Carolyn Waldo

Carolyn Waldo has learned to face fear and rise to the challenge. At a young age, Waldo almost drowned and developed a fear of the water. She only learned how to swim at the age of 10. By the time she was 23, Waldo had won two gold medals in synchronized swimming at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul Korea, becoming the first Canadian woman to win two gold medals at the same Olympic Games. She also captured a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. In addition to being Canada's 1988 Olympic flag bearer, Waldo is a six-time world champion and a four-time Canadian Female Athlete of the Year. She is an honoured member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, and an Officer of the Order of Canada. A successful sports broadcaster at CTV Ottawa, Waldo is also a proud mother of two teenagers, and a leader in the community who has drawn upon her skills from the Olympics and transferred them into her everyday life. Waldo takes you on a journey of her personal struggles to succeed, from almost drowning to winning Olympic gold. Her "down to earth" presentation is not only refreshing but also empowering, giving her listeners the tools to succeed. Whether she is addressing corporate leaders or school children, she shares strategies on how they can reach their potential, through determination and teamwork. Waldo is an animated and passionate speaker, inspiring a full range of audiences to discover the possibilities in their own lives.

• 1. Living the Dream

  What she thought was impossible, Carolyn made possible with her drive and determination to succeed. Almost drowning at the age of three, she had to overcome the fear of water. Her persistence and ability to face fear and rise to the challenge allowed Carolyn to live her dream.

• 2. Synch or Swim: Adapting to Change

  Change is inevitable in everyone's life. It should be embraced as an opportunity for growth to discover other possibilities. Carolyn draws upon her experience of starting all over again after retiring from competition to embarking on a sports broadcasting career and working her way back to the top.

• 3. Putting Passion Into Action

  Igniting the fire from within; finding balance, happiness and success in our lives. Carolyn provides tools to succeed from goal setting to effective leadership. Don't wait for things to happen, make things happen!

• “"Dynamic...interesting...engaging...entertaining..." all words which best describe the speech provided to our employees by Carolyn Waldo during our 2009 Campaign launch . . . It was due to the energy of her words that we had such a successful campaign - over $1 million raised - our best ever!”
  PWGSC, GCWCC
• “You inspired my "hungry" group of female professionals and business owners with your stories of strategic decisions, overcoming personal challenges, and tremendous life events. You led an active conversation and I knew that we had event success when many of our attendees said, "I am motivated. She is so down to earth!"”
  Women's Network of Ottawa
• “Carolyn is a trusted guest speaker with our program. Her infectious positive energy and can-do spirit, drawn from her professionalism both as a broadcaster and a heroic Canadian athlete, is a valuable part of our program mix. Carolyn challenges our students to believe in themselves and to find strength in "going for it", in whatever they do in life.”
  Algonquin College
• “Carolyn Waldo addressed convocation at Carleton University with grace and poise. She thoroughly researched her topic and spoke intelligently. She reached out to her audience in a warm and engaging manner. She speaks with confidence and ease, which does not surprise— she is a pro!”
  Carleton University

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