Courage in Action

Born with Central Core Disease, a rare neuromuscular disorder undiagnosed until she was 21, Lauren Pires spent years hiding her disability—until a life-changing moment at Speaker Slam in 2022. By publicly sharing her story for the first time, she discovered the power of vulnerability and connection. Now, she champions “the daily yay,” a gratitude-based mindset celebrating everyday joy. Lauren's journey is a testament to the power of owning who you are to foster belonging and deeper connections.   https://www.laurensaysyay.com/    

Carissa Gravelle is a passionate advocate on the frontlines of diversity, equity, and inclusion. As many step away from this important work, Carissa stands firm in the belief that diversity is a strength and belonging is essential. With a background in Social Service Work and a Bachelor's degree in Equity, Diversity, and Human Rights—along with a minor in Indigenous Health & Wellness—Carissa brings invaluable insights and experience to this powerful conversation. Though recorded before the recent U.S. inauguration, her message is more relevant than ever. Whether you're rebuilding your life, finding your voice, or striving to make an impact in your community or workplace, this episode will help you explore how embracing who you are and standing in your truth can lead to healing, inner strength, and a future where everyone belongs and thrives. https://www.linkedin.com/in/carissa-gravelle-9387371b7/  

In this episode we're joined by Roni Davis, a former personal trainer and figure athlete who spent nearly 30 years battling disordered eating and body image struggles. After realizing that traditional fitness methods were fueling her challenges, Roni stepped away from the industry and developed a new approach, Embodied Cognitive Eating Training (E-CET). Tune in as Roni shares her journey of healing and empowerment, and how she's now helping women redefine their relationships with food, their bodies, and themselves.   https://www.ecet.online/  

Nadine Zeinoun is a certified emotional intelligence and leadership coach who focuses on creating harmony in the world. Listen as she shares her expert advice on how to approach and successfully resolve conflict at work and at home. Explore your ability to change brain chemistry through the power of conversation. https://nadinezeinoun.com/    

Dr. Nothabo Nube, a beacon of hope and resilience shares her incredible story of how her heartfelt promise to her mother set her on a path that changed her life. Filled with overcoming adversity, finding remarkable strength in vulnerability, and the power of believing in oneself, Nothabo is a testament to the human spirit's capacity to transcend circumstances and achieve greatness. https://drthabo.com/    

Gina Hatzis is a global award winning speaker, educator and author of "Celebrating the Too Much Woman". She champions for women to celebrate who they are, to be bold and unapologetic and to confidently live a regret-free life. To learn more about Gina, visit https://ginahatzis.com  

Tayyaba Jordan is an International Health Coach, motivational speaker, mother, and mission-driven woman who was, as she says, both “stressed and messed”. She reached a point in her life where she knew something had to change or she was headed for a mental breakdown. Listen as Tayyaba unveils her journey to learning about herself and discovering how to improve her life and mindset. You can contact Tayyaba at www.tayyabajordan.com  

Jennifer James is a multifaceted mindfulness practitioner who has successfully integrated this skill and practice into her daily life. Listen as she shares her knowledge and wisdom on iterating mindfulness into everything from the simple act of breathing to caring for parents with dementia. https://admitone.ca/doublejstrategic/  

During this episode we discuss what it means to be beautiful on the inside and out. Listen as Anastasia Kravtsova, expert hair stylist and business owner, talks to us about the power of  inner work, self confidence and belief in yourself when it comes to feeling beautiful. https://www.anastasiahairdesign.com/  

Our last episode for 2023 will inspire you to ask the question: Who do I need to be? Listen as Farah Ismail describes her journey to being who she is and how playfulness led her to a deep understanding of how each of us has the ability to impact the world around us, one person at a time. https://www.coachfarah.com/  

Courage in Action is proud to offer our members several life-nurturing programs, one of which is our Mentor Circle. This program builds a collaborative relationship between a Mentor and a Mentee through a supportive process of discovery, goal setting, and learning. Listen as Mentor, Deborah Fillippe, and her Mentee partner, Jasmine Gillette, describe their experience in the program, and, how they built a path that made Jasmine's dream life a reality. To sign up please visit: www.courageinaction.ca ***Note*** Jasmine was in Jamaica during the recording and there are parts that are a little static.

