Susan Hobson

Shelley West is a dynamic and forward-thinking executive with over two decades of sales leadership experience in the global media and partnerships industry. Renowned for her strategic acumen and innovative approach, Shelley has consistently delivered tangible results, driving significant revenue growth and profitability across various organizations. Her expertise in sales, business networking, relationship cultivation, and market trend analysis has positioned her as a pivotal leader in the continuously evolving business landscape.

Shelley's leadership is defined by her exceptional ability to drive growth, elevate teams, and skillfully navigate complex business environments. Beyond delivering financial success, she has profoundly shaped her teams by embedding the principles of 2.0 leadership, setting a new standard for excellence, innovation and leadership for the organizations she has served.

Most recently, Shelley served as Vice President of Client Partnerships at MiQ, where she led a team of 38 sales and account management professionals, steering the strategic commercial vision for MiQ Canada.

Under her leadership, the commercial division was revitalized, aligning with aggressive revenue and client servicing growth objectives that resulted in a 30% increase in annual revenue. Shelley also played a critical role in mentoring and coaching the national sales, marketing, and trading teams, further solidifying her reputation as a leader who fosters professional growth and development.

During her tenure at Anthem Sports and Entertainment/AXS.TV as Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships, Shelley was an integral member of the executive leadership team where she led all third-party partnerships and M&A opportunities, as well as managed the critical broadcast relationships within Anthem’s portfolio. Shelley spearheaded the go-to-market (GTM) strategies that included innovative new partnership ventures, along with the rebranding of AXS.TV. Her strategic foresight and operational expertise were instrumental in managing and delivering a budget exceeding $100 million and driving the global expansion of Anthem’s business.

As Director of Sales at Cimoroni & Company, Shelley was responsible for the strategic sales plans and growth initiatives for high-profile sports and entertainment properties, including the FIFA World Cup, iHeartRadio, and The European Tour. She excelled in delivering integrated partnership solutions and managing high-stakes contract negotiations, significantly enhancing the value and reach of Cimoroni’s offerings.

Earlier in her career, Shelley held Sr. Director positions with WME/ IMG, and Rogers Media, where she successfully led her teams through the implementation of new sales structures and GTM strategies, consistently surpassing revenue targets by an impressive 150%. Shelley also played a critical role as the Sr. Leader in the development and launch of WME’s Culinary division, and UFC’s expansion in Canada for WME, as well as the content marketing strategies, sales and sponsorship solutions, for the World Cup of Hockey on behalf of Rogers Media.

Shelley West’s strategic vision and proven track record make her an invaluable asset to any organization seeking to innovate, achieve significant growth, and excel in today’s competitive business landscape.

Rob is a world-renowned leadership coach and TEDx speaker known for unlocking his clients so they can achieve their biggest goals. Rob is Exeleon’s Top 100 Most Dynamic Leader of 2023, and the co-host of the Leadership Launchpad Project, rated Canada’s #3 Leadership podcast. Before transitioning into leadership coaching & speaking, Rob spent over 10 years as an engineer within mining, oil pipelines, and consulting in heavy industry. Rob has a foundation of high-performance as he graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Management, was a 3-time Academic All-American in NCAA Water Polo and played on the U18 Canadian National Water Polo team.

Liane’s mission is to help self-starting women who want to level up and move forward with clarity, motivation, purpose and fulfillment. She works on mindset strategy to improve the results her clients get in all areas of life.

Liane is certified in High Performance Coaching and is based in Toronto. She has a background in clinical nutrition, nutritional genomics and corporate wellness. Past clients include Mount Sinai Hospital, Facebook, The Royal Bank of Canada and the TD Centre of Learning. Along with a diploma in holistic nutrition, Liane has a certificate of training from the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy and is a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach. Liane has also written for The National Post, The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star.

Before I became a high performance coach, I worked as a nutritionist in a medical practice. My life looked perfect on paper. I had checked all the boxes for a successful life: marriage, kids, house, busy social life, 6am workouts and up and coming in my career. Yet on the inside I felt adrift and unsatisfied. I was just going through the motions and struggling with a lot of self-doubt. I knew that I wanted to have more of an impact with my work and that I was capable of more but I held myself back because I thought that I wasn’t ready or expert enough to step into a bigger league.

In my personal life my lack of fulfillment professionally had spread into my relationships and I was in a constant state of irritation. I felt depleted and drained by everything I had to do. I lived by my to-do list but it was getting harder and harder to feel motivated and to power through the day. Somehow I had lost control over the big picture. I didn’t know what was behind my lack of action and why I couldn’t move forward.

