Meet Tonya Zee

Tonya Zee is a resilient leader, seasoned business educator, and corporate storyteller who has spent nearly two decades championing Canadian organizations, and the people behind them.

Profiling Canadians across all walks of life. As the founder of Tonya Zee and the Canadian Spotlight Project and creator of the Top 30 Spotlight, she has also worked alongside executives, entreprenee, organizations, and academic institutions to help them recognize potential, strengthen leadership, and tell the stories that inspire growth and lasting impact.

The Power of the First Step

Tonya’s journey of choosing courage over comfort began early. In her early 20s, she was handed a massive, daunting opportunity to deliver a major workshop for a corporate oil company. Though she didn't yet know exactly how she would pull it off, she stepped forward anyway, even through the doubt.

Tonya believes leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about having the courage to take the next step, especially when the path isn’t clear. At the heart of every single project, classroom session, and initiative is her I CAN™ Mindset Framework—a deep, four-part blueprint for overcoming any obstacle:

I - Identity: Remembering that no matter what hardships or challenges life throws our way, we always possess the inner power to return to our purpose and find our grounding.

C - Choice: A gentle, grounding reminder that while life is never easy for anyone, we possess an innate inner strength to take the very next step forward. The one that brings us inner peace.

A - Alignment: We always hold the power to realign our lives with a new pathway, one that will brings us the greatest clairty.

N - Nurturing: Having the courage to change what can be changed, while gracefully accepting the things we cannot.

Every organization has a story. Every person has overcome a challenge. Stories matter.