Jennifer Spear is a recovering corporate executive who works with leaders, teams and organizations to help them solve problems, plan strategically and make innovation and creativity a reality in their workplace. Her UnScripted philosophy and approach, which includes being able to challenge assumptions and the status quo, being able to let go of the scripts of the past in order to take advantage of change, allows her to work successfully in organizations currently experiencing change to, not only learn to adapt to change, but to drive change in order to innovate and grow.
Prior to starting her coaching and consulting practice, Jennifer Spear was Vice President of both Human Resources and Marketing for a national retailer and understands the importance of both employee and customer engagement. As a graduate of both Ivey’s Executive MBA program and Second City, Jennifer operates where the business and creative worlds collide. Jennifer is a certified Facilitator and Trainer in Creative Problem Solving and is certified in the Basadur Creative Problem Solving Profile and is a Certified Professional Innovation Advisor. Jennifer Spear has worked with diverse groups including the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, BMO and NASA.
Jennifer Spear is a guest lecturer at the Ted Rogers School of Management and is a member of the International Association of Facilitators, the Global Speakers Federation, the Canadian Society for Association Executives, the Human Resources Professional Association, and the Applied Improvisation Network. Jennifer sits on the Board of Directors for Meetings Mean Business Canada and on the National Board of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. Jennifer is a contributor to Forbes and is the Author of the upcoming book “UnScripted”.
Lisa Elle is the founder of The Wealth Collective™, owner of Ellements Financial Group, host of the Money Makeover Podcast & the author of STRUT: How to Kick Financial ASSets in Sexy Shoes. Lisa has been a wealth strategist and a Certified Financial Planner for over 20 years and is passionate about helping women create financial clarity and fund their dreams. She has an alphabet soup of letters behind her name including a degree in Management and multiple Prominent Financial Designations.
Lisa Elle is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Certified Professional Consultant on Aging (CPCA), Certified Cash Flow Specialist (CCS), Elder Planning Counselor (EPC), Certified Health Specialist (CHS), Responsible Investment Specialist (RIS), Certified Estate Advisor (CEA), and has a Fellowship with the Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI). She is ranked among the highest Financial Planners in Canada! She loves helping women with cash flow planning and building wealth so they can accomplish their long-term goals, while still buying Starbucks, shoes and designer handbags guilt free although she works with a range of clients. Lisa is a mother of two beautiful girls and lives and works out of Cochrane, Alberta.
When she’s not needed as a chauffeur, short order chef to her family, or volunteering at church or school, she enjoys skiing and training for marathons around Cochrane’s majestic lakes or writing early in the morning with a warm cup of coffee. She loves new adventures and enjoys anything that involves traveling to new places to explore (even if it’s just a drive to the mountains for a hilltop selfie). Lisa Elle has been featured numerous times as a financial expert on Global TV, CTV, the Toronto Star, Huffington Post and recently the feature story for Investment Executive Journal across Canada.
Lisa Elle is the founder of a financial consulting firm, owner of a wealth management company & the author of STRUT: How to Kick Financial ASSets in Sexy Shoes. Lisa Elle has been a wealth strategist and a Certified Financial Planner for over 20 years and is passionate about helping women create financial clarity and fund their dreams.
Lisa Elle has an alphabet soup of letters behind her name including a degree in management and multiple prominent financial designations. But unlike most women Lisa Elle knows, she became infatuated with finance at a very early age.
When Lisa Elle was 13, her father would summon her family into his boardroom every Sunday evening to discuss family finances. While her friends were crushing on Hollywood stars, Lisa Elle was reading The Wealthy Barber and fantasizing about business strategies and David Chilton.
Lisa Elle sought out her first financial advisor at the age of 17, and she still remembers “clear as day” the two mutual funds Lisa Elle invested in at that time. Lisa Elle was young, but she had found her calling and was ready to charge full steam ahead into the world of finance.
Her online presence began taking form only five years ago, but it has grown rapidly. Lisa Elle is now active on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest; and Lisa Elle has a weekly blog, a podcast, and weekly and monthly email newsletters. Lisa Elle also has created online courses for her clients to complete at their own pace.
