Rona Maynard
Author & Former Editor of Chatelaine Magazine
Rona Maynard credits her success as a boundary-stretching leader to a lifetime’s tough lessons from difficult people. The strengths Rona honed in a family of clashing egos served her well at the helm of Chatelaine, which she steered through a decade of growth and innovation. She became renowned for the honesty and intimacy of her editorials, in which readers felt she was speaking directly to them, and personally answered thousands of letters to the Editor. Rona's gift for relationship building is front and centre at the podium, where she mines her own story for life-tested wisdom that strikes a universal chord. She is the author of an acclaimed memoir, My Mother's Daughter.
Rona Maynard credits her success as a boundary-stretching leader to a lifetime's tough lessons from difficult people. The strengths Rona honed in a family of clashing egos served her well at the helm of Chatelaine, which she steered through a decade of growth and innovation. She attracted a new generation of readers to a brand that dated back to the Jazz Age while contending with complaints from readers, the strong personalities on her staff and relentless competition from American niche magazines.
Rona became renowned for the honesty and intimacy of her editorials, in which readers felt she was speaking directly to them, and personally answered thousands of letters to the Editor. Her gift for relationship building is front and centre at the podium, where she mines her story for life-tested wisdom that strikes a universal chord. She is the author of an acclaimed memoir, My Mother's Daughter, the host of an online community, ronamaynard.com, and an adviser to officepolitics.com. In her unique one-day memoir workshop, she guides non-writers to the heart of their own life stories.
As the Editor of Chatelaine Magazine, Rona saw the publication through a decade of growth and innovation, in which she proved to a new generation of readers that "my mother's magazine" was now their magazine too. She made Chatelaine the meeting place where women could inspire one another, whether they were just starting out in their careers or embarking on mid-life reinventions. A relationship-builder of unswerving commitment, she became renowned for the honesty and intimacy of her editorials, in which readers felt she was speaking directly to them - even though Chatelaine was an icon with three million readers. She personally answered thousands of letters to the Editor, paying special attention to complaints because they sharpened her focus on the audience she served. She created a proudly consumer-focused team on which even headstrong Gen Yers understood that there was no such thing as "not my job." Under her leadership, Chatelaine was honoured internationally for reporting, art direction, overall excellence and newsstand sales.
Rona volunteers for the Canadian Women's Foundation and was a founding member of the advisory board for Our Sister's Place, which assists women suffering from postpartum depression and other emotional disorders. Her personal honours include a Woman of Distinction Award from the YWCA of Metropolitan Toronto, a Woman of Action Award from the Israel Cancer Research Fund, a Media Award from the Canadian Nurses Association and a National Champion of Mental Health Award from the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health.
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5. The Healing Power of Work
When we talk about work, the real subject isn't the paycheque. It's a sense of purpose. A place in the world. A chance to put your mark on the world everyday, in the company of people who see what you contribute and know why it matters. Rona survived close to 30 years of depression, and found that working was a tonic in her recovery. At the helm of Chatelaine magazine she thrived, despite constant demands from all sides. When she shared her story of recovery with her readers - a bold move for 1997 - letters poured in from across the country. Rona thought she understood mental illness. Then she faced the biggest crisis of her career: a protegee's disabling depression. And she discovered how little she knew. This fearless, eye-opening speech will challenge, move and inspire anyone who deals with mental illness in the workplace. Rona shows how work awakened her fun-loving side and taught her the meaning of teamwork. You'll also learn the three things she'd do differently if she could revisit her experience with mental illness on her staff. You'll leave with a fresh perspective on one of the most urgent issues in human resources today.
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4. Renewal: The Key to Success
When everyone wants a piece of you, a deadline looms and you've been cracking your brain on an onslaught of big decisions, it can be dangerously tempting to treat your own powers like a beast of burden. Rona Maynard knows the feeling. As the creative force behind the relaunch that transformed Canada's best-read magazine for women, she learned the hard way that she couldn't revitalize the brand if she didn't take care of her own vitality and set a good example for her strung-out staff. Rona's story proves that personal renewal can be as close as your bulletin board---and that wellsprings of inspiration can turn up in the most unlikely places (would you believe a supermarket checkout line?). Learn how she built a personal think tank to troubleshoot new problems; kept her team focused on the big picture, not the distracting details; and recharged in as little as three minutes. For Rona, success means loving the problems that are part of every mission with her whole heart and mind. When you fall out of love with the problems, it's time to move on. How do you know when that moment arrives? And how do find your next mission? With the honesty, insight and humour that won her readers' loyalty, Rona delivers the goods.
