"Argonauta is dedicated to helping individuals and companies achieve positive transformation"
Maria Gonzalez, President, Argonauta Strategic Alliances Consulting Inc.

 

Maria Gonzalez

"Mindfulness transforms lives."

Maria Gonzalez (BCom, MBA) is an award winning and best-selling author and a 30-year business veteran as a corporate executive and entrepreneur.  She believes that Mindfulness transforms lives and organizations, and that it has the potential to transform society.  She has been meditating regularly since 1991 and teaching Mindfulness since 2002.  She applies Mindfulness to all aspects of her life, both personally and professionally.  As founder and president of Argonauta Strategic Alliances Consulting Inc., she ensures that mindfulness is indistinguishable from her business, whether negotiating complex strategic alliances, doing strategy consulting, or coaching business leaders, professionals, entire teams, organizations or individuals in mindful leadership.

Maria teaches Mindful Leadership at the University of Toronto and has taught strategy and organization development at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management in the MBA and BCom Programs and the Executive Institute.

Over the last two decades she has served on numerous boards and has been a member of the Corporate Advisory Board for the Harvard Medical School—MacArthur Foundation’s study on depression and workplace performance. Having served as a founding member and vice-chair of the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addictions and Mental Health, she knows the toll stress can take on individuals, organizations, and society.

In 2012 she participated in a landmark Harvard Medical School research study testing the effects of Mindfulness techniques on the brains of experienced meditators, using functional MRIs.

Maria holds MBA and B.Com. Degrees from McGill University and is an Alma Mater Fellow.

Maria is an award winning and best selling author.  Mindful Leadership: The 9 Ways to Self-Awareness, Transforming Yourself, and Inspiring Others (Jossey-Bass / John Wiley & Sons 2012)is Maria’s second best-selling book. She is also coauthor of The Mindful Investor (John Wiley & Sons, 2010).

She has launched the Mindful Leadership App available for Smartphones, Androids and Tablets.  The App has 12 Categories and over 70 Guided Meditations.

You can read about business success stories showing how business leaders transformed their lives through Mindfulness training on the Testimonials page.

 

 
  what our clients say
  • "... I'm calmer, more content and less flustered about the past or the future. Meditation adds a great amount of sanity to life... In my professional life, people see me as being more present and more confident..."
    Sean Foran
  • "... I find that my ability to concentrate is much greater than before I started to meditate. I also find that I am more creative than I was in the past… I am also able to anticipate client needs as well as manage stress better than I did before."
    Gaetano Geretto, President, Pelecanus Strategic Advisory Services Inc.
  • "... Maria brings a powerful combination of wisdom as a senior business leader and negotiator and enormous talent in guiding the deeply personal meditation process. This blend of experiences gives her the ability to understand and relate to clients on many levels."
    Lesley Parrott, Principal, Lesley Parrott Consulting
  • "... Working with Maria has taught me the difference in results that come from focus as opposed to multi-tasking.  I have learned to get present before I interact with people so that I can devote my full attention to the issue at hand.  I can also move through a very large list of things that need to be done and am more in control of my day."
    Jan Kestle, President, Environics Analytics
  • "... Meditating... has enabled me to be more calm and focused in meetings, making me more effective at my job.  Small things that at one time may have bothered me tend to roll off, having minimal effect.  I feel more connected to my inner self, more confident and optimistic for the future."
    Judy Sims, Vice President, Product Development and Business Management, Thestar.com
  • "... I apply Mindfulness in the workplace to better manage relationships. It has helped me to look at myself in a much more objective way. ... Instead of being judgmental I can be more introspective and make a situation pleasant rather than unpleasant."
    Jocelyne Achat
  • "... Meditation is a powerful coping skill for times of stress, and an amazing, life-enhancing practice in ordinary, daily life. It is simple, and its effects are immediate."
    Peggy Guest, President, Imperial Street Design
  • "Mindfulness Meditation provides a time to calm the mind and go within to find peace. It helps me to be more aware (and mindful) of everyday experiences and to listen better. It positively impacts communication. Meditation helps to put things in perspective."
    Kathy Wilkie, Registrar & Executive Director, College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario
  • "I started meditating... because I wanted to quiet my mind and learn how to be present and in the moment. My meditation practice has transformed my life, personally and professionally. I feel calm, patient, peaceful, present, kind and joyful...It has allowed me to be more productive because I'm able to stay focused."
    Peggie Pelosi, Founder/ President, Orenda Connections
  • "I attended Maria's Mindful Golf Workshop in 2007... I am calmer and more thoughtful on the golf course and I don't get down on myself as much for poor shots. ...After taking the course I won the Senior Ladies Club Championship. I can honestly say that I believe that the learnings from the Workshop contributed to this latter success."
    Gail Kilgour – member of St. George's Golf & Country Club
  • "I am thrilled to let you know how your Mindful Golf Workshop has helped my golf game; bottom line: my scores are better, my handicap is lower. I have more confidence that I can execute the shots that I want; I have more good shots and fewer bad shots... I can highly recommend the course to anyone who wants to improve their game, and their enjoyment of this great sport."
    Janice May – member of Meadowbrook Golf & Country Club
  • "I've been thrilled with the results I've seen after having attended the Mindful Golf Workshop. ... I immediately started putting the techniques and concepts I learned into practice on the course. Over the season I took ten strokes off my game... I highly recommend this workshop for anyone who wants to improve their game, be more relaxed, less frustrated, and have more fun."
    Gloria MacDonald - member of ClubLink