One day as I was listening to a podcast, I heard a high performance coach describe the importance of mindset and how our beliefs either serve as resources to support us or limit us. It clicked for me as I began to understand that I was struggling because I had a default map of disempowering beliefs that were keeping me stuck in a cycle of self- sabotage. Of course I didn’t do anything initially. It took another 2 months of thinking over whether or not coaching was right for me before I finally decided that I was sick of wasting time spinning my wheels and hoping things would somehow work out.

It isn’t an understatement to say that deciding to help myself move forward by working with a high performance coach was one of the best investments I’ve ever made. Confronting the dysfunctional mindset that was holding me back was fundamental to my success. I learned that because of my outdated belief system I was trapped in a chronic sense of falling short and that was why I hit a glass ceiling on my growth and my happiness. The enormous pressure I felt to do things flawlessly in all areas of my life was a breeding ground for feeling anxious and dissatisfied. I also discovered that a lack of boundaries had set me up for unhealthy relationship dynamics. The depletion and overwhelm I was struggling with were the result of autopilot choices that were all based on external strategies for validation. Who I was and what I needed wasn’t even on the map.

As I learned to shift my belief system away from the mindset of a high achiever to that of a high performer, which is based on proven growth principles and intrinsic strategies for success, I began to move forward. I was able to execute and close the gap by stepping into a bigger arena with my work because I started to have the confidence to go out of my comfort zone and take risks. With increased clarity for the first time about what was important to me I could make higher quality choices that were aligned with my purpose. That led to a reset for me with increased energy and mental well-being. The emotional resilience that I learned through my coaching gave me an understanding of myself that feels liberating because I can use that skillset to proactively manage any challenge as I go forward.

That was my aha moment. I realized that I wasn’t the only person who had built my life around self-sabotaging habits. I could see that many of my nutrition clients—millennial women with young families struggling with burnout or in a rut with their health, work and life—were not hitting their goals because they were roadblocked by the same mindset that had kept me stuck. That was when I decided to switch gears and make high performance coaching and mindset strategy my focus. Now my specialty as a coach is helping my clients deconstruct the mindset of a high achiever that leads to a glass ceiling of self-sabotage and helping them rearchitect with the proven growth strategies of a high performer so they can realize their highest potential.

Lauren Williams is the current Assistant Coach for PWHL New York and a former NCAA Division 1 and professional ice hockey player. Her experience with coaching began in high school as she pursued playing hockey at the highest levels in Canada while navigating significant life struggles for the first time in her life. Using mindset coaching to propel her to the highest levels of the sport, Lauren became a two-time Team Ontario member, 3-time WCHA All-Academic team member, two-time all Big10 student-athlete, and senior captain. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin with degrees in Psychology and Sociology and after completing her collegiate career and undergraduate degrees, she moved on to graduate school and to the CWHL.

Lauren holds a Masters of Education in Counseling, focused in Clinical Mental Health and is an ELITE certified coach. As Elite’s lead Brain Training for Athletes coach, Lauren has worked with numerous athletes at the youth and elite levels, helping them develop the mental skills necessary for peak performance. As a leadership coach, Lauren has worked with several leaders in over 500 hours of certification work through the ELITE coaching certification process. Lauren’s passion lies in helping people understand their own experiences to unlock their true passion, create sustainable goals, and reach their peak performance potential.

MJ is an NCCP High Performance Certified Coach. She holds a Bachelor of Arts w/ Great Distinction in Human Resources, and a Graduate Diploma in Adult Learning & Development from Canada’s #1 education faculty. She is also an ELITE certified “Leadership Launchpad” and “Brain Training for Athletes” coach.

MJ has over 15 years of successful coaching experience. She has worked extensively with provincial, national, and international athletes, entrepreneurs, managers and executives to support their growth and development and help them actualize their highest potential.

MJ’s mission is to help leaders maximize their impact and create a lasting legacy that they’re proud of and her track record speaks for itself. In sport, the athletes and teams she has coached with, have won provincial & national championships, broken performance records, and had inaugural award recipients at the provincial and national levels.

In business, MJ has supported hundreds of entrepreneurs, coaches, managers and executives in improving their health, happiness, leadership capabilities and overall performance. Her clients have reported substantial improvements in their quality of life at work and at home. As leaders, they have also experienced greater employee engagement, decreased turnover, and improved team performance, efficiency and results.

Coach MJ has always had a burning passion to positively impact the lives of others; just ask the many athletes and employees she has worked with over the years. She is on a mission to educate people on neuroscientifically-proven strategies that boost mental resilience and to improve the personal performance and quality of life of her clients.

