International Women’s Day (IWD) continues to be one of the world’s largest employee engagement days. Taking place annually on March 8, 2025’s theme is “accelerate action”, with the goal of building a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination; a world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
March is Women’s History Month with IWD being its flagship event and one of our keynote speakers’ busiest days. We’re fortunate to work with an impressive roster of women, who are driving change in their industries and beyond. Below, we’ve rounded up just some of our most popular female speakers and topics that capture the theme of this year’s event.
Contact us today to book your March event and learn more about our leading female keynote speakers.
Women in Leadership
Having more women in leadership roles is essential for driving progress and innovation. Meet three trailblazing women whose leadership has focused on breaking barriers and empowering a new generation of leaders to follow in their footsteps.
The Hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould
Leadership for Today and Tomorrow
The daughter of a hereditary chief, the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould was raised to be a leader. She draws on her experience as both a community and political leader to share the intricacies of effective leadership, including how growing up in a matrilineal community shaped her as a leader.
Jody also explores the challenges she faced being a “first” or an “only” throughout her career and how remaining steadfast in her values gave her the courage to stand up, even under difficult circumstances.
The Hon. Rachel Notley
Women in Leadership
As a political leader who grew her organization ten-fold and raised the rights and the role of women to history-making levels, the Honourable Rachel Notley has spent her life challenging both the overt and subtle barriers women face.
Through sharing some of the surprising assumptions that drove her work, Rachel inspires audiences to embrace the challenges in place today and fuel the necessary changes to lift up women in any organization.
Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa
Dare to Occupy Powerful Spaces: Women in Leadership
On her first day of medical school, Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa learned she was the only Black woman (and student) in her cohort. Questioning if she truly belonged, Chika decided if she was going to dare to occupy powerful spaces, she was going to do so unapologetically.
Chika walks audiences through her journey to becoming a medical trailblazer, sharing lessons learned on authentic leadership, navigating risk, and finding courage through adversity.
Motivation and Inspiration
Through sharing their heartfelt experiences, these motivational speakers empower audiences to believe in themselves and their ability to take on challenge and overcome adversity to achieve their goals.
Jill Heinerth
Dive into the Life You Want to Lead
Jill Heinerth leverages her adventurous life experiences to empower women to take on new challenges with confidence. Early on in her career, Jill shifted gears, pivoting to become an underwater cave diver. But it was not an easy path. Battling misogyny, financial ruin, and a devastating diving accident, she emerged to build a successful life on a road less traveled.
Jill shares her original vision about mapping a path to success in a non-traditional role, while sharing heartwarming stories about the challenges she encountered and overcame along the way.
Dr. Samra Zafar
Blazing Your Own Trail
In this motivational speech, Dr. Samra Zafar urges listeners to carve their own paths by leaning into authenticity, finding their purpose, and recognizing their resilience. She shows audiences how to find and use their voice by sharing her personal journey as a child bride to financial executive and now resident doctor in psychiatry.
Audiences will leave empowered to become their own champions, build their own communities, and ascend internal barriers to unlock their true potential.
Jennifer Botterill
Why Not You? How to Excel in Business and Life
Jennifer Botterill is one of Canada’s most successful athletes. A member of the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team for 14 years, she is a three-time Olympic champion and an in-demand NHL analyst, regularly appearing on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada.
In this inspirational keynote, Jennifer shares the tools and techniques she developed throughout her career to reach new levels of excellence, both personally and professionally, distilling strategies to help audiences achieve their goals through her no-regrets approach.
Health and Wellness
Women face unique challenges, stresses, and barriers both at home and work. Drawing from their personal and professional experience, our mental health and wellness speakers help women optimize their physical and mental well-being to meet the demands of today’s world.
Jhanelle Peters
Imposter Syndrome
Imposter Syndrome is a feeling that many people can relate to. More specifically, the feeling of “phoniness” despite working hard and putting in a lot of effort.
With a contagious energy, mental health and workplace wellness expert Jhanelle Peters breaks down imposter syndrome, exploring what it is and how to manage it. She equips audiences with practical tools that will help them reframe negative thoughts, identify the stressors that come with it, and practice self-compassion to quell it.
