Pooja Handa

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

• The Art of Connecting with People in Under Five Minutes

  Pooja Handa has interviewed hundreds of political figures, celebrities, and everyday people over the course of her 20-year career on television. She’s expected to think on her feet, ask good questions, be relatable, and connect — all in a matter of 3-4 minutes on live television, where there are no do-overs. Not to mention facing the constant scrutiny of viewers who jump at every opportunity to point out a mistake or flaw in the line of questioning.

  In short, it’s not an easy task. Yet somehow, Handa not only makes it look easy but manages to infuse humour into every conversation so that viewers could think it was just two friends getting together. How does she do it so effortlessly? After years of practice, she now shares her hard-earned tips and tricks to help audiences do the same.

  Whether it’s meeting new staff, working in sales, or trying to motivate and encourage those around you, Handa can help you get the most out of any interaction by teaching you to have better, more meaningful conversations that leave people wanting more.

• When Doors Don’t Open for You, Kick Them Down!

  Today, Pooja Handa is a familiar face and voice within the GTA as the co-host of The Pooja and Gurdeep Show on CHFI and a former host on CP24 Breakfast, where she helped it become the number one morning show in Toronto. Over the course of her 20-year careers, Handa has had the opportunity to cover major events in the city, from elections to hosting parades and reporting on the Toronto International Film Festival.  She has also interviewed hundreds of public figures, celebrities, and everyday people.  But becoming a broadcaster wasn’t Handa’s first dream. In fact, Handa has spent the last 20 years trying to make her dreams a reality.

  While she’s come a long way from her start in as a traffic reporter, Handa’s journey hasn’t been an easy one. She recognized early in her career that opportunities don’t always come to you. In this inspirational keynote, Handa shares her story to remind audiences that they can achieve anything through hard work and honing your skills. She outlines how she achieved her goals, even when doors didn’t open for her, and talks about being a woman of colour in a highly competitive and heavily scrutinized industry and how she managed to navigate her way through it. Handa also shares insight into how hearing “no” helped her go after her dreams even harder and how living with the mantra “When doors don’t open for you, kick them down” has helped her become a fan favourite in this city.

• Infertility: How to Find Joy in the Every Day Even When It Feels Hopeless

  While Pooja Handa has lived a very public life on TV, she has struggled in her personal life with infertility. Her journey has been long and painful, and most people would never know what she was battling behind closed doors.

  After seven years of trying to get pregnant that including seven rounds of IVF, two rounds of IUI, and 11 failed embryo transfers, Handa had no choice but to accept that her dream of growing her family would likely not happen. This was a hard pill to swallow but one that she learned she had very little control over. After time off work, multiple surgeries, and seeking therapy, Handa managed to find joy in her life despite not being able to fulfill something she always dreamed of.

  In June 2022, Handa welcomed a baby girl into the world via surrogate. Just a few months later, she was blessed with another baby, a boy, via surrogate. This is an incredible story of how two women, who were complete strangers, offered to help Handa start her family through surrogacy. While her story ended on a happy note, she knows that not every story does. She knows she is not alone in facing adversity and understands firsthand how it can grab a hold of you and sometimes paralyze you from living your life to the fullest. Handa shares her emotional story to show how she found joy in the every day and to hopefully help others do the same.

• Host / Emcee