About Candeo
Coaching and Facilitation
The word Candeo is latin and it means "to Shine / to grow brilliant".
The logo is a stylised flame to denote the spark of transformation.
Candeo was created to provide a high value & highly personalised service to help individuals and organisations to grow brilliant and transform.
"My purpose is to help people see more, know more and
be more in their professional and personal lives"
About Me
Leah Sparkes - After graduating with a Bachelors in Business and Economics from Memorial University of NFLD in Canada, I arrived in sunny Sydney after a global travel adventure and began a 15 year accidental career in sales and marketing in the IT industry.
Somewhere along the line I had the amazing life changing moment of meeting a young south African (mad keen sailor ) who swept me off my feet and off the Caribbean for a truly grand sea adventure running a charter yacht in the British Virgin Islands for almost 2 years. While it seemed like a crazy thing to do at the time..it turned into three years of adventure that ended with me married and a mother of a beautiful son. It also led to a period of deep reflection on my life and corporate career; while there were some highlights for the most part my work experiences were quite underwhelming. Poor leadership, toxic cultures and low emotional intelligence on my part and in some of the teams I worked with left me feeling depleted and uninspired professionally and personally. I had an epiphany while sailing down island to Nevis. That work should be engaging and challenging..a source of growth and satisfaction..not just a way to make ends meet. This requires intentional action. A flourishing life can be cultivated though self knowledge and practices; and that personal growth is the only thing that really fuels success and happiness in our lives.
So the past 15 years has been a quest about discovering what helps me feel more engaged in work and flourish in life and this quest has fuelled my studies and is the focus of my business and underpins how I live my life. I describe myself as a late bloomer who has taken the long hard road, making all the mistakes but thankfully learning the lessons along the way. A hard earned wisdom and deep empathy for those on the road is what I bring to my business.
“Investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make. It will not only improve your life, it will improve the lives of all those around you.” ―Robin Sharma
I completed a Graduate Diploma in Counseling and Communications from the Australian School of Applied Psychology. I have also completed the Certificate IV in Training & Assessment and Coaching studies with the Institute of Leadership and Executive Coaching. I am accredited in a number of psychometric tools including Genos Emotional Intelligence and The Leadership Circle. I have recently completed a Certification in Foundations of Neuroleadership and Strategic Human Resources from the University of Newcastle. I also completed a 6 month Mindfulness based emotional Intelligence training (game changing) from the Search Inside yourself Institute. And I endlessly devour podcasts and books on all things related to human potential and leadership.
Leah Sparkes - After graduating with a Bachelors in Business and Economics from Memorial University of NFLD in Canada, I arrived in sunny Sydney after a global travel adventure and began a 15 year accidental career in sales and marketing in the IT industry.
Somewhere along the line I had the amazing life changing moment of meeting a young south African (mad keen sailor ) who swept me off my feet and off the Caribbean for a truly grand sea adventure running a charter yacht in the British Virgin Islands for almost 2 years. While it seemed like a crazy thing to do at the time..it turned into three years of adventure that ended with me married and a mother of a beautiful son. It also led to a period of deep reflection on my life and corporate career; while there were some highlights for the most part my work experiences were quite underwhelming. Poor leadership, toxic cultures and low emotional intelligence on my part and in some of the teams I worked with left me feeling depleted and uninspired professionally and personally. I had an epiphany while sailing down island to Nevis. That work should be engaging and challenging..a source of growth and satisfaction..not just a way to make ends meet. This requires intentional action. A flourishing life can be cultivated though self knowledge and practices; and that personal growth is the only thing that really fuels success and happiness in our lives.
So the past 15 years has been a quest about discovering what helps me feel more engaged in work and flourish in life and this quest has fuelled my studies and is the focus of my business and underpins how I live my life. I describe myself as a late bloomer who has taken the long hard road, making all the mistakes but thankfully learning the lessons along the way. A hard earned wisdom and deep empathy for those on the road is what I bring to my business.
“Investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make. It will not only improve your life, it will improve the lives of all those around you.” ―Robin Sharma
I completed a Graduate Diploma in Counseling and Communications from the Australian School of Applied Psychology. I have also completed the Certificate IV in Training & Assessment and Coaching studies with the Institute of Leadership and Executive Coaching. I am accredited in a number of psychometric tools including Genos Emotional Intelligence and The Leadership Circle. I have recently completed a Certification in Foundations of Neuroleadership and Strategic Human Resources from the University of Newcastle. I also completed a 6 month Mindfulness based emotional Intelligence training (game changing) from the Search Inside yourself Institute. And I endlessly devour podcasts and books on all things related to human potential and leadership.