Lisa Elle offers one-on-one financial planning through Elements Financial, but also has programs designed to be accessible to all. Lisa Elle offers her Money Makeover podcast, Financial Bliss blog, and live shows (called Strut Show) on Instagram and Facebook free of charge.
Lisa Elle also created an online membership platform offering access to her programs and courses, with over 300 hours of in-depth content. This platform is designed for clients who want to explore financial planning in detail but may not require or afford one-on-one consultations.
Lisa Elle, like the majority of her clients — mostly young women and new business owners — tries to balance family, finances, and fitness while juggling her business and being an attentive mother. As a financial coach and author attributes her success in part to a regimented schedule that embraces a commitment to work/life balance.
Lisa Elle is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Certified Professional Consultant on Aging (CPCA), Certified Cash Flow Specialist (CCS), Elder Planning Counselor (EPC), Certified Health Specialist (CHS), Responsible Investment Specialist (RIS), Certified Estate Advisor (CEA), and has a Fellowship with the Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI).
Lisa Elle is ranked among the best financial planners in Canada! Lisa Elle loves helping women with cash flow planning and building wealth so they can accomplish their long-term goals, while still buying Starbucks, shoes and designer handbags guilt free although she works with a range of clients. Lisa Elle is a mother of two beautiful girls and lives and works out of Cochrane, Alberta.
When Lisa Elle is not needed as a chauffeur, short order chef to her family, or volunteering at church or school, Lisa Elle enjoys skiing and training for marathons around Cochrane’s majestic lakes or writing early in the morning with a warm cup of coffee.
Lisa Elle loves new adventures and enjoys anything that involves traveling to new places to explore (even if it’s just a drive to the mountains for a hilltop selfie). Lisa Elle has been featured numerous times as a financial expert on Global TV, CTV, the Toronto Star, Huffington Post and recently the feature story for Investment Executive Journal across Canada.
Award winning mentalist, certified hypnotist and master of persuasion, Spidey, was named US Mentalist of the Year and has appeared on NBC’s TODAY Show, TMZ and Rachael Ray! As a Hollywood consultant, he has consulted for celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Steve Harvey, Mark Cuban, Neil Patrick Harris and more. He joined the cast of NETFLIX Original Series: Brainchild to discuss the inner workings of motivation, thinking and memories.
The show is being watched in 170 countries! On Discovery Channel, he was invited to display how influence and persuasion can manifest physically. Spidey’s countless national/international TV appearances also include FOX’s Showtime at the Apollo with Steve Harvey, CW’s Masters of Illusion and Entertainment Tonight. Spidey has captivated the minds of people around the world with his international TV shows, 50+ million online viewers and tours across North America. Spidey has worked with Fortune 500 companies including Google (15+ times), Amazon (3+ times), T-Mobile, Mercedes-Benz, Royal Bank of Canada, Birks and more.
While employed as a police officer, Kelly Donovan did what she thought was her obligation and made a disclosure to the board that there were unethical practices within the police force’s internal affairs division. As a result, she faced retaliation. Kelly resigned from policing and published her first book titled The Systemic Misfeasance in Ontario Policing and the Coordinated Suppression of Whistleblowers to expose the problems facing modern day policing.
Kelly Donovan advocated for better protections for police whistleblowers in Ontario and effectively influenced law changes so that officers can now anonymously report internal misconduct. Throughout Kelly’s journey she has been recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder and she educates audiences about moral injury and sanctuary trauma. Kelly has become an expert on all issues relating to whistleblowing and suppressive workplace cultures. Even after resigning from the profession, Kelly continued to face reprisal for crossing the “thin blue line.”
Kelly Donovan was the 2019 Ontario Civil Liberties Award recipient and succeeded before the Ontario Court of Appeal as a self-represented litigant. Kelly published her second book in 2020, Police Line: Do Not Cross, Silencing a Canadian Police Whistleblower. Kelly Donovan now conducts workplace investigations to improve the ethical standard of workplaces across Canada. She holds a degree in statistics from the University of Western Ontario where she was also a varsity rugby player. Kelly’s story of staying true to one’s internal set of ethics and morals has inspired front-line workers to senior management on topics such as workplace courage, and the effects of trauma in the workplace.
