FOUNDER and PRINCIPAL

Educator, Consultant, and Coach

Jessica’s journey to better understand and support older adults and people living with dementia began in high school, sparking a lifelong commitment to this work. With more than 20 years of experience across community services, long-term care, retirement living, research, and education alongside personal caregiving and care-partnering experience - Jessica brings both depth and empathy to her work along with her expertise as a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and Certified Dialogue Education Practitioner.

While much of Jessica’s work is informed by her experience in aging and dementia, her practice extends more broadly to how people, teams, and systems navigate complexity, change, and growth. She partners with individuals, teams, and organizations working in people-centred environments to strengthen leadership, learning, and everyday practice in ways that are responsive and sustainable. Her background spans leadership development, education, research, health care operations, community building, facilitation, and strategic consulting - all grounded in the belief that meaningful change begins with relationships, reflection, and shared understanding.

Jessica is deeply passionate about individual and organizational development and the conditions that allow people and systems to thrive. Her work focuses on cultivating strong cultures and teams, advancing innovative and promising practices, supporting learning that translates into practice, and navigating change with intention. She draws on strengths-based coaching, collaborative inquiry, and human-centred design principles to help individuals and teams clarify what matters most and imagine new ways forward. Her facilitation and learning design are informed by participatory and adult learning approaches that support authentic, sustainable change.

Jessica’s contributions have influenced research, operational practice, and health policy at a national level. In 2018, she was honoured to be among a small group invited to speak at Canada’s first National Dementia Conference, and in recognition of her contributions to advancing culture change in aging, she was named a 2022 Walk with Me Trailblazer. Her work also extends internationally through collaborative learning exchanges and speaking engagements focused on building more inclusive, empowering, and humane systems of care and support.

Beyond her consulting, coaching, and educational work, Jessica serves on several boards and advisory committees focused on innovation, equity, and aging. These roles keep her closely connected to emerging trends and system-level conversations, while reinforcing her commitment to advancing inclusive, human-centred organizations and communities.

On a personal note, Jessica is deeply committed to her family - her two children, supportive husband, and much-loved dog - and she actively cares for elders within her family. She finds joy in time spent with loved ones, meaningful connection with colleagues across aging services, trying new foods, continuous learning, and mentoring newcomers to Canada and students preparing for careers in health care and senior living.

PARTNER

Dementia Advocate, Author, and Lived Experience Facilitator

Mary Beth is a pioneering international dementia advocate and author, recognized for shaping Canadian dementia policies and human rights. Since her diagnosis in 2012 with probable behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia at 45, Mary Beth has been on a journey to seize each day, live well, and help people who have been touched by dementia.

A founding member and Chair of the Ontario Dementia Advisory Group (ODAG) and Dementia Advocacy Canada (DAC), Mary Beth has played a pivotal role in shaping dementia-related policies and initiatives. Her commitment to fostering awareness and understanding of dementia led to a number of impactful opportunities including testifying before the Canadian Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, contributing to the first Canadian National Dementia Conference, and serving on the inaugural Canadian Ministerial Advisory Board on Dementia.

In addition to their advocacy efforts, Mary Beth and her partner Dawn Baxter, serve as Lived Experience Co-Facilitators within the Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO) team. This role enables them to provide valuable input into various BSO initiatives, leveraging their lived experiences to shape and enhance support services, and advocate for those affected by dementia across Canada. Mary Beth and Dawn's advocacy journey is not only a testament to their resilience but also a source of inspiration for the broader community. By openly sharing their challenges, triumphs, and insights, they continue to shape a more compassionate and informed society that embraces and supports individuals living with dementia. Additionally, Mary Beth’s unique position as a lesbian in Canada living with dementia amplifies her commitment to speak up and advocate for herself and others who face similar challenges on both fronts.

In her personal time, Mary Beth enjoys spending meaningful moments with her supportive partner Dawn, beautiful daughter, and two lovely grandchildren. She also loves researching the latest technological innovations that can help her and others live well, and enjoys her daily walks with her “fur baby”.

Mary Beth is the designated family historian and enjoys the literary arts including contributing to many published works. Her book, “Dignity & Dementia: Carpe Diem” is comprised of a collection of her own personal journal entries that captures her life experiences from the time of diagnosis through the first six years of her journey with dementia. Readers alike have found the sharing of her lived experiences immensely helpful. “Your journal was very inspiring to me - especially when I could see how you turned words into action by truly living each day as if it were your last. That inspired me to do the same and follow in your footsteps.” (Anonymous quote from reader)

COLLABORATIVE PARTNER

Registered Kinesiologist, Educator, and Consultant

For over 15 years, Amy has established a successful career as a Registered Kinesiologist. Her diverse clinical background is inclusive of training and rehabilitating youth and adults, professional athletes and Special Olympian’s. Her passion over the last decade however has been rooted in eldercare. Shattering boundaries of society’s often negative views on what aging entails is what drives Amy to continue to focus on the long term care and retirement sector.

Working as both a Kinesiologist and wellness leader, she has developed signature programs that focus on a holistic approach to regaining and maintaining a person’s independence. Her expertise in gerontology, falls prevention, and exercising with comorbidities has lent her to being a guest speaker at the University’s of Waterloo and Guelph Humber, as well as at the Ontario Long Term Care Conference.