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau
Mental Health: The Building Blocks for a Strong Foundation
As a passionate advocate for mental health, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau believes that in order to know and accept ourselves fully, we need to understand why we think and feel the way we do, and recognize what may be holding us back.
Digging into the science behind brain health, Sophie offers fresh and educational insights into mental health. She equips audiences with the tools and strategies needed to enhance their emotional literacy and move forward on their path to wellness.
Dr. Susan Biali Haas
Thrive: Seven Keys to a Healthier, More Meaningful, and Impactful Life
Learn to make key daily choices that result in a healthier, more meaningful, sustainable life. In this invigorating and informative presentation, Dr. Susan Biali Haas highlights the fundamental, evidence-based choices that can help us all build a vibrant, healthier life that makes a difference.
In this informative presentation, Susan tackles burnout (signs and prevention), outlines simple tips to enhance sleep, nutrition, and movement, and shares strategies to positively re-wire your brain.
Female Entrepreneurship
The entrepreneurial landscape presents unique hurdles for female founders. Through sharing their firsthand experience in building and running their own companies, these female entrepreneurs equip audiences with practical tips and strategies for overcoming obstacles, fostering resilience, and achieving homegrown success.
Joanna Griffiths
The Knix Way: Building a Brand with Purpose
A champion of female founders and entrepreneurs, Knix founder and president Joanna Griffiths made headlines when she closed Series B financing just three days before giving birth to twins. During the process, she eliminated any investors who questioned her ability to run a business and be a mother. The brand went on to achieve 97% Y-O-Y growth that year.
Joanna takes audiences through lessons learned from building one of the most successful and prolific mission-driven brands of the digital era.
Jennifer Ménard-Shand
The Power of Women-Led Businesses
Jennifer Ménard-Shand‘s tragedy-to-triumph entrepreneurial story inspires and empowers audiences to follow their purpose-driven path. She is the founder and CEO of Staff Shop, an award-winning certified diverse staffing firm that services hundreds of clients across North America and deploys thousands of employees throughout Canada.
Jennifer shares why aligning our individual gifts with our core values is key to success, and how to make a measurable impact within our communities through meaningful work.
Zahra Al-Harazi
What It Takes: A Story of Purpose, Strength, and Laughter
Zahra Al-Harazi was raised in a country where women didn’t have a voice. She moved to Canada in 1996, where, as a new immigrant and young mother with no understanding of business and no higher education, she had little confidence. But, through perseverance, she managed to find her voice.
Today, Zahra is a successful entrepreneur. She shares her journey — how she channeled frustration into courage, the mistakes and milestones that propelled her, and how a clear and powerful voice can help us get what we want in life.
Gender Equity
Gender equity is essential for building inclusive, thriving environments. These uplifting and empowering speakers share advice and strategies to overcome systemic barriers and promote fairness, creating lasting change for women in all sectors.
Dr. Rumeet Billan
Gender-Based Analysis Plus Training
Dr. Rumeet Billan is on a mission to transform workplaces into environments that enable trust and foster belonging. Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) is a guide to breaking down gender- and identity-based systematic issues.
One of the key topics discussed is the ability to challenge assumptions and understand how these may unintentionally create inequality. Audiences will learn how to move beyond their bias and assumptions to build more equitable spaces for all.
The Hon. Maryam Monsef
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
A globally recognized feminist, leader, and changemaker, the Honourable Maryam Monsef is the founder and CEO of ONWARD, where she works to advance her vision for a world where women and their families are thriving.
Maryam speaks to the “how” of DEI, as well as the challenges and opportunities in building programs and policies that advance greater belonging, while enhancing the bottom line and social impact of your organization.
Tracy Moore
Fireside Chat: Women’s Empowerment
For more than a decade, Tracy Moore spearheaded Cityline, one of Canada’s most influential lifestyle programs. In 2023, she received the Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television Changemaker Award for her work in calling out systemic racism and promoting values of equity and inclusion.
With a wide range of interests on- and off-air, Tracy speaks on women’s empowerment, how to deal with gender/race-based challenges in the workplace, diversity and inclusion, body image, and more.
Contact us to learn more and to book a keynote speaker for your 2025 IWD event!
