A Captain Nichola Goddard
Women in Leadership Series
Virtual Fireside Chat
Presented by Lysander Funds Ltd.
The Captain Nichola Goddard Women in Leadership Series was started to honour the memory of Captain Nichola Goddard, the first Canadian woman soldier to lose her life in a combat role.
Thank you for tuning into our “Canadian Women in the Military: Then and Now” Captain Nichola Goddard Women in Leadership Series Live Virtual Fireside Chat presented by Lysander Funds Ltd. We hope you enjoyed the discussion.
True Patriot Love is proud to fund programs for servicewomen, women Veterans, and their families through the Captain Nichola Goddard Fund, adding to our 360° support for programs for all serving members and Veterans.
If you didn’t get a chance to tune in, or you’d like to share with others, you can access the recording here.
This Fireside Chat was livestreamed on April 10th, 2025 on the True Patriot Love YouTube Channel Watch it HERE
“Canadian Women in the Military: Then and Now”
Your host: Eleanor Taylor
Eleanor is a native of Nova Scotia who completed a 27-year career as an infantry officer and now leads community mobilization and advocacy in True Patriot Love.
While in uniform, Eleanor led operations in Kosovo, Bosnia, and Afghanistan. Some people consider her career remarkable because she had success in the male-dominated world of the infantry; she considers her career remarkable because it allowed her to work with some of the best people in the nation. She has been recognized with several awards, including Canada’s Top 100 Women Award, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Order of Military Merit.
Guest: Gwen Settle
Gwen was born into a military family and enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy in 1962. She became part of the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service, known as “Wrens”, who performed a wide variety of non-combatant roles both in Canada and abroad. Gwen was part of a top secret group whose work consisted of tracking, analyzing, and reporting Soviet submarine movements during the Cold War.
Making her home in Abbotsford, BC in 2000, Gwen is a dedicated volunteer, serving as a Director and Treasurer for Matsqui Community Hall, Treasurer and Past President of Friends of the Abbotsford Libraries, a Director of Abbotsford Bingo Association, and a Director of Abbotsford Agrifair. She is also active with Abbotsford’s EESS and Chamber of Commerce. This year she will co-lead the Fraser Valley Canadian Walk for Veterans. Gwen is a registered speaker with The Memory Project, representing Veterans’ stories nationwide. In 2022 she was awarded the Archway Community Builders Award. Gwen volunteered with True Patriot Love at the 2025 Invictus Games – Vancouver/Whistler. She has received the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medallion and the King Charles III Coronation Medal. On April 26, 2025, Gwen will become a Dame of the Order of St. George.
Guest: Chief Warrant Officer (Retired) Shelley Lamothe
Shelley is currently the Director of Learning and Development at Medcan creating leadership development programs, talent management and coaching for employees at all levels to build successful, high performing teams.
Previous to that, she proudly served the Canadian Armed Forces for 27 years in the Royal Canadian Medical Corps and senior organizational leadership positions building, developing and supporting resilient teams through multiple overseas deployments and in teaching and training capacities. These included working at a graduate level college developing leaders for the future of the Forces and as a senior advisor to the Surgeon General.
A believer in the power of collective resiliency for better team cohesion and outstanding results, she founded Disciplined Direction Consulting which worked with Humber and Olds colleges as their RBLP pre-certification facilitator. The insights gained from being a RBLP trainer has provided Shelley with the opportunity to support others in building and leading resilient teams.
Shelley holds a Bachelor of Science and Masters Degree in Physician Assistant Studies and certifications in change management with PROSCI, Qualification and Training Standards, Predictive Index behavioural assessment, and has been RBLP-T certified for four years. She was also recognized for her career of dedicated service when she was inducted into the Order of Military Merit by the Governor General of Canada.
Most recently Shelley was published in the Canadian Military Journal for her work in the Future of Leadership. She is a decorated Veteran with operational medals for her work with NATO, and tours in Afghanistan and Bosnia.