Speaking and Training Topics

Pioneering in Sports

My story is a tale of hearing the word “no” but doing it anyway.

I was told women couldn’t work in the NHL, so I became an accredited NHL reporter, writing for NBC Sports, Associated Press, Hockey Canada, and others.

Told that women couldn’t sell advertising, I was hired by a few magazines and a cable news channel, then sold ads in junior football and for a Triple A farm team of the California Angels when I was their PR director.

I served 18+ years as an administrator in Canadian junior football, was the first female president of a football conference in Canada, and was inducted into the 2018 Alberta Sports Hall of Fame as part of back-to-back championship teams.

Having had no real-life role models to emulate, pop culture characters and inspirational stories from the sport arena were what drove me to challenge the norms. I was lucky to find two exceptional male mentors: a broadcasting instructor that told me I was good enough when I couldn’t see it; and The Hockey Maven, Stan Fischler, who opened the door a crack so I could barrel in.

Polishing Your Professionalism with Communications

In July 2022, earthweb.com reported that 333.2 billion emails were sent each day for 2022. The average person receives over 100 emails. This means internal and external business communications have a direct impact on how a reader perceives a message, and ultimately, a business.

If your firm works hard to stay ahead of increasing demands and maintain a leading edge in new technologies, then writing emails that include proposals, internal memos, or preparing bids are an important part of many job descriptions. One wrong keystroke in a technology code or one missed word in a memo could have serious implications.

In my own personal study via LinkedIn about what the pain is in business communications, it was:

  • Misspellings and miscommunication
  • People are too busy to proofread
  • Word choice errors or missed words
  • Using TEXT talk in non-TEXT talk situations, and more

There are clear steps one can take to improve their communications skills. I provide you with the ability to improve your communication skills by at least 20% and make you feel like you can go out and immediately apply what you’ve learned – hopefully with enthusiasm.

Bootstrapping Your Startup

Are you looking for free and innovative ways to market your business?

This workshop will show you low cost to no cost options, how to plug into social networking and use it to your advantage (and take away the fear and distrust you might have about it). You will also learn more traditional ways to market with, that lets you keep most of your wallet intact.

You’ll learn to:

  • Think outside the traditional box
  • Use everything already at your fingertips to plant a seed
  • Learn how to make the best use of the Internet
  • Solicit the media
  • Create a strong online profile
  • The basics of social networking
Overcoming the Fear of Writing

If the thought of reading and/or writing makes you nervous, then this workshop is for you. I will help you gain confidence through conquering the fear of writing.

How do I do this? I’ll show you where to start and how to take small steps to build stamina, throw in different deliveries of literacy that will elevate your comfort levels, find literary strengths and improve weaknesses, and ultimately improve your writing skills.

I will help you find your voice. You’ll also discover some tools you can use to share that voice.

Book Publishing Bootcamp

Learn how to get started on your manuscript and get it into production by knowing what your options are for getting it published.

You’ll learn how to find a publisher — what NOT to do — and how to do it yourself.

For when your book is in physical/ebook form, you will learn how to plant seeds and get noticed, and essentially learn how to market effectively on a shoestring budget.

This bootcamp arms you with simple straight forward steps to write and publish your book. You will learn about the publishing industry, be inspired, and have the tools you need to take your book to market.

This bootcamp will teach you:

  • How to get started on your manuscript even if you have no idea what you want to write about; how to craft and organize a manuscript
  • Basic editing skills
  • How to find an editor or ghostwriter
  • Publishing options, literary agents, and contracts
  • The book publishing process, including finding a graphic designer, the technology you need to be aware of in order to have a professional product, what’s involved in design and layout, the printing process, where to get the best printing quotes
  • What you need to know to take your book to market: book publishing facts you may not want to hear and how to work around them
  • Sales and marketing: how to market without a lot of money and how to treat your book like a business
Networking in the Digital World

How do you create a community online that you can nurture as well as the in-person community?

There are dos and don’ts of social media. You will learn how to choose a couple of platforms to focus most of your attention on first. People behind a profile are real people.

  • How do you connect with people you want to work with?
  • How do you get noticed so you can get the attention of the people you might want to work with?
  • How do you grow your community organically?
  • How do you keep a community engaged so they will continue to show up in your space?
  • Who do you connect with?
  • To DM or not to DM?

Workshops, Facilitation, Keynote Speaker, Media, Webcasts

  • Worked in front and behind the traditional and digital microphone

  • Have been a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers

  • Delivered keynotes, facilitation, and training to schools, universities, teachers’ conferences, speaking associations, and career development organizations

  • Google Hangouts on Air, YouTube, Periscope, Facebook Live, Blab, Spreecast, Screencastify, Spreaker

Past Presentations

Palliser Teachers’ Convention

Grant McEwan University

University of Calgary

AT&T

Canadian Association of Professional Speakers

MKS Learning

Chinook Learning Services

Calgary Learns

Independent Publishers Association of Canada