The health and wellness speaker-audience relationship on the surface may seem fairly straightforward but when you think about it, it is actually quite complex. From my perspective as a speaker on health and wellness in Ottawa, it as a three-way partnership around two boxes highly charged with facts, knowledge, concepts, definitions, life experiences and opinions.

The three partners obviously include the audience and the speaker but also the organizer of the conference. Who is he or she? What was her mandate? Did he have a personal agenda or personal story tied to the theme of the conference? That person is key to ensuring that the match between the audience and the speaker is a good fit. What are her priorities? Entertainment? Training? Re-inforcing organizational values or investigating non-traditional views? Provoking or stimulating discussion? Does she seek a TV celebrity or an acclaimed academic? Or a local, knowledgeable and passionate seeker with a non-linear path and way of thinking?

You probably have guessed by now that I am a fervent seeker into the nature of health and wellness. My path has been both linear and non-linear. Linear in the sense that everwhere I went professionally, health and wellness concers were always present either in the foreground or background: as a journalist on women’s issues and as a communications officers for organisations such as:

as well as a teacher of French as a second language and as owner of a small business dedicated to healthy inner and outer beauty.

And the non-linear weaved itself through another aspect of my life: a life-long passion to learn about “alternative” medicines (chiropractice, acupuncture, massage, herbology, ayurveda, aromatherapy, fasciatherapy, energy work, resonance therapy, etc.). This has kept me studying and travelling from Ontario and Quebec to the USA, India and a handful of South American countries. And in filigree or in the foreground at different stages of my life I encountered “family secrets”, depression, suicide, burn-out, unwanted pregnancies, cancer, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, skeletal problems, chronic conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, Parkinson’s disease. Personal, family and social issues intersecting every step of the way.

It was fascinating for me to see that, despite these challenges, certain individuals showed striking resilience and embodied wellness in amazing shapes and colours.

As a health and wellness speaker, it is my goal to give members of various audiences:

It is my assumption that if you are reading all this today, we do share similar perspectives and goals. I would be delighted to meet with you and discuss how you and I can best support the needs of your organization and audience. Read more for a list of potential topics.

To contact Isabela, health and wellness speaker in Ottawa, email her into@facetograce.com.

* By spiritual I mean non-religious, non-dogmatic connection with the divine