ABOUT LEAD the CHANGE
Leadership Begins Within. Transformation Ripples Out.
At Lead The Change, we help people become the kind of leaders the world needs now—leaders who lead with emotional intelligence, deep self-awareness, and genuine connection. When we start with the inner work, the impact ripples outward—into our families, workplaces, and communities.
Mission
We exist to awaken the power of choice within every person. Because every moment is a chance to choose who we want to be—and that choice can change everything.
Our programs are designed to help people grow from the inside out. Through emotional intelligence and relational leadership, we help people show up more authentically—in their lives, their work, and the world.
Vision
We envision a conscious world where people lead with love, integrity, and authenticity.
Through our immersive experiences, we cultivate emotional, social, and relationship intelligence - creating ripples of trust, healthy family dynamics, workplace joy, and interpersonal harmony. Our goal by 2030 is to impact 1 million lives of people who become agents for change.
Core Values
Embodiment
Integrity
Love
and others.
Authenticity
Autonomy
Personal leadership.
Joy & Harmony
Team & Advisors
who live what we teach. People who lead from the heart and believe in the power of how conscious individuals can transform the world. Meet the people shaping the future of transformational leadership.
Head Coach, Mentor & Trainer
Dawnese Openshaw
As Founder of Lead the Change, she empowers individuals, families, and organizations to lead with emotional, social, and relationship intelligence. Dawnese is the co-creator of the Global Leadership Experience, a life-changing training for those ready to align with their purpose and live a vision-led life.
A lifelong student of leadership since reading Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People at 14, Dawnese shares her experience and wisdom gained from daily living and supporting individual and organizational growth for over 30 years.
She and her husband, Scott, are celebrating 30 years of marriage, are proud parents of three amazing adult children, and are brand-new grandparents. Dawnese believes that when people live aligned with their values, relationships thrive—and when relationships thrive, magic happens.
The Heartbeat - Co-Founders
Michelle Petitpas
Client Experience & Family Guide
Michelle is Atlantic Canadian born (New Brunswick) and now lives with her husband in Nova Scotia. She loves the ocean and nature. Her mission in life is to create love and light to connect healing and health for transformation. There are skills she pulls from her suitcase of lived experiences that serve and impact the heart ripple in this lifetime.
She is a Best-selling author, Coach, Mentor, Educator, and Nurse estrodinaire. Before the world changed as we know it, in early 2020, she used her skills to create an organization called Heal The Healthcarers to connect mental health support for healthcare workers. She is also passionate about supporting families to create relational healing and legacies of love.
Jenn Gonzaga
Guide & Trainer
Dr. Jenn Gonzaga is an industrial/organizational psychologist, leadership strategist, and mom of three who believes transformation happens in moments. Not just the big ones, but subtle, pivotal ones that shape how we lead, love, and live.From managing global leadership programs and international organizations to helping moms manage morning routines with grace, Dr. Jenn brings 20+ years of experience integrating transformational leadership, Positive Intelligence, GoZen!, Positive Parenting Solutions, High Performance Coaching, Appreciative Inquiry, Conscious Leadership and HeartMath methodologies with her impact.
Her signature 7C Framework - developed in her doctoral dissertation research - guides much of her work, helping others move through curiosity, chaos, and change into commitment, community, and cultivating a new way forward.
As a managing partner, co-founder, and facilitator at Lead The Change, Dr. Jenn passionately shares her superpower: designing your next pivotal moment - together.
Core Training Team
Anna Kowalska
Wendi McKenna
Wendi is a passionate advocate for teens and families striving for extraordinary lives. With over 24 years of experience as a pediatric physical therapist and as the founder of Move Play Grow, Wendi has a proven track record of helping kids achieve what others thought impossible. She brings her expertise as a master transformational coach to guide teens in discovering their strengths, building confidence, and unlocking their full potential.
At home, Wendi and her husband, Neil, have raised three children—Martha, Skipper, and Kellan—navigating the complexities of parenthood together. Wendi believes in the limitless potential of every teen and is dedicated to empowering them—and their families—to succeed.
Monica Pandele
The Monica Factor: I see beneath surface issues, ask the questions others avoid, and create the precise tension needed for breakthrough. My approach weaves analytical rigor with intuitive insight, challenging clients while holding sacred space for exploration. Drawing from multiple cognitive and somatic modalities and my deep ecological wisdom, I don't just solve problems—I transform how people see themselves and their possibilities, empowering them to step boldly into their interconnected potential by mobilizing their life force energy, the Aliveness within.
Tina Paulus-Kraus
Katia Ravé
Known for her powerful, no-fluff approach, Katia blends deep expertise in emotional intelligence, leadership development, communication styles, and behavioral science to ignite lasting transformation. She is bilingual, holds a PhD in leadership, and trains internationally, guiding clients to move past their limits and step fully into their influence and impact.
Whether in the boardroom or on stage, Katia’s mission is clear: to unlock the highest potential in others and equip them to create a life and business of intentional success.
Board of Advisors
Alex Lianne Carter
Rhema Flowers
Ryan Lynch
Melissa Marks
Johanne O’Halleron
Elaine Sugimura
Daryl Tolmich
Real Impact.
Measurable Change.
We believe transformation should be felt—and seen.
Here’s what our participants are saying:
report greater self-awareness and emotional mastery
made major life or career shifts after our programs
of facilitators feel more equipped to lead inclusive, heart-centered spaces
Join the Movement
Ready to lead with heart and impact?
Join a Lead the Change program and become the kind of leader who inspires trust, models authenticity, and embodies emotional intelligence in every relationship.
When you grow, everyone around you grows too.