Eighteen years. Countless leaders. And a community that keeps making us better.
This month, The Roundtable turns 18, which means we’re officially adults now (at least on paper). After nearly two decades of working with high potential leaders, facilitating crucial conversations, and navigating change alongside incredible client partners, we’re stepping into this new chapter with a little more maturity, a lot more perspective, and the same passion for making an impact.
To mark the moment, we’re sharing 18 reflections: a mix of moments, milestones, and memorable people who have shaped us into adulthood. Think of it as our coming-of-age story, Roundtable-style.
Webinars That Stayed With Us
1. Mental Health Panel Webinar
This internal webinar stands out for its raw vulnerability and practical advice. Leaders showed up honestly, sharing real struggles and tools for managing them, which opened the door for deeper, more human conversations at work.
2. “How to Work with Almost Anyone” with Michael Bungay Stanier
One of the world’s leading coaches, MBS joined us (after a hilarious mis-fire on our original date) to dive into the ideas behind his latest book. It was memorable, energizing, and full of accessible ways to build better working relationships.
3. Bold Moves with Peter Aceto
Peter Aceto is one of the most authentic CEOs we know. In this webinar, he gave us a behind-the-scenes look at how to bounce back from a very public and very negative career hit. It was a masterclass in resilience, humility and courage.
Podcasts That Extended the Conversation
4. People and Projects Podcast with Andy Kaufman
This remains one of my favourite podcast experiences. Andy Kaufman is an excellent interviewer who asks thoughtful, grounded questions. Our conversation on building peer coaching communities was rich, real and fun.
5. Group Coaching & Leadership Trends with Dan Pontefract
Dan’s podcast features some very big names in leadership, so it was an honour to join him and be part of that lineup. We explored group coaching, leadership trends and the future of how leaders learn together.
6. Leadership and Loyalty with Dov Baron
Dov Baron interviews global guests and has a unique ability to pull out insights other interviews don’t get to. Our conversation dug beneath the surface into the why behind what we do and how leaders can create lasting impact.
Awards That Marked the Journey
7. 2014 CSTD Gold Award with PepsiCo Foods Canada
This was our OG award and the first of four awards we’ve won with our forward-thinking partner at PepsiCo. It recognized the Leadership Roundtable Program, a program that has evolved over the years but always stayed true to its core: community, conversation and coaching. We’re deeply grateful for this 15-year partnership.
8. 2018 Best HR Consultancy – Canadian HR Awards
We were surprised and honoured by this win, especially because it was nominated and voted on by our clients. It was a powerful affirmation that what we’re doing matters. We’ve also been grateful to be a repeat nominee and finalist, including in 2025.
9. 2023 Double Win at the ICF Toronto Prism Awards
In 2023, we celebrated double Prism wins for our work with PepsiCo Foods Canada and Pelmorex. These awards recognized not just program design, but the impact of coaching cultures within organizations. It was a proud moment for our team and our client partners.
Advocates and Community Builders
10. The Original Supporters
In the early days of The Roundtable, we were fuelled by encouragement and belief from a core group of champions: Anna Petosa, Dave Moncur, Janey Piroli, Agatha De Santis, Gabriella O’Rourke, Trish Hewitt, Kathy Rethy, Sharon Ranson, Bob Canuel, Patricia Lovett Reid and Mary Duncan. Each one shaped our thinking, direction, or offered much-needed encouragement when it mattered most. We simply would not be here without them.
11. Senior Leaders Who Shared Their Stories
Over 100 senior executives have joined our panels, podcasts and podiums to share their lessons learned with our members. Leaders like Peter Aceto, Phyllis Yaffe, Pam Laycock, Jay Woo, Charles Brown, Cara Keating, Jim Orban, Christine Magee and many others have generously shared their wins, failures and wisdom. Their stories have helped demystify leadership and normalize the bumps along the way.
12. The Roundtable Alumni Community
With over 1200 graduates, our alumni community is the beating heart of The Roundtable. A special shout-out goes to the OG Roundtable for Leaders group: Merjane Schoueri, Anita Mueller, Leslie Millan, Shana McEachren, Tammy O’Dwyer, Alison De Luisa, Lauralei Heggie and others, who saw the possibility and potential when this was still just an experiment. Everything starts somewhere, and they were there at the start.
Lessons Learned from 18 Years
13. It Never Gets “Easy.”
When you start a business, it’s tempting to think: “Once people start reaching out to us instead of us chasing them, we’ll have made it.” The truth? You haven’t. The hustle never ends. Growing impact often means growing complexity—sometimes, more money really does equal more problems. But it also means more opportunity to live your purpose.
14. Fit Matters.
We’ve weathered many ups and downs as a business, and what’s got us through has been the incredible people who’ve lent their talents to this team from the early days until today. Not everyone finds their place here. In a small business, successful teams are a mix of the right skills and alignment to core values. In a founder-led business, those values are a reflection of the founder, which amps up the need for team members to feel some connection to those principles and the person at the helm.
15. The Riches Are in the Niches.
Although this phrase is often used about business strategy, for me the “riches” of success come from knowing that what you’re doing is making an impact. The best way to do that is to be clear on where you can make the biggest difference. Niching in supporting high potential leaders through group and team coaching has allowed The Roundtable to get stronger, better and faster for our clients and deepen the impact of our programs. There’s nothing richer than hearing graduates share how a program impacted not only their careers but their lives—10 years after the fact.
Articles That Sparked Big Conversations
16. “Is Your Boss a Psychopath (and What Can You Do About It)?”
This post, published back in 2009, became our most-visited article and sat on Google’s front page for years. It makes you shudder to think how many people resonated with the idea of working for a “psychopathic” boss, but it also opened up important conversations about boundaries, coping strategies and choices.
17. “Why Your Top Talent Wants a Divorce”
Written for The Globe and Mail in 2015, this article explored why high performers disengage or leave, and what leaders can do about it. The themes are still relevant today: misalignment, lack of development, and eroding trust. It was one of the most-read Leadership Lab pieces and appeared both online and in print.
18. “How Leaders Build Psychological Safety in Teams”
Psychological safety is more than a buzzword; it’s the foundation for real collaboration and innovation. This article digs into how leaders can intentionally create environments where people feel safe to speak up, disagree and bring their full selves to the table. It’s become a cornerstone topic in our work with teams.
Here’s to What’s Next
As we look ahead to the next chapter, we remain grounded in our belief that leadership is a shared journey. Thank you for being part of our Roundtable community, for every conversation, every challenge, every breakthrough.
Here’s to more reflections, more growth, and more bold leadership.
