I became
who I needed.
Real Life Happens. You Don’t Have to Lose Your Business Because of It.
Business Triage & Stability Advisor · Work Smart Canada ·
Ontario-based · Canada-wide virtually
I have been an entrepreneur for 25 years. I have spent 12 years as a business coach helping hundreds of Canadian business owners start, grow, scale and protect what they have built. For nine years, I worked as a Senior Business Development Advisor for a municipal Small Business Centre — supporting entrepreneurs with business planning, financial forecasting, strategy, and operations across every industry and stage.
I know business. I have lived it from every angle.
But the work I am doing now comes from something deeper than professional experience.
It comes from the hardest chapters of my own life — and from the gap I fell through alone that nobody should have to navigate without support.
MY STORY
The last six years changed everything.
My separation was the hardest chapter of my personal, career and entrepreneurial life.
Not because the business problems were insurmountable — but because there was no one who understood both sides simultaneously. The business that needed to keep running and the human being who was barely holding it together.
I managed lawyer appointments between client calls. I answered emails while waiting to hear back from a realtor. I smiled through discovery calls while my phone lit up with messages from friends who had just found out. I sat at my desk before client calls with my chest so heavy I could barely breathe — pulling myself back together because I couldn't break down right now. I had a call.
My therapist didn't understand the business pressure.
My accountant didn't understand the emotional weight.
My business coach was still talking about growth goals.
I kept the business alive. But I did it completely alone. And nobody should have to do that.
In the years that followed, I lost my dad and navigated the complete chaos of settling an estate alongside my mom and brother, with no single person to guide me through it. I became a full-time bonus mom to four girls overnight, having never planned to be a mother. I took on caregiving responsibilities for my mom in a different city while running two businesses. I went through identity shifts so profound I didn't recognize myself some mornings. I experienced health scares. I started to feel the effects of perimenopause. I started a second business from grief.
Through all of it — the businesses kept running. Because they had to. Because I didn't have a choice. And because nobody showed me how to stop when everything in my life was telling me to.
What I learned through all of it is this ...
There are thousands of amazing coaches, programs, masterminds, and communities for entrepreneurs who want to grow and scale. They are well served. Brilliantly, abundantly served.
But for the entrepreneur who is surviving? Who is running their business at 40% capacity while their personal life is on fire? Who needs someone who understands both the strategy and the storm simultaneously?
Almost nothing exists.
So I built it.
THE EXPERIENCE BEHIND THE WORK
I am not a therapist. I am not a lawyer. I am a business advisor with 25 years of lived entrepreneurship, 12 years of business coaching and 9 years of small business advisory work — who has also survived the hardest seasons this life can throw at a person running a company.
That combination — the professional depth and the personal experience — is what makes this work possible.
And it is what makes it different from anything else available in Canada right now.
25+ YEARS
Entrepreneur
25+ years of personal entrepreneurial experience across multiple businesses and industries including resume writing, web site design, professional writing, curriculum design and training, and business contingency planning.
12+ YEARS
Business Coach & Consultant
Supported hundreds of Canadian and global entrepreneurs from startup through growth, scaling, hiring, and expanding to selling and exiting their business.
9 YEARS
Senior Business Development Advisor
Business planning, financial forecasting, sales strategy, cash flow management, market research, operations, and funding — Municipal Small Business Centre.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
→ Business triage, stabilization and continuity planning
→ Business planning and strategy development
→ Financial forecasting and revenue protection
→ Capacity management and boundary setting
→ Systems simplification and process review
→ Decision-making frameworks under high stress
→ Client communication and relationship management
→ Sales strategy, cost structures and pricing
→ Succession planning and business continuity
→ Operations management and business structure
What People Are Saying
“[Jodi] is always able to pull me out of my own little chaos and helps me see a bigger picture. She’s smart, honest, direct, and demanding, as well as warm, understanding, caring, and compassionate. She always have great insight, advice, and feedback that helps me keep going and moving forward.
It’s the best money I ever spent and the return on investment is priceless. And remember that you don’t have to do business alone!”
— Kate S., Sunrise Creative
“Jodi was very insightful and listened well to my business story to hear where I was coming from and also where I wanted to go! She provided sound advice and left me with a lot to think about and a direction I need to take for my business growth and development. Thank you for taking the time to help a small business owner :)”
— Amy F., Blossom Musik
"Before I met Jodi, I was skeptical of business coaches, but she is the real deal.
Throughout our working relationship, I've realized how critical it is to have a qualified, experienced advisor like her to provide guidance and keep me motivated to work on my business, as well as in my business.
She is whip-smart, direct, honest but also diplomatic and compassionate and her business knowledge is unmatched.
With every problem I've encountered, Jodi has provided balanced and insightful feedback to help me move forward with confidence. She's also a genuinely lovely human and a lot of fun to work with.
10/10 would hire again!"
— Vanessa G., Greenlight Content“Hi Jodi!,
I don't want our sessions to end...(Insert tears)
You have helped me meet all of my expectations and more. I really enjoy having you in my corner. You are professional, fun, knowledgeable and very good at what you do.”
&
“Jodi @ WorkSmart Canada has been my business coach for the last 3 years. I have had so many positive experiences and growth in business that I can't count. I feel like my success would not be the same without her by my side. 100% recommend!”
— Sara L., Sara Lodge Wellness
“We absolutely ADORE Jodi -- her personality is incredibly welcoming, receptive, and ready to help you achieve your goals.
She's always prepared with answers, assignments which challenge me to explore my own qualities and skills, and insightful tips.
Jodi is such a gem and dream to work alongside -- she is an integral part of our business' success. I would highly recommend these services, and my 5 stars are only limited by Google... I would give Jodi as many stars as I possibly could, as she has made such a difference in my life and business!”
— Allie C., Branding and Web Design Business Owner
There’s more.
In February 2025, I launched my second (active) business — Your Business Executor — built from what I learned after my father passed away in December 2024.
I discovered that when someone dies there is no single person who guides you through what happens next.
The chaos is staggering. The overwhelm is complete.
Your Business Executor helps entrepreneurs get their business affairs organized and documented before an unexpected event — death, illness, accident — so the people they love are not left in that chaos alone.
Two businesses.
Same mission.
Protecting entrepreneurs and everything they have built — from every angle.
Looking for a speaker?
I speak to entrepreneur communities, women's business networks, professional associations, and corporate audiences on topics including business resilience through life disruption, leading through the messy middle, and the gap nobody talks about in entrepreneurship support.
My purpose is to lead with influence.
My talks are honest, direct and built entirely from lived experience. I am not a motivational speaker. I am someone who has been through it — and who has something real to say about what that costs and what it builds.
If you are looking for a speaker for your event, podcast or panel — I would love to connect.
Ready to talk?
Book a free 20-30 minute discovery call — no obligation, no pitch.
My Commitment
I aim to create an inclusive space and approach my work with openness.
My coaching style and course development is neurodiverse-friendly, as well as open to students and newcomers.
I seek to co-create safer spaces through collaboration and respect of the inherent dignity and diversity of all people.
