From Commanding Officer to Executive Coach

Why I walked away at the peak of my military career.

I was at the height of my career in the Royal Canadian Air Force, I had led 400 personnel at Canada’s largest fighter base. I had spent 25 years in uniform, serving across transport, engineering, supply, food services, and HR — often as the only woman in the room.

I deployed to Afghanistan as the Air Wing Logistics Officer. I supported Canada’s northern sovereignty operations. I served as a Defence Attaché in Ghana and worked on priority files abroad. From the outside, it looked like success.

But inside, something had shifted.

As a Commanding Officer, I began working with an executive coach. That partnership gave me clarity, courage, and a mirror I hadn’t held up before. One exercise in particular — a values alignment exercise — stopped me cold. On paper, I could see how far my personal values had drifted from the role I was in.

I felt stunned. And disloyal.

To the organization.

To the people I had led.

To the identity I had built over decades.

But I also knew this: I couldn’t keep leading with my hand on my heart if my values weren’t truly present in my work.

So while still serving, I enrolled in an executive coaching program. I told myself it was just to “test the waters.” But within days, I knew. This was my next mission.

Coaching gave me a way to continue doing what I loved most as a military officer — supporting others to find the fire in their bellies and challenge the status quo. Today, through Maven Executive Coaching, I work with women in male-dominated environments who are ready to redesign the executive table. I help them make space and take space. To choose courage.

Because leadership isn’t just about rank or recognition.

It’s about alignment.

It’s about impact.

It’s about knowing when it’s time to walk away — and when it’s time to walk toward something new.