Testimonials​

Voices in the Community

“I found the use of group discussion, various forms of media, and breaking up the day into chunks made the learning more interesting.”

“Iona was very organized and very interesting. I have attention issues yet she held my attention the whole time. I was very impressed with the safe and interesting learning environment that she created.”

“Iona’s sharing was very impressive – informative and meaningful.”

“Iona presented as very sensitive to all issues and respectful of everyone’s opinions and discussions. I really enjoyed the personal narratives Iona provided as they made the material much more impactful.”

“Iona did a fantastic job! She created an environment that was comfortable and open, allowing the participants to ask questions without feeling intimidated or embarrassed.”

“Iona was an excellent trainer. Very knowledgeable about the subject matter, and was able to provoke thoughtful discussion.”

“Iona was an excellent trainer. Very knowledgeable about the subject matter, and was able to provoke thoughtful discussion.”

“I found Iona to be engaging and well educated on the topic. As well, she respectfully questioned the values of participants for the purpose of the training.”

Iona meets people where they are at.
This work is difficult and Iona is able to engage leaders, boards and agencies in a way that does not shame or judge, but rather comes alongside to identify what needs to be different and the intentional steps that need to occur to make it happen. She is an active listener, captures themes and asks hard questions in a way that is respectful and solution focused. Iona has energy, passion and hope. She shares her living experiences to influence change and disrupt the status quo.

Teri Thomas-Vanos | Executive Director, Linck
We hired Iona to help lead the development of our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion funding stream
Through initial meetings and her project proposal, it became evident that she understood the systemic barriers created by funders and had a vision of how we could address them as an organization. She kept true to that vision throughout the project by challenging and coaching our team and partners at each step to rethink how we work, how decisions were made and that we were conducting meaningful community engagement to ensure we stayed true to the intention of the project.

Glenda Banda | Executive Director, United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin
Iona is a very intuitive facilitator who can work with any team...
Iona is a very intuitive facilitator who can work with any team, be it the board of Directors or front line staff team and easily adapt their presentations and approach to ensure that everyone in the room has the opportunity to participate and learn. Iona’s approach is one of gentle & thoughtful leadership with tremendous respect for both the subject and the courage it takes from the participants to share, be honest and fully engage in the EDI conversation.

Debbie Bentley-Lauzon | Wyndham House

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