2026 SheLeads Workshops & Facilitors

Led by: Debbi Sluys

𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 is a hands-on, creative experience designed to get you laughing, creating, and connecting. Through a blend of play, creativity, and neuroscience, you’ll discover your personal Power Word™ and create a mini vision board to take home as a daily reminder of your focus and inspiration.

With more than 30 years of experience in personal growth and professional development, Debbi is the founder of Dare to Declare™ and is passionate about helping people turn their vision into reality through clarity, confidence, and aligned action.

Come ready to play, reflect, and declare what matters to you.

Led by: Courtney Seliga

Our nervous system influences how we respond to stress, emotions, relationships, and even how we lead. In this interactive workshop, you’ll explore these connections through practical nervous system mapping and body-based tools grounded in Polyvagal Theory.

You’ll leave with greater self-awareness, practical strategies for regulation, and a deeper understanding of how to build confidence and resilience in everyday life.

Court is a Registered Psychotherapist at CK Mental Health and Trauma Therapy Centre. Her trauma-informed approach integrates somatic therapy, neuroscience, Polyvagal Theory, EMDR, Brainspotting, parts work, CBT, and DBT. She is passionate about making practical, body-based tools for regulation and self-awareness accessible, empowering, and easy to understand.

Led by: Karen Green

From journals to memoirs, personal writing can be creative, revealing, and meaningful. We all have a story to tell—and this interactive workshop will help you take the first steps toward telling yours.

Explore simple ways to find inspiration, turn memories into stories, and get your words flowing. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or have never put your personal stories on paper, you’ll leave with new ideas and the confidence to begin.

Karen Green is a writer and editor based in Chatham. Her creative work has appeared in international publications, anthologies, newspapers, and magazines. She is the author of Yellow Birds and two books for young readers, and holds a degree in Creative Writing from York University and a Publishing certificate from George Brown College.

Come curious, bring your stories, and start putting them into words.

Led by: Carrie Ellis

Ready to make something festive? In this hands-on workshop, you’ll create a colourful melty bead ornament to take home. No pressure to be perfect—just a chance to get creative, have some fun, and leave with a little sense of accomplishment (and hopefully the urge to keep making things).

Carrie Ellis brings a healthy dose of whimsy and skepticism to everything she does. A Certified Analytics and Insights Professional with a background in corporate life, Carrie is also a devoted crafter, romance reader, sticker enthusiast, and lifelong dreamer who is still waiting for her cowgirl era to arrive.

Come make something, embrace your creativity, and have a little fun along the way.

Led by: Mandeep Kaur Sidhu

How well do you really listen?

This highly interactive workshop will explore the everyday listening habits that can quietly get in the way of empathy and connection. You’ll discover your own listening blind spots, practice deep listening, and have a few “Wow, I do that!” moments along the way—all while learning how to create connection before correction.

Mandeep Kaur Sidhu is a facilitator specializing in leadership development, strategic planning, and experiential learning. With a decade of experience working with diverse, global teams, Mandeep creates engaging learning experiences that bring perspectives together, spark meaningful conversations, and turn ideas into action.

Come ready to listen, learn, and connect a little differently.

Led by: Pam Hall

Feeling like your creative garden is full of weeds and cracked dirt? Join Pam for a playful workshop designed to clear out those creative roadblocks and get your ideas growing again.

Through fun, accessible activities, you’ll learn simple ways to cultivate creativity and discover how creative pursuits can support your nervous system and overall wellbeing. Whether you’ve always wanted to paint, write, knit, craft, photograph, or make something with your hands—or you’ve always told yourself, “I’m not creative”—this workshop will give you practical tools to get started.

Pam Hall, owner of The Crafty Chipmunk, has 35 years of experience in human development and social program delivery. Through her workshops and courses, she makes creativity feel approachable, useful, and possible for everyone.

Come ready to get your creativity growing—no green thumb required.

Led by: Lori Marshall

Ready to take the next step into leadership? This interactive workshop will help you recognize your leadership potential, communicate your strengths, and confidently position yourself for your first leadership opportunity.

You’ll explore practical ways to strengthen your résumé, approach interviews with confidence, and clearly communicate the skills and experience that make you ready to lead. Whether you’re actively pursuing a leadership role or starting to see yourself as one, you’ll leave with greater clarity and confidence about your next step.

Lori Marshall is a Certified Executive Coach, leadership consultant, and former President & CEO of Chatham-Kent Health Alliance. With more than 30 years of senior leadership experience, Lori brings a calm, thoughtful, and practical approach to helping people build leadership capacity, navigate change, and step into new opportunities with confidence and impact.

Led by: Emily Caron

Leadership isn’t about building a following—it’s about building a village.

In this interactive workshop, explore how to identify unmet needs, build authentic relationships, create meaningful partnerships, and lead with courage and compassion. You’ll discover how bringing people together around a shared purpose can turn ideas into communities that create lasting impact.

Emily Caron is an entrepreneur, humanitarian, maternal health advocate, and founder of The Maternal Village. She is also the founder of Rise House International, a Canadian charity supporting women and children in Haiti.

With experience in maternal health, humanitarian work, firefighting, and entrepreneurship, Emily brings a unique perspective on leadership, resilience, teamwork, and service. Her work is grounded in one belief: meaningful change happens when we build together.

Come ready to connect, collaborate, and build your village.

