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Isabelle Mercier, Co-Founder of LeapZone Strategies, is one of North America’s most dynamic brand positioning strategists and business growth catalysts. Her mantra is simple: clarity sells, confusion kills. With over 30 years of experience, two TEDx Talks with more than 4 million views, and a reputation as a momentum generator, Isabelle helps leaders build businesses by design, not by default.
“My entrepreneurial DNA kicked in before I even hit double digits.” Isabelle Mercier still remembers running from school to her mother’s hair salon at age nine, eager to help clients and soak in the energy of the room. Every morning her mom would say, “It’s a beautiful day to make life better. Who will you wow and delight today, girl?”
That mantra shaped everything. In those early days, Isabelle learned to “listen to the unsaid”—to notice what clients revealed in their body language, silence, and energy. By her teens, she understood the golden rule of business: positioning is everything. “You can have the best product in the world, but if you don’t position it clearly, people won’t get it, and if they don’t get it, they can’t value it,” she says.
That insight became the foundation of LeapZone Strategies, the boutique agency she co-founded with her life partner, Margarita Romano, in 2007. Their mission: help leaders and organizations operate by design, not by default.
Couplepreneurs Breaking Barriers
Isabelle and Margarita have been life and business partners for over 34 years. “There should be an award for that!” Isabelle laughs. The two learned, often the hard way, that being a couplepreneur requires extraordinary courage, clarity, and boundaries.
Their TEDx Talk, How to Increase Your Units of Happiness, distilled the strategies they developed to thrive together at work and at home. Their core philosophy: treat your relationship like a million-dollar client. “If we don’t, everything else suffers,” Isabelle explains.
That lesson now guides how they coach leaders. Success isn’t only about KPIs or quarterly growth, it’s about designing a business and life that makes things better, inside and out.
TEDx and the Power of Voice & Presence
Public speaking wasn’t always Isabelle’s strength. Before her first TEDx Talk, she admits she was terrified: “What if my mind goes blank? What if my message doesn’t land? What if I make a fool of myself?”
The breakthrough came when she realized: it’s not about her, and it’s not about perfection. It’s about being real. That authenticity has since resonated with millions. Her two TEDx Talks have over 4M views worldwide, sparking conversations that continue to ripple.
Isabelle also serves on the Curation Team for TEDxSurrey, Canada’s premier TEDx event. After five years reviewing and shaping talks, she knows exactly what separates a good idea from a life-changing one. That perspective directly inspired the creation of The Speaker’s Edge.
The Speaker’s Edge: Structure Sets You Free
The Speaker’s Edge was born out of frustration. Time and again, Isabelle saw brilliant entrepreneurs and CEOs lose opportunities because their message was muddy or unstructured. “They had the vision, but not the voice,” she says.
Together with her speaking coach, Valerie Galvin, Isabelle designed The Speaker’s Edge to close that gap. The program teaches speakers and leaders to own the conversations that matter most—whether in a boardroom, sales pitch, or on stage.
“Winging it doesn’t work. Structure sets you free,” Isabelle insists. When you combine clear structure with authentic presence, you stop sharing information and start moving mountains.
Trailblazers Estate: Horse-Powered Leadership
In 2016, Isabelle and Margarita expanded their impact by creating Trailblazers Estate, a magical five-acre equestrian retreat center on beautiful Vancouver Island. More than a retreat center, Trailblazers is a transformation lab where teams step away from daily chaos to align, innovate, and grow.
The twist? Horses are the co-facilitators. As prey animals, horses are masters at reading intention and congruence. They mirror leadership behaviours instantly—exposing gaps between what leaders say and what they actually project.
“At Trailblazers, we help leaders bridge the gap between Outcome (what they want) and Overcome (what’s in their way),” Isabelle explains. “These pivotal shifts don’t happen in a boardroom. They happen when you step into the round pen and face the truth.”
The results? CEOs rediscover their clarity. Teams deepen trust. And companies walk away with strategies that make the cash register ring.
Trusted by Leaders Who Shape a Better World
From helping household names like A&W, HSBC, IMAX, and TD Bank, to working directly with TEC Canada and Vistage leadership circles, Isabelle has influenced thousands of entrepreneurs and executives. What resonates most with them today is clarity in the face of chaos.
“Money loves clarity,” Isabelle says. “Leaders want to simplify complexity, align their teams, and communicate with impact. When you position yourself as The First, The Best, or The Only, everything accelerates.”
Lessons in Resilience
Entrepreneurship isn’t for the faint of heart. Isabelle has faced her share of resistance, especially when pioneering equine-guided leadership. “At first, people thought we were nuts. But today, those skeptics are some of our biggest champions,” she shares.
Her other hard-won lesson: slowing down to speed up. As a self-described “momentum generator,” Isabelle had to learn to step back, reflect, and focus on working on the business, not just in it. “Innovation always meets resistance. But clarity, courage, and consistency win,” she says.
Isabelle is often called the “Simon Cowell of brand positioning”—direct, unafraid to challenge, but always kind. “I won’t let someone play small when I know they’re capable of more,” she says.
Her signature line sums it up: “Clarity sells. Confusion kills.” That no-BS style, paired with authenticity and humor, is what builds trust and sparks transformation.
So, what keeps Isabelle motivated after decades of influence? The ripple effect of clarity. She’s seen entrepreneurs on the brink of burnout transform into thriving leaders. She’s watched teams reconnect and rediscover trust in a single session at Trailblazers.
“These shifts don’t just change businesses—they change lives, families, and communities,” she says. “That ripple effect is what gets me up every morning.”
Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is simple:
· Trust your inner guidance.
· Get out of your own way.
· Learn to delegate early and powerfully.
· And treat your business like a million-dollar client.
“Too many leaders put themselves last and wonder why they’re stuck,” she warns. “When you invest in your own clarity and boundaries, you don’t just build a stronger business—you build a better life.”
Looking Ahead
Looking forward, Isabelle and Margarita have bold plans: empowering 10 million entrepreneurs, leaders and teams worldwide through LeapZone, Trailblazers, and The Speaker’s Edge.
That means scaling online programs, growing their global stage presence, and continuing to welcome leadership teams to their horse-powered retreat center.
“At LeapZone, we don’t just help leaders grow their business,” Isabelle says with a smile. “We help them architect brands designed to make life better—by design, not by default.”
