A Shift in Thinking

Beverley has over 150 film/TV credits to her name. She has been a professional actor, singer, songwriter, storyteller, writer, teacher, and coach for 43 years. She’s told stories at the Flame and Vancouver Story Slam and has performed at the MOTH in NYC four times. She has also aired on CBC and Public Radio, USA. Her autobiographical one-woman shows, SINK OR SWIM and DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING, won Pick of the Vancouver Fringe Festival. SINK OR SWIM won best musical at the NYC United Solo Festival.

Beverley began acting at 19, but it was through storytelling that she found her authentic voice. We all have stories of mishaps, risks, and breakthroughs to share.  We find ourselves in each other’s stories and deeply connected in truth. She believes that storytelling is the root of all connection.

Known as “the Man Who Refuses to Die,” Erez is a resiliency expert forged by life’s toughest challenges. As a former elite commando and a survivor of three near-death experiences, he has an intimate understanding of pain and adversity.

Erez is driven by a relentless quest to uncover what motivates and holds us back. He has developed proven methodologies that empower individuals and organizations to transform adversity into a powerful force for change and growth. Erez draws on his extensive knowledge and experience as an expert in human behaviour, habit formation, and decision-making to teach his exclusive “Victory Path 360” system.

Erez is training to qualify as a para-archer for Team Canada, with his sights set on the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics. In his spare time, you’ll find him chasing new adventures and restoring old Land Rovers.

Gabriella is a 21-year-old magician, escape artist, TV producer, and consultant. She’s been featured in the New York Times, performed on some of the most significant stages in Vegas, appeared on the hit TV series Penn and Teller Fool Us, and has been solo touring Europe and North America for several years.

However, her life off-stage has had no shortage of turbulence. Throughout the ups and downs, twists and turns, her passion has driven her through the unpaved and unpredictable parts of life.

Her goal is to become the role model and performer she wished she had while growing up, proving that no single event defines who you are and, most importantly, inspires people to pursue their passions.

Janna is a Gitxsan from Gitanmaax First Nation and Cree-Métis on her mother’s side. She is an award-winning climate researcher who uses a complex human-environmental systems approach to Indigenous and Western sciences. 

In her work, she noticed that many mainstream climate solutions focus on trying to ‘technology our way’ out of the problem. While this plays a role, Janna believes the key to addressing climate change today should include more holistic solutions. Indigenous knowledge systems have been shaped by thousands of years of living sustainably on these lands and can play a big part in helping to restore the balance we need with the Land. Janna wants us to feel empowered, hopeful, and optimistic about the future. 

Michelle is an Olympic Gold Medalist, inspirational leader, speaker, and advocate for reaching our full potential in a healthy and sustainable way. After years of chasing perfection in synchronized swimming, she discovered that true fulfillment doesn’t come from being flawless but from embracing the messy, joyful growth process. Her most potent lessons came from her athletic career and being a mother of four. Learning from her children the importance of positive energy, self-compassion, and embracing imperfections, Michelle was determined to be a role model—not just for them but for the many women she saw frozen by the same pressures of perfectionism.

With 80% of women leaders feeling they’re not enough and 91% of women and girls struggling with body image, Michelle understands how perfectionism can drain the joy, potential, and mental wellness out of life. She shares a simple yet profound formula for success she believes will empower others to create inspired action and momentum and unlock their gold-medal potential with more joy, freedom, and FU…N.

Mischa founded LGBTQ Corporate Training to improve the lives of 2SLGBTQ+ people and support diversity and inclusion within organizations. Mischa believes inclusion amplifies excellence for everyone and that the Queer community offers invaluable life lessons that can enrich humanity.

With over 20 years of experience as an educator and 2SLGBTQ+ advocate, Mischa holds a Master of Education in Social Justice Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning. He gained international recognition as part of the first wave of legal same-sex marriages, featured on the reality TV series My Fabulous Gay Wedding. Taking part in the Queer Liberation movement propelled his ongoing advocacy work, including efforts to expand transgender and Queer inclusion in BC schools during his 17 years as a teacher.

Today, Mischa advises and trains companies, organizations, governments, and communities on 2SLGBTQ+ well-being, anti-discrimination, and inclusion, helping to foster life-changing progress. Mischa Oak is a Loran Scholar and an alumnus of Queen’s University, the University of Toronto, and Memorial University.

