Facilitation
"Heron Associates provided a one-day team-building workshop for
our firm in Calgary. Leslie and Peggy led us through a series of
very stimulating, fun, thought provoking, and mind expanding
exercises that very practically helped us further coalesce as a
team. This is evidenced by the fact that we continue to practice
many of the activities we learned in the office a year later.
The day was very much appreciated by all involved. I would
highly recommend the Heron team."
JF Mackie
President & CEO of JF Mackie & Co.
"Leslie Cotter began her ‘Creating the Life you Want’ workshop
at the Psychotherapy Networker conference in Washington D.C. in
March 2009, by personally welcoming each person as they walked
in the room. For me this truly set the tone of the day. Leslie
used our names throughout the day validating each person with
respect and care. The activities provided new and fresh ways of
looking at our personal stories. It was a delightful day and
very helpful with so many rich activities and resources to take
home to continue my own journey and to use with my clients."
Madeleine Lane, LMFT, MA
Director of The Family Center
St. Louis, Mo.
"In April 2007, Leslie Cotter came to South Africa and ran a
half-day workshop for the entire staff of our Vuleka School. It
was so wonderful to spend a morning thinking and doing things for
ourselves because as teachers we never have the opportunity or
time to do this. Leslie started the session by doing absolutely
fantastic ice-breaker games. It did not take long for staff
members who did not know each other to be laughing together like
old friends.
Leslie taught us to dream and think of what we want to achieve and
improve in different areas of our lives. One of my staff members
who came from a very poor background said that she had always been
taught to be content with her lot in life and didn’t know that
people could dream and think of ways to improve their lives. As a
result of the workshop, she is trying to move out of the squatter
camp she lives in and has applied for a home in one of the low
cost housing projects.
I highly recommend Leslie, and I believe that any organisation
that cares for people should ask her to work with their staff."
Melanie Sharland, Headmistress
Vuleka School
Johannesburg, South Africa
"I have been a classroom teacher for 33 years and have always
been keenly aware of the need children have to understand and deal
with their emotions. As educators we often sidestep this arena
because we don’t want to unleash anything in the classroom that
may be hard to deal with since we are not necessarily trained
psychologists—not to mention the time constraints that pressure
educators to stick to the state mandated curriculum. Although I
often try to tackle emotional problems in the classroom, what
transpires isn’t always meaningful or enduring.
Last year I took a risk and accepted Leslie Cotter’s offer to
work with my fourth and fifth grade students on the topic of
friendship. This is a topic rife with emotional turmoil during
pre-pubescence, and I was spending a good deal of time outside
of class dealing with arguments and hurt feelings.
Leslie warmed the students up by engaging them in a movement
game, which broke the ice and got them interested. Leslie has a
wonderful synergy with children, and they were instantly
interested in connecting and working with her. By combining art,
music, movement, and conversation she created a lovely and
meaningful experience for all. Students were given time to think
about what friendship meant to them, the qualities of friendship
they needed in a friend, and how to be a friend to others. My
students had a very frank discussion about what gets in the way
of friendship and what builds friendship. They articulated
beautifully the nuances and complications we all struggle with
in friendships. All students participated equally—the shy, the
outgoing, and those who usually do not engage.
Our time with Leslie was a powerful experience for all and one
that carried over for the rest of the year. We displayed the
beautiful Friendship Trees we drew during the workshop, and when
disputes erupted, the children were able to engage in
introspective conversations that helped them work out their
problems. Looking at the Friendship Forest surrounding us gave
us a vocabulary to build on and reminded us daily of our
commitment to build strong friendships."
Rene Neff, Fifth Grade Teacher
South Whidbey Intermediate School
Langley, Washington, USA
Executive and Life Coaching
"Leslie Cotter has the wonderful ability to help a person
achieve clarity and to cut through to what is essential. It's
not simply the discussions we had on a regular basis that helped
provide perspective, she has been an invaluable resource in
suggesting books that she felt would be helpful to me. These
provided the tools to achieve my external goals as well as to
access that which lies underneath what motivates me.
Even in the midst of difficult times, Leslie helped me think
through what was truly meaningful for me. One result was an
intimate 50th birthday celebration with family and close friends
that allowed me to connect to them in special ways. It was a
celebration that I will cherish my entire life."
Vice President of a large financial institution
Wall Street, NY, USA
"Once a week, Leslie Cotter took me for a metaphorical stroll
out of the dilemmas and demands of my job so I could look at
things differently, lower the drama, and go happily back to the
hubbub. We looked at things near at hand and far into the
distance so I could see where I was going and where I wanted to
end up. I loved the images we came up with to fortify my
resolve, encourage my rebellious side, and fire up my
imagination."
Elementary School Principal
Colorado, USA
"I have worked with Leslie Cotter for over a year on a coaching
basis. Her input has been extremely valuable in developing ideas
and strategies for dealing with the inevitable problems and
issues that come up in both business and my personal life. I
recommend Leslie as a business or personal coach to anyone who
would like to improve their personal relationships and make
their management style more effective."
President & CEO of a prominent Canadian investment firm
"I was the managing director of a large banking business who
chose to step out of corporate life at the age of 45 in order to
follow a different career path in a family-owned business, but
most importantly to achieve an improved quality of life. Leslie
started coaching me soon after I made this change, and we held
regular inter-continental telephone coaching sessions over the
next year and a half, with less frequent follow-up sessions
since then.
Leslie's coaching helped me come to my own conclusions about
what I really wanted and was essential to enabling me to get out
of the rut I was in and convert a new way of life I envisioned
into reality. Leslie helped me to crystallise my life goals,
align them with my career goals, and devise a plan to achieve
them in both the short and longer term.
Leslie's coaching helped me improve my understanding and
practice of work/life balance as well as sustainable improvement
in my personal organization and changing my approach to personal
wellness. She also helped me think differently about
interpersonal interactions in the areas of family, friends, and
business. This has resulted in profound and beneficial changes
in some key relationships (for which I will be eternally
grateful).
As a busy person with time being my most scarce commodity, I was
very aware of the necessity to focus on personal growth and
development—key components of a successful life. Leslie's
coaching was a significant contribution to the most meaningful
period of personal growth in my life so far. Each session was
entirely different, structured but flexible, and I always ended
feeling that real progress had been achieved.
Leslie's coaching gave me the inspiration and tools to move from
success to significance. If you're at a crossroads in your life,
I couldn't recommend her coaching enough. I am not able to thank
Leslie sufficiently for the difference that she has made in my
life."
Former Managing Director of alarge banking firm in South Africa
Current Managing Director of a family owned business
"After retiring in 2001, I spent several years keeping myself
as busy as ever serving on corporate boards and immersing myself
in two significant volunteer activities. Four years after
retiring, I started to sense that what I was doing too closely
resembled the consuming nature of my career work.
While traveling with Leslie Cotter and on a Poetry/Walking trip
in England, Leslie suggested I try life coaching with her to
explore new directions for my life. We worked together for a
year and the results were transforming. She helped me develop a
multi-year plan to reduce my volunteer work, to have more time
available for grandchildren, and to spend time on physical
training, meditation, and personal friendships. Today my life is
more balanced and continues to evolve as I follow through with
my life coaching plan. I have benefited greatly from my work
with Leslie and strongly recommend her as a top-notch executive
and life coach."
Retired CEO of a NYSE traded public real estate company