Meet Kristina
Hello, Bonjour! I'm Kristina Mausser.
I help you move fromÂ
I Don't Know to What's Next
How IÂ became the founder of helm.
My career has been a study in reinvention. From being made redundant — and not knowing who I was without the job — to building my first international consulting business. From my last dime to stock options at Shopify. From a corporate credit card to Starbucks barista and starving student. From "that'll never work" to Canada's 40 Under 40. I learned early that the ladder is a myth — and that success is something you get to define for yourself.
Before business, I was an English major who believed the arts could prepare people for jobs that hadn't been invented yet. That hunch paid off: it led me to Shopify, where I helped lead design on some of its earliest bets in AR/VR and AI — and eventually to founding helm.
Along the way, I've advised the C-suite at organizations like the Bank of Canada, PepsiCo, and the Ford Foundation on change and organizational transformation, spoken on stages across North America and Europe, and earned my stripes as a Rotman-certified executive coach and a member of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School affiliate. Some things you plan. Others are TBD — and I've built a career out of getting comfortable there.
Now, I help leaders and teams do the same: navigate the complex, often liminal and ambiguous spaces of modern work, while staying at the helm of their own path. Because you can't always choose the waters. But you can always choose your bearing.
You should know...
- My approach is part science, part design, part business. I draw on neuroscience, Gestalt, and adult development theory — but I also think like a designer, with an instinct for what actually moves a business forward. Better questions, small experiments, first principles. It's less "here's the answer" and more "let's prototype your way there."
- I'm Rotman-certified, and I actually mean the "evidence-based" part. The coaching I do is grounded in research, not vibes — through the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. I'm a certified Hogan practitioner, with additional training in systemic team coaching through the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School affiliate.
- I live in rural Canada and work with clients everywhere. I keep an office in Ottawa, and I've advised individuals and organizations across North America, Europe, and beyond.
- I once led teams across 5 time zones. I still can't figure out the 24-hour clock.
- Outside of work, I'm an avid reader, a lifelong gamer, and slowly learning that golf and knitting requires the same patience IÂ encourage in my clients.
