Alana Tart Coaching

Certified coach (ICF-ACC, CPCC, NARM), mindfulness teacher (BAMBA, Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body) with a background in psychology working with clients at inflection points (including when quietly asking: “is this still what I want?”).

This work is practical, strategic, and deeply human, helping you reconnect with clarity, capacity, and a sense of meaning that fits from the inside out.

Coaching & Mindfulness (Individual or Group, inc MBSR)

The Legal Director

The Legal Director  (TLD) is a fully regulated law firm that provides businesses with experienced, high-calibre lawyers on a fractional or flexible basis. 

As part of TLD I work with SMEs as a fractional/part time General Counsel advising on all areas of business law including:
- Commercial Law and Contracts (including customer, supplier and distributor agreements)
- Technology agreements (waterfall/agile/SaaS)
- NDAs & Confidentiality Agreements
- Crisis Management
-Cyber security (readiness and breaches)
- Data protection
- Competition and Anti-trust issues
- Dispute resolution
- Risk Management

Client Legal Director

Dominant Information Solutions Canada (DISC) Inc

Dominant Information Solutions Canada Inc (DISC) is a niche provider of security consulting service. We service industry and government clients by providing services that include: developing cyber security programs, designing and engineering cyber security and IT solutions, breach response services, and providing risk assessment and management services. DISC works with clients to examine new and innovative technologies from the Canada and overseas to ensure customers get an optimal return on investment from their capability. 

Since 2019, DISC has been a leading global innovator in niche satellite engineering and security, receiving multiple research grants for methods to improve the health and operational success of satellites.

DISC also specializes in providing Subject Matter Expert advice to court cases, and has provided court opinions in high profile cases in Canada such as the class action suites against Lifelabs, Capital One, and Facebook.

General Counsel and Board Director

The Mentor Well

The Mentor Well aims to provide teens and young adults with essential life skills, emotional support, and personal growth opportunities through one-on-one mentoring, group mentoring, and various online courses. We focus on fostering long-term development and mental wellness in an increasingly complex world, equipping young individuals to navigate their futures confidently.

COO, General Counsel, Mentor

Philip Morris International

Senior Counsel

Ascential Plc

Ascential is a specialist, global, publicly listed information company that helps the world’s most ambitious businesses (e.g. P&G, Unilever, Nestle, gsk, Bayer, Philips, hp) win in the digital economy by providing business-critical intelligence, world-class events and advice to enable smart decision-making for businesses. It operates from 39 offices around the world serving customers in over 150 countries. Its brands include Edge, Flywheel, WGSN, Medialink, Cannes Lions and Money 2020.

Legal Director (Group) at Ascential

Ooyala (acquired Videoplaza)

A global online video platform, offering best-of-breed online video analytics and monetization solutions that boost revenues from video. Part of Telstra Corporation Limited from 2014 until 2018.

Senior Corporate Counsel (responsible for EMEA)

Videoplaza (acquired by Ooyala)

Videoplaza's mission was to empower broadcasters and video publishers to build profitable and sustainable businesses in the internet-delivered TV world. More than 50% of the broadcasters in Europe run their advertising businesses on Videoplaza's flagship offering Karbon (Videoplaza’s customers include M6 (France) and IP Deutschland (Germany), TV4 (Sweden), Mediaset (Spain), STV (U.K.), MediaCorp (Asia), Sony Entertainment India and Singapore's Mediacorp). The technology, built for video, is device agnostic and empowers publishers to trade across sales channels, maximising the value of their audiences. Videoplaza's services were offered globally and the company had local teams across Europe and Asia.

Head of Legal and Company Secretary

Latham & Watkins

An integrated, multinational full-service law that provides strategic and innovative legal solutions to clients' complex business and legal challenges.

Associate

Virgin Media

The first "quadruple-play" media company in the United Kingdom, offering television, internet, mobile phone and fixed-line telephone services. It had ~5M customers in 2012 and revenue of £4.1B. Now part of Liberty Global.

Secondee from Latham & Watkins- Associate Counsel (Regulatory and Digital Entertainment)

Executive Coach | Mindfulness teacher | General Counsel (ex BigLaw, ex Fortune 100) | Outdoor enthusiast

Values driven leaders and high achievers turn to me for the hidden dynamics that make or break careers. Most come to me for one of three reasons:

✨ They’re facing huge change and uncertainty and want someone in their corner who understands.

✨ They don’t know what they want and are looking for clarity about their next steps.

✨ They’re ready to create more meaningful impact.

Beneath each of these challenges are the same hidden dynamics, the patterns that leave people feeling like they’ve lost the map, unable to see what’s really driving their choices or holding them back.

Maybe you’ve been putting off reaching out to a coach. I did the same. Self-sufficiency works… until it doesn’t. (If I’m honest, it cost me professionally. Years.)

Maybe you’re not even sure coaching would help. Or hardest of all, like many of my clients, you’re not sure what you want anymore, and you’re starting to wonder if you ever really did.

