The Evaluation Couch

In this episode, Maria sits down with Doaa Abou Hussein, co-founder of Kindred Purpose Consultants, to explore what it truly means to build a business around your values. Doaa shares her journey from evaluation professional to entrepreneur, including the pivotal moment in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon that solidified her mission, why she made the bold decision to brand her company as openly pro-Palestine, and how emotional intelligence and compassion are not soft skills but essential tools for ethical, human-centered evaluation. From working with marginalized communities and newcomer women experiencing gender-based violence, to nurturing a growing team through collective trauma, this conversation is a masterclass in courageous leadership, decolonial practice, and the power of betting on yourself.
www.mariamontenegro.ca | www.linkedin.com/in/mariamontenegro

This episode is the first one of a series celebrating International Women's Month. Maria sits with Claudia Olavarría, an evaluator from Chile with 15 years of experience in international development. Claudia shares her journey navigating a career as a mother of four, building a consultancy while balancing caregiving responsibilities, and the support networks that made it possible. Together they explore feminist evaluation — what it means, why it matters, and how Claudia defines it as simply good evaluation — covering key competencies like cultural responsiveness, participatory methods, and transformative practice. The conversation also touches on the emotional realities of fieldwork, protecting communities and evaluators from vicarious trauma, and Claudia's call to action for a more inclusive, gender-responsive field.
www.mariamontenegro.ca | www.linkedin.com/in/mariamontenegro

In the third episode of the "One Year On" series, Beeta Tahmassebi shares her journey from 25-year organizational leader to first-time entrepreneur. After leaving her role amid widespread sector upheaval and USAID's shutdown, Beeta founded Illuminate, a consulting firm and learning center built on urgency, resilience, and community. In this conversation with Maria, she reveals the realities of launching a business during crisis, the "100 calls" strategy that shaped her path, navigating consultant rates in a constrained market, balancing hope with countless rejections, and learning to find energy in uncertainty. Beeta offers practical advice for evaluators considering independent consulting, discusses AI adoption in evaluation work, and reflects on recreating professional community after institutional loss. Whether you're navigating career disruption, building an independent practice, or simply trying to find your footing in a transformed field, this episode delivers honest insights and actionable strategies for moving forward when the ground shifts beneath you.

In the second episode of the One Year On series, the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) President Matt Sanscartier reflects on the impacts to the field of evaluation over the last twelve months. Matt discusses the differences between ideological attacks on evidence in the US versus fiscal pressures in Canada, CES's strategic response through advocacy and expanded membership outreach, and the organization's commitment to equity-centered work and reconciliation. Despite mounting anxieties around job security and shrinking budgets, Matt delivers a rallying message: evaluation is not a luxury but a fundamental tool for democratic accountability, and the CES community of over 1,500 members stands ready to demonstrate that our work has never been more essential.
Resources: 
Learn more about the CES 2026 conference here.
www.mariamontenegro.ca | www.linkedin.com/in/mariamontenegro

In this episode of the "One Year On" series, Maria speaks with Karen Jackson, the 2025 President of the American Evaluation Association (AEA), about navigating one of the most disruptive years in the field of evaluation. Karen reflects on leading AEA through multiple crises while balancing roles as university faculty and consultant. She discusses the October 2025 "Morning After Coalition" call to action, emphasizing the need for evaluators to collectively respond rather than "adapt quietly" to threats against evidence-based practice. Karen highlights key lessons from her presidency, including the importance of curiosity, community-engaged leadership, relationship building, and recognizing evaluators' power to shape how the world values evidence. She also stresses that professional associations like AEA are member-led ecosystems requiring active participation from the entire evaluation community.
Resources: 
Read Karen's call to action here.
www.mariamontenegro.ca | www.linkedin.com/in/mariamontenegro