Valerie Sheppard is a catastrophic stroke survivor, inspirational keynote speaker, multi-award-winning, #1 international best-selling author, university lecturer, certified Laughter Yoga instructor and CEO of the Heartly Center for Mindfulness and Self-Mastery™! Valerie Sheppard is a catastrophic stroke survivor, inspirational keynote speaker, multi-award-winning, #1 international best-selling author, university lecturer, certified Laughter Yoga instructor and CEO of the Heartly Center for Mindfulness and Self-Mastery™!