I served as an advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis. Chief of Staff at the Senate of Canada during the pandemic. Published in Forbes, Newsweek, and media globally. I now dedicate that depth of judgment to a limited number of leaders carrying decisions too heavy for their inner circle.
You don't hire me for a deliverable. You retain me for a capability you don't currently have — the ability to see your most consequential decisions through the lens of someone who has survived crises when the stakes were national. I'm the person you call before you make the decision, not after.
METHODOLOGY
Every engagement is structured around the SPARK framework — five dimensions I assess in every business decision.
Limited availability. By direct inquiry only.
A 4–6 hour high-stakes decision intervention. You submit context in advance. We spend the day deconstructing your situation, identifying blind spots, reframing strategically, mapping the decision, and building the action path. You leave with a clear decision and the confidence to execute it.
"We identified a structural liability his diligence team had missed. He walked away from the deal." — Founder, industrial services
For when getting the decision wrong is expensive. We take a day and get to clarity.
Ongoing private strategic advisory with direct access. Not an associate. Not a junior. Me — and the full weight of pattern recognition, strategic clarity, and candor that represents. Structured sessions combined with async access for the decisions that can't wait.
"We developed a third option together that preserved family control and unlocked $8M in new revenue." — Owner, multi-location franchise
Your competitors will never know you have a strategic advantage they don't.
A founder in industrial services was weighing a $40M acquisition that his board was pushing hard. Two sessions in, we identified a structural liability his diligence team had missed. He walked away from the deal. Six months later, the target company disclosed the exact issue in a restructuring filing.
A second-generation business owner was stuck between two succession plans — one his family wanted, one his CFO recommended. We spent three months pressure-testing both. He chose a third option we developed together that preserved family control and unlocked a partnership structure worth $8M in new revenue.
I was 90 days into a crisis that was burning through my credibility with investors. I needed someone who had actually managed a crisis at scale — not a consultant with a framework. Joseph had done it at the national level. Within a month, we rebuilt the communication strategy and I retained every major investor relationship.
Client identities are protected under confidentiality agreement. Scenarios reflect the types of engagements I take on.
You bring the decision, the problem, or the situation that's keeping you up at night. I bring the questions you haven't asked yet. Sessions are 60–90 minutes, confidential, and direct. There's no agenda template, no homework, and no PowerPoint. It's a conversation between two people — one of whom has spent a career in rooms where the decisions are irreversible.
A coach helps you discover what you already know. A consultant delivers a document and moves on. I do neither. I'm a sounding board — someone you call when the stakes are too high for either approach. You're not paying for frameworks or for someone to hold space. You're paying for judgment, tested under real pressure, available when you need it.
The value is in decisions not made as much as decisions made. Clients have avoided costly acquisitions, restructured succession plans, navigated investor crises, and entered new markets — with a senior mind stress-testing every move. The ROI isn't a report. It's the confidence that comes from knowing your hardest call was pressure-tested by someone who has operated at the highest levels.
That's exactly what the Strategic Intensive is for. You submit context in advance. We spend 4–6 hours deconstructing your situation, identifying blind spots, and mapping a clear action path. No ongoing commitment, no retainer. One day, one decision, total clarity. Many retainer relationships start this way — but there is zero pressure to continue.
Within days. Book a 30-minute introductory call. If we're a fit, we can schedule your first session the same week. There is no intake process, no questionnaire, no onboarding deck. You talk. I listen. We work.
Self-made entrepreneurs and business leaders — typically in the United States — who have built something significant. Most are 50 or older. They've succeeded. Now they face decisions that their inner circle can't fully see: succession, growth risk, reputational exposure, or a transition they want to get right. They don't need advice. They need a senior mind they trust.
Not ready yet?
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Subscribe FreeIf you're carrying something heavy — an acquisition, a succession, a repositioning, a crisis — this conversation is for you. 30 minutes. No pitch. If we're a fit, we'll know.
Limited seats. By direct inquiry only. This is not for the curious — it's for the committed.