Unapologetic Speakers' Corner
Get ready to embark on a transformative experience at the Niagara Leadership Summit for Women on April 6th, 2024! Brace yourself for a powerful lineup of inspiring leaders and change makers who are shaping the future of leadership in Niagara.
These remarkable individuals are redefining what's possible, sharing insights that will ignite your passion and drive positive change.
Don't miss this opportunity to be inspired and empowered by the visionaries who are making a significant impact on the world!
Award-Winning Customer Experience Engineer | Best Selling Author | Sales Training Expert | Executive Leadership Coach | Keynote Speaker | Podcast Host | Chief Experience Officer, The INSIDE View Inc.
CRYSTAL D’CUNHA
The Bold Blueprint for Women Leaders to Ignite, Excite, and Delight
Join Crystal D’Cunha for an inspiring keynote, "Designing Delight: The Bold Blueprint for Women Leaders to Ignite, Excite, and Delight." This session promises to empower women leaders with a dynamic framework for leveraging their innate strengths to revolutionize customer experience and leadership. Crystal combines her expertise in customer experience with the principles of bold and unapologetic leadership to offer attendees a unique blueprint for success. Get ready to transform how you lead, inspire your team, and create memorable customer interactions.
Key Takeaways:
-Harness Your Innate Ability to Design Delight: Learn to utilize your natural empathy and intuition to forge deep connections and craft unforgettable customer experiences.
-Ignite Your Inner Leadership Fire: Discover strategies to ignite your passion and inspire enthusiasm and dedication in your team.
Empower and Excite Your Team: Master the art of motivating your team, encouraging them to innovate and take ownership in creating exceptional customer experiences.
-Lead with Boldness and Resilience: Embrace bold, unapologetic leadership to navigate challenges with confidence, transforming obstacles into opportunities for growth.
-Commit to Continuous Learning: Equip yourself with the mindset of lifelong learning, understanding that to lead effectively in customer experience, you must always be willing to expand your knowledge.
This keynote is more than a presentation; it's a transformative experience that will leave you with a practical blueprint for becoming the inspiring leader you’ve always admired or wished to have. Crystal D’Cunha invites you to step into your power, leveraging your unique abilities to lead with impact, inspire with passion, and delight with innovation. Prepare to embark on a journey that will redefine your approach to leadership and customer experience, setting the stage for future success.
Bold Beginnings- 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, and ultimately put out into the world, are the backbone of each of our personal identities. This is our soul energy. It can be an accelerant or hold us back.
Some of these stories we ‘inherit’ because they have been told to us explicitly or implicitly by people close to us, people we trust, or by our culture and society. Some of our stories we downplay, dilute or even suppress because we don’t have enough trust in ourselves and we might be anxious about being acceptable and fitting in. But leading is not about fitting in; it is about being whole. It is about being bold and authentic and unapologetic. It is about each of us being in our own corner, cheering ourselves on and being a role models. There is no one else like you or me, so let’s learn to own that, beginning today where we will practice reframing the stories we tell ourselves.
In this workshop each participant will start uncovering their own stories anchored to 3 facts about themselves.
This is a safe practice that every woman can take at the speed and depth she feels comfortable with. She can take this forward into her self-reflection, to plan her development and so much more.
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Guided by Audre Lorde's quote, "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare," Eve and Rabia’s presentation will explore the significance of self-preservation in the context of their roles as staff working within EDI spaces. The workshop will delve into the importance of fostering a culture and community of care, both for ourselves and for one another. Through practical strategies, stories, and insightful discussions, they will navigate the delicate balance of self-care and collective support, highlighting how prioritizing our well-being contributes to our ability to create meaningful change in the world.
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Inclusion and decolonization is everyone’s job. This session will focus specifically on these topics through the lens of Sandy and Elyse’s individual lived experiences to ultimately arrive at individual action plans for forward movement in these areas. Navigating these areas can be challenging. It is also critical to hold your intentions and action with grace and self-compassion as these topics often lead to hesitation or discomfort. When engaging in unfamiliar territory, naturally, we worry about doing the “wrong” thing. Of course, sensitivity and respect is important, yet, this rarely equates to inaction.
People, and women more specifically, often consider making a mistake as a big deal! We tend to hold back on putting our most authentic selves forward out of fear or hesitation around how we will be judged or perceived. We can also easily feel as though we need to be at a particular level of expertise before we can contribute. Recognizing our responsibility and that we can move into action regardless of expertise, in some way, is important and affirming.
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We often hold ourselves back – from sharing, from leading, from trying. But why? This workshop will
explore some of the barriers we face as women in the workplace and in our personal lives: the barriers
society places in front of us, that we put in front of us, and that history has created for us. What if those
barriers didn’t exist any longer? What would you do with the freedom? How would you make your world
and the world around you a better place? What role does preparation, anticipation and knowing the
ground rules play as a safety net for women, and how do we make sure that back-up is solid, so we are no
longer afraid to fail.
This is an interactive workshop, so we are looking for participants to both dream and share practical
advice through real-life experiences. Let’s fly together and learn how to trust ourselves and those around
us as we push limits, boundaries, and norms.