Teddy Syrette (Ozhawa Anung Kwe/Yellow Star Woman) is a 2-Spirit Anishnabe from Rankin Reserve of Batchewana First Nation of the Anishnabek. Teddy has a background in social justice for First Nation and 2Spirit and LGBTQ+ people and communities. Their background also includes community theatre and bingo. Teddy has a diploma in Social Service Work – Indigenous Specialization from Sault College. Teddy Syrette uses they/them as their pronouns. As a brown, First Nation queer person, there were many barriers and challenges that Teddy faced growin up on Rankin Reserve and Sault Ste. Marie. These acts of discrimination and bullying, led Teddy Syrette to a path of self destruction and isolation. However, they did manage to find support in a high school guidance counsellor, an LGBT+ youth group of Algoma and affirming family and friends.
This didn’t stop Teddy from experiencing different forms of addiction, mental illness and ultimately dropping out of high school several times. At a young age, Teddy showed a creative imagination, brought on by their love of reading, writing and television and film. Not knowing what being First Nation entirely meant, Teddy did understand they were different after developing a crush on Zach Morris, from the television show Saved by the Bell. Teddy would become involved in theatre in elementary school, musical theatre in their later teen years, then Indigenous and community theatre in their 20’s.
While studying Indigenous theatre and storytelling at Debajehmujig Storytellers in Manitowaning ON, on Manitoulin Island, Teddy Syrette discovered that his grandmother was a residential school survivor from St. Joseph Residential School in Spanish, Ontario. Teddy also discovered that his uncle and aunt also attended residential school, but unfortunately, Teddy’s aunty would die of Tuberculous at residential school. This would set Teddy on a healing journey for their mental health and addiction. Teddy is now 4 years sober from alcohol. Their fondness for news and media, shifted their journey in their mid twenties, from being a performing artist to social justice and social advocacy.
At 24, they dropped out of theatre school in Manitoulin Island, and returned to Sault Ste. Marie enrolled and graduated from the Sault College Social Service Worker – Indigenous Specialization program. Teddy Syrette would then get involved with an LGBTQ+ youth committee with the former Provincial Advocates Office of Ontario, and assist with revamping the Sault Pride movement in Sault Ste. Marie, ON. Teddy has received the following awards for their work in advocacy, which include the Mark S. Bonham Award for Sexuality, Planned Parenthood Toronto LGBTQ+ Person of the year, the Sault Ste. Marie YMCA Peace Medal, the Community Driven Award for Leadership and the Grade 8 Graduate Award for Geography and History. Teddy currently lives back in Sault Ste. Marie, their home territory of Baawaating with their pug Hortus.
Sonia Funk is an Employee Wellness Analyst & Strategist, Corporate Keynote Speaker and Nutritional Therapist, with over 15 years of international experience in the wellness industry. She understands that employees are overwhelmed with their own day-to-day lives as it is, and that it can become a challenge to keep up with personal and professional lives, while maintaining health.
She has travelled the world as both student and teacher. Her super-powers include outrageous common sense and a willingness to ask the hard questions, which allow for easier answers. Sonia’s questions cut through all the misinformation, fads and clichés around wellness and mental health. She gives her audience courage to find a better question that can help them understand the real reasons why they are struggling. With this awareness and the tools she provides, real change for wellbeing becomes possible.
Sonia is a regular consultant, facilitator and regular guest on radio talk-shows and podcasts. Her unique collaborative healthcare events in her community, and her partnership with the local Co-op Grocery stores, have seen her in the media regularly. Over the years she naturally evolved into a corporate speaker, keynoting the City of Morden’s Mental Health Week in 2019 and speaking on brain health and nutritional psychiatry at Manitoba Safety Service’s conference in early 2020.
Her genius lies in her insightful and strategic telling of the human story behind the issue at hand. Funk understands that your employees are overwhelmed with their own day- to-day lives as it is. They are not interested in feel-good challenges for their nutrition, walking, or drinking more water, which have only about a 10% participation rate. She also knows that a one-time “lunch-and-learn,” which doesn’t offer employees a perception shift nor immediately usable tools, doesn’t even get in the first ear anymore.
