Testimonials

Michaela O'Donnell, MDiv, PhD

Executive Director of the Max De Pree Center for Leadership

Gustavo is an exceptional thinker and facilitator. He instinctively understands people and the layers of dynamics present in any room. He can see a problem from many sides and help others do the same while skillfully and disarmingly guiding people to discover what they need to move toward the future. Plus, working with him has been one of the great joys of my leadership journey.

Ed Walker, BASS, MBA, MBE

Executive Director of A Rocha International

I’ve worked with Gustavo on two projects. Both involved considerable complexity across worldwide strategies for multiple organizations across a federated structure. I’ve loved working with him. I’ve found him to be sharp, intelligent, creative, supportive, and authoritative. I’ve loved my meetings with him where I have got to bounce ideas off a fast and strategic mind carried with good humour.

Rebecca Janke, MSW

Parent Consultant

Gustavo and I worked in partnership on a charity board during a time of intense transition when we could not see into the future during the murky days of the pandemic. Gustavo encouraged the team to share and consider diverse points of view, provided clear strategic ideas, and helped maintain operational efficiency during the transition. His calm presence, keen intuition, and positive humour helped us navigate with clarity and collaboration.

Rebecca deBoer

Actor

Among the many gifts that Gustavo brings, I was most impacted by his non-anxious presence. He knows how to ask questions with gentleness and precision that help me step back from current stressors and bring me into a place of grounded self-awareness.

Ceri Rees

Chief of Staff at Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries

I’ve really appreciated the opportunity to work with Gustavo. Our conversations together were consistently valuable—he was a thoughtful sounding board and brought strategic insight to some of the key opportunities and challenges we were facing as a team. I found a lot of alignment in our thinking, and his flexibility and responsiveness as our needs evolved were deeply appreciated. I'm grateful for the support he offered throughout this work.

Regula Winzeler

Director of Operations at Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries

Gustavo facilitated our leadership team meetings where we put together a new strategic plan. He was creative, thoughtful and responsive in his approach and led us through the complex process well. He helped to bring clarity to our conversations as well as kept us moving forward. Gustavo excels in connecting and building strong rapport with both individuals and groups he works with, and this creates an excellent environment for brainstorming and problem solving. I personally have greatly benefited from his coaching as I navigated the complexities that came with a new role. Coupled with his experience in both business and non-profit, he is well-equipped to come alongside organizations looking for strategic and coaching support.

Stephen Hardy

Principal at East Kensington Elementary

Gustavo worked with our school to sort out our branding. Public schools don’t usually work with management consultants so I was a bit nervous. But Gustavo made the process accessible, meaningful, and really enjoyable. I looked forward to our meetings and was encouraged by the clear and compelling quality of our conclusions.

Erin Glanville, PhD

Lead Pastor at Artisan Church

Gustavo worked with our staff team for 8 months to vitalize our operations. He was flexible and responsive to serve our changing needs. In his 1-1 coaching for staff members, Gustavo’s non-anxious presence and warm listening ear created a sense of spaciousness and confidence that translated into stronger teamwork. Gustavo guided the development of essential organizational infrastructure (e.g., an online operations hub and our team’s migration to Google Workspace), which removed barriers to efficient operations. He guided a successful strategic plan process that resulted in vision clarity at all levels. Gustavo’s approach to improving organizational efficiencies is compelling for a non-profit as it always connects back to the why—for the good of the team and our mission—and the how—relationally-centred and sustainable. One of Gustavo’s greatest strengths is group facilitation, which we benefited from at staff retreats, during staff meetings, and for brainstorming projects. His skills and presence were a vital contribution during a transitional year.