Let The Speaking Begin

I have always loved to speak and I’m sure that my mom would tell you that she couldn’t shut me up as a child! But I guess I actually started to speak publicly when I was a police officer in Toronto, Canada.

I had to learn to speak to a myriad of different people, from all walks of life and learn to speak in their type of language. It could have been speaking to someone who was gripped by addiction, living on the streets, to people touched by crime for the first time in some horrible way, to business people, politicians or those of a much higher class than myself! At the beginning it was daunting, but it certainly taught me the power of the spoken word.

My learnings carried on when I started teaching other officers in the Fraud course about the Gypsy culture and talking to others about the prostitution problem in Toronto. When years later I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) my ability to speak to audiences came in handy when I agreed to become an Ambassador and speak to audiences educating them about MS.

Little did I know that living with MS would send me on another career path as an elite athlete, travelling the world, competing at World Championships and Paralympic Games. This has given me experiences that I never would have had if I hadn’t been diagnosed with MS and I wouldn’t change that fact. Would I love a cure…of course, but I love my life even with the challenges that I face.

I’ve used the knowledge that I gained through my life, from my family, as a police officer, a business person, an elite athlete, an author and as a person living with a chronic illness to inspire people to overcome adversity and change in their own lives.

I have found that learning to have a high performance mindset can change the way you think, act and lead. I’m looking forward to inspiring more people in 2023 to challenge themselves and become the person that they really are and want to be.

What will success look like to me?… If I can make a difference in one person’s life!