The Center for Human Engagement
Over a decade reclaiming the power of human engagement.
The backstory:
After years of working as a facilitator and leadership development consultant, Russ Hamilton joined the principles of the performing arts with the theories of ontological coaching and launched Connection Lab in 2014. This unique and powerful offer met a large appetite in the world of professional development. Connection Lab modules were soon being delivered worldwide, changing enterprise cultures and helping organizations fulfill their potential, focusing on communication and human engagement. Today, these amazing workshops are available to anyone and everyone who wants to rediscover the power of collaboration and co-creation.
The world of digital saturation needs a counter-balance, and Connection Lab answers that call. Humans are meant to connect, and the potential revealed when presenters and audiences feel seen and heard is unlimited.
What fuels us?
The people we work with astound us every day. Participants overcome considerable anxiety to connect with their audiences — and in doing so, find support, energy, and empathy. It is this courage that restores our faith in business and community.
We are fueled by the feedback we receive from participants who express boundless gratitude for their new understanding and practice.
Why now?
Digital pursuits are extraordinary and profitable, but they are also expensive in ways that are only now fully coming to light. Digital saturation becomes a problem when it erodes the competencies of human engagement. We aim to emphasize that human engagement is at least as powerful and profitable as all things digital.
The human race is just getting started. Welcome to The Center for Human Engagement is for.
Meet the team
Russ founded Connection Lab after decades in broadcasting, film production, and the performing arts. Over 17 years, he's worked with thousands of professionals—from Fortune 500 executives to startup founders—helping them rediscover what they already know how to do. A former competitive bobsledder and Studio 58 graduate, he brings the same intensity to human engagement that he once brought to racing down ice. He hosts the Lab Notes podcast, volunteers with the Canadian Mental Health Association, and lives in North Vancouver with his wife Carolyn and their two cats.
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Carolyn brings 20+ years of technology leadership to Connection Lab, having built and scaled her own server architecture and web development firm before co-founding YouCake, a personalized printing business. Paris-born, NYC-raised, she holds degrees from NYU (MA Education) and Oberlin College, and earned her Connection Facilitator Certification in 2022. Her awards include NYWIA Rising Star (2009) and Public Policy Advocate of the Year (2006). She lives in Vancouver, where she splits her time between operations strategy, facilitation, and ensuring Connection Lab practices what it preaches.
Champions
With decades of experience in product engineering & technology, as a recruiting leader and a manager of software teams, Bradford currently leads product management and development for Bonsai’s search offerings. He also serves part-time as CEO of Kinasait recruiting services. Bradford is the lead engineer behind Connection Lab’s Check-in App. He has volunteered countless hours to help design and build our human engagement tool, extending and supporting the ongoing practice of Connection Lab participants. —Technology consultant, systems thinker, and mentor.
With decades of experience in adult education and employee and leadership development programs, Brenda is a Talent and Organizational Development professional and Certified Leadership Coach. Having worked across both private and government sectors, she brings deep insight and passion to the fields of learning design and organizational development. Brenda has experienced every iteration of Connection Lab since its earliest days. Her long-standing engagement with the work—both personally and in practice—has provided invaluable perspective and thoughtful guidance as the organization has evolved. —Talent & Organizational Development Leader
A strategic leader building and scaling people-centric work cultures within the technology and executive talent sectors, Cathy began her career in HR/Organizational development. She has served as co-founder, CEO, and leadership consultant, consistently advancing a people-first philosophy in every role she undertakes. Cathy has partnered with Connection Lab since its early days, helping to design and implement leadership journey programs within the technology sector and contributing to the human-centered approach to leadership development. —Connection Lab Facilitator, Startup and scaleup CEOs leadership development, Coach, and Team developer
Facilitator, Leadership Coach & Consultant, Esther is the Founder and Principal Counselor of Greater Web Consulting, a holistic counseling-based service. With extensive training in trauma-informed therapy, her work supports growth and healing for individuals, communities, and organizations. Esther’s approach integrates intellectual insight, somatic awareness, and intuitive understanding to help clients untangle fear-based patterns rooted in the past and move toward greater clarity, resilience, and well-being. —Trauma Counsellor
Heidi is a strategic HR leader with deep expertise in Leadership Development, Training & Development, Talent Management, Executive Coaching, and Organizational Development. She specializes in building measurable programs and processes that drive high engagement and workforce retention. Her insight into program design and evaluation has been an important contribution to Connection Lab, strengthening our assessment tools and demonstrating meaningful metrics that support the impact and evolution of our programs. —Connection Lab Facilitator, Strategic HR Business Partner, Organizational Development Designer
Jeremy Horland Jeremy Horland is a proud survivor of the 300 baud era. He divides his time between edible cake imaging, UNIX systems, STEM coaching, and the surprisingly niche art of vaudeville origami-comedy. Jeremy is the founder of IntraCommunities, Inc., a web firm, and YouCake, a specialty cake topping service. He has served as the de facto technology consultant and advisor for Connection Lab. His partnership with Carolyn spans 50 years — a collaboration that began, as all great ones do, selling chocolate bars for a school fundraiser.
