Jessica Holmes

Celebrated Comedian | Author | Mental Health Advocate

With both heart and humour, comedian and Bell Let’s Talk ambassador Jessica Holmes shares her experience with depression to help break down stigma around mental health and illness.

Jessica weaves together comedy, characters, and music to bring understanding and hope to a serious subject, drawing from her heartwarmingly funny book, Depression The Comedy. Her story not only provides a better understanding of mental illness, but builds more empathy and understanding for those who suffer from it. Plus, it leaves audiences with that wonderful feeling you get from belly laughs!

In addition, Jessica speaks to building resiliency and engagement in times of change and how to use humour to build this key trait.

Mark Henick

Mental Health Advocate and Strategist | Top 50 TEDx Speaker

In any given week, hundreds of thousands of employees are off work due to a mental health problem or illness. There’s growing evidence that promotion, prevention, and early intervention initiatives for workplace mental health show positive returns on investment.

As someone who has been a patient, professional, policy influencer, and public figure within the mental health system, Mark Henick shows audiences where to begin with their workplace mental health strategies and initiatives and how to take them to the next level to better support employee health and productivity.

Mark also speaks to self-care strategies and how to prioritize mental health in challenging times, and shares his personal journey captured in his bestselling memoir, So-Called Normal: A Memoir of Family, Depression, and Resilience.

Neil Pasricha

Bestselling author of The Happiness Equation and Two-Minute Mornings

With so much anxiety and uncertainty surrounding our future, happiness expert Neil Pasricha offers advice on how to become more resilient.

Mixed with his own personal stories, Neil shares nine story-based, science-backed secrets to help build up fortitude and live a happier, more intentional life. He shows audiences how to positively reframe perceptions of failure to become their most unbreakable and awesome self.

With his new book, Our Book of Awesome, coming out in December, Neil also speaks to resiliency and performance in times of change, the subtle art of happiness, and more.

Dr. Susan Biali Haas

Expert in Burnout Prevention, Stress Management, and Resilience | Mental Health Advocate

With stress in both work and life at an all-time high, Dr. Susan Biali Haas shares evidence-based strategies and practices that fortify minds, bodies, lives, and workplaces against today’s unprecedented challenges.

Drawing from her new book, The Resilient Life, Susan shows audiences how to recognize, prevent, and recover from burnout on both an organizational and individual level; shares strategies for managing high workloads and creating a work-life balance that prioritizes well-being and performance; explores the fundamental elements of a resilient life; and more.

Completely customizable, Susan also speaks to resilient leadership, the foundations of mental wellness and healing, as well as more in-depth explorations on burnout prevention.

Anthony McLean

Mental Health | Inclusivity | Education

Some may assume mental health is only a topic of interest for those who struggle with it, but our energy levels, mood, and the ability to think clearly and pursue goals are all a reflection of our mental health.

With the goal of helping audiences regain their enthusiasm and recapture joy both at work and home, Anthony McLean explores the difference between everyday ups and downs, temporary mental health problems, and mental illnesses, while sharing healthy coping skills and supportive mental health routines. He also shares actionable tools to optimize energy levels, stimulate creative thinking, and approach every day with enthusiasm and joy.

In addition, Anthony speaks to the intersection of mental health and anti racism, and the role diversity plays in building high performing teams.

Samra Zafar

Leading Expert on Authentic Leadership, DEI, and Mental Health

With mental health becoming the shadow pandemic of COVID-19, Samra Zafar shows leaders how to bring wellness into the workplace and foster an environment where employees feel safe and supported.

Previously an executive in financial services and currently pursuing a medical degree in psychiatry, Samra merges her corporate and mental health background to provide practical and implementable tips, tools, and strategies to build resilience and mental well-being.

Samra also speaks to the power of authentic leadership and DEI strategies in building effective and engaged teams. Watch Samra in action in her most recent TEDx Talk, which explored the power of healing after trauma.

Clara Hughes

Six-Time Olympic Medalist | Mental Health Advocate

One of Canada’s most decorated Olympians, Clara Hughes shares her raw but life-affirming struggle with depression. Her revelatory and inspiring story of how she made her way back to a life of love and understanding touches the hearts of all who hear it.

After more than a decade in the grueling world of competitive sports, Clara realized that her physical extremes, emotional setbacks, and partying habits were masking a severe depression. She retired from sport determined to repair herself and has since emerged as one of the most committed humanitarians.

In 2010, Clara became a national spokesperson for the Bell Let’s Talk campaign and used her Olympic platform to spark a nation-wide conversation on mental health.

Serena Ryder

Juno Award-Winning Musician | Mental Health Advocate

On the outside, Juno Award-winning musician Serena Ryder was a rising international star. But, on the inside, she was battling a deep depression that triggered an identity crisis and onstage panic attacks.

In her latest album, The Art of Falling Apart, Serena shared her mental wellness journey, emphasizing the importance of sitting with uncomfortable moments and the wisdom in their messages.

Now, as a keynote speaker, Serena dives deeper sharing the difficult path she took to regain her health and how she was able to rediscover her voice. In 2018, she was awarded the Margaret Trudeau Mental Health Advocacy Award.