#tedxyorku

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Tim’s career spans 25 years in the hi-tech, commercial real estate and communications industries both nationally and internationally. He has over 83,000 hours in leadership roles. Tim is currently the President of Straight A’s Inc., an International provider of Leadership development, Coaching and Sales Training. He is a sought after speaker and has been published in numerous magazines and papers. Known as “The Networking Guru” by The Globe and Mail and Breakfast Television and “The Career Guru” by the Toronto Star and Huffington Post, he educates, entertains and shares his wisdom with thousands every year.

Tim lives in Toronto with his wife and has two children. He uses his name as an acronym for his purpose in life which is to Touch, Inspire and Move people to act on their passions and goals. His first bestselling book, “Tapping the Iceberg” focuses on getting Straight A’s (Attitude, Aptitude, & Action) in life through unleashing your possibilities. His new book “G3”focuses on being the best You, Leadership and Netgiving. Tim is on many boards and spends countless hours giving to the Corporate world and his community.

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Markus Giesler is York University’s youngest tenured marketing professor. He has been recognized as one of Fortune’s young business-school star professors on the rise, Wired’s best recognized experts studying high-technology consumption, and the world's top 40 business professors under 40 (Poets & Quants). His research, which is focused on market and innovation system design, investigates what makes things and ideas valuable over time.

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Talisha migrated to Canada with her mother at the age of 2 and since lived in or around the Jane Finch community. As a racialized female from a highly stigmatized community she learned that stereotypes and stigma can be detrimental to one’s perception of themselves, and can cause various barriers in education and success. Since then she has used her passion based on personal experience and post secondary education to empower other youth from her community by deconstructing the stigma and developing skills in critical thinking and community-based research. Last year she was awarded the Sir Lincoln Alexander Community Award as the 100th North York Citation and Urban Hero Award. She has also been featured in Canadian Living’s Top 40 Change Makers. Committed to positive youth development she has been involved in various community programs including NOISE for Social Change, ACT for Youth, Cultivating Herstory and FYI’s creating equitable spaces. In addition, Talisha has started her master’s thesis which she will also be focusing on the stigmatization of the Jane Finch community and youth resistance.

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Cree/Métis / Micmac-Wolf Clan,  member of the Metis nation of Ontario Blu's family is from Big River Saskatchewan, Star Blanket Reserve And Bra’dor Lake, Cape Breton Nova Scotia. 

Currently working at York University and Seneca college as an elder on campus Providing Traditional teachings and One on One Counseling. Blu grew up with her grandmother and learned about traditional medicines performing extractions, healings, and care of the sick and teachings. She was adopted by a white family. At 10 and grew up and lived in Parkdale. Blu spent many years in High Park, hunting geese, rabbits, ducks, muskrat, harvesting medicine plants and maintaining her connection to Mother Earth.  

She has traveled to Nova Scotia to learn from Herbal medicine people and the Queen Charlotte Island in British Columbia where her brother is a Shaman. And medicine man. She studied landscaping and Horticulture for four years and has studied herbal medicine. Blu was also the national caucus Representative for the Toronto urban aboriginal strategy for 5 years working with the community of Toronto and the Government. 

She also is a graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology receiving her business software, micro computer architecture, and A+ certification. 

Blu’s gifts include, House cleansing,Giving traditional spirit names,Hand drumming,Song writer, Creative writings.Full moon conductor  Traditional teachings. She has been a traditional counselor for most of life. She is a mother of 3 and a grandmother, of 3 and a Sun dancer and a pipe carrier.

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Dr. Pillai Riddell is an associate professor of psychology at York University, a clinician-researcher at the Hospital for Sick Children and adjunct professor at the University of Toronto. She has been directing the Opportunities to Understand Childhood Hurt Laboratory (OUCH Lab) since 2004.  Dr. Pillai Riddell was a Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator (2007-2014) and is currently one of York University's inaugural York Research Chairs (2015-2019).

She has also received early career awards from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, Canadian Pain Society, the Canadian Psychological Association and American Psychological Association. She is passionate about understanding caregivers and young children in painful medical contexts and spreading awareness about the importance of infant mental health.

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Paula Todd is an award-winning investigative journalist, digital media professor, lawyer and the author of three best-selling non-fiction books. She's a well-known social media analyst and broadcaster who's written, hosted and reported for Canada's largest media outlets, including the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, CBC, TVO and CTV.

Paula’s latest book​, Extreme Mean: Trolls, Bullies and Predators Online (M&S/ Random House), is an in-depth look at the  surprisingly varied reasons kids, youth and adults use the Internet to humiliate, harass, bully and sexually extort friends, colleagues and strangers -- and how we can help end the abuse. It was shortlisted for the 2014 Hilary Weston Writer's Trust Prize for Non-Fiction.​

Todd was the first Canadian journalist to break news in an e-book when she tracked down notorious serial killer, Karla Homolka, in Guadeloupe. She details her in-person interview with the killer in Finding Karla (Kindle Single/CWG).

A Quiet Courage: Inspiring Stories from All of Us (Dundurn Press), takes an international look at  how harrowing experiences create personal power. Paula teaches broadcast and digital journalism at Seneca@York in Toronto, and chairs the Digital Issues Committee of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, where she sits on the Board.

​Paula holds an LL.B. (JD) from Osgoode Hall Law School, and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English Literature from York University. She is called to the Bar of Ontario and is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada. She got her start in journalism as the Editor of York University’s Excalibur, where she proudly led the successful campaign for independent funding of the student press.

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Spoken Symphonies is a musical-spoken word duo consisting of Yoshi Aoyama and Nathan de Rushe. Yoshi is a singer-songwriter that incorporates sounds from the entire spectrum of music to share unique sounds with his voice and guitar. Nathan is spoken word poet who utilizes his commanding voice to bless stages with his wisdom.

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Juan Garrido a 4th year Sociology & Drama Studies student at the Glendon Campus of York University. He is an active student leader in residence life, peer mentorship, student government and leadership development. He is passionate about inclusivity, safe spaces and accessibility and works towards these goals in every organization he is a part. An active advocate for the LGBTQ and Multiple Sclerosis communities, Juan dedicates a large part of his time helping strengthen his communities and those around him. In his free time, Juan enjoys cooking, catching up on his favourite Netflix shows and exploring Toronto.