Artist, teacher, and founder of The Art of Awareness. Lori’s work brings a powerful integration of voice and acting practice to her work, FitzMeisner—her unique synthesis of Fitzmaurice Voicework® and the Mesiner technique. This approach weaves together somatic voice training and foundational acting exercises to support actors and non-actors to release blocks, cultivating greater freedom, spontaneity, and finding ease in performance on screen, on stage, and in everyday life. Her work reinforces the fundamental role of the body and breath work in communication and human engagement. Lori’s work offers clear techniques and accessible pathways—so their voices can be truly heard. —Voice and acting mentor and coach
A veteran of startup and scale-up operations, Mark has served as CEO, COO, and CHRO across the tech industry. A writer, coach, speaker, and musician, he brings both strategic rigor and creative insight to his work with organizations navigating growth and change. Mark’s business acumen is paired with a deep understanding of gaming culture and systems thinking. He has helped numerous companies create productive cultures. Mark was an important advisor during Connection Lab’s early years and has long championed our integration of performing arts principles into business leadership. —Gaming guide and business consultant
A multi-time founder and CEO specializing in scaling and operating disruptive technology businesses, Matt has run multiple Internet-based companies since 1995 in the martech, media & entertainment, analytics, security, and recruiting & staffing sectors, with experience in SaaS, AI, marketplace, B2B, and DTC models. Matt’s superpowers include building and leading high-impact executive teams and boards; inspiring people by striking the right balance between running a values-based, people- first culture and driving a results-based operating discipline; and creating sector transformation with both business model and technology innovation. A people-first executive, Matt was an early adopter of Connection Lab programs and a longtime champion of human-centered leadership in practice. —Early adopter and champion of human-centered leadership.
A computer science student at Simon Fraser University and a Co-op student with Connection Lab, Nicholas has been building our Connection Lab Check-in App. Alongside his studies, he is an avid chess player and, by default, a steady workshop participant. He has been our developer working with Bradford on the implementation of the Connection Lab Check-in App. —Contributor to the engineering of our human engagement platform, Computer Science student, and our most youthful perspective.
Two paths to practice
More than a decade of workshops
years of practice
People found what they came for
satisfaction rate
Humans who found their voice
and counting…
Questions we hear
The six-box model is a combination of three ontological questions used on three primary relationships. We use the questions as lenses to look through and observe the relationships under different conditions. It is the aperture that we step through to do all of our coaching at Connection Lab. It is a tool for self-coaching, group coaching, and enterprise development.
This work is for anyone who feels isolated and unsure about their ability to connect with others. It is for the experienced presenter who wants to level up. This work is for anyone who wants to build their capacity for empathy or increase innovation and productivity through collaboration. This work is for individuals, teams, and organizations that want to fulfill their potential through co-creation.
Connection Lab formally opened its doors in 2014, but the pillars and practices of Connection Lab have been live in the field for years before that. This program has evolved considerably from corporate communication training, and because we practice what we ask others to practice, our audiences continue to inform the work today.
Every Connection Lab facilitator has been a workshop participant. They’ve lived the experience, received the feedback, built the muscle memory, and they practice in the real world. Our facilitators also bring their own practices, skills, and know-how to the Connection Lab philosophy and, in the process, make both better. All of our facilitators are certified through an in-house vetting and certification process. In all of our workshops, you are in good hands.
It is all good. This experience is not about changing who you are. It is about expanding your understanding of what human engagement is specifically so you can choose to collaborate when it feels right to you. All are welcome in these Connection Lab workshops. Don't be surprised if you have blast.
Yes. Connection Lab workshops run both in-person and on Zoom — and the practice works equally well either way. We've facilitated for teams across six continents and dozens of industries — including non-profit, finance, technology, mining, healthcare, education, legal, real estate, consulting, engineering, HR, recruiting, startups, media, government, and professional services. The skills of human engagement — connection, presence, and audience awareness — translate across geography, culture, and industry, whether you're in the room or on the screen.