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Johanne Bouchard

"The Leadership Whisperer" : Fostering healthy individuals and healthy organizations.

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REMIA

“Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.” George Bernard Shaw

REMIA comes from a dream I had back in February ‘98. REMIA stands for, Receive Embrace My I Am. It is also the word love in French which is aimer but reverse, REMIA. 

Mission: To empower the young leaders to transform leadership of future generations by receiving and mastering leadership from the Inside Out…In essence, it is about Self-Mastery.

                                    Receive Embrace My I AM!

REMIA is a leadership program that I founded and self-funded in 2004. The early participants were all past employees of mine who enjoyed being introspective and inquisitive about Self-Awareness. REMIA was designed for emerging leaders to get them in touch with their authentic Self, their soft power, and to connect them with their desires and gifts in order to chose a path that is aligned with who they truly are. Today’s society and media exude much pressure on our future generations to chase approval and power. As a consequence, many emerging leaders are denying what they really care to do. Moreover, many do not know if their pursuit of leadership roles matches what they care deeply about.

REMIA is about facilitating transformation and enhancing leadership skills. It is designed to instill a value-based mentality, to align leadership choices by embracing one’s Self and to create leaders who aspire to be authentic in their management and leadership. It is inviting greater self-awareness in one’s life.

I care to establish a personal connection with emerging leaders and to support them in their efforts. I have a strong intent to open the way for them so they can take pride in their leadership and the organizations that they will build. They are a group of leaders that is not well attended. Many have not been exposed to the wiser generation, have not been provided with guidance to define their values, have not been exposed to great organizations or great leadership role models. Many have also not been taught on how to effectively relate and connect to others. Most don’t know how to even connect to themselves.

There is a swirl of uncertainty for emerging leaders. They are yearning for a solid ground from which they can lead by example. Yet the examples they see most often in the media are not the most sterling. Furthermore, the current learning systems do not provide the means for emerging leaders to develop good management style where they are connected to their inner core.

REMIA Organizational Development

REMIA works to develop and cultivate the soft power of emerging leaders. Some programs are designed around lively discussions to foster trust and facilitate an open sharing of views, ideas, and fears. Other programs are more experiential and are created to bring awareness to the importance of listening with intent, retaining what is of essence, honoring the views of others, and speaking with an impeccable word. Some programs are structured around practices such as speaking with authenticity, observing without judgment, and noticing actions that are driven from the ego which most often transpire into manipulation, bold comments, abrupt management, and so forth. Some practices entice emerging leaders to be cognizant of the sources of their choices while making decisions.

The ultimate goal is to develop leaders who ascribe to purposeful leadership and who don’t associate compassion, respect and humility with weak leadership attributes.

Kabir Helminski, a friend and author of Living Presence, says: “Education as it is currently understood, particularly in the West, ignores the human soul, or essential Self. We are made to know ourselves; we are created for this self-awareness; we are fully equipped for it. What could be more important than to know ourselves? The education of the soul, or essential Self, is different from the education or the personality or the intellect. The education of the soul involves not only knowledge, but the realization of a presence that is our deeper nature and that includes attention, will, and self-transcendence…

“Humankind needs a spiritual philosophy that is equal to this explosion of technology and communication. We need a feeling for nobility and responsibility of being human, as we need an awareness of the unity of all life, or we will succumb to unconscious forces that will drag us down. Perhaps more than ever before, we need a way to activate and develop our latent humanity to balance the forces that challenge it.”

Testimonials

“You, Johanne, Call forth what is magnificent about people, within them. You have the ability to have them trust you and believe that they are magnificent. They become inspired and aspire to go out in the world with that belief. You are a change agent to make a difference.”

                                             – Debra Martin, Coaches Training Institute (CTI)

“Johanne has a remarkable ability to inspire others to share with perfect honesty, overcome their own barriers, and find greater clarity for their purpose. Her dedication to her work comes from a sincere passion for guiding others in their quest for successful leadership and life skills. “ 

“I thoroughly enjoy the REMIA Circle with Johanne. I had been looking for an executive coach/advisor when I was introduced to the REMIA Circle. Johanne’s background experience, leadership and authenticity were a great fit. I have not only seen changes in my life since the first circle, but in many of the other members. I am looking forward to the upcoming year and becoming very clear of my focus in what I want to create in my life and the world as a whole.”

“I feel such tremendous support from our group and Johanne. It is such a comfort to have all of you.”

“For one of the first times in my life, I truly feel like I am handling the process of career transition with clarity and strength instead of letting the fear voices get the better of me! I know that some of this comes as we get older, but I attribute so much of this to the skills you have helped me to develop.”

