Sajel Bellon (Ed.D, CTSS) is an Occupational Stress and Trauma Specialist and Mental Health Professional. She is a professional speaker who specializes in the sciences of well-being, human connection, positive transformation and growth for individuals and organizations. Bellon has developed and delivered programs around the globe for a variety of postsecondary institutions and organizations, educating and inspiring others about the benefits of “Co-Creating Cultures that foster Psychological Safety and Connection”, “The Permission to be Human” and “Whole Systems Thinking for Extraordinary Change” to help organizations and families re-define their approach to mental health and its stigma.

Sajel Bellon is an expert in cultivating the space and conditions to improve work-life experiences and relationships, using the sciences of Positive Psychology, Appreciative Inquiry, Positive Organizational Development and other modalities. She has created a series of programs, talks and workshops on Personal & Occupational Well-Being, Human Connection, Resiliency, and Rising from Trauma & Stress. Her hope is to assist the First Responder community by creating the necessary systemic change to better support their mental wellness, while also minimizing the incidence of occupational stress injuries and loss of life to suicide. As an adult educator and curriculum developer, Sajel Bellon created Canada’s first Positive Psychology Certificate and Positive Education Certificate programs for Wilfrid Laurier University, where she currently instructs. Internationally, she continues to design, facilitate and lecture at institutions, such as Central Queensland University, and Champlain College.

She has partnered with global organizations (SAHMRI, WPEA, IPEN) to create highly-innovative and collaborative initiatives. Her philosophy to cultivate human connection fosters success and well-being for those under her leadership and with her in partnership; Together promoting mental well-being as a foundation for better and stronger communities and organizations, cultivating human connection and meaningful conversations. Sajel Bellon is a member of the Association for Registered Psychotherapists and Mental Health Professionals (O.A.C.C.P.P), Association of Trauma Stress Specialists (A.T.S.S) with designation of Certified Trauma Service Specialist, International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA), Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, and Global Speakers Federation.

She has served as a Board Director and Conference Chair for the Canadian Positive Psychology Association (CPPA). Her passion and research spans various organizations including the Emergency Services, on the topics of Resiliency, Post-Traumatic Growth and Mental Wellness. She offers services for individuals, teams and leaders to leverage their strengths and resources when it comes to addressing and promoting mental wellness and preventing occupational stress injuries and trauma within their organizations. She is a pioneer in creating links in integrating families and community partners to enhance support and healing for the prevention and recovery processes. This includes networking, educating and helping other mental health professionals and therapists, to gain a better understanding of the unique culture of the Emergency Services.

Sajel Bellon believes that mentoring and collaborating with other mental health providers to enhance their services and deliverables to better suit the needs of the Emergency Services population will increase accessibility to better meet increasing demands. Her vision for an integrated mental health, education and systemic culture change has been proven to be innovative and designed to be systemically sustainable. Beyond her professional capacities it’s Bellon’s personal experience of being the spouse of a Professional Firefighter and having extended family members belonging to Police and EMS which brings a high level of connection and understanding. Seeing the realities of these unique workplace cultures firsthand as well as the associated occupational stress and post-traumatic stress injuries that can result from the consistent exposure to trauma gives her an authentic perspective which resonates with her audiences and workshop attendees. She shares her story along with proven strategies on how to navigate this journey successfully, while keeping your most important relationships intact, and moving towards a life of flourishing.

Sally Armstrong has covered stories in zones of conflict all over the world. From Bosnia and Somalia to Congo and Afghanistan, her eyewitness reports have earned her the Amnesty International Media Award four times over, as well as acclaim all over the world. Armstrong shares her experiences reporting from the front lines and imparts her audiences with the lessons she’s learned from the battlefields surrounding the complexities of “human rights” versus “human wrongs.”

In addition to her journalism, Sally Armstrong is the author of the books Veiled Threat: The Hidden Power of the Women of Afghanistan; The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor; Bitter Roots, Tender Shoots: The Uncertain Fate of Afghanistan’s Women; and her most recent title, Ascent of Women: A New Age is Dawning for Every Mother’s Daughter.

2017 was a busy year for Sally Armstrong — it saw her on assignments in Iraq, Kenya, and Afghanistan, and she gave a speech in Oxford, UK, and at Oxford University. Armstrong was also promoted to Officer of the Order of Canada, and won, along with photographer/videographer Peter Bregg, the Amnesty International Canada Media Award for their work in Iraq (her fourth Amnesty International Canada Media Award). She and Bregg also won the Gold Award for Investigative Journalism at The Canadian Online Publishing Gala for their work about the Yazidis called Resisting Genocide in 2017 as well.

