Founders Coffee: Andrea Villeneuve – The Space between the Words

The Speaker

Andrea Villeneuve is a past, present, and futurepreneur – because there is always an idea worth building. She is a results-driven business strategist and community connector with over 25 years of experience helping organizations grow through smart planning, operational clarity, and people-centered leadership and 35 years of community building in a volunteer capacity. Based in Winnipeg, she serves as Manager of Employment Development and Public Relations at SCE LifeWorks, where she builds partnerships that strengthen workforce inclusion and community engagement.

As a longtime consultant and “Connector of Dots,” Andrea supports businesses in developing strategic plans, improving operations, and navigating organizational change with confidence and creativity and as a business owner, she applies the knowledge she shares in real practice. Known for her candid leadership style, love of coffee-fueled conversation, and ability to bring order to chaos, she champions connection as the foundation of meaningful work.

A two-time Woman Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, TEDx speaker, and frequent panelist on podcasts, broadcasts, and online chats, Andrea uses her voice to elevate conversations about leadership, community, and the power of lifting one another up.

The Talk

This presentation explores the powerful idea that good connection lives not only in what is said, but in everything that surrounds the words – the pauses, hesitations, tone, and emotional undercurrent that often reveals more than language itself. With short stories and through the lens of observational leadership, the presentation will highlight how paying attention to these subtle spaces allows leaders to understand intention, tension, and meaning with far greater clarity. By supplementing active listening with observational listening to the quiet moments between sentences, by noticing how someone chooses a word or avoids one, and observing the rhythm of their communication, we build deeper trust and stronger relationships. This practice transforms conversations from transactional exchanges into opportunities for connection, empathy, and insight. When leaders, business owners, founders, and entrepreneurs tune into the space between the words, they unlock a richer, more human understanding of the people they serve. Weaved into the stories and presentation are challenges to perception and belief sets on capabilities, abilities, and how change ignites when we are paying attention.