As a certified coach (ICF-ACC, CPCC, NARM), mindfulness teacher, and with my background in psychology and law (I am still also a General Counsel), I help clients rewire their brain and nervous system, align with their values and who they are becoming, and build the self-awareness to not only recognize but confidently overcome or use the hidden dynamics to intentionally shape their lives and careers.

I offer private coaching, practical tools and group classes.

Book a call: tidycal.com/alanatart

Rob Lowe and his trolling son give a master class in having your value noticed 👇 

The steps are:
1. Work hard.
2. Achieve real things.
3. Do not explicitly mention achievements
4. Post a sweaty workout selfie in front of evidence of those achievements
5. Have your kid roast you in the comments for “accidentally” standing in front of them

That’s it. That’s the whole playbook.

Here is why it works:

Status is granted, not claimed

But status can be signalled:
-sweaty workout = effort, discipline, grind
-framed achievements = elite recognition 
-son's roast = secure in self + close relationships
-humour = warmth

Together they = unforced authority

Self-promotion backfires when it feels forced or manipulative.

This is the cheat code: show how you want to be seen, don’t point it out yourself. Bonus points if you’re funny and someone else does the pointing.

--
And yes, everything about this is tongue in cheek, but it still holds valuable lessons on how people get their value noticed.

Alana Tart

Coach, Teacher, Trusted Advisor | Also a General Counsel (ex Fortune 100, ex BigLaw) and Board Director | Soft heart, steel spine.

My 14-year-old sending me this hit a sore spot
 
Work-life angst is just as real as they age
 
(For those with kids in their teens childcare days can seem rosy)
 
Trying to find the rhythm in which you thrive
Is like catching the perfect wave while surfing.
 
It is a daily (sometimes hourly) challenge.
 
The two things that I have learnt:
 
1️⃣ There’s a difference between being with tension and being in tension.
 One is grounded. The other is draining.

2️⃣ Values don’t eliminate trade-offs, they legitimize them
 The work is continuing to define, refine, and align with what matters most.
 
 And yes keeping a sense of humour helps.

P.S. This week, my kids are with their grandparents. Another learning: sustainable systems rely on community. It really does take a village.

If I could give my younger self one piece of career advice, it would be do more of this 👇 

Yesterday I wrote to the litigation lawyers I met at the County of Carleton Law Association conference last week in Montreal
 
Some would call that “networking,” but that makes it sound transactional.

We’re human. We’re built to connect

Early in my career, I prioritised getting work done over building relationships. I also worried about seeming self-interested or opportunistic

But I’ve realised I’m always grateful when people reach out to me, whether for help or just to say hello

Avoiding outreach so you “don’t bother people” isn’t humble, it’s protective

You’re protecting your own comfort instead of giving others the chance to say yes

Most careers don’t stall because of a competence problem, but because of a connection problem

The best thing you can do for your career is to build relationships proactively and give generously.

Not because you want something, but because this is the actual work of a career: letting other people know you, trust you, and think of you when it counts.

P.S. That colourful postcard went to my family. My fellow litigators prefer email; the point is to show up in the way that connects best with each person.

My biggest frustration with the leadership industry:

It teaches people how they "should" behave and leaves them confused when it doesn’t work.

Be collaborative.
Be authentic.
Be fair.

Those are great ideas

They’re just not what usually drives advancement

Outcomes at work are shaped by power and status:
💠who has discretion over decisions
💠whose voice carries weight
💠how performance gets interpreted
💠what behaviours are rewarded

That’s why people can do “all the right things” and still get stuck.

An easy example:

You can build the conditions for great work (trust, clarity, a healthy team) and still stall if your organisation values visibility, sponsorship, and perceived scope

If you feel stuck, shift the questions:

Instead of: Am I being a good leader?
Ask: What actually gets rewarded here?

Instead of: Why isn’t my work being noticed?
Ask: Who decides and what do they pay attention to?

Instead of: I’m doing what they say matters.
Ask: Who advanced recently, and what did they do differently?

Instead of: This feels unfair.
Ask: Unfair relative to what definition, and who gets to define it?

Paradoxically, the leaders who best live the “shoulds” are the ones who read the system and act with agency and effectiveness.

They focus on what shapes outcomes so that they can

--
Follow me Alana Tart for more like this

Been a little quiet here. I’ve been walking my talk.

In truth, the only audience I really care about is two humans: one nearly 13 and one nearly 15.

The age of eye-rolling and not wanting to listen to me, their mom.

But they watch everything. Including whether I do what I say.

At the heart of my coaching work, including my Power, Purpose and Presence program, is compassion paired with agency: 

a sense of authorship, especially when life events weren’t chosen.

So I started a property investment business.

Not because everyone should do that.

But because when your sense of security comes from one place, you carry the fear of losing it (even if only subconsciously)

Building options changes how you show up: steadier, clearer, and more able to lead.

It’s one of the simplest ways I know to show, not tell Power, Purpose and Presence.

“This job title doesn’t reflect your value.”

