I’m passionate about learning and sharing ideas.
As a speaker and workshop facilitator, I create opportunities for people to expand and deepen their knowledge and expertise while uplifting what they already know. We’re wiser together, especially when we listen, learn, and ask questions grounded in humility, curiosity, and a willingness to be wrong. I’m committed to creating learning experiences that tap into our collective intelligence to broaden participants’ understanding of what’s possible and bolster their commitment to change.
As a writer who is also trained as a researcher, I purposefully weave together stories, research, and community- and practice-based knowledge into my talks and workshops. I incorporate resources, tools, and self- and group reflection to help participants bring these ideas to life in ways that are relevant to their everyday lives.
My talks and workshops span a range of topics grounded in my expertise and experience as a change leader, strategist, and LGBTQ+ health advocate. I make complex ideas accessible without being superficial and use a learner-centred, context-informed approach to the design and creation of each speaking engagement. I bring warmth, humour, and a sense of hopefulness to my workshops and talks without shying away from the very real challenges we’re grappling with in our organizations, systems, and communities.
Some of the topics I speak on include:
Community- and evidence-informed strategies for equitable and inclusive LGBTQ+ health care and why we must think beyond unjust systems in order to transform them
LGBTQ+ end-of-life care and grief support that welcomes in diverse community needs and supports people to die and grieve as queerly as they lived
Leadership for systems change, queering leadership and leadership as death work
Building strategic capacity in complex systems, with a focus on working with strategy and strategy that works in nonprofits, funders, and research organizations
People-centered approaches to creating and sustaining change in our organizations and systems
I’ve had the privilege of speaking to hundreds of people across North America, from doctors-in-training on their first day of medical school, to health care providers dreaming more liberatory possibilities into being, to equipping an entire staff team with ideas and tools for navigating change. I’ve been a featured speaker at places like Yale University, the Stanford School of Medicine, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Southern California, among many others.