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The most challenging threat to any work force is the one nobody sees. It doesn't put people in wheelchairs or cause hacking coughs. Because it strikes the mind and not the body, it's easily mistaken for a bad attitude. When mental illness struck one of my most gifted staffers, I was slow to recognize the signs. Hear the story--and the lessons for your organization--at the HRPA 2013 conference in Toronto on January 24. [more]

Do you ever find you've got so many demands on your time, your to-do list could paper every room in your home? I know the feeling. That's why I'm excited to be the opening keynote speaker for Breathe Now, a one-of-a-kind conference in Victoria April 14-15. It's still not too late to order your ticket. [more]

When I landed a career-shaping job as Editor of Chatelaine, I brought a history of chronic depression dating all the way back to childhood. Every day I was cajoled, challenged and chewed out by people with all manner of agendas. I didn't relapse. I thrived. In fact, my job did a lot to keep me well. That's why I'm excited to be the keynote speaker at Business Takes Action's upcoming conference on October 19 in Mississauga. [more]

I've been a woebegone kid in a family ravaged by addiction, a new mother flattened by post-partum depression and an outwardly competent young professional who fantasized about bathtubs and razor blades. None of it stopped me from reaching the top of my profession and the most rewarding job I could imagine. On October 5 I'll share my story as keynote speaker for CMHA Windsor's second annual Making It Work conference. [more]

Ever since I signed on to speak at the Breathe Now conference, I knew it would attract my kind of women--loving, loyal, supremely competent types who in the course of one action-packed day do pretty much everything except...well, slow down and breathe. Sound like you or someone you know? Then Breathe Now is your perfect girlfriends' outing. So mark your calendars for September 30 - October 1 in Victoria, one of my favourite places for spending a getaway weekend. [more]

I'm celebrating International Women's Day with a keynote speech for Nova Vita Domestic Violence Prevention Services---and I'd love to have you join me for a night of inspiration. I'll be sharing stories that illustrate one of my favourite themes: the resilience of women. [more]

When I was chosen to lead the editorial staff at Chatelaine, I vowed to be the most compassionate, inspiring boss that anyone on my team had ever known. Turned out I had a lot to learn about this leadership business. Overcoming my own depression had in no way prepared me for a star employee's paralyzing mood disorder. And in my commitment to delegate, I lost touch with my team when they most needed hands-on guidance. I'll be sharing these hard-won lessons in a March 2 keynote at the Bottom Line Conference in Vancouver. [more]

I recovered quickly from depression because I knew where to find help and how to describe my anguish. Adenir De Oliveira wasn't so lucky. Ignored and forgotten by the gatekeepers of health care, he's facing criminal charges for pushing two youths into the path of an onrushing subway train. He'll be on my mind when I deliver a keynote speech at the Canadian Mental Health Association's annual conference, Surviving in 2010. [more]

Admit it: don't you like to be admired, obeyed and supported? Don't you find yourself gritting your teeth when certain wildly irritating people choose to diss you, undercut you and wage passive/aggressive campaigns that keep you up at night? I've been there. And believe it or not, I'm better off for it. The difficult people in my life have been my best teachers, challenging me to broaden my skills and confront my own difficult side. I'll share the no-holds-barred story in a June 15 keynote speech at the fourth annual Journey to Success Conference in Oakville. [more]

It's been a good many years since I sat in my bathrobe on the kitchen floor with a glass of wine in my hand and tears streaming down my face while my nine-year-old asked, "Why is mom crying?" I didn't have the heart to tell him the truth---that I wished I could vanish from this earth with the secret burden of pain that had afflicted me since childhood. Join me on April 8 at Richview Public Library to hear the story of my journey from wanting to die to loving my life. [more]

When everyone wants a piece of you, a deadline looms and you've been cracking your brain on an onslaught of big decisions, it can be dangerously tempting to treat your own powers like a beast of burden. I know the feeling---and I learned the hard way that I couldn't revitalize Canada's best-read magazine for women if I didn't take care of my own vitality. That's just one of the defining moments I'll be sharing on October 29 at the Women in Business Luncheon in Belleville, Ontario. [more]

I remember when we hardly said a word about mental illness in the workplace. The business community lost talent, time and money because no one dared to face the truth. So when the Women's Executive Network asked me to be the Patron Host of a May 4 luncheon in Toronto that will highlight the business case for grappling with mental illness, I was quick to say, "Count me in." [more]