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3. From Wanting to Die to Loving My Life: How I Beat Depression
Rona Maynard didn't take her own life because she knew her family would miss her--tears, rages and all. But she still had to make a life worth living. The first step was admitting that she couldn't beat chronic depression on her own. When she finally picked up the phone to call a mental health clinic, all she wanted was an end to the anguish that had dogged her since childhood. She never dreamed that getting well would teach her the art of happiness--and unlock the power of her own greatest gifts. The journey Rona began that day would eventually lead her to the Editor's office at Chatelaine, where she opened hearts and minds across the country by sharing her story--and moved thousands of people to share their own stories with her. Passionate, candid and disarmingly funny, this presentation shows why Rona is one of Canada's most powerful advocates for the mentally ill. Learn why she's not ashamed to have a history of mental illness and what you can do to ensure that diseases of the mind get the same respect as diseases of the body.
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2. Life-Changing Lessons From Difficult People
Crazy-making people have a knack for sucking up all your energy and power—because you let them do it. Rona Maynard has been there. She has contended with a boss from hell, irate Chatelaine readers, cranky colleagues and rebellious junior staffers. On the personal side, she came to terms with an alcoholic parent, a fiercely competitive younger sister and a strong-minded husband who has been her best friend for more than 38 years. The difficult people in her life became her best teachers, challenging Rona to acquire new skills and confront her own difficult side. After a lifetime of striving to prove she was always right, she learned it was more important to be able to fix what she does wrong. Join her for a no-holds-barred conversation about what it really takes to deal constructively with ego-bashers, nay-sayers and your own inner troublemaker. With Rona's life-tested wisdom, you'll turn conflicts into wellsprings of mastery and inspiration--both professionally and personally.
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1. Following Your Inner Leader
Rona Maynard used to think she didn't fit the profile of an inspirational leader. She had struggled with shyness and chronic depression while she built a demanding journalism career. She had faced uncertainty, admitted to failure and answered burning questions with "I don't know." Then she looked around and noticed something that changed her life: people were following Rona Maynard. This is the hallmark of every authentic leader. You don't have to be all-knowing to lead. Instead you have to know and channel the best in yourself--your inner leader. It's what brings out the best in others and what keeps you grounded no matter how crazy or uncertain things get. Drawing on her own journey from underachieving sad sack to dynamic motivator and role model for millions of Chatelaine readers, Rona shows how to listen to the wise voice within, which cuts through de-motivating workaday static, so that others will listen to you. Rona's stories will connect you with the passion, commitment and distinctive gifts that make up your personal leadership toolbox.
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We loved having you with us in Saint John....You had the entire ballroom spellbound.
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Please, don't change a word, a pause, an inflection. You are an outstanding speaker with a presence and a poise that are rare. I will think of you as I interact with the 'rogues' in my life. And I will try to be rational enough not to blame the rain for falling.
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You were an inspiration to everyone in the room...
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I felt energized as I left the luncheon after listening to Rona's inspiring messages... I created a list of Rona's key points and I intend to keep this as a handy reference and guiding point for me in my own life.
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...inspirational, touched everyone in the room. She was articulate, charming, warm, inviting and totally wonderful. The feedback was terrific—we could not have done better!!!
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She's a wonderful public speaker because she is totally uninhibited. She holds nothing back... She really hits nerves.
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September 2007My Mother's Daughter
Personal memories of the sort her Chatelaine readers adored — a remarkable life story seen through the window of her relationship with her mother. As a little girl, Maynard soon came to see that her family was not an ordinary one. This book takes us through her career, step by step, including the miseries of being accused by her son’s teachers — and her own mother — of being a bad mother, overly concerned with her own career. Rona’s strong, direct style will ring true for every working woman. Through the magic of her writing, she gives a clear-eyed and affectionate account of her relationship with a demanding, loving mother.
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