Serena Mastin has navigated through extraordinary trauma to become an advocate for everyone  to overcome self-limiting beliefs. Listen as she shares the wisdom she has earned from facing addiction, assault, homelessness, and the suicide of her husband. Be inspired to heal! https://serenamastin.com/  

Shirley Gaudon is back! Listen as she walks us through defining and understanding Trauma, AND provides insight into how we can manage it at any point in our lives.  https://shirleygaudoncoaching.com/

Diane Gies has survived and thrived through many of life's greatest challenges. She is a passionate and dedicated coach, teacher, speaker and author. Listen as Diane helps us seek and understand life's lessons, live an ego-free life, and create our own definition of success. https://www.dianegies.com/  

Patreka Roach is an experienced career coach for ambitious women who want to advance their careers, gain confidence and clarity, make more money, and develop into impactful leaders. Patreka knows what it is like to feel stuck, leveraging her philosophy of Shifting your Mindset. Visualizing your Future Self. Executing the Vision she joins us to help our journey to creating better versions of ourselves. https://www.theresumedoc.com/  

Life continually throws us curve balls that force transitions and change. Hanna Ha has not only survived but thrived throughout her life journey. With over 17 years of corporate finance and consulting experience, a Masters of Education, Hanna has navigated life as a graduate professor at York University, and mom to 2 beautiful daughters and 4 fur babies. Listen to learn about how she finds space and place for self care and self discovery as she takes on every new challenge in her life.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/hanna-ha-m-ed-prosci-mcatd-b-sc-538a4933/  

Many of us have, at some point in life, been intimidated by our finances and concerned about how to manage them. Stephanie Kotsopoulos is a partner at Basis Wealth Inc. where she helps clients make strategic, practical moves to help them achieve their long-term life goals. She is passionate about supporting her clients through planning that reflects their needs and values. Join us to learn how you can gain control of your finances. https://basiswealth.com  

Communication is deeply integrated into culture through body language, tone, timing, pronunciation and so much more. This can unfortunately be one of the biggest challenges people face when they move to new countries or regions. Heather Chetwynd, founder and director of Voice to Word consulting leverages over 35 years of experience in the field of adult education, primarily focused on culture and teaching English as a Second language, to help internationally educated professionals reach their full potential. https://voicetoword.com/heather-chetwynd/ Rachel's English: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvn_XCl_mgQmt3sD753zdJA Rachel posts regular videos where she teaches pronunciation. She is an exceptional pronunciation teacher.   Tools for clear speech https://tfcs.baruch.cuny.edu/consonants-vowels/ This is a resource for English sounds with videos of what happens in the mouth when you make each sound.    

What do you see when you look in the mirror? Are you hyper-critical or complimentary? Do you feel confident? Do you love who you see? Michele Charles Gustafson, a strategic marketing consultant turned award-winning Certified Image Consultant, Certified Master Life Coach, international success mentor, and creator of Hue And Style® joins us to share her insight on how to transform self-confidence and self-presence into your superpower! https://www.hueandstyle.com/

Have you ever heard someone say “you can be anything you want to be”? Jay Shetty said it best when he noted that “We can't be anything we want, but we can be everything we are”. Your life is not about being anything, it is about being everything you were born to be. Julie Danaylov truly embodies everything she is. Listen as she shares her experience becoming the best version of herself. https://www.cirquerevolution.ca/  

Karen Kelly shares her 20 year history as a sales person. Often being the only woman in the room, Karen found it empowering. Enjoy listening as Karen shares her story of resilience and how she does not respond well to the word “can't”. https://www.k2perform.com/about/about-karen  

Listen as Kareen Aristide, successful entrepreneur AND mother of five (!), shares her secret to building a life doing what you love and loving what you do. Learn how to "be" and become the World changer and history maker you were born to be. https://sleek.bio/kareenaristide  

Nellie Jacob joins us to share her wisdom on stepping into fear in order to embrace courage. As a coach, entrepreneur, mom, marathon runner and so much more, Nellie's life lessons have taught her how to cultivate self love, and live her best life.https://www.linkedin.com/in/nellie-jacob/

How powerful is your own voice? Never more powerful than when you are speaking to yourself. Listen as Andrea Ivanka shares her wisdom on how we can all manifest the life we want, by fine tuning how we speak to and treat ourselves. https://www.andreaivanka.com/  

Discover what it means to stand in our Goddess Power and how to get these one small step at a time. Cecile Peterkin joins us to share her wisdom on how to build confidence knowing that no one has the wisdom that you do. As an entrepreneur, determined leader, career coach, author, mentor, board member, volunteer and philanthropist, Cecile had dedicated her life to helping all of discover the Goddess within. We are proud to have Cecile volunteer as a mentor. https://www.cosmiccoachingcentre.com/  

