Your people already know what's needed. Intuitive Intelligence brings it into the room.
Finding what's possible — together.
I work with non-profits, community organizations, and executive leaders navigating complexity, conflict, and change — helping them surface the Intuitive Intelligence that's already in the room, and act on what it reveals.
Meet Karin Willmer
I work with non-profits, community organizations, and executive leaders who want to lead from the inside out — organizations committed to integrity, shared purpose, and human-centred leadership.
Across more than 30 years in journalism — newspapers, magazines, and CBC Radio — and more than 15 as an organizational leader and executive coach, I've learned that the most resilient organizations aren't built on the best strategy. They're built on the capacity to listen — to their people, their community, and the moment they're in.
My role is to help you build that capacity. The intuitive knowledge your people carry isn't soft data — it's often the most accurate signal available about what an organization is ready for, what it fears, and what it's capable of. When leaders learn to work with that signal, change becomes something people move toward rather than resist.
I work with organizations and communities navigating change, across the public sector, non-profits, government, senior leadership teams, and volunteer boards.
I'm not your forever person. I'm here to help you find your own way of leading — and then get out of your way.
Leadership, in the Rooms That
Matter
Built organizations from the ground up — as founder, president, and editor overseeing 20+ contributors across a regional publication
Led through conflict — guiding a board through deep internal division to a rewritten governance structure and a successful new hire
Organized and negotiated — from the shop floor to the bargaining table, including a first-ever union contract
Served on boards and executive teams — regionally, nationally, and internationally, including co-chairing a global vision team
Supported leaders directly — ongoing regional support for 30+ leaders across Canada and the US
What I Do
Services
Several distinct ways to work together — from one-on-one coaching to facilitation, communications counsel, and ceremony.
01
Executive Coaching
Leadership at the top can be isolating. Let's change that.
A confidential space to think clearly, challenge your assumptions, and lead with more intention — grounded in 15+ years of real organizational experience.
02
Leadership & Change Management
Most struggling organizations think they have a financial problem. They do — but it's usually a symptom of something deeper: a mandate problem.
I help organizations find their way back to what they were always meant to do — through leadership transitions, governance challenges, and strategic renewal.
03
Collective Signal Work
From noise to clarity. From clarity to action.
This is a two-stage methodology: surfacing the collective intelligence already alive in your organization, then working with what emerges as real data. Teams move from circular conversations to shared insight — and leave with the clarity and shared commitment to act on it.
04
Communications & Public Affairs
The right words, in the right room, at the right time.
Strategic communications, media relations, grant writing, and public affairs counsel for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations. Past work includes securing national coverage in The Globe and Mail and The Vancouver Sun, $285,000 in federal and corporate grants, and communications leadership for a $20-million capital campaign.
05
Rites of Passage
Something old is leaving. Something new is emerging. Let's mark that.
Every meaningful threshold deserves to be witnessed. Rooted in the sociology of human transition, Karin designs and officiates ceremony for life's passages — licensed to conduct weddings, Celebrations of Life and mindful transitions.
06
Speaking
Present when the moment calls for it.
Karin would rather be in the room with you than at a podium. But for the right audience and the right opportunity, she brings 30+ years of journalism and storytelling to bear — and the room feels it.
Why people believe in me
"Karin's talks have always brought me to a place where I know that I am exactly who I should be — that I have the ability to affect positive change in my own life, the lives of the ones I love, and in the world. Her ability to weave personal, local, and global narratives and link them to universal truths is a rare gift."
Davin G., Vancouver
"Karin is a gifted coach. She listens carefully and masterfully asks questions that are not only thought-provoking, but draw forth answers from within you that are insightful and actionable. You are the expert on your own life — Karin coaches you in gaining access to your own expertise."
Jeff Ryan, Entrepreneur
Live Your Vision, California
"Karin's coaching has truly been a game-changer for me. She has an intuitive understanding of my needs and challenges, even when I can't articulate them myself. Her ability to ask thought-provoking questions has taken me on a transformative journey, revealing insights about myself and my life that I had never seen before."
D.R., Entrepreneur & Leadership Coach, BC, Canada
"Karin is a dedicated leader who is passionate about guiding and inspiring others to be and do better. Whether she's presenting to a conference or addressing a board of directors, her experience as a professional journalist and speaker allow her to deliver with intelligence and insight. Her approach to coaching is both compassionate and direct. I am better in business and in life for having had Karin as my mentor."
Clayton Blaney, Realtor, Kelowna, BC