Theme: Stories That Empower Us

A diverse and representative group of speakers from the local Chilliwack community will speak about their expertise and their personal stories which have helped moved them forward or helped move others towards their goals and aspirations. This will be a single day of narrative focused on creating a catalyst of action and creativity geared to better the Chilliwack community.

Chilliwack Muesum And Archives
45820 Spadina Ave
Chilliwack, British Columbia, V20 1T3
Canada

Adrianne Roberts

Student

A straight forward woman who has experienced some unusual things. She shares her insight and thoughts regarding mental health from a unique perspective.

Angelo Rea

Life Coach

Angelo Rea is a dynamic public speaker who engages his audience with an easy and energetic style. He has been helping other's achieve their dreams and goals.

Aryn Savard

Business Owner and Revolutionary

Aryn Savard has always been a mover and a bit of a rebel. Her fascination with the human body lead her to earning her Bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology. The 15+ years following her graduation from university were peppered with leading many different fitness concepts. Aryn is the owner, director, and instructor at The Goddess Movement.

Dan Sawatzky

Sculptor

Dan is the creative force behind a world renowned company called Imagination Corporation. He has been successfully retired for several decades now and excels at taking people from the mundane world to places of wonder and delight. A consummate artist and mentor, Dan lives a life that is authentic, honest and creative. His work is displayed throughout the world in the most unusual and fun places; theme parks and back yards. He also owns his own train.

Darren Blakeborough

University Professor

A long time professor at the University of The Fraser Valley, Darren challenges his students to move beyond their mental boundaries. Specializing in media and communications, he is currently exploring benefits of cross generational interactions in our modernized western culture.

David Hobson

Life Coach

David Hobson is an award winning international speaker, trainer, author, Master of Ceremonies and Improv Comedy performer. He specializes in helping people develop their business communication skills and, he also teaches people how to have fun and laugh at life without resorting to a script.

David Parsons

Author

David is a web designer, blogger, author, and a seminar leader. His upcoming book is titled: The Gut Brain Balm.

Denise Cunningham

Hope Whisperer

In life and work, Denise Cunningham, BA, RPC, leads with her heart. She provides a compassionate healing space of safety, acceptance, and respect. She knows what it’s like to take the road less traveled, having journeyed through childhood abuse, a parent’s suicide, breast cancer, and divorce. She learned how to move from surviving to thriving.

Lynn Oucharek

Creative Coach

Lynn Oucharek has spent over 18 years helping everyone from students to large organizations harness their strengths and creative confidence in order to develop bigger ideas, collaborations and great work.

Mari Okazaki

Reiki Instructor

Originally from Japan and currently residing in Chilliwack with three children and her husband, Mari Okazaki is a full time Reiki practitioner/teacher. She is active volunteer for Chilliwack Hospice Society as part of a Relaxation program and as a co-facilitator for a suicide bereavement group.

Martin Michael

Student

Martin has always been interested in the untapped human drive and helping others to make better choices. He spends most of his time helping others overcome hurtles and challenges to produce positive changes in their lives. Martin is very passionate on improving the quality of other people’s lives that he spends his time working on a blog he launched to reach people all over the world. He is inspired daily by the transformation he has seen in people and encourages others to grow and become the best they can be.

Paula Martens

Survivor

A trained addictions and recovery counsellor, Paula Martens has spent years helping others recover from illness and rediscover their lives and connection with others.

Rhonda Cochrane

Yoga Instructor

Rhonda Cochrane is a yoga teacher, personal trainer, athletic coach and author who is driven by her curiosity of the powerful body, mind and spirit connection. Rhonda has published dozens of articles and is near the completion of her first book. Rhonda’s writing is raw, honest, funny and thought provoking, leaving the reader with questions to explore within themselves.

Scott McVetty

Realtor

Scott is Co-Founder and spokesman for CashMob Chilliwack. The idea of CashMob is to support locally owned and operated business, by inspiring groups of local citizens to participate in various community minded events.

Sean Morden

Student

He is a young man who has lived in the City of Chilliwack his whole life. He's seen a fair bit of it as a student, a volunteer, and a wanderer. He attends the University of the Fraser Valley in the Child, Youth, and Family Studies program, with plans to graduate in April 2016. He has volunteered with many of the non-profits around the City, and greatly enjoy working with people and hearing their stories. He'd like to think it has been these narratives that have fuelled his interest in this field.

Simon Reilly

Behavioural Analyst

Simon Reilly is an international values & behavioural analyst, business coach, speaker, and author with 30 years of experience in the personal development industry. He combines extensive research and study in the areas of values & behaviours analysis, inspiration & motivation, leadership, change management, vision & business planning.

Steve Anderson

Teacher

In 1987 he decided to put on hold his contracting business to pursue his passion of working with young people by becoming a high school teacher. He once heard the line “find something that you really love to do and you’ll never work another day in your life”; well he found it, pursued it, and hasn't “worked” for the past 24 years. Every day for all of those years he has sought to be able to nurture a real relationship with as many young people as possible, each day. This is what he's found.

Steven Esau

Trauma and Addictions Counsellor

Steven Esau is a counsellor specializing in trauma and addictions, as well as a manager with Pacific Community Resources where he responds to the three major difficulties of Homelessness, Addictions, and Mental Health. His current Doctoral research question if our therapeutic interventions are missing the mark by relying more on quick solutions like medication instead of exploring the healing power of relationship.

Tim McAlpine

Financial Consultant

Tim is a small business owner and financial educator. Patterning with dozens of Credit Unions throughout North America, Tim and his creative team, demonstrate that it is possible to educate those who feel they do not need education and entertain at the same time.

Venerable Yin Kit Sik

Buddhist Nun

Sister Jessie was ordained as a Buddhist nun in Hong Kong in 1992, and has been living in Chilliwack as the Head Nun of the Po Lam Buddhist Association since 1994. She teaches meditation, lectures in universities, and cares for the dying in hospice. One of Sister Jessie’s favourite places to teach meditation may surprise you; she has been teaching mindfulness meditation inside a federal prison for over nine years. These experiences are inspiring to share, and challenge how we think about prisons, the people inside them, and ourselves.

William Butler

Retired Public Servant

William Butler is a retired public servant at all levels of government and an active volunteer in the community.