Doug Smith

Doug Smith

Ottawa, Ontario
Mental Performance, Trauma, Recovery and Overcoming Adversity Expert
Doug Smith is a Mental Performance, Trauma, Recovery and Overcoming Adversity Expert, a thought leader on the impact of workplace-induced emotional trauma. Doug Smith inspires and helps people to understand change as he tells his incredible life story of perseverance and resilience with a memorable system for better mental health and many fun simple hacks.
  • Health & Wellness
  • Leadership
  • Mental Health
  • Peak Performance
  • Personal Growth
  • Resilience & Adversity
  • Teamwork
  • Business Management
  • Athletes & Sports
  • Conference
  • Inspirational
  • Lifestyle & Health
  • TED & TEDx

DOUG SMITH BIOGRAPHY

Doug Smith is a retired NHL player whose career spanned over a decade. Picked 2nd choice overall in the NHL, Doug played for the Los Angeles Kings, Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, and Pittsburgh Penguins. When his two daughters were both under two years old, Doug’s professional sports career tragically ended in a headfirst collision resulting in a broken neck and spinal cord injury.
He played 607 professional games before the injury ended his career. Doug’s story of recovery and healing is unforgettable, and inspiring and helps people to better understand change.
Author of “The Trauma Code” & “Thriving in Transition”, Doug Smith is a thought leader on the subject of change and trauma. In his latest book, “The Trauma Code, unlocking your Mental Performance” Doug delves into his personal story of success and provides concrete actions leaders and employees can use immediately to effect positive change in the workplace.
An accomplished keynote speaker and communicator, Doug Smith presents an innovative solution through his teenage NHL story. The solution helps leaders to become more aware of trauma in their workplace in order to maximize human performance around them. Doug’s clients are able to use this new understanding and messaging to the benefit of their employees and the performance of their organization today.
Doug understands the impact of change, the process of recovery, and the rebuilding of personal performance because he has been there.
Award-winning author of ‘Thriving in Transition, How to Turn Adversity into the Opportunity of a Lifetime and ‘The Trauma Code, Unlocking Your Performance’, Doug Smith is a thought leader on the subjects of change, trauma, and human performance. As he tells his incredible life story of perseverance and resilience, Doug leaves the audience with a memorable system for better mental health and many fun simple hacks they can use to maximize their personal and professional performance.
Doug’s corporate clients are able to use this understanding and messaging for the benefit of their employees, the performance of their organizations, and their own personal well-being.
Confined in leg braces and diagnosed with rickets as a child, Doug Smith became an elite athlete and avid learner by just age 16. That year Doug played in the Ontario Hockey League as an “underage” and was the Winner of The OHL’s Bobby Smith Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. At 18 years old, Doug was the NHL’s 1st round draft choice of the Los Angeles Kings franchise.
Chosen 2nd overall, he was the youngest player to have ever played for the LA Kings at that time.

Videos

Podcasts

Coming Soon!

Doug Smith Topic Presentations

an expert on workplace resilience & the impact of emotional trauma (an nhl story)

  • Virtual PresentationKeynote PresentationWorkshop SessionHalf Day TrainingFull Day Training
  • A High-Performance expert, elite professional athlete, best-selling author and business owner, Doug Smith teaches his clients how to overcome the odds and achieve phenomenal performance. He achieves these gains by demonstrating the impact of emotional TRAUMA on the achievement of high performance. His dynamic presentation opens the mind, is backed by science and is a Catalyst for Change.

    What happens to the audience during the presentation is like magic.

    Doug not only inspires and educates everyone that hears his story, but he also delivers  a simple system each audience member can take, use and s

doug smith's customized presentations

  • Virtual PresentationKeynote PresentationWorkshop SessionHalf Day TrainingFull Day Training
  • After suffering a catastrophic, life-altering, injury while playing professional hockey, former NHLer Doug Smith decided right then and there, that if he survived the impact and physical injuries, he would do better emotionally as a human being. It was at that moment, laying on the ice, that the humble beginnings of “System 438” sprang into action.

    Doug’s incredible story will leave you, inspired, empowered and more aware. He will explain why and how the impact of emotional trauma combined with the “rate of change” is our ticking time bomb in the workplace today. He will show you how to disarm it. Why and how System 438 can enhance human performance through awareness. Trauma can hurt our performance without us being aware it is happening to us.

    The human species suffers from only 4 types of trauma. 3 types of trauma can be easily seen and felt. One type
    of trauma we are not well-equipped to see and feel. Doug will show you how to see and feel cumulative emotional trauma, so you can lead with confidence, support using empathy, and achieve phenomenal outcomes.

