Past Events

Paris Jewellers is a Canadian, family owned and operated national retail jewellery brand with 23 stores across four provinces.
Chau Lui is the co-owner, along with her sister Trang, who are now spearheading the company with a 90% women workforce. They are originally from Vietnam and didn’t speak English when they immigrated to Canada.

The company started in a 400 sq. ft. space in St. Albert, AB, and had nine stores when Chau joined. Chau lead the expansion plan to grow Paris Jewellers to 23 stores across four Canadian provinces with over 200 employees. She focused on implementing new training, processes and systems to sustain this growth and continue expansion across Canada.

Chau is passionate about the jewellery industry, the customer experience and about community partnerships and involvement. Her biggest passion is her family, Chau is married with two daughters ages 8 and 6.

Fortune Feimster’s first, one-hour special, SWEET & SALTY, is now streaming on Netflix. A stand-up comedian, writer and actor, Feimster first made a name for herself on CHELSEA LATELY. She is also well known for her role of ‘Nurse Collette' on THE MINDY PROJECT for Hulu. Recently, Feimster has been frequently recurring on Comedy Central’s LIGHTS OUT WITH DAVID SPADE. In 2018, Netflix released Feimster’s half-hour special as part of THE STANDUPS, which received rave reviews.

Feimster can be seen in a fun role for the Amblin Pictures feature film, OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY in addition to the adventure comedy, DEPORTED. Feimster also starred on the NBC series, CHAMPIONS, created by Mindy Kaling and Charlie Grandy. Amblin recently acquired BAD COP, BAD COP a feature that she co-wrote and will star in. Feimster also co-wrote and sold two comedy pilots to ABC with the latter being produced by Tina Fey. Previously, Feimster had a recurring role on CBS’ LIFE IN PIECES and many guest appearances on hit TV shows including DEAR WHITE PEOPLE, IDIOTSITTER, WORKAHOLICS, DRUNK HISTORY, @MIDNIGHT.

Jesse Thistle is a Métis-Cree Ph.D. Candidate in the History program and Assistant Professor at York University, Toronto. Currently, he is working on theories of the intergenerational and historical trauma of the Métis people. Jesse’s work involves reflections on his own previous struggles with addiction and homelessness and has been recognized as having a wide impact on both the scholarly community and the greater public.

Thistle was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. In 1979 he and his two brothers were removed from his family home and moved to Brampton, Ontario to be brought up by his paternal grandparents. During his late teens and twenties, Thistle struggled with addiction, homelessness, and served several brief stints in jail for petty theft. After an unsuccessful robbery attempt in 2006, Thistle turned himself in to police custody and entered a drug rehabilitation program.

In 2012 he entered the undergraduate history program at York University. Thistle is a Trudeau Scholar, a prestigious award administered by the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, a Vanier Scholar, and was awarded a Governor General's Silver Medal in 2016. He has won numerous other awards, including the Odessa Award in 2014 and the Dr. James Wu prize in 2015 for his paper "We are children of the river: Toronto’s Lost Métis History," and in 2019 became an Atlohsa Peace Award Honoree. In 2019, Jesse published his autobiographical and acclaimed book “From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless and Finding My Way,” which went on to be a #1 bestseller as well as nominated for Canada Reads.

Jesse is the author of the Definition of Indigenous Homelessness in Canada published through the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, and his historical research has been published in numerous academic journals, book chapters, and featured on CBC Ideas, CBC Campus, and Unreserved. Thistle is married to Lucie Thistle.

Cheryl Foggo is a multiple award winning playwright, author and filmmaker, whose work over the last 30 years has focused on the lives of Western Canadians of African descent. In 2020 the World Premiere of her NFB feature documentary John Ware Reclaimed took place at the Calgary International Film Festival, where it received the Alberta Feature Audience Choice Award. The film is now screening at festivals across the country and on nfb.ca. Additionally in 2020, the 30th anniversary edition of her book Pourin’ Down Rain: A Black Woman Claims Her Place in the Canadian West was released by Brush Education Press and was also launched as an audiobook read by acclaimed actor Karen Robinson through ECW Press.

In 2019 she wrote and directed the short film Kicking Up a Fuss: The Charles Daniels Story, which received its Festival Launch in 2020, screening alongside John Ware Reclaimed. Her play John Ware Reimagined won the 2015 Writers Guild of Alberta Award for Drama and was produced most recently at Workshop West Theatre Company in 2017. She is a past recipient of the Sondra Kelly Screenplay Award from the Writers Guild of Canada and is the 2021 recipient of the Calgary Black Chambers Black Achievement Award in Arts, Media and Entertainment. She has a number of new projects upcoming in 2021, including a short play called The Sender for Obsidian Theatre Company’s 21 Black Futures and a production of her play Heaven at the Citadel Theatre.