Joanne Weitzman and Cindy Snider are the co-founders of MindScents, an organization that teaches fun, easy to learn evidence-informed mindfulness practices combined with the power of essential oils that can be incorporated into everyday life. Their collaboration is a testament of what happens when women empower each other.  Joanne and Cindy will be guests on our May 12th Sisters Supporting Sisters zoom call.  https://www.letitgomindfulness.com/mindscents  

Tracey Underhill's mission is to educate, empower and inspire by raising awareness, and to help cultivate the awakening to your truth.  As a Transformation facilitator with a medical background, Tracey is uniquely equipped to help us create life that lights us up!   https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-underhill-6b5932a6/

One of the greatest struggles of the global COVID pandemic has been maintaining our mental health. Patricia Wright emerged from a tumultuous life journey to become a Mental Health Peer Mentor, Holistic Nurse Coach, Advocate, Writer, and Fierce Survivor who founded WellSpring Outreach Services to help others. Anchored by her best friend, Hope, Patircia shows us how to build a happy, meaningful, and productive life despite difficulties.  https://www.wellspringoutreach.com/

Life often throws us curve balls and challenges; they are thrown to test our resilience and reactions. Karen Dean, Resilience Expert, Inspiring Speaker, Fierce Leader, and Bestselling Author joins us to share her story, show us how we can choose to respond to challenges, and that Resilience may just be what our whole life journey is all about. https://karendeanspeaks.com/  

Does the word 'negotiation' scare you? Do you struggle to ask for what you want, what you need, and for what you are worth? Listen as Fotini Iconomopoulos ("the negotiator") shares her wisdom on understanding your worth, empathizing with others without compromising yourself, and how to pause long enough to propel yourself forward. https://fotiniicon.com/  

Listen and learn how to welcome opportunities, embrace challenges, push boundaries, and build resilience at any age! Susan Sommers is committed to bringing power into our physical, mental, and spiritual journeys throughout the entirety of life. She guides us along the path to owning our power source with every single step.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-sommers-507880/  

Bona Normandeau, has been on a journey of self discovery which brought to a place of genuine happiness. Today she is a motivational podcaster who encourages her community to seek their version of “happier” rather than spending their lives meeting other people's expectations. Listen to learn about starting your journey to 'happier", and, if you are ready, sign up for Bona's 21 Day Challenge: https://thehappieryou.net/21-day-happiness-challenge/

Chrissy Hollis lives from the inside out; going within for answers, embodying her true self with each decision, each interaction, each moment. Her journey brought her to a place of balance as a soul-centered CPA and CA: Helping her clients discover prosperity within themselves and their cashflows (https://chrissyhollis.com/). Listen to learn how you can uniquely connect with who you are uncover your true path in life.  

Liza Rogers has always lived a life of discovery. Being courageous in everything she does led her to many successes and great learning from her failures. She founded WREN (Women's Real Estate network) following one such learning and has been on a mission to empower women to live their best lives ever since. Listen and learn!  https://wren.club/  

Vanessa Judelman shares her wisdom on understanding the environment women face at work, what barriers hold us back, and how we can design a career that feels truly fulfilling on our own terms. http://www.mosaicpd.com/    

As a first generation immigrant, Aracelys Sunico faced the heartbreaking decision to leave her beloved home, Venezuela, and take on the challenge of moving to a new country and learning a new language. She harnessed self-compassion and her avid hunger for learning to overcome these hurdles and become her best self while managing her anxiety disorder. Today, she is an Engineer with a Masters Degree in Management Analytics, she is enrolled in a new Masters of Arts program in Counseling Psychology and is training to be Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher. Her words will inspire you to become a “Mama Bear” for yourself and put self care at the top of your priority list.

Janice Belford courageously shares her story of not only surviving but persevering through trauma. She lost her husband, the life they built together, and her sense of security to his opioid addiction. Listen as she shares her journey, navigating as a woman, a mother, a sister and a daughter through the years of constant challenge… One breath, one step and one moment at a time.   

Carol Ring joins us to share her story of getting in tune with her personal values and how that transformed her from the “yes-woman” to becoming the pilot of her life journey. She made the bold move to leave her highly successful corporate career to become an independent Culture Transformation Consultant. As you listen and get curious about your own personal values, check out this exercise to learn more about YOU: https://www.carolring.ca/personal-values-exercise 

Moving from the illusion of a ‘perfect-life' into becoming her true self, Sue Bowe takes us on a journey of self-discovery, self-trust and moving through emotions to transform trauma into growth. Learn how you can change your perspective to see adversity as a gift that fuels your continued growth into who you are meant to be. https://suebowe.com/  

