The LifeSpeak team has a wealth of experience working with many of Canada’s leading corporations as well as a record of excellence and dedication. We are committed to working with our clients to understand the needs of their businesses and to ensure that our program meets those needs.

The Founders

Aimée Israel, LL.B - Chief Executive Officer
	Aimée graduated from the Faculty of Law from the University of Western Ontario in 1997 and returned to Toronto to practice corporate law at one of Canada’s largest law firms. In 2000, Aimée had her first child and while on maternity leave co-founded a successful prenatal education and support network. After her maternity leave, Aimée joined Canada’s largest confectionary company as corporate counsel on a part-time basis in order to maintain a balance between work and family life. In 2003, while on maternity leave again after the birth of her second child, Aimée felt that it was time to build upon her prenatal business experience and invest in identified growth opportunities leading to the creation of the Parents At Work™ program. From there grew LifeSpeak. In parenting her 3 children and leading a busy life with her husband in Toronto, Aimee applies the knowledge she has learned from experts at hundreds of LifeSpeak workshops. aimeeisrael@lifespeak.ca

Michael Held, LL.B., MBA – President
	After graduating with the gold medal from the combined LL.B. / MBA program at the University of Toronto in 1997, Michael practiced as a corporate lawyer at one of Canada’s largest law firms in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and securities law. In 2001, Michael moved to one of North America’s leading strategy consulting firms where he earned a position on the Toronto management team. As a consultant, Michael provided advice to Canadian and global organizations with respect to developing business unit and corporate strategies, evaluating acquisition / merger opportunities, and enhancing strategic planning and organizational processes. Michael’s experience has included a significant focus on healthcare and he has worked on client engagements in a variety of other industries including consumer products, government (economic development), financial institutions, food services and natural resources. michaelheld@lifespeak.ca

Claudine St-Jean, Senior Director, Western Region
	After graduating from McGill University with a degree in Finance and International Business, Claudine began her career in the financial department of a leading insurance company. In 1990, her love of nature brought her to Calgary where she became an Assistant-Controller for a large courier company. In 1995, she decided to make a career change and became a Business Consultant for an internationally renowned consulting firm. After her second daughter was born, Claudine continued consulting on an independent basis. In 2005, Claudine joined the LifeSpeak team as Program Director, Calgary and enjoyed this role for 3 years before being promoted to her current position. Over the years, Claudine has been involved at many levels with non-for-profit organizations. She is a humanitarian at heart. She has worked as a human rights observer in the jungles of Guatemala and participated in a four-month assignment in South Africa with her family, where she and her husband job shared an executive directorship role for the Society of Children of AIDS. Claudine lives in Calgary with her husband and two daughters. claudinestjean@lifespeak.ca

The Team

Lisa Adams, Toronto Director, Programming and Business Development
lisaadams@lifespeak.ca
Lisa graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto in 1991 and practised as a corporate lawyer at one of Canada's largest law firms.
In 1997, Lisa joined FedEx as corporate counsel where she advised the company on legal matters ranging from mergers and acquisitions to new product development. Although she enjoyed all aspects of her 15 year legal career, she most valued working as part of a team and fostering solid client relationships. After the birth of her second child in 2006, Lisa stayed at home for two years to care for her two young sons. Ready to return to work and focus on her passion for people matters, Lisa then joined LifeSpeak. Lisa lives in Toronto with her family.

Laurel Conley, Calgary Director, Programming and Speaker Management
laurelconley@lifespeak.ca
Laurel graduated in 1986 from NAIT. She worked for several years with Dow Chemical before moving to Calgary in 1994 when she began working in the Calgary Oil and Gas Marketing Sector. In 2001, she began her career in the Personal Development arena and gained valuable experience through the six years she spent organizing and managing seminars and workshops. Laurel has an enthusiasm and passion for bringing support and balance to families functioning in the busy world of work, life and family. Laurel currently lives in Redwood Meadows, Alberta with her two sons.

Dr. Shamira Hudda, Toronto Director, Programming and Speaker Management
shamirahudda@lifespeak.ca
After graduating from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College with her Doctor of Chiropractic, Shamira entered the Corporate Wellness environment by providing on-site care at a Crown Corporation to over 4000 employees.  Shamira has delivered lectures on various health and wellness topics to organizations within the Greater Toronto area and opened a boutique-style centre for women’s health, Art of Wellness, where she provides integrated healthcare.  Shamira lives in South Etobicoke with her family.

Stacey Silverstone-Carr, Toronto Director, Programming and Business Development
stacey@lifespeak.ca
Stacey received her Bachelor of Social Work degree from McGill University and her Master of Social Work degree from McMaster University. Stacey has since worked for many years as a social worker in hospital and community health settings. She also worked in the private sector for two of Canada's largest Employee Assistance Programs. Stacey started out as a counsellor and then headed up two clinical departments as both supervisor and then manager. Stacey was also responsible for training and professional development: providing training, arranging for professional speakers, and working to improve the quality of training provided throughout the organization. Stacey brings with her a knowledge of the social work field, the EAP field, and experience providing support to employers and employees in their efforts to achieve work life balance. Stacey now lives in Toronto with her husband and son.

Angela Lehrer
alehrer@lifespeak.ca
Angela graduated from McGill University in 1999 with a business degree in Marketing and International Business. She worked in product marketing for 9 years, most recently for Canada’s largest distributor of consumer electronics. Angela created and implemented sales and marketing strategies for Canada’s top retailers. After having her second child, Angela decided to make a career change and joined LifeSpeak in the summer of 2008. Angela has a passion for community service and spends a lot of her free time volunteering and raising money for various not-for-profit organizations. Angela lives in Montreal with her husband and two boys.

