strong results, take on more responsibility, mentor others, and continue developing their skills. However, when the next leadership opportunity appears, some are still not seen as the obvious choice.
That is worth paying attention to.

It is because a leadership pipeline is not built when a senior role becomes vacant. It is built long before that moment.

It grows when organizations intentionally create the conditions for women to be:
✨ Recognized for the value they already bring
✨ Developed for the leadership challenges ahead
✨ Given access to visible, meaningful opportunities
✨ Supported by sponsors who advocate for their potential
✨ Encouraged to lead from their distinctive strengths rather than fit into a narrow image of what leadership should look like. This matters.

Leadership development should not simply prepare more women to step into existing models of leadership. It should help them understand what makes their leadership valuable, communicate that value with confidence, and expand the possibilities of what leadership can look like.

For HR and senior leaders, I believe there is an important question to ask:

Are we developing women for leadership, and also creating the visibility, sponsorship, and opportunities that allow their leadership to be recognized?

For women leaders:

Can the people making decisions about your future clearly describe the distinctive value you bring?
Potential alone does not build a pipeline. It needs to be seen, strengthened, and invited forward.

What is one action your organization could take today to help more women move from leadership potential to leadership opportunity?

09/07/2026

There is something about the September long weekend that feels like a second beginning.

With a new school year just ahead, September brings a renewed sense of learning, possibility and growth.

For leaders, it can also be a valuable checkpoint.
There are fewer than four months left in 2026.

What do you need to strengthen to finish the year well?
What will the next stage of your leadership require from you?
And are you creating the space to develop it intentionally?

Through more than two decades of my own leadership journey, and now through my work as an Executive Leadership Coach, I have learned that the most important starting point for growth is knowing yourself.

That goes beyond how you see yourself.
It includes understanding how others actually experience your leadership:
🔹 What makes them listen to you?
🔹 What builds their confidence in you?
🔹 How do you naturally influence, inspire and create connection?
🔹 What happens to those strengths when the stakes are high?

Self-awareness gives us insight. Growth happens when we put that insight into practice.

That is why Hilda Gan and I designed the Distinctly You Leadership Lab™ around three connected ideas:
Know Yourself 🔸 Own Your Impact 🔸 Understand Others

On October 15, we will bring women leaders together for a practical, interactive day of discovery and application.
You will use the Fascinate® system to explore how others experience you, work through real leadership scenarios, practise using your distinct strengths more intentionally, and leave with clear actions for what you will do differently next.

If you are a leader who loves to challenge yourself and continue growing, this Lab's designed with you in mind.

🗓️ October 15, 2026 | 10:00 AM–4:30 PM
📍 Studio 28 | Markham, Ontario
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/distinctly-you-leadership-lab-registration-1984253973048?aff=oddtdtcreator

As this new season begins, what part of your leadership would you most like to strengthen?

08/25/2026

“Having a good idea is only the beginning.”

A strong idea does not create change by itself.
Someone has to help others see it, believe in it and move with it.

This is where many accomplished leaders get frustrated.
They have the expertise.
They see opportunities others may not see.
They know something needs to change.

However, the idea does not always gain traction.

Women leaders, do you ask yourselves questions such as,

How do you influence when you do not control the decision?
How do you make an idea compelling without becoming someone you are not?
How do you create enough belief for others to champion the idea with you?

These are leadership capabilities that matter even more when organizations are navigating uncertainty and rapid change.

At Distinctly You Leadership Lab™, we will work with scenarios that move leadership development beyond knowing into doing.

You will explore your natural leadership advantages, practise how you communicate and influence, and develop practical ways to champion ideas with greater confidence and intention.

Because leadership visibility is about making your value, thinking and contribution easier for others to recognize.

If you want to become more intentional about how you communicate your ideas, build support and influence action without losing your authentic self, join us at Distinctly You Leadership Lab™ on October 15.

Learn more and register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/distinctly-you-leadership-lab-registration-1984253973048?aff=oddtdtcreator

08/14/2026

08/04/2026

“What holds a team together deserves to be seen, valued, and recognized.”
- Amy Au

Much of the work that strengthens a team happens quietly.

🔸 Listening when someone is struggling.
🔸Mentoring a colleague.
🔸Helping resolve tension.
🔸Creating connection during change.
🔸Making sure people feel heard and included.

This kind of work builds trust, belonging, and team resilience. This is also the kind of work often overlooked because it does not appear on a project plan, performance dashboard, or list of deliverables.

Here are three ways to make invisible leadership work more visible:
✅ Name the contribution clearly
✅ Connect it to team and business outcomes
✅ Recognize the people who consistently create trust and belonging

Recognition is not only about appreciation. It helps organizations understand what truly enables people and teams to thrive.

What valuable leadership work deserves greater recognition in your workplace?

Connect with me for a complimentary discovery conversation about building a more inclusive and sustainable leadership culture.

07/27/2026

“When the plan falls apart, the moment does not have to.”
— Amy Au

Last Friday, I took a day off to spend with my family.

It was a day we had planned almost 2 months in advance.

We bought tickets to see “The Odyssey,” a highly anticipated movie done by my son's favourite director. He especially wanted us to experience it together in a theatre showing the 70mm IMAX film version, not the digital one.

We had been looking forward to it.

Within minutes of arriving at the theatre, we learned that the show had been cancelled because of a technical issue with the equipment.

To say we were disappointed would be an understatement.
All shows in the next 4 weeks were pretty much sold out.

I was upset.
Not only because the movie was cancelled, but because of what the day represented.

🔸I had planned and protected this family time well in advance.
🔸My son is at an age when independence is important, and spending a full day with his parents is no longer easy to arrange!
This was supposed to be our special experience together.

However, we had a choice. We could allow the cancelled movie to define the entire day, or we could create a different experience.

We pivoted. We went for lunch, spent time together, and enjoyed a meaningful conversation.

The day did not unfold according to our plan.
Yet the purpose of the day, connection, was still fulfilled.

Here are three reflections I am carrying into this week:

1️⃣ Plan thoughtfully, while accepting that not everything is within our control.
Strong planning creates direction, but it cannot guarantee every outcome.

2️⃣ A positive mindset does not erase disappointment.
It helps us move through the disappointment without allowing it to take over everything that follows.

3️⃣ Pivoting is not giving up on the plan.
It is finding another path toward what matters most.

These lessons apply far beyond a family outing.

As leaders, we may face delayed projects, changing priorities, unexpected technology issues, limited resources, or decisions beyond our control.

Leadership is not about controlling every outcome.
It is about staying grounded when circumstances change, protecting the purpose behind the plan, and creating a thoughtful way forward.

Sometimes, the original plan will not work. But the moment can still hold meaning.
The goal can still be honoured. And something valuable can still emerge.

❓ How do you respond when a carefully planned moment, or an important business plan suddenly changes?

Share your reflections in the comments. I would love to learn from your experience.

🌟 If you are navigating change and want to lead with greater confidence, clarity, and adaptability, I invite you to connect with me for a complimentary discovery conversation, https://www.innovateyou.ca/call

07/21/2026

“AI transformation succeeds when people can see themselves in the future it is creating.”
— Amy Au

Inclusive AI leadership requires more than implementing a platform, introducing a new tool, or deploying a new solution.
It requires leaders to:

✅ Invite diverse perspectives early
✅ Create safe spaces for questions and learning
✅ Ensure new opportunities are shared equitably

Who may be missing from your AI transformation conversation?

You are invited to connect with me for a complimentary discovery conversation about leading inclusive change.