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As we move into six months of various degrees of pandemic lockdown, with hints that things could ramp up again with a second wave, we see versions of our society and ourselves--the best and the worst--that we only had glimpses of before.
 Samra Zafar, award-winning international speaker and author of the bestselling memoir A Good Wife: Escaping the Life I Never Chose, offers insight, hope, and solutions in a world we are just coming to know.
Read the full newsletter for speaking topics, in-person, or specially formatted for remote conferencing.
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Provisions for remote conferencing (ZOOM, WebEx, Google Meet, etc.):
--High definition camera and mic for an unparalleled virtual experience for groups of all sizes.
--Expertise with all virtual platforms including Cisco, Webex, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom, Go-To Meetings & Webinars.
--Customized, personalized combinations of keynotes, webinars, fireside chats, breakout sessions and Q&A.
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Family Violence and COVID-19
Domestic Violence is on the rise during COVID-19 for many reasons, including increased isolation and frustration, and a lack of financial stability. Workplaces can play a vital role in supporting their employees to deal with and leave abusive situations, and safeguard their mental and emotional well-being. Samra has curated customizable topics to address this need, offering a combination of keynotes and training that will include information and practical tools that workplaces can start implementing right away.
Sample Topics:
--Supporting employees who may be dealing with violence at home
--Family violence and mental health during COVID-19
--How workplaces can change the outcome on family violence and gender inequality
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Mental Health: The Shadow Pandemic
Mental Health is the shadow pandemic of COVID-19. Rising isolation, financial uncertainty and inadequate support systems are resulting in heightened anxiety, depression and trauma for employees and families. Samra has developed and delivered a series of keynotes and workshops with the focus of providing practical and implementable positive psychology-based tips, tools and strategies to build skills for resilience and mental well-being.
Sample Topics:
--Mental Health - the shadow pandemic of COVID-19
--Emotional & mental resilience skills during difficult times
--Building trust, connection and resilience through vulnerability and gratitude
--Resilient Teams: leading with courage through adversity
--Mindfulness, self-care & self-love--unlocking your personal resilience
--Fostering psychological safety & empathy
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Navigating Through Change
Many people have lost their loved ones, jobs and businesses through this pandemic. Many are having to pivot their careers into different directions. It is a time of uncertainty and ambiguity. In these keynotes and workshops, Samra helps people develop insights and skills to remain steadfast during times of uncertainty, stay true to their authentic self, and create a life and career with meaning and purpose.
Sample Topics:
--Find Your Why: leading purposeful lives and careers
--Expand Your Network: building authentic connections
--Creating opportunity in adversity
--The power of giving back
--Reinvent your career: manifesting your vision
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Educating & Parenting Through Difficult Times
How can we help our children cope with trauma? What skills can we instill in our youth to help them develop emotional and mental resilience? How can adults practice self-care and role model positive behaviours? Samra uses her experiences of parenting a teen through mental health struggles, training educators across the country, as well as practices, resources and tools based on positive psychology to help parents build gratitude, resilience and grit in their children and youth.
Sample Topics:
--Parenting through and after trauma
--Helping youth cope through uncertainty
--Finding opportunity in adversity
--Psychological safety & empathy
--Holding space for others
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Diversity, Inclusion and Equity
We are in a time of social awakening, where difficult but necessary conversations are shedding light on issues of systemic racism, discrimination and the everyday experiences of BIPOC and other people belonging to minority groups. There is an increasing need to listen, understand, believe and be strong allies to support equity and remove barriers to inclusion. As an immigrant child bride to this country and an advocate for human rights and equity for over 10 years, Samra has traveled across the country and globally to learn and work with BIPOC and minority groups--from Indigenous communities in rural Saskatchewan, Black communities in Toronto, South Asian communities in Alberta, to the executive towers of Bay Street. Samra uses her lived experiences combined with a deep understanding and education of these issues to educate, train and offer practical implementable solutions to advance equity in the most authentic way.
Sample Topics:
--Racism and allyship
--Understanding intersectionality & cultural competency
--Listening and understanding the immigrant experience
--Breaking systemic barriers to inclusion
--Opening the door for difficult yet necessary conversations
--Starting from the top: how leaders can advance equity
--Removing unconscious bias: within us and around us
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About Samra
Samra Zafar is an award-winning international speaker, bestselling author, consultant, educator, and entrepreneur who advocates for gender equity, inclusion, and human rights. She has been recognized among the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, and a Top 25 Canadian Immigrant. Her book, A Good Wife: Escaping The Life I Never Chose, is an international bestseller and named among CBC's Best Books of 2019, and is now being adapted to a premium TV series. She is one of the youngest Alumni Governors at the University of Toronto, a Celebrated Ambassador for Plan International, and a board member for Women's College Hospital Foundation.
After arriving in Canada as a child bride and escaping a decade of abuse, Samra pursued her education as a single mother working multiple jobs and graduated as a top student from the University of Toronto with several awards and scholarships. She began sharing her story to raise awareness about gender-based violence and has since become a globally recognized expert on equity and inclusion, violence against women, and mental health. Her speaking portfolio includes three TEDx Talks, and speeches to Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, UNICEF, Yale University, Amnesty International, Art of Leadership, and many leading nonprofits, corporations and universities around the world. Her work has been extensively featured in both Canadian and International media, including the Washington Post, Huffington Post, National Post, Globe and Mail, CBC, CTV, Global News, Yahoo, and more-impacting tens of millions of people worldwide.
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