Spring Tune Up 2022: Speaker Bios
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir not only danced their way to two gold medals at the 2018 Winter Games they danced their way into the hearts of people around the world. The most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history, the pair are celebrated for their iconic 20-year partnership, along with their unparalleled chemistry, both on and off the ice.
Virtue and Moir know what it takes to work together to achieve greatness. Now, they enlighten audiences with insights about what it takes to keep a partnership successful. They will be sharing the lessons of success and teamwork they learned on their journey to becoming among the best athletes—and artists—on earth in conversation with Ian Mendes.
Carolyn Stern
Carolyn Stern is a successful entrepreneur who specializes in helping professionals get unstuck. As a lifelong learner and academic, she is a university professor, corporate trainer, certified Emotional Intelligence Expert with Multi-Health Systems and a professional speaker.
Stern’s passion is teaching emotional intelligence, leadership and team building in the workplace. She drives individuals and corporations to learn how to connect authentically, communicate effectively and thrive collectively by interweaving emotional intelligence along the way.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
Once dubbed “the most interesting man in the NFL,” Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is perhaps best known as the Super Bowl winning offensive lineman who took a year off from professional football to work as a frontline healthcare worker in Quebec during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Having successfully balanced a professional football career with the demands of medical school, Duvernay-Tardif speaks with passion about finding balance in your life and career, as well as the value of serving your community. He will share his thoughts while in conversation with Lisa Burke-Wallace.
Nathaniel Behar
Nathaniel Behar is a wide receiver with the CFL’s Ottawa RedBlacks, an outspoken community activist and a budding entrepreneur – all before his 28th birthday. Applying the lessons he’s learned about teamwork and collaboration on the football field, Behar launched a sports marketing firm called FireWork to connect brands with athletes in an equitable way.
Behar also attracted attention for his 2020 article entitled “To Pimp A Movement,” a passionate reflection on community organizing and activism in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests across the world.
Arisa Cox
Arisa Cox is a Canadian television personality best known as the host and executive producer of Big Brother Canada. It has earned her two Best Host Canadian Screen Award nominations and the respect of fans across Canada for her love of game theory and as a champion of equity in reality television.
Cox draws on her experience in news media, entertainment journalism and reality television to reflect on team dynamics even in competitive environments and the challenges of finding common ground with people whose interests may not align with your own.
Erica Ehm
Canadian icon and entrepreneur Erica Ehm continues to inspire and reinvent after three decades in the public eye. A seasoned speaker, Erica’s insights on courageous leadership and successful reinvention resonate with anyone navigating a changing environment.
Drawing on years of experience as CEO and decades as an iconic television personality, Ehm provides tools to reframe challenges into opportunity to help individuals and organizations make the impossible possible.
Anthony McLean
With a background in theatre, Anthony McLean delivers lively presentations on diversity, anti-racism, and mental health. He has delivered hundreds of inspiring talks across Canada, the US, and Australia on top of starring both on television and on the live stage.
As a respected voice in his field, McLean has appeared on CBC News, Global Toronto’s Morning Show, and Breakfast Television. Delivering research-backed tools and actionable strategies, McLean always leaves his audiences inspired to bring their best every day.
Emcee and host: Lisa Burke-Wallace
A bilingual, creative, communications advisor and talented writer, Lisa Burke-Wallace has more than 20 years of experience in broadcasting, print, digital and social media, including as a sports reporter with the Canadian Press. Burke-Wallace will serve as emcee for Spring Tune Up 2022 and host a fireside chat with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.
Host: Ian Mendes
Ian Mendes is a senior writer, covering the Ottawa Senators and the NHL for The Athletic. He also spent seven years as an afternoon talk show host for TSN 1200 in Ottawa and as a contributing writer for TSN.ca. A graduate of Carleton University’s Journalism program, he has also served as a feature columnist for both The Ottawa Citizen and Today’s Parent magazine. Mendes will serve as host for a fireside chat with Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.
