Speakers 

Our stage is jam-packed with speakers discussing everything from, business growth to plant-based health, reinvigorating friendships, growing your own produce and more!

Friday March 1

5:30pm-6pm – Kimberley Thompson – Growing Fresh Produce Indoors Year Round

7pm – Fashion Show

Saturday March 2

11am-11:30am – Joan Ruddell – Functional Medicine Researcher

11:45am-12:15pm – Vesanto Melina – Healthy, Delicious, Easy Plant-Based Eating Through Life

12:30pm-1pm – Dana Friesen – Low Toxin Living

1:15pm-1:45pm – Valerie Mrakuzic – Unlock the Secrets to a Healthier, Happier and More Energetic You

2pm-2:30pm – Trish Mabe – A High Tea Party by Wind Sips

2:45pm-3:15pm – Carrie Light – Understanding the Importance of Estrogen

3:30pm-4pm – Salina Derish – Step 1 to Sustainability

4:15pm-5pm – Blumorpho Concept – Beginner Latin Dance Lesson (join Free!)

Sunday March 3

10:45am-11:15am – Urszula Lunner – Is Tofu Good for You?

11:45am-12:15pm – Guelda Redman – Women in Business: Mindset and Community

12:30pm-1pm – Kimberley Thompson – Growing Fresh Produce Indoors Year Round

1:15pm-1:45pm – Carrie Light – Understanding the Importance of Estrogen

2pm-2:30pm – Vesanto Melina – Healthy, Delicious, Easy Plant-Based Eating Through Life

2:45pm-3:15pm – Crystal Clark – Sparked Forever

3:30pm-4pm – Shimmy for the Soul – Bellydance Performance

Guelda Redman

Guelda Redman

Founder of BC Women’s Business Network

Women in Business: Mindset and Community

Beginning her career with a direct sales company, Guelda acquired extensive personal and business growth knowledge. She employed various strategies, such as personal development sessions, courses, workshops, and conventions, all designed to foster the confidence crucial for success. During this formative period, she recognized the inherent power of networking, a tool often undervalued and overlooked.

Guelda firmly believes that women need to unearth their true purpose and bloom into their most authentic selves. Her primary objective is to aid women in recognizing and attaining their full potential.

Guelda has now transitioned networking into a vocation in pursuit of this objective. She relentlessly strives to inspire and bolster women to realize their limitless potential, build successful businesses, and understand their inherent worth. Her networking group is founded on the principles of mutual education, shared ideas, and collaborative growth. Guelda’s approach sets the tone for her group, encouraging members to thrive individually and collectively.

Guelda Redman will be speaking on how men and women are different in the way we network and do business. When we acknowledge those differences, we can acknowledge and appreciate our own value without comparing ourselves with others. We learn how to recognize destructive negative self-talk and the value of belonging to a supportive and encouraging community of women in business. In a society where women have often been overlooked and undervalued, we stand together to lift each other up, not competing, but rather supporting each other as we grow together in our shared knowledge.

Crystal Clark

Crystal Clark

Behaviour Analyst & Social Health Specialist, M.A., BCBA

Best Friend Energy: How to Reinvigorate Friend Connections & Your Social Health

Crystal, founder of Sparked Forever and creator of the CAKE model for relationships, is your love and social connections person. She’s the host of Love Quirks, her podcast on relationships, love and neurospicy connections. With more than a decade of work in the social health field, she is passionate about destigmatizing relationship work and motivating people to fill up their social cup! Join her for an interactive talk on the importance of best friend energy for your health and how to reinvigorate friend connections.

Vesanto Melina

Vesanto Melina

MS, Registered Dietitian

Healthy, Delicious, Easy Plant Based Eating Through Life

Is your diet moving in a plant-based direction? Would you like to fine tune your way of eating (and still have it taste good)? Are plant-based diets suitable for every stage of the life cycle– pregnancy, childhood, adulthood and the senior years. Do vegans and vegetarians get enough protein? Which vitamins, minerals, essential fats, or other nutrients need special attention? Can top athletes compete successfully when their diets include no animal products? Can seniors avoid sarcopenia (muscle wasting) while eating only or mainly plant foods?

