Theme: The Case for Optimism

What an incredible time it is. We have put our lives on hold for the last year and a half. We have become withdrawn, suspicious and tired… with good reason. It is now time to emerge stronger, wiser, and dare we say… happier than before.
TEDx Kerrisdale Live will bring ‘The Case For Optimism’ to our community here in Vancouver, BC.
In this event, speakers and local leaders will host conversations that matter, and step forward to make the case that hope and happiness is possible.

Kerrisdale Community Center
5851 West Blvd
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6M 3W9
Canada

Christine L.

Healthcare consutant + Life coach

Christine is a business consultant with a master's degree in Healthcare Administration from UBC. She has a wealth of multidisciplinary work experiences, with specialties in healthcare data management, hospital redevelopment projects, clinical transformation, non-profit organizations, and various government/ministry contracts.

Jeanie Davis

Educator + Mentor

Jeanie was born in a small town in India with family roots in Sweden. She travelled to 6 countries by the age of 7, and as a new immigrant, settled in Canada together with her family. She developed compassion and a love for beauty found in the diversity of people, cultures, and countries in our world. Life with its twists and turns, love, and loss has given her a passion to live every day like a traveller.

Jeannine Bartz

Communications advisor + Behaviour change specialist

Jeannine is a marketing and communications advisor who helps facilitate societally positive behaviour change. Using data to improve communication with the public, she helps close the gap between people’s good intentions and their actions. With an optimistic outlook, Jeannine believes each person’s individual actions have the ability to contribute to positive large scale shifts in society.

Kiki Fan

Student

Kiki is an 8th-grade student at Lord Byng Secondary School in Vancouver. She loves to paddleboard and often lies down on it in the middle of the lake to gaze up at the sky. She imagines herself as a surfer when the waves come in. Kiki also enjoys reading, playing the piano and guitar, and taking care of her pet goldfish and turtle.

Kyra Wong

Unicorn + Diversity Champion

An intrapreneur, best-selling author, blogger and keynote speaker, Wong was named a Woman of Influence by CMP in 2015, 2016 and 2018. She was also nominated as a Woman of Distinction at the Canadian Mortgage Awards in 2019 and received the 2019 WIMI Ambassador Award. Wong felt compelled to do more to help others succeed and created the Magical Unicorn Project, which focuses on challenging the status quo within the financial industry by championing gender equality, diversity and inclusion. Her goal is to help support the advancement of women and minorities in leadership roles by shining a light on darkness to smash through the glass ceilings of inequality.

Linda Chiou

Designer + Serial Entrepreneur

Linda is a social media influencer and a noteworthy leader in the fashion and beauty e-commerce space. Following the success of her own entrepreneurial journey, she was inspired to help other women start their own businesses so they can be financially independent and live their lives to the fullest.

Lisa Chan

Entrepreneur + Conscious Cannabis Advocate

Lisa is the founder of TrufElle, a company on a mission to enlighten cannabis-curious women to be liberated in their sexuality. Her drive and curiosity led her to experiment with cannabis, herbs, and chocolates as aphrodisiacs. She holds an MBA in Entrepreneurial Management from Sauder School of Business at UBC and owns established businesses in the field of real estate development and property management. She is passionate about inspiring young girls and women to own their worth and live their best life.

Lisa Gu

Entrepreneur + Team Builder

Born in Shanghai, Lisa immigrated to Canada at the age of 10. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Simon Fraser University, and completed her second degree at INSEAD MBA program. Lisa has led her family business for over 7 years, where she is responsible for recruiting, training, supervising and strategizing. In her free time, you'll find her working out at the gym, listening to audiobooks, looking for the next real estate investment, or hunting for antique teacups.

Maggie Tseng

Early Childhood Specialist + Parent + Investor

Maggie Tseng is a first-generation Taiwanese-Canadian from Vancouver, Canada. She is a certified Teacher Assistant from The Association Montessori Internationale and a qualified Mindfulness Coach for Children from the innovative Mindful Schools. She is currently pursuing her Early Childhood Education at UCLA. As well, she invests in growing business ventures and ideas that support innovating the ECE industry for educators as well as parents. Maggie has made it her life’s mission to make an impact in bringing about a positive change in the system that we entrust to educate the next generation.

May May Sang

Student

May May is a 7th-grader at Ferris Elementary School in Richmond, BC. She enjoys public speaking and debating. In her free time, she loves to read and spend time creating and playing inside her own imaginary box.

Zak Kassam

Realtor + Life coach

Zak is a luxury specialty realtor in the greater Vancouver area. He obtained his Bachelor of Commerce from the UBC Sauder School of Business, and has worked for some of Canada’s most renowned institutions.