Jesse Lipscombe is an actor, producer, entrepreneur and activist based in Edmonton,Alberta.Born and raised in St. Albert, Jesse started his acting career at age 14 alongside SidneyPoitier in the Calgary-shot film Children of the Dust. At 18, he received a fulltrack-and-field scholarship to Martin Luther King Jr.’s alma mater, Morehouse College,in Atlanta, Georgia. Jesse went on to win multiple national high-jump championships inboth Canada and the U.S., and was ranked 6th in the world in his sport.Back in Edmonton, Jesse launched a full entrepreneurial and artistic career, openingfitness studios and restaurants, while continuing to act and produce in award-winningfilm and television productions. Jesse has been nominated for several Canadian ScreenAwards and Alberta film and television awards.In 2018, Jesse was the recipient of the Obsidian Award for Top Business Leader inWestern Canada, and he was named Community Man of the Year by DiversityMagazine. Through it all, Jesse’s top priority has been giving back to his community,which he’s done through multiple annual fundraisers and partnerships with Edmontoncharities such as WIN House and iHuman. In September 2017, Jesse and his wife Julialaunched the #MakeItAwkward campaign to combat racism, misogyny, homophobiaand hatred of all kinds. Jesse and Julia are parents to three young boys.

Jillian Harris is a mother, fiancé, storyteller, and quintessential busy-bee who pours her heart and soul into every endeavour. She is the Founder and Creative Director of Jillian Harris Design and The Jilly Academy, Co-Author of Fraiche Food Full Hearts and Co-Founder of The Jilly Box. Jillian is passionate about love, family, philanthropy, advocacy, fashion, food, decor and much more.

Jillian’s signature style is both classic and feminine, and her eye for design and decor is enviable. As former co-host of HGTV’s Love It Or List It Vancouver, she loves bringing her designs to life through fresh and inspiring refreshes to homes needing love. Her work with local charities fuels her desire to help those in need and give back to those less fortunate. Her biggest passion is her family, which includes her fiancé Justin Pasutto, son Leo, daughter Annie, and dogs Nacho Cilantro and Peaches Pasutto.

Joe Dombrowski’s viral April Fools’ Day spelling test prank landed him multiple appearances on the Ellen DeGeneres show. Since then Joe (aka Mr.D) has been traveling the world with his stand-up comedy tour titled “Indoor Recess” which highlights his crazy life as an elementary school teacher. When he’s not getting creative on screens and stages, Joe spends his time in Seattle, Washington where he still manages to substitute teach in title 1 elementary schools.

As a 3x Certified Life Coach and motivational speaker, Raia is passionate about encouraging others to tap into the confidence they never knew they had. After overcoming various hardships, she was able to transform her mindset and begin a career that empowers others to do the same.
By openly sharing her triumphs and tribulations, Raia’s vulnerability helps foster a welcoming and safe environment in every room she enters. She strives to inspire and lead those around her by providing unwavering support, guidance, and motivation.

By equipping clients with tangible tools to implement in their daily lives, she steers her community towards self-awareness, resilience, and sustainable success.

Kaleb Dahlgren beats the odds. Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of four, Kaleb was told by coaches and scouts that he would never succeed in hockey. Instead of defeat, Kaleb used the negativity as motivation. He worked relentlessly and played the highest level of hockey each year of his career. His own struggles inspired him to create the program Dahlgren’s Diabeauties. This mentorship program sheds light on Type 1 Diabetes and provides physical, mental, and emotional support for children living with the disorder. After losing 16 members of his Broncos family and surviving the tragic crash, he continued to give back and help the community of Humboldt heal. Kaleb was recognized and received the Canadian Volunteer Award for Emerging Leader of the Prairies in 2018 due to his relentless community work.

Despite living with a severe traumatic brain injury from the crash that has left numerous neurologists and doctors speechless - Kaleb has enjoyed the grind. Graduating from York University with a Commerce Degree and being named the Most Outstanding Male Graduate for Varsity Athletics - along with York University Class of 2021 Valedictorian, Kaleb is forging his next path as a Doctor of Chiropractic student and Keynote Speaker! Today, Kaleb is a #1 National Bestselling Author with his recent memoir Crossroads - and is an inspiring community leader, mental wellness advocate, and diabetes advocate!

Clary is an inspirational speaker who empowers folks with chronic invisible illnesses to make meaningful changes in their lives. Her keynotes, interactive workshops, and coaching sessions strive to create safe spaces for folks to laugh, grow, play and heal.
In 2010, Clary was in a life-changing car accident that led to seven long years of internal pain and depression. She struggled to work, get out of bed, and distanced herself from the people she loved the most.
In 2017, she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which in short, meant her chronic pain would never go away. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, she committed to a lifestyle focused on healing — a change that sparked clarity in her life and set her on a path to inspire others to do the same.

Since then, she has done over 45 talks, speaking to 3,000+ people on mental health and wellness.
Follow her as she documents her journey and shares healing tools that will allow us all to achieve a better quality of life and future.

Originally from Edmonton, and now based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Shelley Moore is a highly sought-after teacher, researcher, speaker and storyteller and has worked with school districts and community organizations around the world, in supporting and promoting equity for all learners. Her first book entitled, “One Without the Other” was released in July 2016 to follow up her TEDx talk. Shelley completed an undergraduate degree in Special Education at the University of Alberta, her masters at Simon Fraser University, and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia.

Jessica is a wife, mother, speaker, author and joy bringer. After loss and massive heartache, she has made it her life mission to help women get unstuck after experiencing grief and loss.
Her mission is all about embracing the beautiful chaos and helping us understand that we don’t have to have it all together. She believes and knows that we can build and design our lives. What she knows to be true is that life is short, and we need to live it to the fullest. Dream big. Go anywhere. Do anything.