Leaders Unplugged

Tracey Pearce - President, Distribution and Pay, Bell Media Tracey has great advice for young adults trying to figure it out "I would tell my 18 year old self that vulnerability is not a weakness".

Emilie Carrey- World Champion Beatboxer

In 2015, at the age of 18, Emilie Carrey AKA Sparx, became the first Canadian woman invited to the Beatbox World Championship in Berlin Germany placing 2nd in the world; "I wanted to be the first woman in Canada to bring that legacy here".

Christiane Bergevin- President Bergevin Capital; Former Chair of the Board of Directors - The Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Christiane Bergevin, who until recently was the Chair of the Board of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce is particularly proud of this accomplishment; "We are one of the first large scale associations in Canada to have a 40% objective of women on our board and in our executive ranks".

Allana Davis- Owner of MakeupLady

At the age of 16, Allana Davis was on social assistance and lived in government housing. Today she is the owner of MakeupLady, a stylish boutique salon. "When you're living in poverty, there are only two ways you can go - you can say this is my life or you can look at the people around you that are inspiring".

Ava Hill- Chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve.

This reserve is the biggest population wise in Canada. At one point in her career, Chief Hill realized that she needed to step up and assume leadership; "I was always behind the scenes listening and learning and figured that I might as well throw my hat in the ring and put forth my own concerns".

Laurie Swami- President and CEO, Nuclear Waste Management Organization

As an engineer and a leader working in nuclear, Laurie Swami has a lot of experience and advice for women working in a male dominated industry; "Sometimes you're not viewed as the boss because you're the only woman in the room".

Lisa DeMarco - Senior Partner at DeMarco Allan LLP

Lisa DeMarco is considered a world leading climate change lawyer. Her accomplishments are the result of grit, determination and having the courage to make tough decisions at key moments in her life; "I was pregnant during that time and I got really good at throwing up in a plastic bag in court".

Joy Dorsey - Founder & Director, Be Moved Yoga & Wellness Centre

Joy Dorsey is unflinchingly honest about her struggles to become who she is today; "We all have our own causes - the thing from our own personal experiences that make something important - and for me it's addiction."

Casidhe Kusmenko - Paramedic, Peel Regional Paramedic Services

Casidhe Kusmenko is a 27 year old Primary Care Paramedic and a preceptor who trains and coaches students who need to clock in 480 hours of "ride outs" before they can graduate as paramedics. She had this to say when asked about her experiences; "Paramedics dislike being asked what is the worst you've ever seen or what was your worst day. For us it's reliving that traumatic experience."

Lori Willcox - Owner, 3 Guineas Business Solutions

From being an executive at the Toronto International Film Festival, traveling around the world and launching a successful consulting practice, Lori attributes her choices and success partly to hard work and partly to luck; "I feel blessed to have found something that I've loved so much and it was kind of accidental."