Sonia Funk is a heart centered and funny professional that always brings the big picture to the table. Effortlessly flooding the room with the feeling of empathy and non-judgement, she invites a perception shift in the participants. To her, this is the fundamental first step to lift the apathy and fear that keeps people stuck. Sonia’s presentations are psychologically crafted in a way that allow her to effectively communicate life changing information and awareness. Her experience as an effective coach and therapist translates into her ability to relay useful tools and tips, that are relevant to everyone.
Sonia Funk provides employees powerful insights into the ‘Why’ and the ‘How’ of improving all aspects of their nutrition and wellbeing. Combining keen observational skills with an unusual and uplifting common sense, Sonia Funk has an extraordinary talent for identifying and explaining the root causes of productivity-draining ailments such as fatigue, digestive issues, chronic illness, stress, anxiety and depression. What’s more? Her approach is heart-centred and her calls to action are full of empathy and realism.
Gayathri Shukla is a dynamic, thought-provoking speaker who inspires individuals to rise to their personal and collective potential. She is the Founder of a social enterprise, where she masterfully harnesses the power of storytelling to help diverse teams discover their unique strengths, while building skills in empathy. She is known for her keen ability to see issues from different perspectives, and unearth creative solutions for business leaders and professionals.
A Professional Engineer with over 17 years experience in the energy sector, Gayathri Shulka started her career in Fort McMurray, Alberta. As one of the few Indo-Canadian women working in an industrial environment, she honed the practice of navigating diversity early-on. She stood-out not only for her exceptional technical contributions, but also for re-inventing her skills multiple times throughout her career. After building hands-on experience in her technology discipline, she pivoted into project management and led the schedule integration efforts for Fort Hills, a $17B greenfield oil sands facility. The safe and timely start-up of this facility was seen as an industry first.
Gayathri Shulka also obtained an Executive MBA program at Queen’s University, while simultaneously balancing her duties as a full-time employee and a parent of young kids. In her MBA project, she focused on how to unleash innovation by tapping into the wisdom of stakeholders’ lived experiences and stories. This work was recognized at Suncor’s executive levels and informed the creation of a new transformation department. Gayathri most recently spearheaded digital strategy and innovation programs within this department, which has resulted in game-changing operational improvements for the Mining workforce.
In her personal life, Gayathri is a proud mom to two school-aged kids and an active volunteer in the community. She serves on the Board of Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association. An accomplished Toastmaster, she presents regularly at community and campus events. She has also led Suncor’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiative as Co-Chair, curating networking and educational opportunities for over 150 members. Gayathri is passionate about championing women in STEAM professions and building cross-cultural connections. Having lived in 3 countries by the age of 15, and traveling extensively to many others, she has developed a deeply personal sense of global citizenship and interconnectedness.
In essence, Gayathri Shulka doesn’t just speak about resilience – she is its genuine embodiment. Her unique blend of skills and story is sure to delight anyone seeking to make bold, positive change.
From humble beginnings to a championship quarterback who played professional football for 20 years, Anthony Calvillo has a story to tell that will inspire and motivate your team. Anthony Calvillo is an experienced keynote speaker who can relate to everyone with his humility and down-to-earth nature while he shares the lessons he has learned from football and in life. He is a champion, coach, teammate, husband, father, cancer-survivor and gentleman and each of those roles helps him connect to people on different levels.
Anthony Calvillo is a Canadian Football League icon with the Montreal Allouettes. He is the all-time professional football passing yards leader and first in all-time CFL passing yards. In his career, he has passed for over 70,000 yards and is one of four professional quarterbacks to have completed over 400 touchdown passes. He won three Grey Cup championships in 2002, 2009, and 2010, being named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player in 2002. He has won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player Award three times, in 2003, 2008, and 2009.
Anthony started his Canadian Football League career in 1994 with the US expansion Las Vegas Posse. After the Posse folded a year later, Calvillo was selected first overall by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the dispersal draft. While in Hamilton, Calvillo served as a backup quarterback to players such as Steve Taylor and Matt Dunigan. In 1998, Calvillo signed as a free agent with the Montreal Alouettes, where over 16 seasons he became one of the most outstanding CFL quarterbacks in history.
Anthony Calvillo is a motivational speaker who shares his story to audiences across Canada. Anthony’s life is a testament to a life of facing adversity, raising the bar and making changes along the way to succeed in life, both personally and professionally. The numbers, statistics and accomplishments speak for themselves. But, he is more than just the numbers; he is hard-working and driven, yet down-to-earth, and humble – a true leader.