    3 – Assessment: What controls us? The subconscious brain controls more than 95% of human functioning. The subconscious brain has only 3 priorities. You will learn what these priorities are.

    8 – Performance: Revealed through Doug’s story, you will learn the 8 behaviours and performance-fueling actions that he used to feed the 3 priorities of his subconscious brain. Playing the lottery with your emotional performance and the performance of others is not a requirement. There is a systematic approach to better manage emotional states.

    Let Doug be your guide to System 438.

mastering mental wellness in the workplace - a simple, rational approach to managing trauma, wellness, and performance

  • Virtual PresentationKeynote PresentationWorkshop SessionHalf Day TrainingFull Day Training
  • “For 20 years, I would get 2 minutes in the penalty box for doing something to someone that you would get 15 years in jail for. To be treated this way psychologically is a form of human conditioning or emotional trauma.” Doug Smith

    It was not his physical ability. Doug Smith was unaware of what was happening to him emotionally as a teenager in the NHL. Cumulative emotional trauma would slowly take over his life and his ability to perform as a professional athlete.

    Today, Doug presents his scientifically supported model which anyone can use to manage trauma more effectively.

    What Doug has learned from his experience and what he teaches can significantly benefit your employees, your leadership, and your bottom line.

    Doug is a spinal cord injury survivor and former NHL first-round draft pick. As an award-winning author of ‘The Trauma Code and Thriving in Transition’, Doug has been telling his story of emotional trauma and performance and wowing audiences around the world for over a decade.

    Doug makes life better for others by turning the confusing and misunderstood topic of “trauma” into a simple and easy-to-understand model and system that anyone can manage with little effort.

Doug Smith travels from Ottawa, Ontario & delivers customized and tailored keynote speeches, presentations, workshops and training sessions. on the topics enlisted below. These services are designed for a variety of audiences, industries, and event types and event formats.

Testimonials

My staff and personnel, a combination of military and civilian, benefited tremendously from your expression of your personal experience, in addition to the life lessons and tactics you have acquired throughout your journey.

Lieutenant-Colonel, Angie Lapointe

COMMANDING OFFICER - TRANSITION UNIT
CANADIAN ARMED FORCES

Doug’s keynote presentation was in perfect alignment with our leadership workshop. He delivered the inspiring messages that we hoped for and our entire team got so much more.

James S. Paul

President & CEO
Defence Construction Canada

Doug Smith has captured the interest of people around the world because of the important issues he has been addressing in his books, presentations, and with his system. This work is relevant to everyone, and even more so today. We are pleased to have Doug as our Vice-President of Communications and Outreach, as Doug is an experienced professional that can effectively communicate a message to businesses and their employees that we believe is important to hear.

Craig Campbell,

PRESIDENT
JPOM CANADA

Bringing out the best is the goal; dignity, respect, empathy, humility, confidence, is the approach. Subconsciously, I was always there, now I understand it better and have made that link with my conscious self. Thank you for helping me understand that this philosophy on life is not merely an idea or thought, but a fundamental truth to what it is to be a human being.

Mark

Manager
Hydro Ottawa Keynote Presentation

I am a young man in South Ottawa and I just had to let you know how much your book has done for me. Almost a year ago, I suffered a severe stroke that should have killed me. I was alone for 25 hours before paramedics broke into the house to save my life. I was in intensive care at the Ottawa civic hospital for 12 days, while doctors contemplated surgery to release the pressure in my head. My good friend Jason Daley went to hear you speak and bought me a copy of The Trauma Code. My Neurologist didn’t think I’d ever walk again and I’ve been skating for 5 months now. I’d love to shake your hand someday

Danny

After hearing Doug Smith speak I went full force into working towards my own dreams. People told me that I would never own my own gym… on the 15th of October, I move in as the owner of the Phaze1 Fitness Centre. I am going to take on some medically releasing soldiers and pass on the same encouragement I got from seeing and hearing Doug at Algonquin College. Thank you so very much.

Erica Murphy

Former Officer
Canadian Armed Forces

Articles & Media

Coming Soon!

Books

The Trauma Code
The Trauma Code
The Trauma Code
Thriving In Transition
Thriving In Transition
Thriving In Transition
How to book Doug Smith for an event?