Led by: Sue Wammes

What if moving well wasn’t about pushing harder, but about learning to trust your body again?

In this workshop, you’ll explore how mindful movement and nervous-system awareness can help you work with aches, old injuries, and fear while building strength, stability, and confidence. The focus isn’t on perfect performance—it’s on developing the capacity to move well in everyday life and for years to come.

Sue, founder of Longevity Movement-CK, brings nearly 25 years of experience as a personal trainer, running coach, and yoga teacher. Her approach goes beyond traditional fitness, helping women reconnect with their bodies through movement, rest, and nervous-system awareness.

Whether you’re looking to rebuild movement foundations, improve mobility, or simply feel more confident in your body, this workshop offers a different way to think about movement—one rooted in trust, adaptability, and long-term wellbeing.

Come curious. Move, breathe, and discover a more supportive way to move through life.

Led by: Brittany VanRuymbeke

Your personal brand is already working—the question is whether it’s working for you.

This hands-on workshop will help you define your personal brand from the inside out and give you practical tools to use it across your content, bio, social media, and everywhere you show up online.

Brittany VanRuymbeke is a Chatham-Kent brand and family photographer with 14 years of experience. She specializes in helping women-owned businesses show up with intention and confidence, creating brand photography experiences that are strategic, genuine, and empowering.

Come ready to get clear on your brand and show up with more confidence.

Led by: Shauna Tremblay

Whether you’re preparing for retirement or already enjoying this next chapter, having a clear understanding of your finances can make all the difference. This workshop is designed to give you the education and practical insight you need to navigate your retirement journey with greater confidence and peace of mind.

Shauna is a dedicated financial advisor with nine years of industry experience and an education-first philosophy. She believes you should understand your financial strategy—not simply follow it. By breaking down complex financial concepts into clear, approachable information, Shauna helps individuals feel more informed, empowered, and confident in the decisions they’re making about their future.

Join us for a thoughtful and practical conversation about preparing for what’s next, understanding your options, and creating a financial path that supports the life you want to enjoy in your next chapter.

Led by: Karen Tavolieri

Grief can make even the toughest days feel heavier. This gentle, creative workshop offers a space to pause, reflect, and honour someone—or a beloved pet—you have loved and lost.

All you need is an open heart and a photo of the person or pet you’re remembering. Through a meaningful creative process, you’ll create a one-of-a-kind memory piece to take home, along with practical tools to support you through the days ahead.

Led by Karen Tavolieri, a Certified Life Coach and Certified Grief Coach, this workshop draws on both professional training and Karen’s own lived experience with caregiving and profound loss. Through compassionate coaching and creative healing practices, Karen helps people feel seen, supported, and gently guided as they navigate grief, reconnect with hope, and honour the love and memories that remain.

Come as you are, create with intention, and leave with something meaningful to hold onto.

Led by: Sarah Jenner

Every leader wants a workplace where great people feel valued, supported, and motivated to do their best work. In this practical workshop, explore how workplace culture and employee experience shape engagement, performance, and team dynamics.

You’ll leave with practical tools to help create a healthier, more supportive workplace and navigate challenging situations with greater confidence and care.

Sarah Jenner brings 13+ years of experience in workplace mental health and helps organizations strengthen culture and employee experience through practical programs and workshops. She is also a contributor to Workplace Strategies for Mental Health, guest faculty at Osgoode Hall Law School and York University, and co-author of Less Stress, Better Business.

Led by: Wanda Bell

Tea can be more than a drink—it can be a simple ritual that invites us to slow down, reconnect, and make space for a little calm. In this workshop, you’ll explore how tea can nourish the body and how mindful tea rituals can support wellbeing.

Learn a little about the history and traditions of Afternoon Tea, then settle in for a guided tea tasting paired with delicious scones, cream, and jam—a classic “Cream Tea” experience.

Wanda brings more than 25 years of teaching experience, including work with Brock University, St. Clair College, local school boards, and overseas. In 2022, she opened Mrs. Bell’s Tea Room with a simple goal: to encourage people to slow down and connect over the tradition of Afternoon Tea.

Come sip, savour, and enjoy a little time to pause.

Led by: Kat & Karissa Strain

Build bravery, discover your inner strength, and try something new with an introduction to the basics of beginner boxing.

The Sisters Strain are passionate about inspiring women to take up space, love themselves fiercely, and embrace learning new skills at any age. For them, boxing became a powerful catalyst for building confidence, self-esteem, and a stronger sense of self—and now they’re excited to share those benefits with other women.

This welcoming, beginner-friendly workshop is an opportunity to step outside your comfort zone, learn some new skills, and experience firsthand how movement can build confidence and courage.

Come ready to learn, move, and discover just how strong you can feel.

Led by: Ericka Gonzalez-Smith

What if the most important leadership conversation you’ll ever have is the one happening inside your own mind?

This interactive workshop invites you to recognize your inner “gremlin”—the critical voice that can quietly influence how you show up—and learn practical tools to challenge it. Through reflection, coaching, and experiential learning, you’ll gain greater self-awareness and new ways to move forward with confidence.

Ericka Gonzalez-Smith brings 20 years of experience in leadership development, executive coaching, facilitation, and organizational consulting. Her strengths-based approach helps people recognize their potential, navigate challenges, and turn insight into action.

Come curious. Leave seeing yourself—and what’s possible—in a new way.