Keynote: Reinventing Life Balance and Resilience through Covid-19 and Beyond

April 29 11am ET

Michelle Cederberg

As we all do our part to contain the spread of Covid-19 across the globe, the way we work and live has – for the time being – been totally disrupted. The busyness of juggling work and life priorities outside the home has been replaced by a new brand of busy as self-isolation continues. 

As you navigate this current situation, it’s essential to reinvent how you address life balance and resilience through it all. 

Health and Productivity Expert and Professional Coach Michelle Cederberg shares her views on self-care during self-isolation, and why it matters now, more than ever. Highlighting information from her eye-opening book Energy Now! Small Steps to an Energetic Life  this session will help you: 

Determine what life balance looks like for you during this very off-balance time, and how you can find a routine amidst the disruption.

• Examine various dimensions of wellness, including physical, mental, emotional, and social, and how they strengthen life balance and resilience.
• Gain valuable strategies to boost resilience in small steps, even with a disrupted schedule. 
• Consider a valuable perspective shift that could be a difference-maker now, and for life beyond Covid-19.

Michelle uses humour and expertise to cut to the chase with methods and messages that make a difference. As we ride out this unprecedented global event, embrace self-care as a way through. This session shows the way.

Story of Reinvention:  
Laughing for Health & Healing
April 29 Noon ET

Liliana De Leo

A Laughter Yoga Master Trainer, Liliana was certified directly by Dr. Madan Kataria, the founder of Laughter Yoga. She is a prominent teacher, fitness professional, and dynamic public speaker.  

Laughter Yoga is a unique exercise program where anyone can laugh for no reason without relying on humor, jokes or comedy. Laughter is simulated and combines laughter exercises with intermittent yoga breathing. 

The concept of Laughter Yoga is based on a scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between simulated and real laughter, therefore, one gets the same physiological and psychological benefits. 

Liliana’s energetic teaching style is influenced by her 20-year experience as a trainer in the field of health & wellness. She has been practicing Laughter Yoga since 2006 and helps people use laughter as a form of exercise to increase resilience, health & happiness.  Liliana offers Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher & Leader Trainings, Motivational Keynotes, and Stress Reduction Programs.

Story of Reinvention: 
Cash For Life,
the Fear that Pushes me Forward
May 5 11am ET

Julia O'Grady

A cash for life job is what everyone thinks they want and need, until it’s not. But that job can also be what drives you to be more. Refusing to give up on a dream no matter how hard the journey gets because turning back is not an option. Julia O'Grady, Owner and President of ITM Events, will tell us about her continuing journey to success, using her fear of her cash for life job as motivation to stay focussed on moving forward with her goals.
 
Julia O’Grady has big vision, fresh ideas and a proven track record in the events industry. She and her team work hard to exceed client expectations and push ITM Events to achieve greater heights.   

Analytical by nature, Julia excels at conceptualizing the vision for an event as well as managing details large and small. She is a strategic thinker who considers the lifespan of an event — planning an event today that is designed to evolve and meet stakeholder needs tomorrow. A known disruptor, Julia shakes up the status quo to refresh stale events and take them to the next level.

Specialized skills give Julia a unique advantage in the events industry. She can read, interpret and apply legislation, which is useful in planning events where municipal and other regulations and policies come into play. She excels at reviewing detailed vendor contracts, ensuring her clients have the best possible outcome.

Julia is adept at managing competing priorities and maintaining high performance while working within rigorous timelines. Rational and detail-oriented, Julia implements decisions and policies that ensure the seamless production of every event she manages.

When Julia isn’t planning unforgettable events, she loves travelling the world with her family, staying active, and enjoying fine food and martinis.

Story of Reinvention:  
How I survived AIDS:
life lessons for reinvention in a pandemic 
May 5 11:30 am ET

Duncan MacLachlan

Duncan MacLachlan is an expert in reinvention. In facing death, he began a mission to survive. Along the way he discovered alternate paradigms that together led to thriving and resilience. Duncan weaves his stories of discovery and distills key learnings over thirty years from sources including: positive psychology, naturopathy, resilient leadership, psychoneuroimmunology, indigenous teachings, traditional Chinese medicine, and Appreciative Inquiry. 
 
Reinvention. How we can rise to the challenges in our lives to reinvent ourselves, our communities, and our organisations.
 
Evolving paradigms. The holistic model and practice of health. Why it generates conditions for thriving.
 
Surmounting the pandemic of fear. Practicing serenity in the midst of anxiety.
 
Beyond mindset. What is resilience and how do we cultivate it.
 
Finding life’s purpose through adversity. How our responses to adversity can reveal our passions and calling.

Duncan is an experienced international leader in organisational development, HR transformation and talent management. Having a positive impact on people and organisations drives hiswork attitude. 
 
His calling to make a positive difference in the lives of others grew out of his personal experience as an AIDS survivor. In 1990 he was diagnosed with AIDS and told to prepare for death. Instead, he set out on a journey to overcome AIDS at a time when there was no roadmap for recovery. 
 
His journey of research, experimentation and learning led him to develop a comprehensive model and practice of health and well-being. He transformed himself from an AIDS patient to community developer, advocate and leader. Since 1990 he has been sharing his knowledge and working with others to improve health outcomes in marginalized communities across Canada and beyond.

