Top Ten Event

Director X, an award-winning film and video music producer and director was shot by a stray bullet at a party and knew he had to do something to help lesson violence in Toronto and the rest of the world. He found the answer in meditation and today is on a quest to calm the world and realign the part of the brain where violence resides.

Rina Rovinelli, co-founder of Speaker Slam in Toronto, one day realized that she was experiencing the birthday blues. One of those occasions where you realize that some of those you invited to your birthday didn’t show up. It was then that she realized we live in a culture of constantly focussing on what we don’t have as opposed to what we do and decided to reframe her perspective.

After experiencing the tragic loss of her partner of twelve years to a suicide that she believes could have been prevented, Sook Yin Lee started a journey to learning how Canadians can better educate themselves and advocate for others within a health system too many people do not understand.

As a comedian and author, Susan Stewart truly believes that it is our job as human beings to always look for the joke. Whether it’s the death of a loved one, the loss of a job or some other calamity, we owe it to ourselves to find the silver lining of humour in everything life throws at us.

Jesse Hirsh, a world-renowned futurist is here to tell us that we are all looking in the wrong direction as we search for the root of the perils of our world. It’s not global warming, artificial intelligence or political corruption, but rather the insane disparity between the ultra-rich and everyone else.

Most think that democracy exists in most western countries, but David Meslin disagrees. The fact that millions of people around the world get to vote for the leader of their choice appears to be a democratic process, but David Meslin is quick to point out that it is just an illusion deceiving us of our basic rights as humans.

After a mountain biking accident left Rob Buren paralyzed from the waist down, this husband and father of two young girls decided to overcome his newfound reality by setting goals that most able-bodied people could never dream of.

Being born with a debilitating stutter, Joze Piranian did everything he could to avoid situations where he was required to talk. While this strategy allowed him to successfully circumvent embarrassing moments, it was leading him toward a life of sadness and despair. To break free from this mental prison he chose to do the one thing that scared him the most and it was then that he began his career as a comedian.

From teaching others how to present and act on stage to coaching the hardest criminals in America, Tracey Erin Smith has embarked on a lifelong journey to help people share their story with the world. Our stories are what unite us and unless they are told we will always miss the opportunity to grow, learn and evolve as a species.

After being a successful writer and actor for many years, Huse Madhavji understands the art of being and creating fictional characters. However, in his real-life, he is amazed at how often people peg him as being something he’s not, which has lead him to explore the ways in which we are all wrong about most things, most of the time and what we need to do in order to break free from this debilitating mindset.