Who We Are

Sonia

Migneault

Owner and founder of Renew by Design.

Career Strategist and Coach

I help high-level leaders audit and eliminate operational friction to reclaim 5+ hours per week—ensuring peak professional output is fueled by, not traded for, a high quality of life.

We are taught that professional worth is tied to output. We secure the degrees, climb the ranks, and build the career—only to find that the very success we worked for has become a vacuum, consuming our time, our energy, and our sense of self.

For years, I lived this "hustle culture" to its extreme. I started working at 15 and continued to work 30+ hours per week during my studies. I completed my undergrad at 21, then moved 1,900km from home for law school at 22. I was hired out of law school at 25, and worked in private practice until 2017, when I was hired as in-house legal counsel for a Children's Aid Society—and shortly after, simultaneously took on the same role for an Indigenous Child and Family Services agency. By 31, I was Senior Legal Counsel for both agencies where I was managing legal departments, privacy and records sectors, and sitting on multiple committees while carrying court files involving some of the most severe human experiences imaginable—those that stay with you long after you close the file. I was the designated trainer for all legal, privacy, and records disclosure matters. And, in 2023, I was also hired as a legal trainer for the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies.

The Breaking Point of Standard "Time Management"

On paper, I had mastered the climb. But behind the scenes, I was operating in an under-resourced, high-stakes system with no "off" switch. I tried every conventional fix—every productivity app, endless self-help books, and even therapy.

I realized that standard time management advice was not built for the reality of senior leadership.

The friction was constant. My days were consumed by a relentless stream of Emails and Teams notifications, leaving zero white space on my calendar for the actual work I was hired to do. I found myself working two distinct shifts: the first "shift" was spent reacting to administrative noise, and the second "shift" began after hours, when I was already exhausted, just to tackle my high-value legal work.

I was effectively working double the hours with no increase in pay and a mounting pile of vacation time I could never actually take. It was a cycle of "rolling over" my life year after year.

The Pivot: From Reactive Crisis to Strategic Design

I realized that the constant barrage of instant messaging and back-to-back virtual meetings was an operational failure.

I stopped looking for a "self-care" and "time management" fix and started treating my schedule like a complex litigation file. I applied a rigorous, practical approach to protect my time, energy, and effectiveness.

Through a meticulous Time Audit, I discovered the staggering hidden cost of skipped breaks and the cognitive drain of constant task-switching. By ruthlessly eliminating administrative noise and operational friction, I was gaining hours each and every week.

This changed my entire baseline. I finally reclaimed the energy to treat my weekends as a time for genuine fun and meaningful connection, rather than a 48-hour recovery period.

My Approach

I don’t ask you to "do less"—I know your role doesn't allow for that. I teach you how to do differently. I use my experience in high-pressure leadership to help professionals and organizations step outside the reactive grind. We audit your schedule, eliminate the noise, and reclaim the 5+ hours a week currently being lost to operational friction.

By building a radically efficient system, we weave intentional rest and creativity back into the fabric of your work and life. They are the foundation of consistent high-performance and a high-quality of life. The key to a life that is as meaningful as it is successful.

About Me