Sally Armstrong is a former member of the International Women’s Commission at the UN, and is the recipient of ten honorary doctorate degrees. Her new book, Ascent of Women uses interviews with women and girls all over the world, it explains how and why a new age is dawning for every mother’s daughter. Just named to the Amelia Bloomer Project List in the US. Reviewers say the book will make you gasp, and cry and even laugh but mostly it’ll make you cheer.

 

As a native Albertan Sam Effah has speed. He has represented Canada at three World Championships, three World University Games, two Commonwealth Games and most recently placed second on the Amazing Race Canada with Olympian teammate Sarah Wells. As a two-time Canadian Champion in the 100m, Sam Effah has an innate enthusiasm for sport, Olympic movement, and helping people find their true passions.

Battling injury during the last couple years has Sam Effah hungry as ever – to re-establish himself as Canada’s best. On the corporate side he has a passion for sports advertising, loves to speak and has established himself as a leader in the sponsorship and community development sector. Sam has worked in brand marketing, managing 18 Olympic athletes across the country.

Effah coordinates anything from speaking engagements, to athlete appearances and supports onsite event execution. As a 2020 Olympic hopeful while working in corporate – and excelling, Sam provides a unique perspective unseen in today’s industries. Sprint Statistics:
• NACAC (North American Central American and Caribbean) U-23 Champion & Record Holder
• 100m: 10.06sec
• 200m: 20.65sec
• 60m: 6.57sec
Athletic Highlights
• Two-time Canadian 100m National Champion & competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia
• Named “The Fastest Man In Canadian University History” & “Fastest Man In Alberta History”
• Represented Canada at 3-World Championships, 3-World University Games and 2 Commonwealth Games
• Placed 5th at the World Championships in Athletics (4x100m – Berlin, Germany)
• 3 – Time Athletics Alberta Athlete of the year
• 4 – Time and consecutive Canadian University Athlete of the Year
• 2 – Time and consecutive Dr. Fred Tees Memorial Trophy award winner – given to Canada’s top University athlete
Community Involvement and Awards
• A featured speaker at WEDay Alberta 2017 – presented to 20,000 students at the Calgary Scotiabank Saddledome.
• A proud Right To Play Ambassador and speaker since 2011.
• Selected as an honoree at the “2017 Canada 150 Gala” by the Diversity Advancement Network Toronto.
• Presented at the TedX Youth Toronto 2017 Conference.
• Named as a Future of Ghana Top 30 Under 30 International Pioneer for 2016. This publication features international
talents who are outstanding leaders in their field and are of Ghanaian descent.
• Won the 2015 Athletes in Excellence Award by the Foundation of Global Sports development. Sam was awarded
$10,000 USD for his work with non-profits, volunteering, and speaking engagements worldwide.
• Obtained a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Calgary.

The night before the Olympic game, in the race to the gold medal, Sami Jo Small was told that she would not be on the ice. At first, she was devastated and angry, but eventually, she chose to rise above those feelings and embraced her new role with enthusiasm. She became a force of positivity in the dressing room, on the bench, and on the ice, and in doing so ultimately helped the team become champions. A graceful storyteller, Small shows audiences that a “team” needs all of its members ― regardless of their role ― if they are to succeed.

As a goalie for the Canadian women’s hockey team, Small has won five World Championships, twice named championship MVP, and is a three-time Olympian, who played on two gold medal-winning teams. After a lifetime of training for the “big game,” in the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002, Small never got to play in it. “The biggest difference between myself and other Olympians,” says Small, “is the whole idea of being placed in situations that were not the way I had envisioned living my Olympic dream. Not playing in the final game in Salt Lake forced me to focus on the accomplishment of the team above my own feelings.”

Small currently works as a motivational speaker, and is a Certified Speaking Professional through the National Speaking Association. She is also an owner of a hockey school that runs throughout four provinces, and is currently writing her first book, an autobiography of her time playing for a championship team, to be published in 2020. Small was also one of the founders of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, and worked as the general manager of the Toronto Furies until it discontinued operations in 2019.