Anna Mittag – Montreal Director, Programming and Business Development
annamittag@lifespeak.ca
After graduating from the Faculty of Law at McGill University in 1996, Anna started practicing in the litigation department of a large Montreal law firm. In 2000, Anna joined Cirque du Soleil as legal counsel. After the birth of her first child in 2001, Anna decided to stay home to care for her young son full-time. Her second son was born in 2003, and Anna returned to work part-time in 2005 as the Montreal Program Director for LifeSpeak. Anna lives in Montreal with her family.

Tanya Narang – Montreal Director, Speaker Management and Business Development
tanyanarang@lifespeak.ca
Tanya obtained a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Anthropology from the University of Western Ontario in 1995 and a Masters in Business Administration from McGill University in 1999. As Business Partner Account Manager for a leading solution provider, Tanya managed a network of resellers, promoting financial software.  More recently, she headed the Quebec operations for a multi-faceted consulting firm, as the Director of the Montreal New Media Group. Tanya’s mandate included new business development, account management and project management.  Tanya lives with her husband and daughter in Montreal.

Carolynn Olsen – Calgary Director, Business Development
carolynnolsen@lifespeak.ca
After graduating from Texas A&M University with a degree in Industrial Engineering, Carolynn began her career as a process engineer with a leading telecommunications company. After a few years, Carolynn assumed the role of OEM Account Manager and began pursing an MBA from Southern Methodist University.  After completion of her Masters degree, Carolynn moved into the role of Senior Product Marketing Manager. Carolynn and her family moved to Canada in 1998 and she continued her career as a Strategic Marketing Manager. For the past several years Carolynn has been a full-time mom to her two small children and a part-time independent market consultant. Carolynn and her family live in Airdrie.

Dena Pollack – Toronto Director, Programming and Business Development
denapollack@lifespeak.ca
Dena received her MBA from University of Ottawa in 1997.  Dena brings with her years of experience having successfully originated, structured, negotiated and executed numerous partnerships with top tier organizations. After working with the Business Development Bank of Canada as an Account Manager in Montreal, Dena moved to Toronto in 1999 where she joined Yahoo! Canada as Business Development Manager. In 2004, she then joined ACCPAC as Senior Business Development Manager for their Simply Accounting small business group. Dena currently lives in Toronto with her husband and daughter.

Heather Poliwoda – Toronto Director, Business Development
heatherpoliwoda@lifespeak.ca
Heather Poliwoda graduated from the University of Windsor with a B.A. in Sociology. Heather brings to LifeSpeak Inc. her experiences of eight years in the insurance industry. Heather joined the team while on maternity leave with her second child. Heather and her family live in Toronto.

Liane Shipp-Dey, Toronto Director, Programming and Business Development
lianeshippdey@lifespeak.ca
After completing her Bachelor of Science in Human Biology at the University of Toronto, Liane spent several years working for two leading multinational pharmaceutical companies where she was responsible for managing a variety of international research projects. In 2002, Liane had the opportunity to join the founding management team of the Ontario Cancer Research Network, a not-for-profit organization established to accelerate the development of innovative cancer therapies in Ontario. As Director of Strategic Development, Liane oversaw all business development activities and worked closely with several large health care institutions, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to address key barriers to cancer research and strengthen public – private partnerships across the province. After the birth of her second child, Liane decided to pursue a Masters of Education at the University of Toronto, focussing on organizational learning and development. Liane lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.  

Louisette Tremblay - Calgary Director, Programming and Business Development
louisettetremblay@lifespeak.ca
Louisette studied at the University of British Columbia in Biopsychology for three years after completing a two-year program in Business Administration at the University of Quebec in Montreal. Driven by optimism, passion and high energy, Louisette's career achievements are marked with sales leadership awards and a network of colleagues and customers who are now valued friends. Over a 15-year Sales Executive career Louisette worked for nine years with Corus Entertainment's DMX Music and, in more recent years, as a Sales Executive for Recall and Bell West.  Louisette is the proud mother of five wonderful children and a big supporter of work-life balance. After having lived in many different cities across Canada, she now calls Calgary her home.

Julia Uyeda, Vancouver Director, Programming & Business Development
juliauyeda@lifespeak.ca
After graduating with a Bachelors of Arts in International Relations at the University of British Columbia, Julia began her career in the airline industry eventually transferring to New York. Julia brings to LifeSpeak a background in business development, HR, sales & marketing and client relationship management. Through her work experience with organizations in the recruitment, tourism, corporate, and not for profit sectors Julia has fostered strong client relationships and implemented strategic sales and marketing programs both locally and internationally. Julia is avidly involved in her community and currently serves as a volunteer for The English Language Institute at University of BC, The Minerva Foundation for BC Women, and is a member of the Sponsorship Board of Global Habitat Festival. Julia lives in Vancouver with her husband and daughter.

Janna Werry, Vancouver Director, Programming and Speaker Management
jannawerry@lifespeak.ca
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia in 1992, Janna pursued her dream of skirting corporate life by starting a walking tour company to operate during the summer in Vancouver and to escape the rainy winters by teaching SCUBA diving in the tropics. After one dive season in Australia, Janna missed her family and grew tired of getting into a clammy wetsuit. She returned to Vancouver where she promptly parlayed her service and business knowledge in to a job at a bank.  She then joined the tourism industry and worked promoting Vancouver to local and international media, acting as media spokesperson for many high-level city events and being part of the initial team that sought the Vancouver/ Whistler 2010 Winter Olympics. Janna has worked as a public relations consultant since 2000 and is the proud mom of three young children.