Morten is a passionate technology educator who believes in empowering people by encouraging a healthy skepticism toward the sanctity of technology. With a focus on artificial intelligence and cutting-edge web technologies, Morten has dedicated the past 15 years to creating online courses that have reached millions of learners worldwide. His knack for breaking down complex technologies and presenting them in relatable ways makes it easier for others to understand and integrate them into their lives. With a degree in philosophy, Morten is genuinely curious about how language influences communication and shapes our understanding of the world.

Originally from Norway, Morten has lived in Burnaby, British Columbia, for over twenty years with his wife and son. Guided by his motto, “Hope is a catalyst,” his work is deeply rooted in personal experiences and a desire to support others in building futures where they and their communities can thrive.

As an accomplished mediator, Shannon is committed to helping organizations and individual transform by embracing conflict and navigating the discomfort of tough conversations.

Her professional experience began as an investment advisor in the financial industry. She transitioned her focus from economic performance to people performance when noticing that regardless of how robust a process is, people will not perform at their best when they are not engaged and aligned to a shared outcome.

Spending years avoiding conflict, Shannon knows firsthand the cost of not resolving recurring issues. Her innovative approach merges interpersonal connectivity with a deep dive into underlying issues, driving enhanced performance and team productivity. This results in a remarkable improvement in interpersonal dynamics and an overall boost in organizational performance, leaving a lasting impact by finding common ground, creating connections, and the foundation for collaborative solutions.

 Simran is a passionate advocate for breaking the silence surrounding intergenerational trauma in South Asian communities.  By sharing her personal story of resilience and battle against silence, it’s her mission to foster empathy and mutual healing for those who have endured similar pain. Mental health does not discriminate or look the same for everyone, and through her work, Simran aims to empower others to reclaim their voices to break the cycles of trauma and repression. 

She developed Simupstart, a mental health resource platform that offers accessible support for youth to share their stories and find community, reminding them they are not alone. Simran is also the co-founder of GenConnect, a non-profit that bridges generations by fostering meaningful connections between youth and seniors.

As a student majoring in Gender, Racial, and Social Justice at UBC and minoring in Psychology, Simran’s academic and personal experiences deeply inform her advocacy. She speaks for herself and the countless others whose voices have been drowned out by fear and cultural stigma. 

Rhona Segarra is a Unity minister dedicated to offering ideas for calm, connected, and contented living.  Rhona is also a wedding officiant and teacher who encourages warmth, heart, patience, and humour in every conversation. Her focus is to share practical, empowering ideas which will add to the joy and peace of our lives and to the lives of those around us. Rhona is passionate about people and relationships, and regularly hears comments in her work such as “I don’t go to church anymore, but I enjoyed the feeling of belonging when I was there. THAT’S what I miss.”

Rhona notes that in a culture of decreasing religious participation and increasing isolation, there is an opportunity to adapt religious traditions and apply them in secular communities to ease loneliness. She believes that tools found in religious communities can help to build a sense of belonging in non-religious communities. Rhona’s mission is to fill the world with love…one heart at a time.

Suzanne is a grieving mom who became a student of grief for her survival after her world fell apart in September 2020. She received the middle of the night phone call every parent dreads and was notified her son, Ben, had died. She didn’t know enough about grief to do it in a way that felt healthy, nor did she understand that the symptoms she was experiencing were normal and there was nothing wrong with her. 

As she shared her experiences, she saw that our silence and fear around grief mean that we are unable to show up and support people who are grieving. We create isolation at a time when we need connection. 

Suzanne became a certified Grief Educator and shares her story and expertise to normalize grief so people feel more confident that they can say or do something without doing harm. Join her in creating a world where no one grieves alone and where genuine connection is our default response.

Vaclav aligns strategy and technology to drive growth for startups and fast-growing companies as a virtual CTO and strategic advisor at 555vCTO. He is also the founder of Hiswai, an AI search platform with a customizable reporting service.

Vaclav began his career at Nokia in Europe, later moving to Vancouver to found Pacific Coast Information Systems (PCIS) Ltd., where he advised and worked with companies ranging from small startups to Fortune 50 companies.

Vaclav frequently speaks at industry conferences and publishes a weekly newsletter, Recurrent Patterns, which examines trends in business, technology, and culture. He has been featured in major media outlets such as Forbes, CTV, CBC, and many others.

Vaclav has advocated for treating AI as a tool rather than a replacement for the human mind.