Why Work with Navig8 PD
The way we relate to others, how we develop and learn, and how we perform at work is intricately connected with our identities, values and lived experiences. Whether it is learning how to manage yourself, how to work with others, how to lead and inspire, Navig8 PD helps employees and leaders to develop career-essential skills that allow them to show up authentically and achieve success.
Programs and workshops tailored to your needs
Decades of PD expertise and insights
Training, coaching and consulting that takes into account how people and the systems they work in intersect
Navig8 PD Provides training with 8 core values in mind:
Curiosity
Inclusion & Belonging
Communication
Intention
Awareness
Empowerment
Purpose
Wellness
About Sandra
Sandra is the founder and principal of Navig8 PD. She is passionate about the need to apply a DEI and wellness lens to professional skills programs and is driven by the desire to help individuals to navigate and understand workplace norms, expectations and systems for more equitable, inclusive and supportive work environments.
Over her many years in professional development, Sandra has supported others in developing their communication, leadership, practice management, business development, people and self-management skills. She has supported all levels of professionals - students transitioning to professional settings, juniors, mid-levels and those in senior leadership roles - to elevate and confidently demonstrate their competence and capability.
Sandra has her business degree from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario as well as her law degree from Queen's University. She has worked in both private practice at Torys LLP, and in-house with a financial services company. Her love for helping others in their professional development came from working as the Director of Professional Development for over 17 years with Goodmans LLP. She regularly coaches and mentors individuals on their professional and career goals. She coached as part of the Law Society's Coach and Advisor Network and is a mentor coach with the Richard Ivey Mentor Program and the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at the Toronto Metropolitan University.
Sandra is an avid reader and enjoys listening to podcasts, particularly on long outdoor walks. She is the proud mother of four children who inspire her on a daily basis to try new things and to always keep learning.
Selection of Publications
Recent or Upcoming Conferences
NALP Spring Conference
April 2023
Imposter Syndrome – Where People and Systems Intersect
Canadian NALP Winter Meeting
December 2022
All Aboard! How Talent Professionals can Rethink Their Onboarding for Inclusion and Success
Practising Law Institute
November 2022
PD and Business Development: Where to Start with BD Training
Programs and Workshops
Navig8 PD provides programs, workshops and training on a number of interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills. All programs are highly tailored to meet the needs of your particular group. Topics include:
Mentorship
Learn strategies for both mentors and mentees to develop meaningful and impactful mentoring relationships.
Sponsorship
Learn what sponsorship is, why it matters, the roles of sponsors and protégés, and how to develop and strengthen sponsorship opportunities in your organization.
Service as a Skill
Learn how to bring a service mindset to your work and how service skills can improve your job performance and your career trajectory.
Empowering Hybrid Teams
How leaders can promote an ‘excellence from anywhere’ approach to hybrid workplaces – to amplify the positives and mitigate the downsides to drive performance and productivity for your teams.
Managing your Inner Critic
Gain an awareness of your inner critic (how it shows up, the stories it tells) and how to shift to instead empower your inner coach.
Building Effective Habits
Explore what habits are, how they shape our outcomes and strategies to support productive habits (and mitigate what gets in the way!)
Deciphering the Unwritten Rules
How you show up at work, how others perceive you, relies on an understanding of the unwritten rules of the workplace. Learn about the often-unspoken rules, norms and expectations of working in professional settings. Practical tactics on how to demonstrate your competence and potential are covered such as taking notes, instructions, asking questions, meeting etiquette, producing work, managing deadlines, communication methods, and more.
Feedback Series
Giving Helpful and Effective Feedback
Learn strategies to deliver feedback that supports the performance, growth and development of those you work with.
Seeking and Receiving Feedback
Learn how to seek career driving feedback, how to receive it productively, and how to foster strong feedback relationships.
Effective Writing Series
This writing series is less about grammar and finding typos and more oriented toward building writing skills that will allow you to inspire confidence, build trust, demonstrate your competence and achieve your intended result. It is about ensuring people actually read and understand what you are writing about! It has three parts:
- Effective Writing Principles
- Improving Email Communications
- Personalized Writing Feedback
Many programs have been accredited by the Law Society of Ontario toward the professionalism or EDI professionalism requirement
Consulting and Coaching
Navig8 PD works with organizations and firms to design, develop, build and rethink their professional development or performance management systems, such as:
- Orientation or onboarding programs
- Substantive, professionalism, leadership and skills based programs
- Off-sites and retreats
- Mentorship or sponsorship initiatives
- Feedback and performance systems
- Goal setting systems and support
Both individual and group mentoring/coaching is available either as an add-on to workshops or programs, or independently to support particular individuals, groups or teams.
Areas of expertise include leadership development, communication skills, practice management (managing files, deadlines, productivity, responsiveness), business development and client service skills, feedback (both giving and seeking/receiving), strategic delegation, difficult conversations, navigating personalities and working with others, decoding unwritten rules, career management and mindsets (inner critic and/or imposter phenomenon).
Sandra is a Certified DISC (communication styles assessment) and Motivators (behavioural drivers assessment) practitioner and can administer the assessments as well as run individual or team debriefs.
Clients & Testimonials
Our clients include:
Working with Sandra is a special experience – she is innovative, collaborative, and a wealth of knowledge. Sandra leverages her extensive professional development experience to design engaging, effective, and relevant training sessions for legal professionals of all seniorities and backgrounds. Sandra led a multi-day retreat for our partners, associates, and students, and she executed flawlessly – meeting with management to align on priorities, developing and implementing PD sessions tailored to our firm’s needs, and gaining the trust and respect of our people. I would jump at the opportunity to work with Sandra again.
Ryan Baker Director, Recruitment & Professional Development
Bereskin & Parr LLP
In my prior role as the National Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at a national law firm, I retained Sandra of Navig8 PD to develop the training for a sponsorship initiative for women and members of underrepresented groups. Sandra was instrumental in the launch program that provided guidance on the role of sponsors and proteges, as well as a mid-point program that specifically addressed the challenges of both sponsors and protégés, including sponsoring across difference and in hybrid environments.
Sandra took the time to get to know and understand the firm and the program’s objectives and as a result, her programs were highly tailored to the environment and the participants. The depth of Sandra’s knowledge and the thoughtful way in which she approaches any subject matter is second to none. Her expertise makes her my go to person for all talent management training and professional development programs.
Laleh Moshiri
Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
In advance of our annual performance review meetings, we had Sandra deliver a two-part series on Giving and Receiving Feedback. She initially met with our partners on how to effectively deliver feedback to others, and our associates on the importance of seeking feedback and being a good “receiver” of feedback. The training sessions included realistic law firm scenarios which the audience was able to relate to. Coming out of the sessions, the partners felt much better equipped to handle their review conversations and make small changes to ensure associates get more real-time feedback throughout the year. The associates left knowing how to handle constructive feedback, and how to ask for feedback on an ongoing basis. Sandra was able to draw on her many years of experience to provide us with practical and relevant takeaways.
Katrina Henn, Director of Talent
WeirFoulds LLP
Sandra is a consummate professional, who brings her vast knowledge of the professional skills necessary to navigate the law firm environment and a generosity of spirit to all of her engagements. She delivers interactive, engaging presentations that are tailored to her audience. She is a pleasure to work with and aims to make your life easier at every step of the way, from pre-program preparation to post-program follow-up.
Lisa Cunningham, Director, Professional Development
WILDEBOER DELLELCE LLP
