Speaker Spotlight – Irene Nizzero
“Goal setting is really about adopting different habits and putting all of the elements in place that will make those new habits work and stick.”
As some of you may have noticed, most of the presenters for all of our events have some kind of personal connection to Tracy and Kamal, and the work they do through Sophia Financial Group and Sophia Wealth Academy.
For Irene Nizzero, the connection with Tracy goes back over 40 years to when they were both attending the University of Windsor in Ontario. It’s a story they both like to tell as it highlights how different things were back then, but also how they were destined to be friends.
“I was a TA for Dr. Al Malone, one of my favourite psychology professors,” says Irene. “Tracy was taking one of his classes, The Psychology of Communication.” Dr. Malone had invited both of them out for dinner during the semester, as he strongly felt that they should meet and would get along. Because they were so close to the border, he decided to take them out to dinner in Detroit. “It is hysterical when I think about how many rules he broke in those days that exist today,” Irene says laughing. “At the time none of this seemed peculiar, as we didn’t have all these rules that we do today.”
Irene remembers Dr. Malone as being a bit eccentric but overall a very nice man. “He wasn’t wrong,” says Irene.
“We really did hit it off, Tracy and I. That was the beginning of this 40 year friendship.”
When it came to kicking off the first Wise Money Talks session of the season, Tracy did not hesitate to reach out to Irene whose passion for coaching and teaching was a perfect fit for setting the stage with a webinar on goal setting. As a Certified Coach, teacher and presenter on themes related to human resilience and flourishing, Irene’s approach is deeply rooted in being strengths-based, proactive and empowering.
Irene taught Psychology at Cambrian College in Sudbury where she specialized in positive psychology. Several years ago, she also became interested in coaching, eventually achieving certification in 2017. “Coaching is very proactive,” says Irene. “It is not about fixing anything but helping people recognize their potential. Positive Psychology is about answering the same thing.” As an Executive Coach, Irene now mostly works with new executives and managers.
As well as being an accomplished coach and teacher, Irene also has a 4th Degree Black Belt in Goju Ryu Karate and ran a marathon in her 50s.
Irene is looking forward to sharing her expertise and personal experience around the pros and cons of being goal-driven as well as exploring different kinds of goals and their outcomes through her free session on September 15th, Goal Setting: Fact and Fiction. Register early as these events fill up fast!
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Listen to Irene’s Wise Money Talks Goal Setting: Fact and Fiction workshop on our YouTube channel.
