Every January, Bell Let’s Talk Day sparks a national conversation about mental health, with many organizations using it as an opportunity to bring that conversation into their workplace. This is especially important now as people continue to navigate a prolonged period of uncertainty, both at home and work. Give your team the support and tools they need to make their mental health a priority this year.
Below, we’ve rounded up some of Canada’s most compelling voices on mental health and wellness. They share deeply personal stories of resilience, offer practical strategies to manage stress and prevent burnout, and equip audiences to be proactive about their mental health to better support themselves and others.
Whether you’re planning a keynote for a company-wide town hall, conference session, or lunch-and-learn, you’ll find speakers who can inspire hope, spark honest dialogue, break down stigma, and help build healthier, more resilient teams. Contact us today to book your January event.
Rising Through Adversity
Through sharing their inspirational stories of personal resilience, these speakers uplift and empower audiences to believe in their own strength and equip them with the strategies to put that belief into action.
Jordin Tootoo
Overcoming Adversity and Finding Hope
Jordin Tootoo made history as the first Inuk player to be drafted by the NHL. On the ice, he was a force: a fan favourite and a rising NHL star. Yet, beneath the accolades lay the struggles of a difficult youth, the devastating loss of his brother, and the immense pressure to perform.
In this raw and honest presentation, Jordin reveals how his rapid rise led to his greatest fall and a painful journey to rebuild his life. His powerful story offers hope and inspiration for anyone navigating setbacks.
Kellylee Evans
Built to Fly: Five Practices for Living Fully Through Change
In 2013, internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Kellylee Evans was struck by lightning, which was just the beginning of years of health setbacks. What she learned wasn’t how to endure, but how to stop waiting and start living now.
In this unforgettable keynote, Kellylee blends original music with powerful storytelling to share the five practices that helped her reclaim her life, equipping audiences with a framework for living fully.
Molly Burke
Turning Adversity into Advantage
After losing her sight at age 14, Molly Burke learned firsthand that resilience isn’t something you’re born with — it’s something you build.
In this candid keynote, she explores the duality of being both strong and struggling and how showing up authentically is the first step to leading with clarity, confidence, and purpose. Audiences will leave this session with permission to stop performing and the tools to turn their own adversity into an advantage.
Top Mental Health Speakers
Combining personal insight with practical guidance, these speakers help normalize conversations about mental health and give audiences the understanding they need to care for themselves and one another.
Susan Stewart
A Bit More than a Rough Patch: What a Comedian Learned about Taking Mental Health Seriously
For nearly two decades, comedian Susan Stewart helped audiences find humour in life’s hardest moments. She’d survived depression before and believed she’d beaten it.
Then, in 2023, it came back, and the speaker who urged everyone to get help couldn’t ask for it, until it nearly cost her everything. Susan shares how she found her way back and why taking mental health seriously doesn’t mean we have to stop laughing.
Anthony McLean
Fire Up Your Mental Health!
When stress and busy schedules leave people running on empty, Anthony McLean knows how to fire them back up. His high-energy keynote blends humour, insight, and practical tools to help audiences recharge, refocus, and rediscover the joy in their daily lives.
From healthy ways to manage stress to the vital role of sleep, exercise, and nutrition, he helps people build a mental health routine that keeps them energized and focused.
Jessica Holmes
Mental Health: The Good, the Bad, and the Funny
Comedian and Bell Let’s Talk ambassador Jessica Holmes brings humour, heart, and lived experience to mental health, offering a fresh, engaging way to boost everyday energy, connection, and adaptability.
Drawing from her bestselling book, Depression the Comedy, she shows teams how small, realistic shifts can improve resilience and engagement. Audiences will leave motivated to prioritize their well-being in ways that actually stick.
Clara Hughes
Open Heart, Open Mind
Clara Hughes is the only athlete ever to win multiple medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. But behind her celebrated career and signature smile, she was quietly battling depression.
In this raw yet life-affirming keynote, Clara shares her journey through physical and mental pain to a life where love and understanding can thrive, and why deep connection with ourselves and others is the ultimate reward.
Clint Malarchuk
The Crazy Game: How I Survived in the Crease and Beyond
No job in sports is as intimidating, exhilarating, and stressful as hockey goaltending. Former NHL goalie Clint Malarchuk did it while battling anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and depression.
In this heart-wrenching keynote, he opens up about his long battle with alcoholism and nearly ending his own life. His story is powerful proof that it’s possible to survive the darkest moments, and a compelling call to end the stigma around mental illness.
Serena Ryder
Finding Strength Through the Struggle
On the outside, eight-time Juno Award winner Serena Ryder was a rising international star. On the inside, she was battling a deep depression that triggered an identity crisis and panic attacks onstage.
In this powerful keynote, Serena shares her difficult path back to health and how she rediscovered her voice, both as a performer and as a passionate advocate for mental wellness.
Organizational Resilience
Combining medical expertise with cutting-edge research, these speakers show organizations how to build resilience from the inside out, equipping leaders and teams with practical tools to manage stress, prevent burnout, and grow through adversity.
Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa
Surrender to the Break: A New Prescription for Resilience
We have been sold a version of resilience that says: perform excellence, be exceptional, and never, ever break. Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa, a resident doctor in psychiatry, challenges that narrative, showing audiences that breaking is a profoundly human part of growth and recovery.
Drawing on psychiatry, neuroscience, and deeply personal stories, she’ll explore how chronic stress affects the brain and why recovery begins not with more optimization, but with surrender.
Dr. Catherine Hansen
Sustainable Leadership: Prevent Burnout, Boost Productivity, and Build Resilient Teams
An organization is only as resilient as its people. Yet for too many top performers, success comes at a hidden cost: depleted energy, fractured relationships, and creeping burnout.
Drawing on 25 years of clinical experience and research, Dr. Catherine Hansen helps leaders and teams pinpoint their energy drains and build strategies for sustained high performance. Audiences will leave with a personalized Whole Health Guide and practical tools to stay ahead of burnout.
Dr. Shimi Kang
The Tech Solution: Reclaim Cognitive Capital, Reduce the Health Tax, and Master the AI Revolution
Dr. Shimi Kang calls technology “the fire of our time.” Harnessed well, it can drive incredible advances. Left unchecked, it fuels distraction, stress, and burnout across the modern workplace.
Drawing from her book, The Tech Solution, she breaks down the neuroscience of our digital habits into a “tech diet,” giving organizations a sustainable path to reclaim focus, protect mental health, and build more resilient teams in the age of AI.
Give your team the support they need to start the year strong. Contact us today to learn more about these speakers and to book your January event.