Vesanto Melina MS, Registered Dietitian, is an award winning speaker whose presentations have inspired audiences from Barcelona to Reykjavik, from Dresden to San Paulo and across North America. She has been on the faculty of the University of British Columbia and of Seattle’s Bastyr University. She is co-author of 13 bestselling books on plant-based nutrition and foods with almost a million copies in print in English and now in 9 other languages. She is author (with Brenda Davis) of the award-winning Becoming Vegan: Comprehensive Edition and Becoming Vegan: Express Edition, and of the Kick Diabetes Cookbook, Becoming Raw, and The Raw Food Revolution Diet. Vesanto is lead author of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics current position paper on vegetarian diets.

Kimberley Thompson

Kimberley Thompson

Certified L.E.A.N. Health Coach

 

GROWING FRESH PRODUCE INDOORS YEAR ROUND with Tower Garden.
Friday, March 1 – 5:30pm-6pm, Sunday, March 3 – 12:30pm-1pm

* No green thumb needed
* No dirt, aeroponic vertical gardening
* Making a difference in communities & homes while sharing carbon-free initiatives.

BE PART OF THE MOVEMENT & HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Trish Mabe

Trish Mabe

Tea Enthusiast, CEO of Wind Sips

,

A High Tea Party Hosted by Wind Sips
Saturday, March 2 – 2:pm-2:30pm

Join Trish as she highlights the traditions of tea culture from a London High Tea perspective, showcasing how to host the best tea party with 4 harmonised tea sommelier crafted teas.

This talk will also be broadcast on Instagram Live, so tune in if you can’t make it in person!

“I consider myself a Tea Enthusiast who over the years has experienced High and Afternoon Tea culture in locations including posh traditional London to remote Bali tea gardens, and more. From those experiences, I felt the tradition of tea rituals could be a fun and social activity in a modern tea party way. So, the concept to Cup of Tea Flights was born with a focus on premium organic teas and harmonised flavours. Teaming with the assistance of a Tea Sommelier certified by the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada with over 30 years experience of spice and tea flavour blending.”

Wind Sips helps you Host the Best Tea Party at home with family, friends, and colleagues. We are more than just a tea brand and choose to be a celebration of life’s beautiful moments. Rooted in the rich traditions of tea, we craft experiences that transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, while being loose-leaf Certified Organic in Canada and the US (gluten-free, sugar free, vegan, no artificial colours). Our tea flights are not just beverages, but journeys that touch the heart and tantalise the taste buds.

Tea Health Benefits:
Rich in Antioxidants
Hydrates the Body
Cardiovascular Health
Boosts the Immune System
Great for Acid Reflux

     Valerie Mrakuzic

    Valerie Mrakuzic

    Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Owner at Eating to Live Well

    Unlock the Secrets to a Healthier, Happier and More Energetic You! Empower Yourself with Health Awareness and Your Body’s Unique Needs.

    The best path to good health is nutrition and Eating to Live Well is all about helping people achieve their best health. Registered Holistic Nutritionist Valerie Mrakuzic works with clients to address the root cause of health challenges caused by diet and nutritional imbalances.

    Valerie provides Nutrition and Wellness plans using foods, nutrients and lifestyle management to get results. Through a 12-week program, Valerie will provide support and guidance to get you back on track to optimum health.

    Some Symptoms of Nutritional Imbalance Include:
    • Mental confusion and brain fog
    • Menstrual problems
    • Headache
    • Auto-Immune conditions
    • Inflammation
    • Nausea
    • Metabolic health conditions such as Hypertension, Diabetes and Obesity

    A graduate of the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, Valerie knows that nutritional deficiencies, pathogens, environmental and chemical sensitivities are often behind ill-health symptoms and experiences. Valerie utilizes biofeedback technology to assess nutritional imbalances and provides recommendations to regain health.

     Urszula Lunner

    Urszula Lunner

    RPhT, Vegan Recipe Developer

    Is Tofu Good for You?

    Fears and concerns about consumption of soy foods like tofu have been raised in the past, but research continually says otherwise. Urszula Lunner will talk about about the benefits of tofu and soy products as a great plant-based source of protein, and its anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

    “I know that tofu is a hard sell for many, but I am here to tell you that if you’re willing to try it, you’ll fall in love with it! I am going to show you how you can transform this boring white block of something to a variety of nutritious, and delicious foods, that will guaranteed become part of your weekly meal rotation.”

    Ursuzula has been in love with Vegan cooking and recipes development for 13 years and counting and is obsessed with how food affects our health, our relationship to the environment, other living beings and mostly our connection with one another.