Jen comes to Elite with over 25 years’ experience in a variety of leadership and technical roles in the cybersecurity field. Although technical by training, her passion is working with people and she delivers a rare combination of empathy, experience and systems thinking when working with clients. Jen’s extensive corporate background, combined with her own mindset work as an Elite client and subsequent training in Elite’s science-based mindset coaching process, offers clients a unique perspective to help leaders go from good to great in their internal lives, their business lives, and their personal lives.

In addition to her coaching certifications in High Performance Coaching and Leadership Coaching with Elite, she also holds a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Science/Computer Science from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Beatrice is on a mission at Elite to empower athletes to reach their maximum potential. Freshly graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Sociology from Toronto Metropolitan University, she is fueled by a deep passion for the psychological aspects crucial in supporting athletes during challenging times, drawing from her knowledge of the inner workings of the human mind.

With a background as a competitive dancer and a major in dance from the Etobicoke School of the Arts, Beatrice offers a unique perspective on sports, especially for athletes in the performing arts. Her keen insight extends to common struggles faced by athletes, including performance anxiety, confidence, and the pressure of competition.

Beatrice's dedication extends to aiding clients navigating transition periods, whether transitioning out of sports or adjusting to the reality of post-undergraduate studies. Armed with her Brain Training for Athletes Certification from Elite, she is ready to assist athletes seeking to reconcile with the potential loss of their identity as they transition out of their athletic careers and prepare them to become the leaders they aspire to be.

As a High Performance and Mindset Coach, Mbalia brings her authentic self and a supportive nature to her clients allowing them to lean into their own internal wisdom. She is keen in supporting clients rediscover their connection to their true selves, gain clarity, and take practical and meaningful steps to create sustainable change in their life.
Mbalia guides her clients with a quiet confidence and creates a safe container where compassion, non-judgement, and love are central pillars of her coaching practice. She utilizes principles of intuitive learning, somatic embodiment, and internal family systems to encourage clients in rediscovering who they are and craft creative solutions to any life situation they may be facing.

Prior to coaching, Mbalia spent 10 years in the health care industry where her focus was creating spaces and opportunities to champion seniors care and improve their quality of life. She brought her passion for building human connections in caring for vulnerable populations. During her tenure, Mbalia was a leader, a community connector, and an advocate. She led teams through various levels of organizational change, strategic planning, risk management, and during the latter years- rigorous pandemic response. Mbalia has a bachelor’s degree in Gerontology from McMaster University and a Master of Business Administration from Australian Institute of Business. She is also an ELITE certified High-Performance coach.

Samantha is a dynamic and accomplished leader with a proven ability to inspire and empower executives and teams to achieve their highest potential. With over a decade of experience in leadership roles spanning marketing, operational efficiency, and business development, she has honed a unique perspective on what it takes to lead with impact in today’s fast-paced corporate environments. Her expertise in navigating complex challenges, driving growth, and fostering innovation positions her as a trusted Executive Leadership Coach for senior leaders seeking to elevate their performance and strategic influence.

Throughout her career, Samantha has built and scaled successful businesses, including two from the ground up in the loyalty and media sectors. These experiences gave her firsthand insight into the leadership skills required to motivate teams, align organizational goals, and drive sustainable results. As a coach, she leverages this knowledge to help executives develop clarity, confidence, and the ability to inspire high-performing cultures.
Samantha's leadership experience enables her to guide clients through complex decision-making, conflict resolution, and organizational transformation with empathy and strategic precision. Samantha’s ability to connect real-world business challenges to personal leadership development makes her coaching uniquely impactful.

Samantha’s approach to leadership coaching integrates her deep business acumen with practical tools for growth. She specializes in helping leaders strengthen their strategic thinking, improve communication, and foster resilience in high-pressure environments. Her tailored coaching programs are designed to help executives embrace their authentic leadership style, navigate change effectively, and build meaningful connections within their teams and organizations.

Having just completed her MBA, Samantha combines academic expertise with hands-on leadership experience to offer a well-rounded, forward-thinking coaching methodology. She works with her clients to unlock their potential, tackle complex challenges, and build the confidence to lead with vision and purpose.

Samantha’s passion for leadership development stems from her belief that great leaders have the power to transform not just organizations, but also the lives of those they influence. Her ability to inspire growth, align leadership objectives with personal values, and foster long-lasting change makes her a sought-after coach for executives ready to excel in their roles and leave a meaningful legacy.