Simone Lima

About Simone

Simone held a Bachelor of International Relations and a Post-Graduate degree in Innovation and Strategic Design before starting her MBA journey at Rotman. She started her career at the United Nations, working with UNAIDS, UN Women, and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Later, her curiosity and passion for solving complex problems with technology led her into the tech startups and product management paths. The tech space sparked her interest in gender roles in professional settings, and in the interplay between work and mental health.

Simone is passionate about the potential we have for solving complex human problems with technology, live music, comedy specials, politics, practicing yoga, and all things cats and dogs.

MBA Student Fellow Project

Positively Exhausted – Stories of Toxic Positivity in the Workplace is a limited podcast series with three episodes. Simone investigates the idea that the best way to cope with a challenging situation at work is to put a positive spin on it and not dwell on its negative or structural aspects, a trend that is often promoted by companies and leaders and can leave employees feeling burned out and gaslit. Through expert interviews and personal accounts, Simone investigated the effects of toxic positivity on employees and company culture and makes a case as to why women experience disproportionate effects when working in toxic positive work environments.