Anthony has always placed great importance into giving back to the community. His own life was changed by people stepping up and giving their time, their energy and their passion to make a difference and to better their communities. Giving back continues to be an important part of his mission in life.
Justin Orfus is professionally trained public speaker that brings a high level of professionalism, energy and engagement to any event he is hosting. Starting from hosting magic shows in his basement for neighbours at 6 years old, Justin has always thrived being in front of an audience. For summer jobs as a teenager, he worked as a Camp Counsellor teaching campers to host radio shows on the local camp station. His education includes Radio Broadcasting at Humber College, A communications degree from Carleton University and Stand Up/Comedic Improv at The Second City. He is also a certified public speaker with Toastmasters International.
After a successful run in the broadcasting industry at TSN and The Score, Justin Orfus transitioned to hosting live events. His big break came with the Toronto Maple Leafs. They hired him to be their first male “In Game Host” at the Air Canada Centre. Justin performed on the jumbo-tron in front of 20,000 screaming Leaf fans for over 4 years. Following this he transitioned into corporate events hosting opportunities where he represented brands such as Nike, Coke and Mattel on stage at high impact activations. Recently, Justin has branched into Weddings and Special Events performing as a MC/host for clients on their big day. Standing at 6’8, Justin’s friendly and warm-hearted presence makes him a client favourite each time he jumps on the mic!
Florence K Riley is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter from Quebec, who performs material in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. Since the release of her debut album Live at Lion D’Or in 2005, Florence K Riley has continually earned accolades for her wide-ranging musical approach. Two of her albums, Bossa Blue (2006) and La Historia De Lola (2008) won Félix Awards for ‘World Music Album of the Year’, while her first Christmas opus Havana Angels – recorded in Cuba – was a huge smash in 2010. In 2013, this incredible artist, who can speak and sing fluently in four languages (French, English, Spanish and Italian), returned with I’m Leaving You, made in Los Angeles with legendary producer/bassist Larry Klein.
The album garnered Florence K her first JUNO nomination for ‘Breakthrough Artist of the Year’, as well as an ADISQ award nomination for ‘Best Anglophone Album of the Year’. She subsequently released five more albums, selling a total of 250 000 records to this day. She is now the host of the weekly CBC Music/CBC Radio show “C’est Formidable!” while completing her Master’s degree in Mental Health and her prerequisites to enter the PhD in the University of Montreal neuropsychology program next year to become a clinical practitioner. It is near the end of 2011, at the peak of a promising artistic career, the young mother of a little girl was introduced, unwillingly, to chronic insomnia, anxiety and, subsequently, deep depression. This period of her life, which she referred to as “the abyss”, led her to hospitalization, then to the long road to recovery and, finally, after receiving a diagnosis of type II bipolarity, to a state of balance.
In 2015, she released her first book, Buena Vida, in which she tells the story of her experience of mental illness. The book became a best-selling, with more than 25 000 copies sold within a few months only. Since then, Florence K chooses to use her personal experience to help raise awareness about mental health, a cause to which she devotes much of her time. Florence Riley was recognized in November 2017 by the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) as one of 150 Canadian leaders in mental health. As an ambassador for Bell’s Let’s Talk campaign, she gives nationwide conferences where she shares her story open-heartedly, offering her perspective on mental health in today’s society. Whether with the Canadian Armed Forces, with the college and university community, within businesses, the medical field, community resource centers, mental health prevention associations, or in the music industry, her testimony touches the heart of her audiences and contributes greatly to the breaking of taboos and demystification of mental health issues.
In the Spring of 2019, Florence K presented a prized radio-documentary, The Hole Inside, on the air of CBC Radio, in which she shared her story and talked about what her day to day life is with a type II bipolarity disorder. In 2020, she hosted the TV show “Vivre en Funambule”, interviewing specialists about mental episode. The 6-episodes series was aired on Savoir Media. Because she strongly believes that the time has come to overcome society’s standing prejudices and taboos around mental health issues, she offers today to share her story and vision of mental health, through an open-hearted testimony. After all, we are never as alone as we may be led to believe.