“My monthly meetings with Johanne have been a grounding source amidst a very turbulent period of my life.  As I have been navigating my way through a career transition along with trying to create balance in my personal life Johanne has provided valuable tools and insight in helping me achieve my goals.  Being a part of her emerging leaders group has been a very positive experience and I look forward to the group continuing to grow and flourish!”

“I have reached a higher level in my professional life by working with Johanne and Remia. As a teacher I have more clarity and focus in my lesson planning which is also enabling my students to reap the rewards. Having renewed confidence and focus in my personal life as well keeps me looking forward to our next Remia gathering.”

“Johanne has a gift for helping people gain clarity based on *their own* priorities.  I can count several very specific instances where Johanne’s role has helped me make very critical decisions in my career. She is undoubtedly the most important mentor I’ve had, and I am eternally grateful.”

“I’ve been attending Remia gatherings for more than a year now. Johanne has assembled a dynamic and diverse group of young professionals that meets monthly to discuss issues of leadership, communication, ethics, and much more. She adeptly facilitates discussions that often stem from personal and professional challenges faced by one or more members of the group. The emphasis is on the personal, but the context is professional – how individual development can, and will, improve the corporate world.

“I always leave the gatherings feeling inspired. But even after that feeling wears off, it’s the day-to-day practices of Remia that continue to make a difference.”

Explore the BonneFire Community

BonneFire is a yearly subscription with 12 monthly offerings inspiring self-mastery and transparent leadership in service of both the individual and the collective, for healthier individuals and healthier organizations.

Members also receive two half-hours of one-on-one coaching with Johanne. 

Each month has a unique theme that guides the focus of each month’s inspiring guidance and teaching. Members receive one email the first week of each month consisting of:

bonnefire iconPulse Check

 

bonnefire iconReflection

 

bonnefire iconPractice

 

Each month, Johanne chooses a theme and determines the focus for that month’s inspiring guidance and teaching pulse check, reflection and practice.

Click here to learn more!

What I Write About…

  • Blogs in French
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  • Business Column for Explore Big Sky
  • Diversity
  • Newsletters
  • The full blog

Sign up to receive emails from Johanne:

The meeting was fantastic. It was an undisputable success. The interaction was superior and beyond what anyone could have thought was possible. Everyone embraced you and your skills in ways that I have never seen before. I learned a lot about the process and it has been very meaningful. It illuminated me into focused actions. It galvanized the entire executive team across the five business units. Really exciting…

- Audit Chair

Johanne, the offsite was terrific and you did a fabulous job leading us through some very challenging tasks. I have great faith in our leadership team. I’m glad the learning and collaboration will continue.

Excellent meeting.

Amazing meeting. Loved it.

- GMs of Business Units

You did a very good job. I like the process, like the rigor, like the completeness and the sensitivity with which you presented tough issues. I like the individual profiles and how they lead to both learning for me as well as opportunity for team building.

- Independent Director

I recommended you for this task because I felt that the depth of inquiry and the thoroughness of your approach are important to bring the Board to a new level of quality and interaction. I found your work very complete and am glad that you brought to the surface a number of issues that have to be addressed to improve our effectiveness as a Board. Your observations and recommendations go to the heart of what makes a Board a team (and what gets in the way).

- Governance Chair

Johanne has an innate ability to bring out the best in all whom she touches. She practices what she preaches – patience, courage, generosity, wisdom and humility. Her contributions have positively impacted our Company and working environment and will result in increased profitability and shareholder value.

- CEO

Johanne is truly exceptional at what she does. I've worked with many consultants over the years, and what sets her apart is the combination of her right- and left-brain skills. She knows how to listen, catch unspoken cues, instill trust and openness, while also being focused on the substance of the issues, the complexities of the situation and challenges, and the business issues that have to get solved. She is direct and candid while also unusually sensitive. By applying these skills, she helped us analyze what was going on in our business, shed light on the core management and governance issues, and facilitated our discussions among the decision makers about the next steps to take. I would work with her again in a heartbeat.

- Independent Director, Governance Committee

I have seen Johanne's skilled handling of important executive interfaces and her ability to quickly get to the heart of the issues and lead to results. That certainly happened here. I found that even in cases where the participants thought they had good communication we reached new levels of connection and candor, all helping us be most efficient at a time when that is most important in our company.

- Senior Vice President

Johanne has provided a mirror into myself. Helping me to step back and view my actions and true feelings. By her perceptive and insightful questioning she enabled me to look within. Just being able to speak openly about myself was most helpful. Without question this awareness is leading to positive change both personally and professionally. I find myself a more effective participant with both my direct reports, peers and my Board.

