Meet the Pack
Board Members
The unofficial-but-essential advisory board
At Anita Pereda Leadership Coaching, leadership is deeply human — and occasionally covered in fur.
One of the things I believe most strongly is that effective leadership requires grounding. In a world that constantly pulls us toward urgency, noise, and disconnection, we all need anchors that bring us back to ourselves.
For me, those anchors have always been dogs and nature.
They are daily reminders of presence, intuition, movement, rest, loyalty, and connection — many of the same qualities that create emotionally intelligent and sustainable leadership. Some of my clearest thinking has happened on walks, outdoors, or sitting quietly with one of these gentle souls nearby.
Behind every keynote, workshop, coaching session, and big idea is a trusted advisory board offering emotional support, comic relief, and surprisingly effective leadership guidance.
Meet our family dogs: the unofficial-but-essential board members who help keep this work grounded in humanity.
Meet the Board
Penelope (“Nelly”)
Director of Investigations & Strategic Curiosity
Breed · Bloodhound
Nelly believes deeply in following intuition — or more specifically, following her nose wherever it leads, regardless of timelines, schedules, or whether anyone else is ready to move on.
A true independent thinker, she approaches life with relentless curiosity and unwavering commitment to exploration. Once Nelly identifies a scent worth investigating, all other priorities become secondary.
Her work reminds the organization that not all leadership is linear, and sometimes the best discoveries happen when we allow curiosity to guide us.
Leadership Strengths: Persistence, intuition, independent thinking, investigative excellence
Leadership Style: Data-driven, scent-led decision making
Favorite Meeting Agenda Item: Anything requiring a deep dive
Ophelia
Chief Fitness & Security Officer
Breed · Great Dane
Ophelia is equal parts elite athlete and deeply sensitive protector. Hypervigilant by nature, she takes her role as household security advisor very seriously — although her enormous size is often offset by the fact that she is, at heart, a complete gentle giant.
As Chief Fitness & Security Officer, Ophelia ensures the family maintains consistent movement goals, outdoor activity, and proper walking accountability. She is also an exceptionally skilled smuggler, capable of quietly relocating objects throughout the house with stealth worthy of a covert operations unit.
Leadership Strengths: Loyalty, protection, discipline, emotional attunement
Leadership Style: Quiet guardian with elite cardio standards
Favorite Meeting Agenda Item: Long walks and perimeter checks
Charlie
Director of Adventure & Performance Optimization
Breed · Greyhound
Charlie approaches life with the enthusiasm of someone who fully understands that existence itself is an extraordinary adventure.
A natural athlete with endless curiosity, Charlie reminds the team that leadership is not only about responsibility — it’s also about vitality, exploration, and joy. Whether sprinting full speed through open spaces or enthusiastically discovering something new, she brings energy and optimism to every environment.
Charlie firmly believes that life should be experienced, not merely managed.
Leadership Strengths: Courage, adaptability, optimism, high performance
Leadership Style: Fast-moving and joy-centered
Favorite Meeting Agenda Item: Literally any field trip
Harrison
Vice President of Inclusion & Compassion
Breed · Greyhound
Harrison embodies quiet leadership at its finest. Gentle, kind, and deeply inclusive, he naturally creates a sense of calm and belonging for everyone around him.
Though physically imposing, Harrison leads with softness rather than force — a reminder that true strength is often expressed through patience, compassion, and emotional presence. He has an extraordinary ability to make both humans and fellow board members feel safe, welcomed, and accepted exactly as they are.
In many ways, Harrison represents the heart of human-centered leadership itself.
Leadership Strengths: Compassion, emotional intelligence, inclusion, calm presence
Leadership Style: Quiet influence with maximum heart
Favorite Meeting Agenda Item: Community connection and napping
Alister
Chief Compliance & Community Officer
Breed · Newfoundland
Alister is the steady heart of the organization. Calm, watchful, and deeply devoted to the well-being of the entire pack, he takes personal responsibility for making sure everyone follows the rules, feels safe, and stays emotionally regulated.
Equal parts safety officer and therapist, Alister naturally creates psychological safety wherever he goes. His leadership philosophy is simple: protect the community, maintain order, and make sure no one gets left behind.
If human organizations operated more like Alister, most HR departments could probably take the afternoon off.
Leadership Strengths: Stability, emotional safety, fairness, responsibility
Leadership Style: Protective servant leader
Favorite Meeting Agenda Item: Group harmony
While they may not hold advanced degrees in leadership development, our board members are experts in some of the most important leadership practices of all: presence, loyalty, play, rest, emotional attunement, and knowing when it’s time to take a walk.
And honestly? Most organizations could use more of that.
