Creative Courage
Creative Courage
Fearlessly face the future with the #1 skill you need this decade.
You needed it yesterday, but I can help you find it today.
Creativity is like poop. We are all full of it.
Creativity.
Our Elemental Human Gift
Let me be your guide...
Everyday Creativity has proven to influence:
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Resilience
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Innovation
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Confidence in Uncertainty
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Job Satisfaction and Performance
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Agility and Adaptability
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Complex Problem Solving
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Critical Thinking
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Empathy
2020 brought a Tsunami of change that caught most of us with our pants down, and without toilet paper!
Creativity seems like an unlikely solution to our anxiety about our future. However, creativity is the foundation for adapting to the future with joy and strength. I’ll prove it.
What to Expect
I challenge people to reconnect with their inherent creativity, even if they can’t sing “Happy Birthday”. Drawing from my experience in stand-up comedy, I love to entertain while watching paradigms shift. Kids can have fun learning and so can you. I might even sing a song or play my guitar (don’t get excited, I'm not every good).
I’m a veterinarian with ADHD, trained in medicine, steeped in science and data, with an inner performer who loves to create and play. My science background compels me to use research and data to support my claims. My ADHD compels me to keep it interesting and relevant. No back-rubs, or fingerpaints - not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Keynote Speaking
Since I'm a creativity speaker, I'm extremely flexible.
I want to ignite a spark so big it launches your team into next year. Got kindling?
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DANCE into an extraordinary future with everyday creativity
Best Audience
Sales Conferences, Training Kickoffs, Association, Skeptics and “non-creatives”
All the Feels
Audiences leave feeling inspired, and optimistic about their ability to engage creativity for better results at work and at home.Audiences have 5 easy and quickly implementable strategies to live creatively.
Learning Objectives
Learn the scientific evidence that proves that you are creative
Understand the two types of creativity and how to use them for maximum effect
Discover 5 easy ways to practice creativity daily (D.A.N.C.E)
Gain clarity on the pitfalls of making decisions in uncertainty - and how creativity helps
Learn how to craft optimal conditions to generate insights.
Connect the dots between creativity, comfort zone, resilience and failure.
It was such an inspiration, interactive presentation. Our staff loved it and have mentioned they feel rejuvenated and are looking forward to finding more ways to stay creative through these times.
— Karen Velthuys, Executive Director, Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba
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Courageously Creative - Fail into your regret-proof future
Best Audience
HR Events, Associations, Training Events, Leadership conferences, Personal Development training
All the Feels
Audiences leave feeling empowered to recognize the warning signs of facing ambiguity. With this recognition, they can highlight and mitigate the reactions that favor the status quo over innovation and progress.. Audiences have a greater understanding of the reasons for divisiveness in society, and feel optimistic about their ability to influence change - at home and at work.
Learning Objectives
Understand the proven benefits of Tolerance of Ambiguity at every organizational level.
Recognize the relationship between Tolerance of Ambiguity, Creativity, and Resilience.
Discover your physiological response to ambiguity and uncertainty.
Learn how the current climate of ambiguity influences creative problem solving, and how you can break free, to prosper this decade.
Curate techniques to build your ability to face ambiguity with confidence for competitive advantage.
Build an agile workforce who can embrace “just in time” skills development.
Thank you for your inspiring workshop on uncertainty. It provoked good thoughts and lasting contemplation. And it was fun!
— Caitlyn Burda - Montana
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Creative Immersion - Hands on Workshop(half, full or two day experiences)
Best Audience
Sales Teams, Marketing Team, Executive Team, Fundraising Organizations, Associations, Small Business Owners
All the Feels
This is no fingerpainting session. Attendees will understand why creativity is the #1 skill this decade. A delicious surprise activity, customized to your group, will stretch comfort zones and expose resistance to failure and uncertainty. Attendees will feel thrilled with the challenge, experience a paradigm shift about creativity, and feel confident to implement their new creativity tools for more joy at home and at work.
Learning Objectives
Recognize every human’s capacity for Every Day Creativity.
Identify unconscious creative sabotage in ambiguous conditions.
Identify 5 techniques to increase creative potential (D.A.N.C.E).
Describe the relationship between Tolerance of Ambiguity, Creativity and Resilience.
Define Comfort Zone and benefits to facing failure and uncertainty
Find the edge of your creative comfort zone with a surprise group activity (group and individual needs will be accommodated)
Caroline spoke at a retreat for our Women Presidents’ Organization. She was highly accommodating and willing to create a custom program for our unique needs. It was very interactive and activity oriented, with lots of group work and opportunities to embed the learning in the moment. Caroline is an aspiring comic so I appreciated her sense of humour and ability to keep the day light and fun! She definitely pushed us outside our comfort zone, in a good way. She is very intuitive and sensed the high trust in the group so she challenged us to expand our creative horizons, and it was a successful outcome. Personally I also appreciated learning a bit more about my own creative potential in a professional and comfortable setting. I highly recommend Caroline for any corporate keynote or workshop if you want to boost creativity and innovation in your culture.
