Our Story

Wendy Knowles

Respected businessperson, coach, consultant, facilitator speaker, spiritual aspirant, adventurer – Wendy brings a deep ecology of consciousness to her work with both individuals and teams. Extensive training in values-driven living compliments her thirty years of business experience. Wendy has an exceptional ability to tune into another person, quickly see what drives or holds them back, then reflect back with deep insight that support a person’s greater contribution, natural alignment and call for action. A free thinker without judgement, Wendy is transparent in her communication, generous in her listening with trust at the forefront.

Co-founder of Knowles by Heart Consultants, her passion is to explore world-themes in truth-based, authentic living. Wendy graduated from Coach Inc.’s coach training school, an International Coaching Federation accredited coach training institute, and leverages over fifteen years of coaching and consulting with organizations, teams, and individuals. Clients come from the IT sector, Marketing Services, Consulting, Engineering, Not-for-Profit, Professional Services, Financial Institutions, Retail, and Hospitality industries, medium to large organizations, Small Medium Enterprises, and solopreneurs.

Past professional roles include: Director, eCommerce Business Development for a major Canadian Telecom Firm; senior IT sales and sales management roles; large scale project, product, and program management; and manager of training and development.

Wendy was instrumental in launching the Performance Coaching for the Workplace Program at Seneca College, Toronto, Canada in which seventeen executive coaches graduated from this program. Currently studying consciousness at Quantum University, Wendy holds a Bachelor of Business Management Degree in Marketing Management from Ryerson University and a Master of Arts Degree in Religion and Theology at Saint Mary’s University. Master’s research focused on the impact of leadership’s values, authenticity, and spirituality at work. A two-time winner of the Harry and Lily Rutte Award for Spirituality in the Workplace at the Sobey School of Business, Wendy’s papers focus authentic servant leadership and building trust in organizations.

Wendy is certified consultant with Barrett Values values-based assessments and cultural transformation programs. Wendy’s consulting work leverages extensive complex selling experience and training. She integrates best practices from Solution Selling, Miller9 Heiman, and SPIN Selling among others. Wendy is trained in personal assessment tools including Extended DISC, Profiles International, and received training with the Inter-developmental Institute. Working with horses, Wendy co-facilitated Equine Centred Learning. Wendy is a trained yoga teacher also facilitates yoga meets dance and is mother of two lovely grown daughters.

John Knowles

Intuitive, authentic and humorous, John Knowles engages with passion and humility, leveraging over 25 years of communication expertise in his work as professional actor, storyteller, improvisor, coach and trainer.

A professional communications trainer working with business teams and individuals since 1998, John’s stage performance background, media skills and storytelling expertise combine in a unique empathetic coaching style. John helps individuals till the soil of their lived experiences to discover pivotal incidents that exemplify their core values and authentic expression. His decades of experience in professional comedy and improvisational theatre field fine-tuned John’s ability to help people ‘find the funny’ in their stories and discover personal insights. John co-crafts a new narrative with clients that organically fosters personal growth, healing and powerful professional presentation.

An accomplished facilitator, John Knowles has successfully impacted over two dozen Fortune 500 companies with his training and communication programs ranging from individuals and groups of up to 800 participants. A born storyteller, John is a 2020 winner of The Moth international storytelling competition in Sydney. He is heard regularly on ABC Radio and on stages around Sydney hosting his storytelling segment ‘I Can Top That!’. John studied at Second City in Toronto, Ryerson Acting School, and has represented Australia in the World Theatresports Championships. He co-developed the ‘Impro Crash Course’ for storytellers and stand-up comedians taught at The Sydney Comedy Store and was awarded the prestigious Moosehead Comedy Award for his solo show, John Knowles is Saddle Sore at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

John develops custom and academic curriculum, teaching virtual and in-person courses entitled, ‘Storytelling: Tell Your Story with Impact’, ‘Mastering Your Elevator Pitch’, ‘Present Well In Online Meetings’ and ‘Mastering Small Talk’. John also coaches his daughter Lulu’s Under 14 soccer team, a role he relishes but admits is a steep learning curve. He and wife Ronelle have four children and sing together in the vocal group Alchemy a cappella.