Having been inspired by the wisdom of her elders to enjoy life to the fullest, Amy can often be found reading a good mystery novel and traveling extensively with her husband and son.

COLLABORATIVE PARTNER

Holistic Health & Wellness Coach and Educator

Neelam is a mother of two and a long time civilian member of the local police service. Over the past 20 years, she has developed a love of natural health and wellness. It’s importance became more evident after she realized the negative effects that shift work had on her while she was having to balance supporting her immediate family and her elders.

Neelam is a student of Ayurveda, a 5000 year old system of healing and wellness rooted in India, which emphasizes the importance of learning our true nature and bringing balance back to ourselves as intended. Ayurveda focuses on balancing the body, mind, and spirit to prevent and treat diseases.

She is passionate about helping to empower others on caring for their mind, body, and soul. Neelam is also an advocate for people who are often marginalized and frequently speaks to the importance of inclusion in her voluntary work.

Neelam loves nature, connecting with like-minded individuals, and is constantly learning. She is a firm believer of the value of collaboration and you can often find her supporting other women-owned businesses.

COLLABORATIVE PARTNER

Educator, Consultant and Activist

Evy has been a dedicated leader in the aging and healthcare space since 1976, with experience spanning both Canada and the U.S. Her journey began as a student nurse during an internship in a long-term care home in Toronto. At the time, people living with what was then called “senility” were often restrained and heavily medicated. Witnessing these inhumane conditions at just 21 years old, Evy knew there had to be a better, more compassionate way.

That moment set the course for her life’s work—advocating for dignity, respect, and person-centered care for older adults. Over the years, Evy became a Therapeutic Touch practitioner and trained in the Validation Approach, deepening her commitment to holistic and individualized care. She emerged as a champion of culture change, helping to shift the way society understands and supports people living with dementia.

Throughout her career, Evy has worked across the continuum of care, from long-term care to adult day programs to consulting with multi-site aging service providers, and has been recognized internationally as a leader in the culture change movement.

Her professional insights are grounded in personal experience as well. Evy was a devoted care partner to her father, who lived with Lewy Body dementia—a role that deepened her empathy and understanding of the family caregiving journey.

Today, Evy lives a full and joyful life with her husband of 48 years, Eoin, her daughter, and her delightful granddaughter born in 2023. She also shares her home with Bodhi, a loving and affectionate cat who lives up to his name.

COLLABORATIVE PARTNER

Nursing Leader, Educator, and Consultant

Jacqui is an internationally educated nurse with over 30 years of experience. She has worked in many different specialties over the course of her career.

For the last 20 years, Jacqui has been living and working in Canada and spent much of her career in the aging services and senior living space.

Jacqui has a lot of experience in accreditation, policy and quality improvement work. She truly feels that her work centers on how she can help improve the lives of seniors.

Proud mum of an adult daughter and two rescue fur babies who have brought a world of love and joy to her life. Jacqui also loves to travel and has been to many countries and stopped counting after 35. She is happiest at home surrounded by and with loved ones.

COLLABORATIVE PARTNER

Lived Experience Facilitator, Educator, and Coach

Katharina has a unique combination of pedagogical expertise, social pedagogical insight, and personal experience as an active family caregiver/care partner. Her personal and professional experiences have fostered a deep understanding of the emotional and psychological needs of those affected by dementia.

Her firsthand caregiving/care partnering experience adds authenticity and empathy, while her trauma-informed approach ensures that support is tailored to the emotional well-being of both individuals living with dementia and their families.

Katharina is very passionate about raising awareness, fostering empathy, and creating safe spaces for open dialogue, to not only inform but also to empower individuals and communities to approach dementia with knowledge and care.

COLLABORATIVE PARTNER

Dementia Advocate, Educator, Consultant, and Facilitator

Laura has developed a diverse skill set and deep experience over the years, including managing large computer systems and documentation projects, management consulting, conference management, curriculum development and writing, graphic design and website development, and virtual meeting management and facilitation.

The experience that impacted her the most, however, was as a family care partner with her mother, who had vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The learning that she took away from that experience has been the foundation for the work that she has focused on since, which includes partnering with people living with dementia to create projects, resources and organizations, and as facilitator and trainer with the interactive theatre project for people living with dementia: To Whom I May Concern®.  Laura also founded Brightreads a company that provides books and shares engaging activities designed specifically for individuls living with dementia.

At the heart of everything Laura does is the belief in the inherent value of each human being. This belief informs her work as a facilitator of meetings, training and collaborative projects, ensuring that every voice is heard and that everyone gets to contribute their value to the effort. 

Laura is used to adapting to change as a military spouse which gives her unique insights with the challenges of being a military family but also a family care partner from a distance. Laura loves to experience different cultures and history through travel.

HOW WE CAME TO BE

JLK Consulting & Coaching Services was founded with the intent to serve and support.

Mary Beth and Jessica firmly believe - “Being of service to others is what brings true happiness.” (Marie Osmond)

Click on this link to read about how JLK Consulting & Coaching Services got started:

Thanks CanvasRebel for the interview!