Recess Labs was founded by Jamie Turner and Sarah Abji-Endicott, passionate former educators with a mission to drive meaningful impact.
While navigating the corporate EdTech world, they witnessed education systems struggling to innovate, leading to teacher burnout and student disengagement. Meanwhile, businesses are too often prioritizing profit over people and the planet.
Fueled by a desire for change, they launched Recess Labs to support mission-driven organizations in making a wider impact—prioritizing what truly matters.
Sarah Abji-Endicott
Co-founder + Marketing Magician + Creative Catalyst
Sarah is a former high school educator and corporate executive with over two decades of experience in the education sector. Her dedication to bridging the gap between education and real-world skills has been a driving force in her career.
Sarah holds a BA in Political Science and a BEd in Curriculum and Instruction. She is a board-certified teacher and a certified Human Potential Coach specializing in Mindful Productivity. Sarah’s contributions to education have been recognized with a Certificate of Teaching Excellence in British Columbia.
In addition to her educational background, Sarah has been a freelance full-stack WordPress developer and graphic designer for over 20 years. Her technical expertise and creative skills have enabled her to develop engaging digital experiences and visually compelling designs for a wide range of clients. This unique blend of technical and creative talents complements her strategic thinking and enhances her ability to drive product innovation and growth.
In the corporate world, Sarah has held positions as CPO/CMO and EdTech Consultant. Sarah brings her expertise in growth marketing, product innovation, and brand strategy to Recess Labs, where she co-founded the company to help clients achieve meaningful growth and make a positive difference in their communities.
Jamie Turner
Co-founder + Operations Wizard + Edie’s Dad
Also a former high school teacher, Jamie brings over 15 years of experience in education, business consulting, and start-up acceleration to Recess Labs. His expertise in strategic planning, operational leadership, and business development makes him a vital asset in driving growth and innovation for emerging mission-driven companies and organizations looking to scale their impact.
Jamie’s experience includes leading Digital Media Academy as COO, where he implemented strategic growth initiatives, managed global teams, and forged impactful partnerships. His role involved overseeing operational efficiency, developing scalable processes, and driving organizational success.
As a former Director of Education and President of Helping Point Canada Society, Jamie has a proven track record of designing and executing successful programs and initiatives that reach and impact diverse audiences. His expertise extends to fostering relationships with stakeholders, developing strategic objectives, and enhancing operational effectiveness.
Jamie’s unique blend of skills—combining business acumen with a background in music education—enables him to offer a creative and strategic perspective to start-ups and established organizations alike. At Recess Labs, he is dedicated to guiding companies through the complexities of growth and transformation, ensuring they achieve their strategic goals and thrive in making a difference.
Why We’re Different.
At Recess Labs, our unique approach blends serious strategy with playful creativity to drive meaningful social impact. We bring fresh perspectives to consulting, energizing the process and sparking innovative solutions that align with your values and deliver both quick wins and long-term success.
We’re deeply committed to understanding your mission and ensuring every strategy fits your vision. Whether it’s crafting non-dominant branding strategies, boosting engagement, or designing growth plans, we’re with you every step.
We don’t just support your journey to success; we’re here to enrich it, ensuring your mission stays at the heart of all you do. Together, we catalyze lasting change, creating a future where business success and positive impact intersect seamlessly.
Social Impact • Integrity • Collaboration • Community Engagement • Inclusivity • Passion •Social Impact • Integrity • Collaboration • Community Engagement • Inclusivity • Passion •
Our Values.
We’ve taken a pledge for transparent, responsible, and honest marketing. Learn more about The Ethical Move and join us in our commitment.
We gratefully acknowledge that we live, serve, play, and learn on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm|Musqueam, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh| Squamish & səlilwətaɬ|Tsleil Waututh Nations. With this acknowledgement comes the commitment to engage in ongoing acts of reconciliation.
We’re Grateful for Our Advisors & Collaborators.
Because no one builds a business alone, shout out to our friends and industry experts who help us ensure our clients benefit from cutting-edge insights and strategies that drive real impact—thank you!
Wanny Hersey
Wanny is a school founder and education leader with over 40 years of experience in the preK-12 public and private education sectors. From classroom teaching to Founding Superintendent, her commitment to systems and capacity building has encompassed a range of constituents and diverse communities across 3 countries, resulting in the development of innovative, impactful, and award-winning programs and organzations.
Mike Fee
Mike has spent his career in education, starting as a classroom teacher with Teach For America and later leading a range of education programs and organizations. He has served in leadership roles for various EdTech companies, including as EVP of EverFi, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Spotlight, and VP of Business Development at Pearson.
Irina Borissova
Irina is a CPA with over 20 years of industry experience, specializing in process optimization, control development, and project accounting. Throughout her career, she has driven scalable solutions, streamlined operational efficiencies, and led the implementation of cloud-based IT systems, ERP platforms, and other transformative software solutions. Irina enjoys refining project accounting frameworks to enhance accuracy and decision-making, helping businesses scale sustainably.
Aly Abji
Aly helps enterprises innovate customer experiences and optimize operations. He collaborates with leading B2C companies to drive digital transformation and enhance the value of technology investments. He is passionate about leveraging transformative technology to improve lives and connect communities by automating processes and delivering AI-powered customer interactions.
Steve Krueger
Steve is an 8x founder helping build better-life ecommerce brands. He is currently CEO of JIBE Commerce, a growth-driven ecommerce agency that focuses on delivering exceptional digital experiences. He founded ECOMsquare, a coworking facility and community for ecommerce brands. Steve was also the Community Organizer of the Vancouver Drupal Users Group and the Founder of ESL101, an ESL job board connecting teachers with schools abroad.
5MinRecess
Take a bi-weekly break from the usual biz noise.
Non-dominant branding, people-centred ops, and regenerative growth marketing systems for people doing good things.