My CEO’s comment named something we rarely say out loud

Job titles are about who and what is valued in an organization

This is why 70% of office workers prefer a better job title over a raise*

Dismissing that as “just ego” is a morally comfortable way to ignore how organisations really work

Feeling valued is a fundamental human need

We lose compassion and connection when we deny that

My CEO’s comment reflected what he values: Dominant Information Solutions Canada (DISC) Inc's ability to develop its people

One way we do this is by providing expert witness testimony and litigation strategy and support in cyber and tech cases

(For our mostly ex-military team, used to briefing Generals and senior politicians, cross-examination simply exercises a well-trained muscle)

On paper, this is our lowest ROI activity

Yet we’re looking to grow it because it builds confidence, visibility, and team glue (it is fun!)

As a lawyer and executive coach, I play a key part in that

Which is why my CEO says the title on my card doesn’t reflect my value

The paradox: once you really understand this, you care enough about titles to use them wisely, but you stop needing them to tell you what you’re worth

*see https://lnkd.in/ekBV7Gn5

Happy US Thanksgiving!

Canadian Thanksgiving was last month. The same…and different.

I’m Canadian and have spent most of my career abroad.

Now that I mostly work with Canadians, it feels…easy.

How people communicate, decide, and build trust just makes sense. 

That ease reveals a tension I see with coaching clients:
👉You want to succeed anywhere
👉Yet your impact depends on speaking the local “social and emotional language”

Organisations and countries face this too: How to be inclusive and still keep our culture

A few truths I keep coming back to:

💠 Cultural fluency is a skill to hone; “cultural fit” often hides bias.
💠 In another culture, you’re playing an away game; your usual signals land differently.
💠Power often comes from reading the room and attuning with intention

The work, for many of us, is to:
💠Notice where things feel effortless and what that shows about your style.
💠Build range to flex (tone, pace, directness) without losing yourself.
💠Stop reading struggle as proof you’re not enough.

You can be most fluent in some places
And still grow the capacity to show up powerfully anywhere.

Same person. Different context.

Same…and different.


Picture taken by me last week in Montreal airport. The Christmoose is in front of the departure gate to the US (Etats is States in French).

When asked what we want, we still default to work:

a title, a promotion, more money, a different way of working, perhaps not working at all

We still respond like children being asked what we’ll be when we grow up

As if career is the only language we’ve ever been taught to dream in

Me?

At this time of year I want a four-meter Christmas tree forklifted onto my car.

(picture taken by me at the Christmas tree farm this weekend)

I live in a country where this made national headlines 👇 

It’s endearing. And it’s revealing:

Stories like this rise to the top when there aren’t bigger, more urgent problems competing for attention

In a quiet way, they reinforce the sense that things are largely under control.

Which made me think about work

Where you place your attention shapes how things feel for you and your team.

When we focus on the ordinary, we’re signalling: there’s nothing larger, scarier, or out of control that you should be worrying about.

Confidence...steadiness...calm...are inferred, not asserted.

Also: now I want cake.

Most are unaware of the real drivers of their outcomes 

Blind spots, the unconscious, the power dynamics that shape our world…

It’s ongoing work to bring these to the surface and to face them

But they’re always there. 

When I started my career, I had a clear dream: to build a life that held both my and my husband’s cultures and geographies

(For context: I’m a Canadian with a British husband, now living in Switzerland.)

That dream was specific to me. Yours will have been different

I was told it was unrealistic, not sensible, unconventional, unworkable...

So I stopped consciously dreaming, and let myself be blindly guided instead

Now, in the second half of my career, I’m living that original dream

Not by fate, but by leaning into it and forces of power: my position, resources, relationships, and reputation

Once you understand what really shapes your path, you can start to design your life instead of explaining it.

(Canada’s Parliament in Ottawa, where I am this week. It’s –9°C… this dream really is uniquely mine 🥶)

My 14-year-old just called.

“Look what I bought Daddy for Christmas!”

Me: “Where did you get the money?”

Her: “Daddy’s credit card.”
 (It’s linked to my bank.)

And that is why I’m at my desk while she is in the UK shopping... 🤣

The difference between a career that suffocates and a career that excites often comes down to how you communicate your value. For most, that’s hard. You can improve by doing it for someone else.

For example, here’s my colleague at Dominant Information Solutions Canada (DISC) Inc,  Rip, PEng, MSc, CD:

Rip provides clear, defensible expert opinions in complex technology, cybercrime, and privacy matters. 

He translates dense technical events into evidence that courts, regulators, and decision-makers can confidently rely on.

He is:
-a nationally recognized cybersecurity and cyber operations authority
-an experienced leader of complex technical and intelligence operations for Canada and the United States
-a recipient of the U.S. Defense Meritorious Service Medal, awarded by President Biden
-recognized as the top hunter on the World Economic Forum’s international cybercrime hunting team
-a licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario
-a former leader of cyber capabilities within the Canadian Armed Forces

Rip is also humble, collaborative, and a quiet leader.

Give it a try: tell me about one of your colleagues.

Because the more you practice naming the value you see in others, the easier it becomes to claim your own

And then move toward the career you actually deserve, not just the one you ended up in.

--
I’m halfway through the first Power, Purpose, and Presence cohort, helping people build the skills, and overcome the barriers, to the careers they deserve. This week is all about reputation, positioning and visibility.

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