— Dawn O’Connor, Women Presidents Organization
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Unlock team potential with Creative Leadership(half, full or two day experiences)
Best Audience
Creative Problem Solving, Manager Training, Sales Conference, Executive Retreat
All the Feels
Leaders are struggling with the rapid pace of change in the workplace, with good reason. Humans hate ambiguity, and have developed complex, often unconscious reactions to avoid uncertainty. In this workshop, leaders will experience and name their own thoughts and feelings in response to uncertainty. Once identified, we will practice strategies to interrupt old habits, and apply a validated Creative Problem Solving framework to find new and feasible solutions to any problem. The depth of material covered will depend on your needs, and the workshop length and format.
We have a big brain for a reason. Let’s use it to pause, get curious, and adapt. Let’s banish the status quo, but only if you want competitive advantage, innovation, and empowered teams who want to come to work because they are making a difference. Quite literally, if we can learn to respond to uncertainty with creativity, we will most definitely change the world.
For what it's worth, I'm not prone to hyperbole.
Learning Objectives
Learn how we react to ambiguity and uncertainty.
Identify your own reactions (thoughts, feelings, sensations) in response to uncertainty.
Gain clarity on the pitfalls of making decisions in uncertainty - and how creativity helps.
Discover the curiosity advantage and how to apply it to ambiguity.
Outline the Creative Problem Solving Framework.
Describe Divergent and Convergent Thinking and when each is indicated.
Practice exercises for creating new solutions for old problems.
Videos
Curiosity - Where it all begins
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Disrupt HR Talk
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D.A.N.C.E. Into the Future with Creativity - PTSA 2020 Virtual Conference
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Superior Decisions in Ambiguity with Creative Thinking
About Me
Trained as a veterinarian and researcher, I love evidence. I delight in using data to convince staunch skeptics that everyone is creative. I love a new challenge; stand-up comedy, guitar, rock climbing, getting my kids to eat vegetables, surfing, meditation retreats with sniper rifles. You know, the usual stuff. A late diagnosis of ADHD explains my deep distaste for irrelevant and pointless drivel. I’m a lot of fun at a party, an ideation meeting or a strategy session, but not so much at pointless meetings that go nowhere.
I live in Calgary, where my lectures go unheeded by my family. The dog listens, sometimes. My dream is to help others find the courage to take the unconventional actions that will take them one step closer to a regret-proof life.
Would you love to see your team smile again? Or maybe even the first time?
Contact me to find out how. All you need to do is click below.
If I can tell jokes on stage in front of strangers, you can click the button.
Seize More SmilesTestimonial Pond
(where I go fishing for compliments)
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“Our newcomer job seekers who attended your session not only had fun but learned practical and creative ways to approach their job search challenges particularly in these days of uncertainty and crisis. Your session was interactive, and your inputs were practical and relevant.”
— Marivic Prospero, Director, Career and Employment Services
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“Caroline is amazing at helping people to unlock that creativity with practical tips and tools that anyone can use. I had the pleasure to host a few of her sessions she presented with our organization, and had also been an attendee to her talks. I have seen and experienced how Caroline uses her knowledge and positivity to connect with people from all walks of life.”
— Michael Manzano, BA, MBA, Bow Valley College, Alberta
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“This session gave some wonderful insights into better understanding yourself. I would highly recommend this session to anyone.”
— Gordon Kamitomo, Sr Business Analyst and Photographer
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“Caroline's workshop was fantastic! I had many key takeaways that I was able to utilize with my team and those tools have made us quicker at coming to a solution for a problem, easier to be more creative in our process and overall have a lot more fun working together. I'm so grateful I took the time to attend!”
— Lisa Genovese, Président, BottomLine
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“Caroline was highly accommodating and willing to create a custom program for our unique needs. It was very interactive and activity oriented, with lots of group work and opportunities to embed the learning in the moment. I highly recommend Caroline for any corporate keynote or workshop if you want to boost creativity and innovation in your culture.”
— Dawn O'Connor, Women's President Organization Chapter Chair
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“It was such an inspiration, interactive presentation. Our staff loved it and have mentioned they feel rejuvenated and are looking forward to finding more ways to stay creative through these times.”
— Karen Velthuys, Executive Director, Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba
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“Caroline was a pleasure to work with! She was respectful of deadlines and very attentive and responsive to the needs of our organization. Caroline delivered an engaging presentation with both humour and professionalism.”
— Susan Iannuzzi, PTSA 2020 Virtual Conference Planning Committee
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“Caroline is a confident, engaging, and charismatic presenter. Her enthusiasm for talking about creativity is contagious.”
— Hasmik Asmaryan, Project Manager, CCIS