Listen as Susan Gregory, Founder and Owner of “Best Work Yet”,  reveals her secrets to building healthy habits that change your life one minute, one moment at a time. https://bestworkyet.com/ Recommended reading:  Atomic Habits, by James Clear Tiny Habits, by BJ Fogg Change Anything, by Kerry Patterson, David Maxfield, Joseph Grenny, Al Switzler, Ron McMillan"

Learn how to make money work for you by changing your mindset and building your personal relationship with it. Jackie Porter turned adversity into a very successful career as a Certified Financial Planner and Financial Advisor. She is a two-time winner of the “Female Trailblazer of the year” awards and co-author of the book “Single by Choice or Chance, the smart woman's guide to living longer better.” Listen and learn how to establish your financial independence today!  https://askjackie.ca/  

Join two recent mentee graduates and two mentors from the Courage in Action Mentor Circles program and learn how YOU can move forward from adversity to living your best life.The magic of intentional connections allows us to increase hope,set goals and ACHIEVE them. Dare to step in at https://courageinaction.ca/ or email us at info@courageinaction.org  

Francine Dick, Advisor at Carte Wealth Management & Risk Management Inc. is a Financial Advisor with over 20 years of experience. Listen in as she shares how she leveraged personal challenges in her life  to switch careers and follow her passion to help people. One of Francine's joys in life is helping women understand and take ownership over their finances. Learn more about her at https://askfrancine.ca/  

Learn how to become the CFO (Chief Fulfillment Officer) of your own life, especially if you are a Highly Sensitive Person. Author, speaker and certified coach, Clare Kuamr joins us to help our listeners find the right balance of productivity and pleasure for our bodies and our lives. https://clarekumar.com/    

Having survived decades of abusive relationships, health challenges and setbacks, Shirley Gaudon has not only survived, but she has THRIVED along her life journey. Transforming herself into a Life Coach in her 60s, Shirley embraced every life-lesson and uses that knowledge to help others thrive in their own way. https://shirleygaudoncoaching.com/    

Learn about how Kindness can transform your life at home, at work and in your communities. Lauri Flasko is a keynote speaker, trainer, professional coach, customer service expert, and very proud Mom. She created the Kindness Advantage to evolve workplace cultures and co-authored “Bullying is not a game, a parents' survival guide”to help parents and kids out at their most vulnerable. Listen as she unveils how Kindness can change your life. https://laurieflasko.com/    

Do you consider yourself a high-functioning over-achiever? Have you built up a facade of “perfection” while battling anxiety or depression? It's time to acknowledge it, address it and let it all go to live the best life you were born to lead! Emmy Rousseau, a transformational speaker and coach who, having faced her own battles with mental health, created Trinity Transformations to inspire and connect through joy, gratitude and self-love.

This episode is for anyone ready for the whirlwind that is social entrepreneurship! It's for anyone who believes they can change the world! Christina Noel is a social entrepreneur, marketing strategist, business coach and keynote speaker who specializes in helping mission-driven organizations thrive. She founded two organizations dedicated to her passion for helping people: Noel & Co. and the “Figure Your Sh*t Out” Accelerator. Listen in as she shares her wisdom and inspires us to reflect on creating and achieving our own definition of success. 

Life is a journey and as we travel along our unique paths it is wise to take pause and think about what success means to each of us. Melissa LaFlair joins us to explore how we do that, and how to bring out the best in ourselves through self-care and by appreciating relationships with everyone and everything around us. Listen in and learn what it feels like to experience your own definition of success.

Michelle Anhang truly embodies “Courage in Action”. For 10 years she carried a secret veiled in shame; she had lost her beloved husband and best friend to suicide. The stigma surrounding his mental health locked her into a cover-up. With the help of people who had earned her trust, she found the courage to take action: Michelle broke her silence and shattered the stigma by telling her sons the truth… and she was free! Today she is a certified coach dedicating her life to helping families navigate mental health challenges and supporting individuals break free of shame. Learn more at: https://www.michelleanhang.com/ Michelle would love to hear from you.  

Are you trying to push water uphill? Do you find your days more stressful and draining than enlightening and rejuvenating? If yes, this is the podcast for you! Wendy Woods is a highly accomplished and educated Certified Professional Coach as well as Founder of Watershed Training Solutions and Wendy Woods Coaching. The realization that she wasn't on the path meant for her brought Wendy to a vivacious life all her own. Listen as she tells us about her journey and how you can live your life your way! Wendy has graciously offered free 15-20 min chats with any interested listeners. Contact her at https://wendywoodscoaching.com/contact/ or wendy@wendywoodscoaching.com