- CEO

I thank Johanne for her clarity and quick ability to cut through the clutter. She made a huge difference. I have grown a lot. Johanne’s exceptional wisdom for defining and supporting the needs of clients were a real asset to us. Johanne is exceptionally gifted at understanding how to balance and focus for success. I highly recommend her to any company looking to grow.

- CEO

Thank you so very much for the day of focus for our team. We really needed it and I do not believe we could have done it without you. You are such a wonderful friend of ours. I personally left feeling inspired and clear. You are a beautiful person to facilitate those connections.

- CEO

Thank you for such a productive session. It was wonderful to have your support and focus in connecting the team. Your constant guidance in finding clarity is a true gift for our organization.

- CEO

The time spent was of tremendous help to me personally as it gave me a chance to review all aspects of our operations. Johanne's attentiveness and level of support was remarkable. Her sense for the big picture will keep us all focused on the right priorities.

I can't thank Johanne enough.

- CEO

Johanne Bouchard is a pioneer and a leader who brings to the process of executive coaching and strategic planning a focused, high-energy and highly- effective approach. In a short time and in a seemingly effortless manner, she leads an individual or a team to a crystal-clear understanding of their core values, their goals and a path to achieving them.

- CEO

Johanne has a remarkable ability to inspire others to share with perfect honesty, overcome their own barriers, and find greater clarity for their purpose. Her dedication to her work comes from a sincere passion for guiding others in their quest for successful leadership and life skills. Johanne's encouraging style supports rather than leads, promotes as opposed to advises.

- REMIA participant

Thank you very much for your kindness, warmth and thoughtfulness for our team. Your team building session was beautifully on point, and done very constructively.

- CEO

Johanne is an outstanding professional with exceptional coaching skills. She is insightful and a very effective communicator.

- Ken Coleman- Board Chairman, Saama Technologies and special advisor to Andreessen Horowitz Venture Capital firm

Johanne worked with our board at Accelrys to enhance our effectiveness. She provided tremendous value and insight in a very collegial manner.

- Jeff Rodek - Former Chair and CEO of Hyperion, Former President and COO Ingram Micro 

Johanne Bouchard is a unique consultant and advisor who brings clarity to high urgency situations in short order. She has served several of the companies I am involved with as a Board member in various assignments including Board 360, Executive Team assessment, leading and facilitating strategic planning sessions, and CEO coaching. In all these assignments she has displayed dedication, creativity, depth, and an unerring focus on reflecting the reality of the situation and presenting it as such to the client, with concrete suggestions for improvement and increased efficiency. I highly recommend Johanne.

- Ricardo Levy  - Lecturer at Stanford, former Chair, former Chairman and CEO of Catalytica  

If you have an organizational leadership problem to solve (the bigger the better) and need a tireless, objective collaborator to assist, challenge and drive you (and she WILL drive you), work with Johanne. And if you welcome the friendship that will grow from that experience, you couldn't do better.

- Steve Snyder - Former EVP/GM CBS Interactive Games, Music and Sports

Johanne's work is, in a word, spectacular. She digs in on a project like no one I know, she is thorough, thoughtful, and does superb "inquiry" work early in a project. She brings a wealth of experience to her projects, including marketing expertise, consumer research, management and leadership insights, and insightful summaries of the issues. Her work is honest, clear, clean, and useful. She is a truth-finder and a truth-teller. Johanne is an intense, yet calm and measured expert - she knows where to look, what to ask, and how to propose key points and plans of action. Her logistics and organizational skills are world class, and her follow up is superb. As you can read, my professional opinion of Johanne is of the highest level. I believe she can excel at virtually any assignment or challenge presented.

- John Hamm - Strategy and Leadership Advisor, Former VC, Former TCG - The Chasm Group Advisors and Former CEO

I have known Johanne since the times she was building BOSS when helping high-tech executives and companies with globalization and International market development. She was a pioneer in her field helping American companies not treating International as an afterthought. She was an invaluable trusted advisor to senior executives and CEOs in need to succeed in Europe and in need to adjust their leadership style to grow their organizations overseas. I recommend Johanne to CEOs and Executives as a partner when significantly challenged to take their organizations to new levels. She has broad operating, marketing and leadership experience and a proven track record to continually deliver results. Her dynamism is infectious/inspirational.

- Philippe D’Argent - Former Senior VP Dell Europe, Former Senior VP Toshiba Europe

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