     Salina Derish

    Salina Derish

    Founder, PickEco

    Living Sustainably

    If you’ve ever peered into your trash bin, curious about the journey of your waste and pondering ways to minimize it, Salina Derish, founder of PickEco, is here to talk trash with you.  She’ll introduce a sustainable and attainable approach to waste reduction that will leave you equipped and motivated, without any sense of guilt.

    Eco anxiety need not apply here!

    While there’s no immediate obligation to begin, Salina’s revelations will likely inspire you to embark on your own sustainable journey!  It’s cliche but true, every journey begins with that first step.

    Salina Derish is an environmentalist and sustainable living advocate known for her practical yet impactful initiatives in promoting attainable and sustainable low waste living.  Her commitment to reducing waste and fostering eco-friendly practices extends beyond her business ventures.  As the Founder of the Fraser Valley’s only zero waste grocery store, Salina has had the opportunity to talk to thousands of people about their sustainable journeys, she has heard your struggles, and she wants to help you address them, one step at a time.  When she’s not at PickEco Refills, helping her customers reduce their household garbage, you’ll likely find her in a lake, river or any other outdoor body of water, cleaning up trash that has made its way into our local waters.

     Joan Ruddell

    Joan Ruddell

    Functional Medicine Researcher

    The New Age of Collagen – Actively Aging Backwards

    In this talk, Joan will examine the varied roles of several important collagen types and their essential function in health. She offers clear guidance on what to look for when selecting a collagen product for a healthier aging experience. Joan helps you navigate through the array of health concerns such as leaky gut, joint discomfort, high blood pressure, and the overall well-being of various organs, empowering you with research-based knowledge to make informed decisions about your health and your collagen choices.

    Joan is a respected functional medicine researcher, health advisor, speaker, author, and health sciences publisher.  She is passionate about sharing her comprehensive knowledge in medical research and has helped many clients to make the best choices for their health as they age. Having experienced traumatic brain injury, joint replacements, and severe neck and spine injuries, Joan leverages her experiences to focus on aiding others in understanding aging and the significant role collagen plays in maintaining health. Now a successful business owner and adult health educator in her senior years, Joan shares the critical aspects of different collagen types and the effects that decreased collagen production has on your health after age 30.  She will provide you with insights into the multifaceted aspects of aging, from psychological impacts to the tangible effects on physical health.

    Specific Collagen Peptides Support:

    • Skin, Hair, and Nails
    • Tissue Regeneration and Repair
    • Bone Regeneration and Flexibility
    • Muscle Mass/Strength
    • Improved Gut Health
    • Wound Healing
    • Joint Flexibility
    • Immune Response/Antioxidants
    • Liver Protection/Kidney Function
    • Insulin Sensitivity
    • Healthy Blood Pressure

    If you’re looking for sound advice on healthy aging, Joan and her business partner, Loretta McAvoy Singh, RN., look forward to meeting you!

    Carrie Light

    Carrie Light

    BCRPA Personal Trainer, Clean Health Nutrition Certified

    Understanding the Importance of Estrogen

    Carrie Light, BCRPA Personal Trainer, Clean Health Nutrition Certified, has been in the health and fitness industry for over 40 years!

    She’ll be discussing the effects of estrogen on metabolic health, bone health, muscle health, and brain health! As well, she’ll cover what happens in the female body during peri menopause through to post menopause as we lose this important hormone, and the importance in prioritizing protein as a woman, especially as we age.

    Dana Friesen

    Dana Friesen

    The Transformative Power of Low Toxin Living
    Saturday, March 2 – 4:15-4:45pm

    By eliminating harmful toxins from your everyday products, you can unlock a multitude of benefits that will greatly enhance your life. Experience improved sleep, balanced hormones, and radiant skin while enjoying enhanced moods and reducing your risk of disease – all by implementing a few simple changes at home.

    Join Dana, an empowered mother of five, as she shares her personal journey towards healthier living over the past decade and gain practical tips that you can immediately incorporate into your own life. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to witness how small changes can yield profound improvements in your overall well-being!

    Shimmy for the Soul

    Shimmy for the Soul

    Bellydance Performance

     

    Known for their big shows, exciting props, and diverse creative expression beyond the more limiting historical traditions of middle eastern dance, Shimmy for the Soul brings people together in the spirit of fun, celebrating the joy of life through a unique interpretation of middle eastern dance.