Scott Armstrong (CSP) is an international speaker, emcee, published author and is recognized by his colleagues as an extraordinary visionary leader who has the uncanny knack of motivating others to inspired action. Sitting at a office desk over 20 years ago, he was deeply frustrated and knew there had to be more than pushing paper. He made the choice to go Limitless. Three years later Scott had created Canada’s largest rehabilitation centre for abandoned exotic animals –swimming with jaguars, running with wolves, playing in the snow with tigers.

How does swimming with tigers launch a 25-year speaking career? Well when you also inspire over 2000 businesses along the way then there is something special to talk about. Starting an exotic wildlife sanctuary from scratch and growing it into one of Canada’s premier environmental education centers without a single donation requires a special talent. Growing that talent and becoming Director of Entrepreneurship and Corporate Training at The British Columbia Institute of Technology requires exceptional future vision and relentless tenacity to provide sustained motivation to a diversity of audiences.

In addition, he educated over 20,000 children on endangered species and was privileged to provide ‘Make A Wish’ dreams come true for dozens of terminally ill children and adults. Scott has since spent his time showing thousands, including military personnel and professional athletes, how they can make their Limitless dreams come true. Whether as a University Professor or Director of Corporate Training at BCIT Scott has helped over 3000 individuals create their own businesses and over 2000 employees engage their next level of high performance.

Specializing in business and personal motivation for growth Scott brings a counter intuitive energy to his presentations, helping clients broaden their perspectives to otherwise concealed opportunities.  He possesses a remarkable ability to understand what is truly important to his audiences.

Scott’s presence on stage, his complete professionalism, and ability to craft custom messaging in his presentations ensures:

• Attendees will feel a heightened level of enthusiasm and commitment to their work and will have free resources to ensure the momentum is maintained
• Clients will experience seamless integration of Scott into their conference with logistical items and timely promotional materials
• Scott will talk with organizers and attendees to ensure his knowledge of the audience and their needs radiates through his presentation

 

Shamena Maharaj is an award winning Human Resources Professional, Scholar, Author, Philanthropist, Coach and Speaker. Shamena is the author of two books Becoming my best self: my shero attributes and Joy, Happiness and Mindfulness.
Shamena is passionate about coaching others and provide them with the tools to transform their lives holistically within their profession, community, personal and organizational. Shamena delivers powerful keynotes and workshops that have an impact on all participants with her caring and compassionate nature.  Shamena has over 20 years of experience to share and with her audience.
Shamena shares her experiences from her own personal and professional life and the lessons that she has learned that has contributed to finding joy, happiness with mindfulness and falling in love with herself all over again.
She shares her story combined with proven strategies on how to navigate life journey and keep your most important attributes of love, safety, wholeness and self-worth as you move towards a life of self compassion and success.

On November 2005, 30-year old Shannon Moroney was a respected educator, proud homeowner, active volunteer and happy newlywed. While away attending a conference, a knock at her hotel room door shattered the life she knew. It was a police officer, there to deliver the shocking news that her home was a crime scene. Her husband Jason was in custody after confessing to the violent sexual assault and kidnapping of two women. Grief, confusion, stigma and loss stalked her. Within weeks, she lost her job, her income, her ability to trust and the future she planned for. She felt agony for the assault victims but was powerless to help them. The effects of her husband’s violence rippled through the community and lines were drawn. Some relationships ended, while others strengthened.

Shannon Moroney also had to grapple with Jason’s past. His past included a violent episode as a teenager which ended with the death of a woman and conviction of second-degree murder. A decade in prison followed by years of parole had made him a success story of rehabilitation and an example of the redemptive powers of the system. By the time they met, Jason was re-establishing his life and giving back to the community. Officials were certain that he would never re-offend. Therefore Shannon chose to become part of his second chance: the best second chance that anyone could ask for. They built a beautiful life together.

But underneath his positive exterior, Jason had hidden a dark side: fear, addiction, sexual deviance and a childhood history of abuse. Telling himself that he was in control of his demons, he didn’t reach out for help until it was too late—until he’d terribly harmed two innocent victims, torn apart the lives of many more, and landed himself back in prison. While Jason spent months in solitary confinement, Shannon was thrust into a painful and uncertain new identity—left to answer for Jason in his absence, face public scrutiny over her marriage, cope with a major criminal investigation, and mourn the loss of the life she’d known.

