Sun Peaks Resort

Director of Employee Experience & HR (Winter Contract)

Okanagan Elevator

Established business in Kelowna and expanded market reach, exceeding sales targets and tripling revenue through in-depth market analysis, business development and scaling processes and talent.

Developed and executed HR strategy in a challenging hiring market for the skills required, achieving zero turnover through retention initiatives.

Co-founder & Owner / VP People & Sales

BSharp Coaching & Consulting

- Executive and career coaching
- Business and board consultant
- Organization design and development
- Strategic development, process creation and continuous improvement

Consultant & Executive Coach

Numeris

Hired to transform from reactive research focus to a proactive data company; strategic workforce exercise to review company talent end-to-end, prioritize future needs and address skills/training gaps. 
•	Led and managed a multi-level team across Human Resource Business Partners, Generalists, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, DEIB, Wellness and Recognition. Elevated the function to get out of reactive supervisor level thinking, into proactive strategic management.

Director of People & Culture

FreeAgent CRM

Recruited by Co-Founders to lead HR operations, focusing on talent acquisition and retention for CRM platform during a market downturn. CRM niche focused in the medical field. 
•	Launched and executed an employer brand campaign, increasing job applications by 300%, attracting top talent from Apple, Slack, and EA Games to an unknown B2B SaaS CRM start-up. 
•	Revamped employee relations and talent strategy for a remote and on-site workforce across India, Mexico, the US, and Canada. Restructured the sales organization and solutions consultants.

Head Of Human Resources 

Interior Health Authority

In the Organization & Leadership Development function:
Succession planning framework for a health authority serving 800K people in a forest fire-prone region. 

•	Assigned to complete a case study for recruitment for a prior Director, reviewing the health authority mandate, available data, high-level root causes, issues and make key recommendations to resolve. 
•	Uncovered talent reporting and succession data and insights that were previously unknown to the management team responsible for recruitment and L&OD at the time.
•	Proposed several tactics and plans to approach executive succession planning, and succession planning across Interior Health; including hands on support with a request process available to the entire organization, a full executive team review, and partnering with the VP and board. 

Contract role converted to permanent; left for a headhunted contract opportunity and promotion.

Consultant - Executive Succession Planning & Leadership Development

WestJet

During my tenure at WestJet, I was entrusted with leading the comprehensive People & Culture strategy leading up to the airline’s acquisition by Onex. This included developing and executing a global strategy, ensuring alignment with corporate goals, and optimizing workforce strategies. I spearheaded the creation of a P&C "war room" to facilitate complex planning, which later evolved into a COVID command center. 

In addition supporting the governance and all People & Culture board documents, I was deeply involved in shaping WestJet’s long-term people strategy, from improving organizational culture to enhancing employee engagement and leadership development. My proactive approach and ability to pivot under pressure helped the company maintain strong leadership during uncertain times.

People & Culture - Executive Strategy

Continuously promoted through over a decade long career in Aviation; successful in working across multiple verticals from HR, Operations, Commercial and Finance. Known for my approach to leadership and talent management, and mentorship program experience – recruited to help teams shift performance and strategy.

•	Promoted to oversee and support a 150-person team, developing a five-year people strategy to drive the airline's expansion. This included building a talent strategy to identify the critical skills needed for the future of the airline, while investing in improved technology and advanced network capabilities.
•	Creation and management of a $$MM department budget, and close collaboration with all business unit leaders across the company to ensure HR needs were met through budget and operations. 
•	Developed P&C metrics and a five-year scorecard and strategy with Power BI to help optimize and measure successful delivery.

Executive Advisor to the People and Culture team

•	Promoted to direct three teams across Canada (logistics, customs, dangerous goods). Created technical talent strategy for areas of expertise outside of my wheelhouse by building trust and relationships with the team, active listening and root cause problem solving. Identified talent needs, created a candidate pipeline, and put in place a five-year succession plan that went on to sustain the airline to present-day (on their third planned move of five, years after I left).
•	Reshaped team structure for scalability, accelerated recruitment process and hired new customs specialist to support the recovery of $1M in duties.

Manager - Global Logistics

•	Leveraged ADKAR and Prosci methodology, combining change management and project management approaches to drive the adoption of new initiatives. My approach was commended and used as a template for the organization roll-out. 
•	Led change management initiatives, including WestJet’s shift to a global airline, Office 365 implementations, and the transition from on-premises drives to Microsoft Teams, improving operational efficiency and collaboration.

Change Management Lead

•	Developed a cross-functional talent pipeline, guiding seven team members to 2-3 level promotions over two years by equipping them with new skills and career interests.
•	Implemented an AI audit vendor procurement that reduced the audit cycle from three months to three days and upgraded a custom industry platform to align with a new commission model.

Manager - Travel Agency Payment Services

•	Recruited, mentored, and developed team members, driving professional growth and elevating team performance from last place to 4th through data-driven strategies.
•	Developed a custom mentorship program for new leaders and large volumes of peak period coverage.
•	As a new leader in the department, identified a pattern in reporting of time theft and fraud. Collaborated with HR to address, leading investigations that resulted in the termination of 50 employees and then trained existing leaders in their system on fraud detection.