Ursula Erasmus
Workshop: Expressing Your Bold and Unapologetic Self Through Your Stories
In 2020, Ursula's profound self-realization sparked a transformative journey after nearly three decades in corporate organizational change. Beyond her job, she found fulfillment in empowering others, especially women facing marginalization and lacking support. The global disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic prompted Ursula to reevaluate her path, leading to a departure from her corporate career in pharmaceuticals. This marked the genesis of GEM Power in 2021, a venture rooted in Ursula's passion for empowerment and personal growth. Drawing from her own struggles, Ursula offers coaching, group learning, and a private online community at GEM to empower women to reclaim their wisdom and live authentically. It's a bold testament to Ursula's resilience and unwavering commitment to fostering empowerment and personal growth, ensuring others need not endure the same challenges she faced.
Workshop: From Surviving to Thriving – Cultivating a Culture of Care
Eve Nyambiya
Rabia Choudhary
Eve is an educator, speaker and activist with a passion for gender equality, anti-oppression, gender and sexual violence education and prevention. Eve has over six years of experience in facilitation, advocacy and educational development centered around gender justice, anti-racism and violence prevention through trauma-informed and intersectional lens. Eve was an involved member of the Brock community having worked in the Human Rights and Equity office as Interim Anti-Racism and Inclusion Advisor and into my previous role as Gender and Sexual Violence Education coordinator. She is continuing her equity work in her role as the Anti-Black Racism Coordinator for the Equity and Inclusion at McMaster. Additionally, Eve is a fierce advocate for youth civil engagement through her involvement with the Canadian Women’s Foundation as co-chair to Youth Advisory Committee and youth engagement consultant.
Rabia Choudhary is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, and activist with a passion for social justice, equity, gender and sexual violence education and prevention, disability justice and activism. They are devoted to decolonization, anti-racism and QTBIPOC equity within community spaces and academia. Rabia have over six years of experience working and volunteering in queer, disabled, and racialized communities, as an educator, facilitator, and peer support person. Through their work and art, Rabia explores the themes and intersections of pain, gender identity, disability, sexuality, religion, race, community care, radical love, and healing.
Elyse and Sandy combined have more than three decades of experience working in higher education and consulting personally in areas such as accessibility/inclusion, leadership development, facilitation, experiential learning, reflective practice, mental health and more! They have a shared passion for informing systemic change, authentic community support, and are engaged in the Niagara community. Both also use the Enneagram as tools for growth and development, as well as understanding their authentic selves and the patterns that show up in their lives! Elyse brings a healthy Enneagram 1 forward on a daily basis, striving for excellence, paying attention to the finer details, and working toward equity and justice. Sandy’s Enneagram Type 7 shines when new opportunities cross her path as well as when values align with those around her and new innovations surface, and of course the chance to bring her positive energy to support others in their learning and development.
Workshop: Using Inclusion and Decolonization as a Basis for Unlocking Bold and Unapologetic Leadership
Elyse Lappano
Sandy Howe
Workshop: Not an Option: What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?
Cindy Goldrick
Rachel Gillmore
With over 30 years of leadership experience in the arts and culture, Cindy switched gears when she moved to Niagara to focus on consulting and mentoring over the last eight years. She brings her background in association and event management to her work with local and national clients as well as a strategic approach to marketing and communications for organizations that often have limited resources. She is also a jewelry designer and teacher who has shared her passion for creative self-expression in many classes she’s taught in Canada and the US. Cindy is board chair of Essential Collective Theatre and volunteers her time with several other organizations in St. Catharines.
Rachel has extensive experience in the not-for-profit sector, focusing on research, development and strategic thinking for over 13 years. With an acute ability to action research and apply evaluative principles, Rachel has helped guide organizations and projects toward meaningful impact. Rachel holds a master’s degree in history from the University of Guelph, where she studied social movement theory and issues related to public policy and social justice. She is adept at applying historical context and policy to help create meaning and understanding of current social issues. Rachel is deeply committed to gender equity and has participated in advocacy for most of her life. She is continuously focused on using her skills to create a better world for the future.
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Embracing all aspects of ourselves enables us to become confident and true to our desires. Having a clear understanding of who we are helps us make decisive choices that align with our authentic selves. Learning to set healthy boundaries for acceptable behaviour and letting go of past mistakes are essential steps toward self-awareness. Randi's personal journey of self-discovery through depression, PTSD, and a late autism diagnosis serves as an inspiration for others to lead fulfilling lives.
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For this workshop, the speaker will share simple strategies and lead corresponding exercises to apply project management processes for individuals seeking to overcome feelings of being overwhelmed and the burden of expectations. Her aim is to help participants gain perspective, enabling them to step back, reflect on past accomplishments, and formulate plans to establish and achieve new goals.
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Currently, being a woman involves multiple challenges that are reproduced non-stop, within a world that overwhelms us due to its speed and constant demand to fulfill so many roles that it becomes overwhelming.