Shannon Moroney faced difficult choices as she searched for a path that would lead her out of trauma and toward a positive future. She was awarded a fellowship to complete a Masters’ degree in England where she studied trauma and resilience. When she returned to Canada, Shannon Moroney became active in the emerging field of restorative justice and began speaking out about her experience. She shares a raw and honest account of the impact that Jason’s crimes had on her professional and community status, as well as on her relationships with others and herself. In detailing her heartbreaking story of grief, violence, judgment and stigma, she also tells the story of a journey filled with compassion, restoration, forgiveness and hope. Since 2008, Shannon has been addressing audiences around the world.

Her memoir, Through the Glass, was published in Canada in 2011 where it became an instant national bestseller and nominee for several awards including the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction. In 2012, it was published internationally. Shannon Moroney now lives in Toronto, Canada, where she is remarried and the mother of twins. A volunteer with Leave Out ViolencE (LOVE), she is also a contributor to the international Forgiveness Project.

 

Simon O’Byrne is an award winning urban designer/planner and is Senior Vice President of Stantec’s 2,000 person Community Development Business Line. As a planning expert, he is frequently quoted in the media and is a sought after global public speaker. Simon has led multi-disciplinary design teams in the planning and successful delivery of large, complex and politically charged projects.

O’Byrne’s experience ranges from intensive urban revitalization redevelopments, to master planned communities, to transit-oriented developments and more. Projects include the Edmonton Downtown Arena and Entertainment District, creating resiliency in Hull, UK, redevelopment of the Alberta Legislature Grounds, the Saskatoon City Centre Plan, Lower Athabasca Regional Plan, Alberta Capital Region Land Use Plans, the Hunts Point Plan, Bronx, New York and more.

As a recognized urban design and planning expert, Simon O’Byrne is frequently quoted in the media in both Canada and the US and is a sought after speaker on both sides of the border to professional, community and leadership groups. He is an experienced speaker who delivers keynotes at major provincial, national and international conferences. Simon is also has a TEDx talk on how to create vibrant communities.

In 2015, Simon O’Byrne was selected to become the Allard Chair in Business for MacEwan University. The Edmonton Journal named Simon as one of the city’s Power 30. Alberta Venture magazine named Simon as one of the 50 Most Influential People in Alberta. In 2009, Avenue magazine named Simon as one of the Top 40 Under 40. Simon O’Byrne is a community leader who currently volunteers with the following: Downtown Vibrancy Task Force (Past Chair), Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation (Honorary Chair), City of Edmonton’s Winter City Advisory Committee (Co-Chair) and Winter City Urban Design (Chair), Canadian Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility and the University of Alberta Planning Program Advisory Committee.

Simon O’Byrne volunteers and leads many different civic, economic, social justice, charity, and professional boards and committees such as; the Habitat for Humanity National Leadership Council, Edmonton Chamber of Commerce (2014 Chair), Edmonton Renewable Energy Task Force, Greater Edmonton Regional Chambers of Commerce (2012 Chair), Community Sustainability Task Force, Edmonton Economic Development Corporation, Hope Mission, Urban Development Institute & the Alberta Professional Planning Association.

Simon has a Master of City Planning Degree from the University of Manitoba. He has also completed a Master of Science in Environmental Planning scholarly exchange at the Pratt Institute in New York City. Simon’s first degree was a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta.

Dr. Sinclair MacRae, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Professional and Business Ethics at Mount Royal University in Calgary. He is a passionate and award-winning speaker, teacher, researcher, author, and consultant. Dr. MacRae delivers two terrific and dynamic presentations: Ethics for Professionals and Building Trust Relationships to Succeed. These presentations either can be keynote and seminar addresses or in highly interactive workshop formats, lasting between one and a half hours to one half day.

Dr. MacRae can help you improve business profitability and organizational performance through enhancing employee engagement, workplace culture, and ethics. His focus is on the practical and actionable. His delivery style is casual, accessible, and humorous. Dr. Sinclair’s presentations are content-driven, drawing on his extensive experience and expertise. He is currently researching and writing a book on competition, trust, and ethics. His first book was An Introduction to Ethics: Theories, Perspectives, and Issues.

Sinclair MacRae is the author of the Mount Royal Faculty Association’s Code of Ethics and a past Chair of its Ethics Committee and the Mount Royal University Research Ethics Board. He has been a member of several professional and community-based associations including the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada, the Canadian Association of Research Ethics Boards, the Canadian Psychological Association, the Canadian Business Ethics Research Network, the Integrity Network of Calgary and the Alberta Press Council.

Sinc’s presentations are an excellent fit for a wide range of professional associations and groups. Dr. Sinclair MacRae shapes his presentations to meet specific needs and requirements to deliver a compelling professional development seminar or workshop.