Leader - Contact Centre

•	Talent strategy for mid-to-executive level in multiple teams and over 50 locations: design and launch of innovative company-wide talent programs, both formal and self-serve, including planning and facilitation of leadership learning and conferences with 200 network leaders. 
•	Creation and facilitation of coveted mentorship programs, and other tactical development plans to address talent gaps in multiple difficult to hire regions – leading to 85% promotion rate. 
•	Successful in gaining executive sponsorship and funding for enterprise-wide cloud implementations related to global talent and recognition.

HR Operations Manager (Various roles and promotions in the same team)

- Workforce planning 
- High volume recruiting
- Scheduling relief duties
- Crew Chief & shift leadership
- Project based assignments, process optimization and change management

Various roles

BSharp Big Arts

An idea made into a colourful reality and social experiment to remind adults in a variety of corporate settings of the power of play in creativity and innovation. Large scale interactive art company partnering with TD Bank, GoPro and Travel Alberta and more. We wrapped up operations with the onset of Covid-19.

Co-founder & Owner

Kim Standeven Coaching

Business and Support Service Manager

Hilton

I cut my teeth in hospitality as a server and room service attendant. This was a fun role that gave me insight to hospitality and tourism and led to a 13 year career at WestJet Airlines in Calgary.

Server & Room Service Attendant

Executive Leader | HR Strategist | Community Builder | Creator of #Hirethishuman

With over 15 years of senior leadership experience across aviation, healthcare, research, tech, and startup environments, I specialize in aligning strategy, culture, and operations to drive scalable growth. From founding and scaling businesses, to leading remote work transitions and building talent pipelines with award-worthy culture programs, I bring a unique blend of strategic foresight and hands-on execution that elevates both business performance and employee experience. I’ve led enterprise-wide change in complex environments — from airlines navigating global expansion to tech startups scaling in volatile markets.

As a trusted advisor to C-suite teams and Boards, who also connects authentically with my teams and frontline employees, I’ve built high-impact organizations and functions from the ground up (E.g. Operations, Sales, People & Culture and Logistics), designed leadership succession models, and turned undervalued employer brands into talent magnets. I’ve led teams across Canada, the U.S., Mexico, India and more, always focused on fostering belonging with inclusive, high-performing cultures whether on-site or remote. My approach is both analytical and human — using data and insights to inform action, and empathy to build trust and resilience through change.

I’m currently open to executive, strategic and business partnering opportunities where I can solve real world problems and contribute to long-term value creation. Whether it's scaling a growing business, supporting founders through transformation, or bringing calm clarity to complex organizational challenges, I thrive at the intersection of people and performance. Let’s connect!

Laurel Burns

When actions, words and values are in alignment, we shine. 

Let yourself live boldly. Be who you are, and speak your truth. 

As Dr. Seuss perfectly put it: those who mind won't matter, and those who matter wont mind.

Laurel Burns (MBA)

Exec Leader & Strategist | 15+ Years of Driving Org Growth & Transformation | Entrepreneur & Founder | Ex-Airlines/Research/Health Care/B2B SaaS | Creator of #Hirethishuman

Consistency and authenticity in the quiet moments as much as on stage. This is what makes you.

Give yourself the gift of a compliment today. Say something as nice to the person in the mirror as you do the one in the hallway. 

You deserve kind words. 

This might be a greeting card holiday, but any day that shines a light on the power of love is good in my books.

Science increasingly supports the idea that our universe is malleable. Our intentions, thoughts and actions translate into a state of being that can shift reality. 

Choose your future one moment at a time.

Intuition and fear can be split by a hair some days. 

The space between discipline and surrender is no different. Sometimes the moment between inspiration and action here is microscopic - and missing that window can be the difference between stagnation and meaningful alignment to your goals, values and/or purpose. 

Make moves towards what matters.

Change fatigue can be an early warning sign for broader risks in rising preventable sick time, attrition and psychological safety concerns. 

When leaders and employees don't feel supported in change or overwhelmed with pace, stress behaviours show up. 

Sensing change fatigue as one early indicator will increasingly be a critical skill in organizations as the legislation around psychological safety catches up and expects the same supports and risk mitigation to physical safety (latest release in BC Dec 2025) . 

Get ahead of it now!

View newsletter: Balanced Change™ Insights

Open article: Spotting Change Fatigue Before it Breaks Your Team by Levvel Inc. • 3 min read

Spotting Change Fatigue Before it Breaks Your Team

I’m a counseling psychologist and writer based out of Hisar, Haryana. Over the last 6 years, I have been working to make mental health easier to understand for laypeople through lectures, seminars, videos, and articles. 

Having fought clinical depression and suicidality during my teenage years, I try to put more emphasis on men’s mental health to help people and men understand what issues they face and how they can be overcome. 