Story of Reinvention:
How My Core Values Kept Me
on the Right Path
May 5 Noon ET

Corry Robertson

Corry Robertson is a leading global expert on organizational culture, engagement and retention in the tech industry, with a client list that includes startups, SME’s, and Fortune 100 and 500 companies.

Corry has built a reputation for helping technical leaders understand people management in an ‘engineering culture’ and to leverage the skills and mindset required to build high performing teams. Over her 20+ year career, Corry has helped hundreds of organizations develop high-calibre leaders and expand rapidly without diluting the culture.

Corry’s primary areas of expertise include supporting executives and emerging leaders through human performance improvement, organizational culture management, executive team development and leadership and high potential development programs.

In her work as an award-winning Executive Coach, Corry’s clients say working with her is deeply meaningful yet highly strategic and productive, uncovering solutions for complex challenges.

As an entrepreneur, Corry is also the Founder and CEO of The Coaching Academy for Leaders, offering ICF accredited programs. The Academy’s unique proprietary method blends coaching competencies and leadership theory in a revolutionary way to help individuals and teams achieve high-level results.

Share YOUR Story of Reinvention
May 5 12:30 pm ET

YOU

We are hearing more and more stories of reinvention. Personal reinvention, business reinvention, operational structures changing, and so many more stories.

We have reserved time during the summit to open the discussion to hear your stories. 

Story of Reinvention:
You Have to Reinvent Yourself

May 6 11am ET

Gijs van Wulfen
 

Are you REINVENTING yourself too?

Due to this crisis my calendar, as LinkedIn Influencer with 330.000 followers, and global speaker on innovation, is empty.

Doing more of the same will not work in this new reality. And for you neither, unless you work in ‘digital’ sectors.

I have 330.000 followers on LinkedIn and could start making webinars. But everybody is making free webinars: 1000 per day.

You have to really reinvent yourself.

So I started as YouTube vlogger, making ‘how-to-videos’ on innovation.

• From 330.000 followers to 0 subscribers on YouTube.
• From text to video.
• Learning the do’s and don’ts on YouTube.
• From official Influencer to junior vlogger: I love it.

Story of Reinvention:
My Personal Reinvention and Transformation

May 6 11:30am ET

Dave Hesidence

David Hesidence MSc. PMP, is Lean Healthcare Black Belt, Registered Psychotherapist and Owner – Steps in Transition.

David will speak to two significant re-inventions that occurred in his life, the most recent very recently.

The first is the by far the most profound, and involved his decision to seek help with alcoholism. For 32 years David has been abstinent from alcohol and mood enhancing substances based on the principles and practices of 12 step programs. The other reinvention described below would not have been possible without the foundation and values this experience instilled, which he continues to use in both his personal and business life.

The second re-invention involved moving from a 30-year career as a senior manager in the high tech sector to a role as a clinician in a specialized mental health and addictions hospital focused on treating those with overlapping mental health and substance use disorders (concurrent disorders). David’s own recovery was the impetus for this, as the most basic philosophy of the 12 step movement is the importance of being of use to others who suffer from the same challenges.

This re-invention started years earlier with training, education and practical experience but was hastened as his employer, Nortel, declared bankruptcy instantly cutting off severance, benefits and impacting pension benefits. While David was working as a front-line clinician in this mental health hospital, the CEO got wind of his project management and business experience and offered him a contract to work on the development of new mental health and addictions services. This transition eventually turned into a permanent hospital director position.  

And now, it would seem David is in the midst of a third re-invention as he has opened his own health care management consulting business and continues to be active in this work. He remains always committed to personal transformation seeing change as a constant and not resisting what it might bring.  

Story of Reinvention:
How to Navigate Covid-19
as an Entrepreneur 

May 6 Noon ET

Rivers Corbett
 

An experienced c-Suite Executive with a demonstrated history Rivers Corbett, MBA is a serial entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, founding director of StartUp Canada and the 1st entrepreneur in residence hired by a government in Canada.

Rivers adamantly believes that entrepreneurs will save the world.

His awards have included being on Canada's Hottest Startup, Atlantic Canada's Entrepreneur Ambassador, and Canada's Rockstar Mentor List

Join Rivers as he presents Navigating Covid-19 as An Entrepreneur. His thoughts, and crystal ball tips are a must to move into the new normal of entrepreneurship 

A Reinvention Interview:  
Virtual Startupfest 2020
 
May 6 12:30 ET

Philippe Telio

Philippe Telio is the founder of International Startup Festival (Startupfest). Startupfest is series of international conferences on the business of startups.

The flag ship event in Montreal brings together industry veterans and fresh faces, thought leaders and technology giants from around the world, for a series of lean, fast-paced events. It includes startup launches, inspiring keynotes, and deep-dives into hot sectors like mobility, social networking, and gaming.

We also host The Elevator World Tour, elevator pitch competitions in the worlds most spectacular elevators. Completed cities include: Toronto's CN Tower, Tel Aviv's Azrieli Tower and Paris' iconic Eiffel Tower.