Doug Smith keynote speaker is an expert presenter and has a wide range of experience speaking to a wide variety of audiences and organizations. Doug Smith delivers keynotes, workshops & training sessions. They may also host or emcee events. Hire Doug Smith from Ottawa, Ontario for your event to inspire the audience to take action and make change in their work and their lives. Your workplace will benefit from our keynote speaker and their keynote talks and speeches will shift the mindsets or behaviours for the audience members in Canada. 

Interested in booking Doug Smith for an event?

Are you looking to hire Doug Smith for your event? Doug Smith Ottawa, Ontario is a dynamic and engaging speaker that offers audiences researched content paired with expertise and a dynamic speaking ability. Doug Smith is also a Canadian corporate consultant and coach and facilitates workshops and training sessions for a corporate audience. Doug Smith is an expert keynote presenter and speaks on wide variety of topics. Hiring a great speaker for your event is important and working with a thought leader like Doug Smith from Speakers Canada’s roster will engage audiences into the content of the presentation to bring awareness and a fresh perspective for their approach to their work and their lives. Book Doug Smith to educate, motivate and activate the audience through an interactive and entertaining presentation at corporate meetings and gatherings.

Known as a popular key note speaker in Canada, Doug Smith creates life changing experiences for the participants with practical insights and strategic advice they can implement right after the session. Working with a one our leading expert speaker like Doug Smith from Ottawa, Ontario offers organizations a fresh perspective to assist the people of the organization. No matter if it is a government, association, or business crowd, Doug Smith is a perfect speaker for your event. Through unique practical insights for trending topics and years experience speaking to different organizations, Doug Smith focuses on changing individuals to make better decisions at work and their lives. No matter if you are holding an in person or virtual event, having an influential speaker such as Doug Smith will engage, motivate, and activate the audience to make a change in their lives and inspire action for results to meet organizational goals. Your workforce will benefit from Doug Smith’s presentations and speeches, with measurable results set to shift the people of the organization and core direction of the company. Book Doug Smith speaker for your annual general meeting, conference, summit, or convention in Canada.

How much does it cost to hire Doug Smith for a keynote presentation or virtual event?

Doug Smith is an expert professional key note speaker with a lot of experience speaking and delivering engaging talks to organizations and audiences in Canada. Each of Speaker Bureau Canada’s talent have different ways to assess their fees, and Doug Smith speaker fee ranges depending on the size of the audience, event format (in person or virtual), event location, and if the organization booking them is a non profit, association, government department/government agency or business/corporation. The speakers we work with are flexible with their fees, and it is important for us to learn more about your event before we approach them, as it is our role to work for you, and to help you find a speaker within budget. 

Please contact Speakers Bureau of Canada and provide us with your event details so that we can contact Doug Smith to check availability or confirm the pricing and associated costs to hire a great speaker like Doug Smith for your event. As Doug Smith's agent and as a Canadian top speaker bureau and talent agency for speakers, we are able to propose each event opportunity from each host organization’s behalf to try to help you get in touch with Doug Smith and confirm them for your in person or online meeting/event. We can also provide and advise on the booking process and potentially negotiate their fee. Speakers Canada is a client focused speaker agency, and we work for you in finding good speakers for your team meetings and booking processes.

Doug Smith Disclaimer
Speakers Bureau Canada assists companies and event planning teams seeking to hire talent like Doug Smith for speaking engagements, virtual meetings, conference appearances, training sessions and workshops facilitations. Our Canadian speakers bureau does not claim to exclusively represent Doug Smith, however they are represented by Speakers Canada, and we work with them closely for their Canadian speaking opportunities and bookings. As Canada’s top speaker bureau, we represent Canadian motivational keynote speakers and professional guest speakers that will be available on your upcoming events date and location that are withing the budget. Our talented bureau speaker booking agency can help find business speakers or celebrity speakers that aligns with each organization, audience, event theme and the topic themes you hope for the speaker to address in their presentation. 

When SBC receives a request to book Doug Smith we provide you with their speaker fees, travel costs and check their schedules. We work closely with the host organization’s event planning team and the speaker to handle the logistics and to relay or negotiate associated costs. Our talented team members then will work with our talent directly or their agent/manager/assistant to confirm the Canadian speaker fee and travel expenses, so that event planning teams can receive an official quote for the speaker appearing at the event. Speaker fees and travel costs vary per speaker and our role is to contact Doug Smith about your event, after we have connected with the event organizers to learn all the event details and/or conference program. Each booking request is unique since session durations and audience sizes can vary which may affect the speaker’s fees. If you are looking to hire Doug Smith, we recommend filling out the booking request form so a booking agent from Speakers Bureau Canada can get in touch with our talent to help you coordinate with your team to engage the speaker for a successful event.

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