I also enjoy explaining topics related to stats and research. I believe psychologists, before everything else, are scientists and should be well-versed in the scientific method. My aim is to take the fear of stats and research out of psychology students and replace it with confidence and applicable skills. 

I have also shared my experiences with clinical depression for JOSH Talks. You can listen to my story in detail here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BmyzKHJmHA

Reach out to me for help with research in Psychology or content writing for your organization.

Arjun Gupta

It's a special day today. If you see this, please consider having something sweet from my side. I promise you won't gain weight from it.

Men’s Mental Health | Research & Stats | PhD @ GJU, Hisar

My second birthday!

The Department of Psychology at Savitribai Phule Pune University was set up by Prof. VK Kothurkar as a Department of Experimental Psychology. You can imagine my excitement at being invited for a panel discussion at the department fest on such hallowed grounds. 

It was an honor to be there and interact with the faculty and students. I don't know what they are feeding the students there that they are so high with energy all the time (worth a research)

Hope I can revisit one day and see the lab and more of the department too!

Got a wonderful opportunity to visit Jagran Lakecity University for the annual fest to talk about mens mental health, AI and research. The campus is beautiful but more than that they have wonderful students and faculty there. 

I made a resolution to say yes to more opportunities this year. So glad it kicked off with this visit to Bhopal. 

Hope to visit again soon!

No alternative text description for this image

Recently, I found out that while I didn't make it to the suicide prevention conference happening in Chennai, my story of battling suicide did. 

At first, it felt good to know that my experiences are reaching places I cannot but then I got some messages if they asked for my permission before using this or not. Why take permission? This is out in the public anyway, but it did make me start questioning things a bit more. 

Earlier, I used to be a part of events where I was 'the lived experience guy'. I was a psychologist and doing some basic research work on these experiences but I was still just an 'experience'. 

As I become more open about my experiences, will that participation go as well? To the point where my experiences are being used as an example without my participation or voice?

It's possible I am overthinking this. I am not sure what I have a problem with but I have a sense of uneasiness that evades expression. I don't think the presenter was approaching this with any malice either. In conclusion, I am just confused. 

What do you think about this? Is there something I should read to understand the ethics of lived experiences better?

We are blind and love makes us blinder. We overestimate our own IQ by quite a lot but we also overestimate the IQ of our romantic partners. This blindness is gender neutral.

[DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2019.01.004]

What is up with the polyvagal theory? I will try and summarize what's been happening in the area as accurately as possible. 

To give a crash course, the Polyvagal theory is used by often by therapists to help their clients. 

A super-bite sized summary of the theory would be that our nervous system (notably the autonomic nervous system) and our environment influence each other and also influence our psychological states. 

The theory lays out neurophysiological mechanisms on how this influence occurs and the role our social environment plays here. For example, safety and co-regulation can help our nervous system 'move' from a threatened, defensive stage to a relaxed state where psychological change is possible. 

A paper by Grossmen et. al. (2026) calls this theory untenable. I recommend reading the paper. The paper says that the neurological mechanisms proposed by the PVT are not consistent with established neuroanatomy or neurophysiology or evolutionary evidence.  

The paper is not against the idea that the nervous system and the environment are interconnected but against the mechanisms of this connection as proposed by the PVT. 

Porges, the creator of the PVT in a rebuttal says the critique mischaracterizes his theory and doesn't argue on its merits. You should read this paper too. 

I personally incline towards the arguments proposed by the critics but am open to changing my mind. The ideas proposed by the PVT on the mind-body relation, role of environment and important of social security have long predated the theory itself. 

Does this mean clinicians must abandon PVT? Not necessarily. As Paul North notes:

“Scientific models evolve through refinement, and clinical practice proceeds in parallel. These domains need not be in opposition.”

Clinical usefulness and biological accuracy are related questions and thoughtful dialogue between clinicians and researchers can strengthen both.

DOIs: 
Rebuttal: doi [dot] org/10.36131/cnfioritieditore20260111

Critique: doi [dot] org/10.36131/cnfioritieditore20260110

I think the people at Galgotias can take this moment of national attention and infamy as an opportunity in the longer run. 

Sometimes, our lowest points can catapult us far ahead than otherwise possible. It comes down to whether they want to or not. 

If the focus is on deflection, distraction or scapegoating then we'll be having the same discussions a few years later. If they focus on pedagogy, training and quality, then maybe we'll have a very different discussion about the University 5-6 years down the line. 

I like to think that people, communities and organizations can change directions and become their best selves over time - given that they want to. 

What would you do if you were in charge of the University right now?

Just got my hands on the GATE 2026 paper and it might be one of the most fun papers I have seen in a while. Will be doing a live breakdown of the paper, especially section 1 and 2 on my YouTube channel soon. 

The questions that appear tough often just need some basic maths from class 8th-10th and a little persistence. I hope I can make them seem fun instead of difficult or impossible

TODAY I LEARNED: A Compulsory Teaching of Psychology in Educational Institutes Bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha in 2019. The bill lapsed soon after but there is a cool alternate history where this bill becomes law. 

What do you think that world would have looked like?

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