To design human,
we must understand human

To do, we must be.

Carolyn worked with me for just over two years and when she left we have had difficulty hiring a replacement because she had definitely raised the bar high.

I would describe Carolyn as having just a perfect blend of strategic and implementation skills. Known for her energy, passion and direct and "to the point" communication style I found her to be someone that I could always rely on to get things done on time and on budget. Truly an inspiration to me and the rest of the team by challenging the status quo, adding value along the way with her unique vision, style and focus on the business objective at hand.

A great person to brainstorm with, I always found Carolyn to be very creative, full of energy, conscientious and loyal.

It was a bittersweet day when she announced she was leaving to start up her own digital marketing agency. Sorry to see her go but very happy and excited for her and her new venture. It’s no surprise that her business is doing so well and so fast as I’d guess that her clients are having the same great experience that I enjoyed with her.

When we were planning the first Lean Startup Machine Conference in Canada, we were a week or so away from our go/no-go decision. And we had less than one-half of the registrants we needed. We were not optimistic that we would be able to move ahead with the event.

And then Carolyn joined the team. And wow, what a difference!

Through her energy, bold-nature, persistence, awesome ideas and wide connections we just rocketed forward. By the cut-off date, we had more attendees than we needed and she had expanded our sponsors to boot. The event was a roaring success and had the largest attendance of any Lean Startup Machine in the world. And I credit a lot of that success to Carolyn.

Carolyn is thoughtful, empathetic, focused and always knows how to plan and execute the next move. I would love an opportunity to work with Carolyn again … and so should you.

Carolyn is a very knowledgeable, inventive, and reliable individual. We are really fortunate to have her as a trusted advisor on our startup. She has opened up many doors for us in our customer and business development stages thanks to her large network.

She is not afraid to be honest and tell you if and when you are not on the right track, which is quite refreshing to hear. We really love the way she tackles problems as they present themselves with an out-of-the-box approach.

Working with Carolyn provided me with an opportunity to observe someone who is not only dedicated to their business, but who is also dedicated to teaching those she works with and helping them to grow.

Her leadership style gave me the chance to take on many different tasks, and she allowed me the freedom to take my own directions and initiatives when making decisions regarding those tasks.

Carolyn’s guidance created an environment that was structured around my growth, both personally and within the organization. When I was in need of assistance, she was more than happy to give me the tools I needed, but was also willing to step back and let me figure out the solution on my own – something I valued greatly, as it showed the faith that she had in my abilities.

I attribute a large amount of the growth that I have experienced since working with thirdocean to working closely with Carolyn. Her leadership and guidance have taught me valuable lessons, and the overall experience working with her has continually been one that is positive and welcoming

Carolyn hosted a workshop for over 120 international student delegates at our August leadership forum. She provided them industry expertise on validating ideas and knowing if your product is ready for the market.

She used real life examples, engaged the students and had them leave feeling confident in applying their skills to a business challenge.

Carolyn is professional, fun and approachable. We'd love to have her back!

Carolyn is an asset to any organization. Her in depth knowledge of her field as well as her passion for innovation and strategy has helped us get ready to take our business to the next level.

You can count on Carolyn for honest answers and advice that will benefit you and your company in the long run. It has been a pleasure working with Carolyn and I look forward to her continued insight and involvement in the start up community.

My name is Patrick O' Hara. I am a grade six teacher in Vancouver. I had the great opportunity to attend a Teachers Learning Code Workshop for my Professional Development.

With the introduction of the new curriculum to BC, teachers across Canada were both excited and a little overwhelmed with one of the new teaching requirements; teaching basic coding skills.

I can honestly stay that I felt a little anxious to learn and teach something that I had little previous experience with. And, I was not alone in feeling this way. My colleagues also expressed trepidation; but, we were all excited to learn a new skill and to share our learning with our students. But how?

The workshop hosted by Teachers Learning Code was exactly what I needed. The message that I really appreciated was that we did not have to expertise in coding, but facilitators of learning.

I would like to commend Carolyn Van, Director of Program Design of Canada Learning Code for reinforcing this throughout the workshop. It was expressed that we should not feel like we have all the answers, but rather create questions - and problem solving strategies within ourselves and our students that lead to critical thinking skills and learning.