Success Stories
I partnered with Wendy because I felt like I was “struggling to achieve anything of substance.” I am a high achiever and extremely results oriented but I had lost my motivation and it was seriously impacting my relationship and my career. Due to the loss of several close friends over a very short period of time and a series of difficult situations at work, my passion and enthusiasm for pretty much everything had seriously diminished. Through my work with Wendy I was able to gain a new perspective and reignite my commitment to the values that really mattered to me. I was reminded of who I was and what had gotten me to where I was professionally. I ended up leaving my job and starting a new business with some of my former colleagues. It is a lot of work but seriously rewarding! I am motivated once again. Life is exciting and really worth living!
VP Scientific Affairs and Compliance, Pharmaceutical Industry
When Wendy started seeing my son I was really concerned about him and his future. He had really been struggling for a long time and so I didn’t know whether she could make a difference. I felt desperate because I didn’t know what else to try. She saw him once a week and after a couple of months it became clear something was working. She believed in him, trusted him and respected him and these were the key ingredients to their success. When her year contract was over, I asked to continue for another six months. They developed a wonderful relationship that made all the difference in my son’s life. She always told me it was my son that did the work and it wasn’t her, but I think she was just being modest. She knows how to listen, support and motivate people to bring about change in their lives. I am deeply grateful to Wendy and I HIGHLY recommend her!
Mother of a 17 year old client Toronto, Ontario
I came to Wendy, as the company I had been with for the last 15 years was closing down. I was deeply concerned about my future and seriously lacking in confidence in conducting a job search. I didn’t know where to begin. Wendy helped me to focus on my priorities, identify my strengths, skills and natural interests and create a step-by-step plan to move forward both academically and professionally. She challenged and championed me until I really ‘got’ what amazing transferrable skills I had to offer the world! I went back to school and secured an amazing job thanks to the work Wendy and I did together. I have every intention of continuing my coaching relationship with Wendy as I confront various challenges in my new employment role or at school.
Working with Wendy and finding out why I was not able to achieve my fitness goals really helped me! Understanding and verbalizing the issues that blocked me from actually moving forward with the fitness routine I always wanted to do but had failed was incredibly freeing. Just thinking about who I am and what my values are helped me to define the path to my success. (Becoming the “old me” again– active, positive and a “doer”.) Being accountable to Wendy and reinforcing that accountability really worked! Gradually shifting my accountability from Wendy to back to me eased me into the routine that I’m following today.
Homemaker, Toronto
As both a current and past client of Wendy Fortune’s, I am extremely grateful for her guidance. Most recently I have been dealing with a distressing situation involving a close family member and the onset of Alzheimer’s. Feeling helpless, overwhelmed and afraid of how to move forward, Wendy helped me to identify and examine my options in coping with this devastating disease and take action that was both preventative and stress reducing. She remained sensitive and supportive but objective and non-judgmental at all times throughout the process. I feel so much better equipped to confront whatever the future may hold and although this journey is not over, I am deeply thankful to Wendy, as that journey has gone from paralyzing to manageable.
Running a non-profit organization, with ever increasing budgetary constraints and limited resources, I was under great pressure to produce even greater results. Communication with the Board of Directors was strained and difficult. My personal life was also a source of constant stress. I needed an objective, confidential sounding board in which to explore my options and clarify my aspirations. Wendy listened, challenged and questioned who I really wanted to be. With a different perspective, I am now able to confront the issues I face with the confidence and assurance I am making a difference. I continue to enjoy an ongoing coaching relationship with Wendy.
Executive Director Non Profit Organization, Toronto
I was angry and confused when Wendy came into my life. I was on a pretty self-destructive path and didn’t know how to change directions. Fights, detentions, suspensions, and even expulsions were just a way of life when it came to school. My self-image was really low. I ate poorly and was over weight. With Wendy’s help I came up with a strategy to stay out of trouble and start making better decisions in the moment that made a big difference in the long run. She never judged me and she really cared about what was important to me. I started eating better and losing weight. We set goals and she challenged me from week to week. I realized I could do it, if I committed to it. I am a different person than when I first met Wendy-I’m happier and more mature. I like who I am now. Most of all, I know if I put my mind to something, I can do it!
