Tanya Poppleton executive coach

WillowRoots Leadership was founded on one belief: everyone deserves access to honest, grounded, and human-centred leadership support.

Meet Tanya Poppleton

I didn’t set out to build a coaching and consulting firm — I set out to solve a problem I knew too well. Over 30 years of leadership, I’ve worked in environments where the stakes were high, the pressure was real, and the quality of leadership made all the difference. I’ve served as a Gunner with the 7th Toronto Artillery Regiment, built my career from frontline security work to leading multidisciplinary teams as a Senior Director of Campus Safety Operations at a major Toronto post-secondary institution, and spent years in the classroom — both as a student and as an instructor. Through all of it, I saw the same pattern: organizations with the right people, struggling because their leaders didn’t have the right support. That’s why WillowRoots exists.

“We built the kind of support we wished we’d had — grounded, compassionate, and rooted in integrity.”

Tanya Poppleton, Founder & Lead Executive Coach

Experience That Runs Deep

Tanya brings a rare combination of credentials, academic, professional, and lived.

Certifications

ICF-ACC (International Coaching Federation — Associate Certified Coach)
LCP (Leadership Circle Profile™ Certified Practitioner)
CTDP (Certified Training & Development Professional)
Coaching specializations in executive leadership, team dynamics, and organizational effectiveness

Academic

Professional

Certifications

ICF-ACC (International Coaching Federation — Associate Certified Coach)
LCP (Leadership Circle Profile™ Certified Practitioner)
CTDP (Certified Training & Development Professional)
Coaching specializations in executive leadership, team dynamics, and organizational effectiveness

Academic

Professional

Why We Built WillowRoots

WillowRoots wasn’t built in a boardroom. It was built from experience — including the experience of working under harmful leadership, and understanding firsthand how deeply that can affect a person’s confidence, wellbeing, and sense of purpose.
We’ve seen what happens when organizations promote people into leadership without equipping them to lead. We’ve felt the weight of showing up in environments where trust is broken and integrity is in short supply.
And we’ve also seen what’s possible when leaders are supported, challenged, and given the tools to show up better — for their teams, their organizations, and themselves.
That’s the WillowRoots commitment: to help leaders grow with integrity, clarity, and courage — because the people they lead deserve nothing less.

What We Stand For

Integrity First

We say what we mean and do what we say. Every engagement is built on honesty — even when it's hard.

Human-Centred Practice

Leadership is about people. Our coaching and consulting never loses sight of the human behind the title, the team, or the organization.

Growth Over Performance

We're not interested in optics. We care about real, lasting development — the kind that changes how you think, not just how you look.

Clarity as a Foundation

Confusion is the enemy of good leadership. Everything we do is designed to create more clarity — in strategy, in communication, and in self-awareness.

Where We Do Our Best Work

WillowRoots serves individuals and organizations across a range of leadership contexts. Our work is especially well-suited to:

Emerging and mid-career leaders building their leadership identity
Senior executives seeking deeper self-awareness and renewed purpose
Managers navigating team transitions, conflict, or culture challenges
Organizations in the post-secondary, safety, emergency management, and public sector spaces
Teams that need alignment, accountability, and a shared sense of direction

Let's Start a Conversation

The best way to know if WillowRoots is the right fit is to talk. Book a complimentary 30-minute discovery call, no commitment, no pressure, just clarity.