About
“Sweet are the uses of adversity” -Shakespeare (As You Like It)
MEDIA KIT
Members of the press/media, see the media kit page for high-resolution cover images and more.
HELGI MAKI - SHORT BIO
Helgi walks the talk of facing both Professional and Personal challenge. She spent 15+ years as a lawyer before transforming her career (plus health, lifestyle & relationships). Inspired by loss, she wrote a groundbreaking book. She has been coaching plus teaching mindfulness & movement for over five years. In addition to coaching she does consulting, facilitates workshops and does some board work.
Scroll to the bottom for Helgi’s credentials, certifications and training.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
Helgi's clients are often "Purposeful Professionals" - People aligning their work with a deeper purpose and wellbeing and having fun (living fully) while doing it!
Book a consultation to explore coaching and uncover new perspectives that lead to powerful change.
THE LONG “ABOUT” READ, WITH SOME FAQs
What’s “resilience” for you?
My favourite word is a Finnish word called “Sisu”. It’s an untranslatable word roughly meaning “Willingness to use unrelenting courage after setback in the face of near impossible odds.”
Sisu helps us find a hidden inner gas tank, just when we think all hope was lost. In other words, to me resilience is not a trait. It’s an inner willingness to shift perspective and find an opening. Once we find that opening, we can act with courage— from the heart.
Why did you change careers? You were a partner at a big Law Firm, isn’t that what all Lawyers want to be?
We’re living in a time of rapid change. I’m passionate about working with people and organizations that invest in growth, learning and innovation. The conventional legal profession is often tied to “precedent”, which often doesn’t work in unprecedented times. I still do legal innovation consulting work and some board of directors work.
Where do I find out about your Consulting?
For consulting, you can connect with me at helgi [@] generativityco.com or through LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helgimaki/
Why do you include Mindfulness & Movement in your approach?
Yes, it’s difficult to be resilient if we don’t meditate (or move). You can find out more about Mindful Movement or Meditation on the Movement page of my website.
MORE DETAILS
Working with Helgi can help you find new tools to shift limits imposed on your life by past negative experiences. The shift from stressed-out living (or working) in survival mode to inspired action with heartfelt purpose can happen at the personal, professional or organizational levels. Schedule a consultation to find out how adversity (and even toxic stress or trauma) can fuel your purpose-filled journey.
WHY I DO THIS WORK?
While working as a lawyer I faced some extremely challenging circumstances— in the form of three traumatic losses. One of my mentors called these my “three baseball bats from the universe”. Afterwards, I realized that I wanted to help people navigate their greatest challenges - even situations that can feel impossible.
As author Doris Lessing said, “Whatever you’re meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible.” Whatever change you’re dealing with likely feels nearly impossible. Don’t settle. Do it anyway.
HELGI MAKI
FULL BIO
Helgi Maki is a groundbreaking advocate for Trauma-Informed Practices, Speaker, Professional Executive Coach & Author. She’s also a Legal Innovation Consultant & Researcher. The focus of her work is on applying resilience tools to navigate adversity, uncertainty…or even perceived impossibility.
Helgi had a 15+ year career in “Big Law”, working on Bay Street as a lawyer in Toronto (and also being called to the New York Bar). A series of sudden losses inspired her to dig deeper and find a way to align her work with her experiences with adversity.
Helgi has been a pioneer for Trauma-Informed advocacy to improve access to justice and reduce harm. Her work on Trauma-Informed Lawyering is featured in the Canadian Supreme Court Law Review and the “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)” conference series convened by California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. She created traumainformedlaw.org to serve as a collaborative knowledge base for trauma-informed legal practice principles and tools. Helgi is a graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law with an M.A. from Carleton University, and joined the Ontario Bar in 2003; the New York Bar in 2005. In addition, Helgi has trained with various subject matter experts and groups on trauma-informed practices and intergenerational trauma patterns, including the International Dialogue Initiative training with Dr. Vamik Volkan on bringing psychological understanding to conflict resolution in the context of large group identity and societal conflict. She’s also a mindfulness meditation and restorative movement teacher. In addition, Helgi has acted as a consultant for a leading legal technology and data analytics company.
For further information, see https://www.linkedin.com/in/helgimaki/
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
— Lawyer for over 15 years, became a partner at a major corporate Law Firm plus two years in Legal Innovation Cconsulting (with a focus on Data Analytics and Process Optimization)
— Law Degree from University of Toronto Law School
— M.A. in International Relations (Political Economy) from Norman Paterson School of International Affairs
— Published Author or Trauma and Toxic Stress in the Legal Profession, including a peer reviewed academic paper in the Canadian Supreme Court Law Journal and many speaking & training events in Canada & the United States. Leading co-editor and co-author of a book on Trauma-Informed Lawyering published by the American Bar Association (Practice Management Division)
CERTIFICATIONS & TRAINING
Helgi has Certifications & Training in 4 Primary Areas: Coaching, Mindfulness, Movement and Trauma-Informed Training as follows
Coaching Training:
— Member of the Law Society of Ontario “Coach & Advisor Network”
— Heart Freedom Method Coaching training with Dr. Lise Janelle (certified)
— Advanced Coaching Training with Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin of The Gaia Project (Executive Coaching Program, Advanced Certificate, with a Program created by a Former Lawyer)
— Featured Guide (also known as, Coach) on Sphere, a leading app for Coaching.
— Past member of the Institute of Coaching (IOC) (at McLean, a Harvard Medical School affiliate)
— Lawyer Mentor for over 15 years
Mindfulness Training:
— Holistic Mindfulness Training with Dorna Revie, based in Switzerland (Certified Advanced-level Sophrology Practitioner)
— Presenting Technique Training with Social Presencing Theatre (SPT) Basics Training by Arawana Hayashi.
See: https://www.presencing.org/aboutus/spt
Movement Training:
— Certified Trainer in both the Gyrotonic® and Gyrokinesis® movement methods, including all specialized equipment.
Trauma-Related Training:
— Facilitator and Faculty Assistant trained by Mark Wolynn in inherited family trauma patterns and related family constellations techniques.
— Compassionate Inquiry Method training with Dr. Gabor Maté
— Bessel Van der Kolk’s Certificate Program in Traumatic Stress studies (Online Course 2018, not license or certificate from PESI /The Trauma Centre at JRI)
— Dr. Vamik Volkan & Dr. Gerry Fromm of International Dialogue Initiative (IDI), workshop on “Large Group Identity & Societal Conflict: Bringing a Psychological Understanding to Conflict Resolution.