Hi, I’m Erika
For 16 years I’ve helped people and organizations build the capability to lead, communicate, and work well together.
Why Paprika?
Paprika is part of the kitchen I grew up in. It went into almost everything, and the amount depended on the dish: a pinch in one, a generous spoonful in another. It brings out what’s already there and adds colour. That’s how I work with a team. I bring what’s needed, in the amount the situation calls for.
What I believe
Most teams already have what they need. It’s often buried under habit, or under the conversation nobody wants to start. My job is to help bring it out. That means telling the whole truth, including the parts that would be easier to leave alone, and staying curious when I hear “we’ve always done it this way,” and ask what else is possible. I trust teams more than individual heroics, and I believe good work keeps growing.
Where I came from
I hold a law degree and a second master’s degree in EU law, passed all three bar exams and practiced law for 7 years. Early in my career, I worked as a liaison between the EU and legal experts on the free movement of people and services, then later as legal counsel at a national media authority. Eventually I built my own practice, working directly with leaders and teams for over a decade, before moving to Canada, where I worked inside an organization doing this work and taught as a sessional instructor, before deciding to build my own practice again, with everything I’d learned along the way.
What I’ve added since
Since arriving in Canada, I’ve also earned a CPHR designation, a CTDP (Certified Training and Development Professional), a Professional Certificate in Management and Leadership from Royal Roads University, and an Organizational Coaching Certificate from UBC, within the last five years.
The one that probably shapes my work the most is being a certified EQ Practitioner and Vital Signs Assessor through Six Seconds, which ties emotional intelligence to results like retention and productivity. Between that and the legal training, that’s where the two sides of how I work come from: the facts-first structure, and the human read underneath it.
What I enjoy most is the work itself: sitting down with a leader and their team, asking the questions that matter, and building the answers together, until the change becomes part of how they work.
If that sounds like the kind of partner you’re looking for, let’s talk.