A woman is like a matryoshka doll that has many levels of challenges and responsibilities that range from the social level to the family level; These multi-roles generate personal challenges that must be addressed to achieve an alignment that allows you to live a life in balance and inner harmony.
Through this workshop the participant will be able to know the different levels of her inner matryoshka and will practically discover the necessary tools to rescue her feminine essence to empower herself at the different levels of her life.
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Anuysha's presentation centers on resilience and leadership, exploring her unique journey as a woman of color, a person with a disability, and a member of the LGBTQ community. As a medical school graduate, she challenges conventional expectations by choosing a path aligned with her values and aspirations. Instead of pursuing a traditional medical career, she has embarked on a journey in public health and outreach, driven by a desire to instigate positive change.
During the presentation, Anuysha will share insights into the hurdles she's had to overcome, emphasizing the importance of resilience in navigating a multifaceted identity within the healthcare landscape. In addition, she'll delve into her experiences as a published author, highlighting the two books she's authored, and connect these creative pursuits with her passion for public health.
Furthermore, she'll touch upon her interests outside the professional realm, discussing her baking endeavors through her Bite Me Bakery and the enjoyment she experiences by sharing her unique sock collection. This presentation offers a glimpse into a narrative of empowerment, self-discovery, and the pursuit of a personally crafted path that integrates both professional and personal passions.
Audacious Afternoons - 2:20 PM - 3:05 PM
Randi-Lee Bowslaugh
From a young age, Randi-Lee had a passion for helping others. She graduated from Niagara College at the top of her class after completing her placement at a recovery house for addictions. Post-graduation she worked in social services for six years while pursuing a university education in psychology, until she left to pursue her other passions.
Randi-Lee is an author and advocate for mental health sharing her story with honesty. There were times in her life when she wasn’t sure how she would continue. Depression continues to be a battle but she is glad that she continues to live. In 2021 she started a YouTube channel, to spread awareness about mental health and to end the stigma.
Growing up, she never felt that she fit in, being the last to understand jokes and confused about many emotions that she saw in others. In 2021 she finally had answers to the questions about herself that had been nagging at her. She was diagnosed with moderate Autism. She continues to inspire others while learning more about herself.
Workshop: Embracing Me
Sarah Dimick is a professional project manager, researcher, and administrative leader. Currently serving as Project Manager for the Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI), a Niagara College-led network of eleven higher education institutions that pool their resources to provide innovation and technology to small-and medium-sized companies. In her role, Sarah is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the network, including the management of a range of projects and related activities.
Sarah has extensive experience in innovation, information services, and public policy areas. She spent 10 years at the Conference Board of Canada, an Ottawa-based think tank, as a researcher in their Technology and Innovation group. Most recently, she served as the Director of Research at an innovative data-analytics start-up related to analytics. She holds a Bachelor’s degree (Law and Political Science) and a Master’s degree in Legal Studies, both from Carleton University in Ottawa and has earned her designation as Project Management Professional (PMP).
In addition to her professional pursuits, Sarah currently sits on the Board of Directors of the St Catharines Public Library as the Vice-Chair and has contributed as a Planning Committee Member to several past Niagara Leadership Summits for Women. Sarah lives in St Catharines with her husband and two daughters.
Workshop: How to Project Manage Your Goals; Lessons From a PMP on Getting Un-stuck.
Sarah Dimick
Aliona Starostenko
Workshop: Lady Matryoshka: Empowering Yourself Through your Feminine Essence
Aliona, a Ukrainian survivor of Chernobyl, embarked on a journey of immigration that led her to Mexico in 1995, where she began a new life with her Mexican husband. With a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and a Master's degree in Marketing & International Business from Mexico, she furthered her education with a Master's degree in Emotional Ecology from the International Institute of Emotional Ecology in Barcelona, Spain.
Her passion for sustainable leadership propelled her into a career spanning over 12 years in corporate social responsibility and strategic marketing. Aliona has served as a CEO, professor, speaker, and consultant for both companies and NGOs. Notably, she holds the distinction of International Fellow from the Creative Education Foundation (CEF) for her participation in the "CPSI- Creative Problem Solving Institute" and has received training from the International Resource Center for Civil Organizations A.C. in financing social projects with global donations.
As the founder of Almatryoshka, a Ukrainian-inspired project, Aliona empowers women's groups in Mexico, driven by her belief in the potential of women worldwide to make a social impact by embracing their feminine essence. She developed an educational concept rooted in the philosophy of matryoshka dolls, focusing on themes of lineage, family, culture, and feminine multi-roles to promote women's personal autonomy through training and empowerment initiatives.
Anuysha Maharaj
Anuysha, a Medical Doctor (MD) graduate, is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Health (MPH) and Preventive Medicine. Her ultimate goal is to lead and inform actions for integrating a public health approach in policies, plans, and practices, with a focus on health promotion and equity, to ensure that varying levels of determinants of health do not limit access to healthcare. She aims to promote healthy public policy to support community resilience, strengthen community action, and create supportive environments. Additionally, she is an author of two youth-oriented books crafted to open minds to all of the incredible possibilities and diversities there are in this beautiful world.
Workshop: The ABC’s, Me, and Inclusivity