Our Coaching Faculty

Alisdair Smith is a facilitator with the NeuroLeadership Institute. In addition to his work for the Brain-Based Coaching program, he delivers a wide range of programs with companies around the globe. He is particularly versed in supporting the work of organizations wanting to improve the quality of conversations, reduce bias, and improve employee growth and development.Alisdair has over 25 years working with senior leaders and boards as a trusted coach and results-focused facilitator. He is accredited through the International Coach Federation and is a Results Certified Coach through the NeuroLeadership Institute. He holds a MA in Ethics and has worked with corporate teams and boards in the US and Canada and NGOs in Ghana, India, Solomon Islands, and Australia. He is respected as a provocateur who challenges and engages senior leaders with wit and wisdom. As well as a coach, he is MBTI certified, Transition and Change Management Certified, and is an Accredited Credit Union Director.

Pete Small is a board-certified executive coach and leadership facilitator with the NeuroLeadership Institute. Trained and certified by the highly acclaimed Coaches Training Institute, NeuroLeadership Institute, and the International Coaching Federation, Pete is a skilled professional with two decades of experience in program design, staff management, and fostering individual and group change. In addition, he is a dynamic public speaker with extensive experience leading trainings across all levels in various finance, technology, retail, and health care organizations. Pete has coached or trained people both nationally and internationally from countries such as Canada, Brazil, The UK, Malta, Egypt, Dubai, India, and China. A former psychologist, Pete holds a Masters Degree in Social Welfare from the University of California Berkley and Bachelors of Psychology & English from the University of Utah.

Shawna Fraser has been working in the field of NeuroLeadership for 10+ years and is an experienced global Facilitator and Professionally Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation. She has led transformational leadership programs and delivered corporate solutions to effect behaviour change at scale for some of our top clients.Shawna brings 20+ years of corporate experience in large-scale change, upscaling operations across regulated and public service organizations along with skills in organizational design, project management and change management. She is a strong advocate for psychological safety in the workplace and uses insights from social-cognitive neuroscience to help naturalize and externalize the unhelpful cognitive, emotional, and behavioural patterns that can arise in organizations when our universal social needs are not adequately met.Shawna holds an undergrad in Human Resource Management & Industrial Relations, and she is an MSc candidate (2023 - Neuroscience & Psychology).

Valerie Tremblay is a facilitator who spent the first two decades of her career in the HR function for various organizations in industries such as pharmaceuticals, engineering, real estate development, and manufacturing. In her previous role, Valerie was the Chief Human Resources Officer for a retail organization where she had oversight and responsibility over the entire HR function. Valerie began her career discovering the world as an HR Director onboard the MS Crystal Harmony, the world’s only 6 star luxury cruise liner. She worked alongside people from over 50 nationalities before returning to Montreal, Canada, where she climbed her way to the role of VP of HR for a multinational organization. What sets Valerie apart is her contagious energy and pragmatic wisdom. From new managers to established CEOs across the high-tech, financial, and consulting industries, she inspires people to gain life-changing insights and put them into concrete action. She offers a truly global vision of the workplace, informed by living and working in several countries and holding leadership positions for over 20 years at billion-dollar corporations. Valerie holds an MBA and is accredited through the International Coach Federation.