Sinclair MacRae has spoken at numerous conferences and society meetings across North America and he has twenty-five years’ experience teaching at universities and colleges in Canada. He mainly educates students in courses and programs in ethics, applied ethics, the good life, professional ethics and business ethics.

Dr. Sinclair MacRae has previously taught at Dalhousie University, the University of Toronto, George Brown College, the University of Manitoba, Saint Mary’s College, the University of Calgary, and Mount Royal University. He is an acclaimed expert on matters relating to business and professional ethics. Many media outlets including CBC news, the Canmore Leader, Global TV, The Calgary Herald, CHQR 770 AM and CTV News have interviewed Sinc on a broad range of issues and topics within his areas of expertise.

The words “get it done” have taken on new meaning for Spencer Beach. They were among the last instructions he received from his employer on April 24, 2003, at a routine job site in Edmonton’s Rutherford Close neighbourhood. Beach, a floor-layer by trade, was there to replace a linoleum floor because the homeowner didn’t like the colour of the original. It was a job he had performed many times and he knew the risks well, especially those involved with using a highly toxic solvent called Roberts 1901, used to dissolve the adhesive that held the linoleum to the subflooring.

Once inside the home, Spencer Beach began, as he always did, by turning down the furnace and opening the doors and windows for ventilation. Although he should have been wearing leather gloves to protect his hands, he opted to leave the gloves under the seat of his car because they left his hands hot and sweaty, making it difficult to manipulate his tools. For the next few hours, he focused on the task at hand. Every so often the wind would shut one of the doors and he’d have to stop what he was doing, get up and open it again. Anxious to finish work for the day, Beach looked forward to planning a stag party for a good friend later that night.

With only 12 square feet of flooring near the home’s front entrance to finish before calling it a day, Spencer Beach closed the front door. At the same time he heard the door to the garage – which he had opened earlier that day – blow shut. Knowing he would be finished in the next 15 minutes or so, he decided that it wasn’t worth worrying about.

He was wrong. Seconds later, he was immediately surrounded by flames after hearing a heard a loud explosion. He reached for the door handle in front of him, but the fire had created a vacuum inside the house and the door wouldn’t budge. Blinded by the scorching heat, Beach ran down the hallway toward the laundry room and eventually found the door to the garage. It wouldn’t budge, either.

By now, he could smell his hair and clothes burning and feel the skin on his face tightening around his bones. He ran back to the front door and pulled desperately on it, but it still wouldn’t open. The fire raging inside the house was now at 1,500 degrees and Beach could feel his skin bubbling from the heat.

No more than 20 seconds had passed since the explosion. Beach, unable to get either of the doors to open, curled into a ball on the floor and prepared for death. He distinctly remembers a feeling of peace and a sense that time was slowing down. But he also remembers thinking of his wife, Tina, who was four months pregnant, and the burden that his death would place on his family. And so, one last time, he reached for the now red-hot door handle and pulled with everything he had. This time it opened, and Beach fell several feet into a pile of highly flammable construction garbage, including the linoleum flooring he had just removed. Now completely engulfed in flames, he stood up and ran down the driveway. Two-thirds of the way down it, he collapsed.

A man standing at the end of the driveway turned his garden hose on Spencer, and a woman, a nurse, knelt beside him and told him an ambulance was on its way. Beach told the nurse to contact his pregnant wife and make her aware of the accident. He could smell charred flesh. His lips felt swollen and strange. He wondered about his fingers, his toes and his ears. “My life is over,” he remembers thinking to himself.

For the next six weeks, Beach remained in a medically induced coma at the Firefighters Burn Treatment Unit at the University of Alberta Hospital. After that, he had to overcome months of surgeries, an addiction to painkillers and an overwhelming feeling of depression.  The doctors stapled 90 per cent of his body with Cadaver skin. Only the skin on his groin, knees and the bottom of his feet survived the fire.

Spencer Beach has reinvented himself as a motivational speaker, working to encourage employees and employers to operate safely. He believes that the provincial legislation identifies all strategic and education knowledge for employers. The challenge, he says, is getting employers – all of them – to truly take the issue of workplace safety seriously. Spencer Beach has presented to multiple organizations in North America. His story is one that audience members never forget. Beach’s storytelling ability draws audience members into his personal struggles along his journey. His presentations are straight from the heart, and he does not leave any truth uncovered in his story of recovery and survival.