Juggling numerous balls and keeping them in the air was proving to be challenging to say the least! Between new business development issues, marital and parental issues, my plate was full. Wendy helped me to clearly identify what was really important to me and recognize that even if I didn’t like them, I did have choices. More importantly, my greatest choice, choosing how I would respond to any situation was always completely under my control. Always keeping my values and spiritual commitment in mind Wendy supported, challenged, acknowledged and championed me as I confronted and moved forward with these difficult circumstances. I highly recommend Wendy and intend to engage her services again as I require her assistance.
I have had the pleasure of working with Wendy on a number of occasions, focusing on both professional and personal issues and I have witnessed first hand the impact of her coaching skills. She listened, clarified, acknowledged and directed my self -discovery and insight and together we established new, more effective strategies for moving forward. Life can and does present interesting challenges from time to time and it is wonderful to have someone to call on who can help you to sort out your priorities and yet still remain true to your values. Wendy is that person and I will continue to engage her as my coach in the future.
Our coaching relationship was a great experience for me. I deeply appreciate you creating a trusting, comfortable and safe environment for me to grow. Being a coach in training it was wonderful having you as a role model. Your skill in giving acknowledgement and your ongoing support finally enabled me to become more comfortable using this tool. I believe it was a relationship where both of us could grow. This is what we can offer our clients. Connected we change, connected we learn, connected we can grow. Thank you for making this possible.
Wendy has been coached me for over two years, as I was trying to move forward from some pretty tough stuff in my life before going into foster care. She helped me to come up with goals that gave me a reason to get on with my life. She helped me write a resume, prepare for interviews through role playing, rehearsing and focusing on my strengths. I started by getting a summer job and now have some practical experience demonstrating my work ethic, ability to learn and take on increased responsibility. I now know what I am truly capable of and who I want to be moving forward. Thanks Wendy.
Straight out of university, I landed a job with a financial firm in New York and was overwhelmed with the lifestyle transition I was about to make. Wendy helped me to confront this transition with confidence and professionalism by identifying what and who I was bringing to this opportunity. I know even as one of the youngest people in the office, my colleagues take me seriously because of who I am and the way I present myself. I am grateful to Wendy for helping me to make this experience an extremely positive one.
Analyst, Financial Institution, New York
Wendy is an amazing coach who pushed me to achieve more than I ever thought possible (both professionally and personally). Her consistent, direct and engaging manner challenged me to change old ways of being that I had carried around for years and adopt new, positive outlooks. I am more successful and happier today as a direct result of the work I did with Wendy.
I had a lot going on in my life when I sought out Wendy’s services. I wanted to leave my job and possibly go back to school for more specific training but I was uncertain about how to accomplish both and still manage financially. I was also involved in a relationship where my partner was totally disrespecting me. Together Wendy and I sorted through the chaos and were then able to identify what I needed and wanted moving forward. We established clear goals, a realistic time frame and the specific supports to get me there. I left my job on a very professional and highly respected note, started school and ended my dysfunctional relationship. With Wendy’s guidance I was able to step away from the chaos, see things with clarity and make decisions with purpose. Wendy helped me at a critical time in my life and I am truly grateful to her.
Account Executive, Entertainment Industry, Toronto
My coaching experience with Wendy was and is both enlightening and inspiring. She has helped me to sort out my real priorities and focus in on being a better leader. It was important for me to move forward positively but objectively while remaining true to my values and myself. I remain in an ongoing coaching relationship with Wendy as I continue to confront various business and personal challenges. I recommend her highly.
Wendy met with our team to assist us with some team development work.
As we were a newly formed company, with some of our team working remotely, Wendy focused on exercises that would help us to identify our combined strengths, shared values, potential opportunities, mutual vision and possible vulnerabilities. Bringing us together as a group to concentrate on how to target our combined energy and expertise, instead of our usual focus on the day to day challenges, brought us closer as a team and helped us to boil down what was really important for our ongoing success. We all felt a more cohesive, synergistic connection after our day together. We were most appreciative of Wendy’s ability to make that happen for us at a critical time in our development.
