About

Paula McQuaid, co-founder & in-house research aficionado, drives the way forward for the company from an insight development perspective. She has dedicated the past eight years to understanding what impacts the wellness of individuals and works to bring the information to the sport industry through HONE’s unique platform.

She’s a Gonzaga University graduate with a Master of Counselling and a member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.  When not working with clients as a psychotherapist and growing HONE, she also acts as a Mental Performance Consultant for Hockey Canada’s Women’s U-18 National Team. Paula humbly keeps two Gold (2019 IIHF World Championships, Japan and 2022 IIHF World Championships, Sweden), Silver (2020 IIHF World Championships, Slovakia), and Bronze (2018 IIHF World Championships, Russia) medals in her top drawer.

If not traveling home to PEI every chance she gets, you will find Paula hiking in an effort to earn her “après hike.” Having hung up her cleats long ago, Paula enjoys watching competitive sport; any sport at all in a championship run will catch her attention. She is rarely without Gus the Corgi who loves being around people just as much as Paula.

Jessica, co-founder and resident pitch-connoisseur, leads our growth here at HONE.

Jess was born in Trail, British Columbia and raised in Western Canada, the daughter of two coaches. Jess found her path as a graduate of the University of Lethbridge with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and later received her Masters of Arts in Counselling Psychology from the University of Victoria. Jess is also  a member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.

Jess knew there had to be a better way to tackle the problems she was witnessing in her profession and as a child surrounded by sport (her father a coach in the NHL for 13 years), she was exposed to the importance of  supporting individual wellness in high performing cultures. She became dedicated to bringing to light the ways that leaders can better support development, both as individuals and performers.

Whenever she’s not chasing down new markets for HONE, she’s tracking down local, triple organic fruits and veggies for her family or throwing together a homemade salad dressing for dinner.

Brandy, a University of Saskatchewan alum with a Bachelor’s of Commerce, landed in Toronto for 15 years where she worked with and managed well-known brands like Microsoft and Durex. No stranger to the entrepreneurial spirit, she owned a small business in Mexico and started coaching small business owners on the how-to of “brand-led marketing.”

She joined HONE after returning to Canada and was attracted by the opportunity to be part of a start up effort with PURPOSE.

If not word-smithing copy for HONE, you’ll find this Pinterest addict at home, knee-deep in DIY projects - sanding chairs or making homemade bath bombs.

Susie is our legal counsel at HONE and has been working with the HONE team since its inception.

A practising lawyer and partner in her law firm, Susie began her legal career in the corporate/commercial world before transitioning into child protection work. She is a strong advocate for children and youth and working with HONE allows her to combine her joy for contracts with the human element she loves so much about her practice.

Susie graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Laws degree, and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with First Class Standing from the University of New Brunswick. Having started her legal career in her hometown of Charlottetown, PEI, Susie remains a non-practicing member of the PEI Bar.

Outside of work, Susie likes to camp and hike. She’ll partake in mostly any activity that allows her to bring Howie, her Bernedoodle.

A native Calgarian, Matt  is a seasoned professional with a 30+ year career spanning commercial banking, certified public accounting and many financial roles that lead up to 15 years as CFO for Peak Energy Services.

Since 2011, Matt has run his own CFO Consulting firm and has provided his broad corporate management, financial reporting, forecasting, accounting, and M&A expertise to businesses.

Matt is also a Co-Founder and Director of Whitetail Energy Services Inc. (est. 1995) that specializes in remote communications, surveillance, and rental equipment for a wide variety of industries in Western Canada.

Matt’s business philosophy is to keep management teams grounded through disciplined financial and accounting processes with a close attention to detail and the bottom line.

Carter, born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, is currently in his final year of Commerce at the University of Victoria. His experience as a high-level hockey player throughout his early years led to an overall passion for health, wellness, and performance. 
Carter is inspired by people and experiences that challenge him to grow and change his perspectives, and in turn loves to inspire others to do the same. 
HONE looks forward to contributing to and benefiting from Carter's experiences in business, sales, and customer relations as he assists in developing our full-funnel customer journey.