KEYNOTES

Aging isn’t a problem or a disease. Everyone’s doing it, from newborns to 99-year-olds, and more of us are doing more of it: there are more healthy adults than ever before in human history. Why is this remarkable achievement often depicted as a “gray tsunami” of incapacitated elders? Because of ageism—discrimination on the basis of age, a prejudice against our future selves. “Solve for ageism,” says activist Ashton Applewhite, and we also address sexism (aging is gendered), ableism (we’re afraid of losing our physical or cognitive capacity), and racism (which denies to multitudes the chance to age at all). The author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism and a TED mainstage speaker, Ashton is a leading voice of the emerging anti-ageism movement. Warm, funny, and straight-talking, Ashton describes her journey from apprehensive fifty-something to pro-aging radical, debunking myths and stereotypes along the way. Ashton calls aging “a powerful, fascinating, lifelong process that unites us all,” and guarantees that after listening to her, you’ll feel a whole lot better about the years ahead.

 

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At the age of fourteen, Waneek Horn-Miller was stabbed in the chest by a Canadian soldier while protesting a condo development on traditional Mohawk lands. A photo of the event launched her into the public eye as a symbol of Indigenous struggle, but Horn-Miller battled the very real trauma and PTSD that followed. On stage, she traces the path from the pain depicted in that picture to the strength depicted in her iconic TIME cover, an image of incredible power, poise and dignity as the first Canadian Mohawk woman to compete in the Olympic games. 

 

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That Which Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Funnier: After all you’ve been through in the past two years couldn’t you use a laugh? Based on Deborah’s book of the same name, this hilarious talk deals with work/life challenges in the time of masks and protocols. Deborah will focus on the power of yes, how to evict energy sucking behaviours, and how to stay resilient in these unprecedented times.

Whether on the page or on the stage, Deborah Kimmett is one funny lady. This witty and wise woman has been using humour to open minds and heal hearts for over 42 years. Deborah is a Second City veteran, regular performer on CBC Radio for 16 years, and CBC Television’s Winnipeg Comedy Festival just aired her set on CBC TV and Gem. Her show Downward Facing Broad album became #5 on ITUNES for Canada, she has been nominated for the National Magazine Humour Awards, Governor General Award and ACTRA award for outstanding performance by an actress. Her current show Overnight Sensation is touring and will be on Broadway in New York City on November 6th.

 

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Sarah has spent the 25 years tending to those who journey with grief. She began sitting bedside to the dying, then founded The Lodge so that grief was supported inside organizations through individual coaching and consulting. She believes that three pillars are missing in the lives of our healthcare workers. Connection to ourselves, our purpose and our passion. Sarah and her team work with LTC Organizations to help them find these three pillars again.

A high energy and enlightning talk about how we find passion again.  Both personally and professionally! 

Let’s discover the huge benefits in helping our teams and leaders re-connect into their core beliefs and discover how their passions align with the work that they do. This presentation will focus on these areas of discussions:

1) Why this is a journey worth travelling
2) How can we find desire and passion when we don’t remember what it is
3) How can we see passion and purpose come alive in the work we do