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2024 Speakers in order of appearance ~ bio & contact info
is a driven entrepreneur, a proud member of the Peguis First Nation, and a devoted mom. She started her journey in 2011 with Dreamcatcher Embroidery, which quickly grew into Dreamcatcher Promotions, now Canada's largest Indigenous-owned promotional company. Michelle's path has been fueled by hard work, creativity, and a relentless drive. Today, she leads a team of 50+ employees and has expanded her ventures to include Dreamcatcher Executive Offices and Indigenous Nations Apparel Company, the first Indigenous-owned store in Polo Park. Michelle’s journey is a powerful example of perseverance, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit.
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Connect with Michelle: info@dreamcatcherpromotions.com
Michelle Cameron
is an actress, producer, director, and CEO of Redcloud Studios. As a result of her recognition in the Canadian film and television industry, Jennifer shifted her career to focus on producing in her attempt to address the lack of Indigenous representation in the industry. She co-founded Big Soul Productions, Canada’s first Indigenous-owned and operated production company, and later launched her current company, Redcloud Studios. In combination with her personal story and motivational words, Jennifer Podemski empowers her audience through a lens of advocacy and stories.
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Connect with Jennifer: https://www.nsb.com/speakers/jennifer-podemski/
Jennifer Podemski
is from Tall Cree First Nation in Treaty 8 Territory in Northern Alberta. Known as Notorious Cree across Instagram and TikTok, James has an engaging community of over 6M+ people globally. James uses his voice to educate and spread awareness on the issues impacting Indigenous communities across the globe. As a traditional hoop and powwow dancer, performance artist, youth workshop facilitator and public speaker, James advocates to inspire future generations by reclaiming his culture and encouraging others to do the same. Notable performances include the Winter Olympics, Juno awards, Pan Am Games, Coachella and was a previous contestant on SYTYCD Canada.
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Connect with James: notoriouscree@gmail.com
James Jones
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a proud member of the Lakota/Dakota/Hidatsa - MHA Nation & Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, has been spreading joy and laughter since 2011 through her comedy and motivational speaking. With a Bachelor of Arts from Sitting Bull College, Tonia is a second-language learner of Lakota, aspiring to fluency, and holds an eminent scholar credential to teach the language. Known for her vibrant performances across the U.S. and Canada, she uplifts Native youth and women with storytelling rooted in healing and cultural pride. A wife and mother of three, Tonia balances family life, powwow dancing, and her career while advocating for sobriety and healthy living. Her comedic character, Auntie Beachress, uses humor to teach life lessons with the tagline, “Don’t be like Auntie! Do the opposite!”
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Connect with Tonia: toniajohall@hotmail.com
Tonia Jo Hall
is known as one of Canada’s most accomplished entrepreneurs with over 25 awards in business to date! Kendal was recently named one of Canada’s “Top 40 Under 40”, the country’s most coveted award for young business leaders. Each year, Kendal speaks to thousands of people worldwide on resilience, leadership, and Indigenous values. In addition to being a sought-after speaker, Kendal has authored the bestselling book, Driven To Succeed: From Poverty to Podium. He is also the founder of Neechie Gear, a lifestyle clothing company that empowers youth through sports. Each year, they donate thousands of dollars to helping youth take part in sports. Kendal’s keynotes, workshops, and consulting programs have inspired thousands around the globe and his goal is to inspire YOU to become who you were born to be!
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Connect with Kendal: info@netmakerenterprises.com
Kendal Netmaker
A proud member of the Berens river First Nation. Reggie‘s hockey career includes winning the Stanley Cup in 1975. In 1976 He was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP. He led the league in goals and was a member of the team Canada champions. He continues to hold NHL team that still stand and he continues to be regarded as a star from one of hockey’s greatest eras. His goals, scoring ability and slapshot from the right wing earned him the name, ‘the rifle’.
Reggie accolades also include receiving the order of Canada, the order of Manitoba, a doctor of law from Brock University and numerous other sports awards.
Since hockey Reggie has dedicated himself to sharing his message of resilience, motivation, and perseverance, with young people throughout North America.
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Connect with Reggie: zreg27@yahoo.com
Reggie Leach
~2023 Speaker bios & contact info in order of appearance.
Vicky auf der Mauer (she/ her) is a proud Inuk Woman from the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, known as Baffin Island, now living in Dish with One Spoon Territory, otherwise known as Toronto. Vicky is on a mission to encourage Indigenous Folks to heal their relationship with money. She gives talks locally and across Turtle Island to Students, Entrepreneurs, Creatives, and Leadership Teams encouraging them to unlearn mainstream messages about money, tap into their power, and create a new world for future generations.
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Connect with Vicky on Instagram @richindigauntie
Blain Constant is a Sober, Indigenous Motivational Speaker & Business Owner that travels all across North America sharing his incredible journey and his amazing story of Recovery and Resilience.
Blain is also an accomplished self-taught musician of 22+ years. He has entertained crowds across Canada & the U.S of up to 35,000 people and has even performed for her Majesty the late Queen Elizabeth at the young age of 15 years old.
Having started out young on the path of addictions then living that way for over 10 years, this led to him becoming homeless on the streets of Winnipeg for over 4 years. He is now proudly living a life of sobriety for the last 9.5 years and is happy to share with others all that he has learned along the way.
Blain shares the very real, gripping truth of addictions and where that life can lead you but also shares what helped him to find sobriety and to remain on a path of recovery.
He hopes to motivate, inspire and empower everyone who attends or listens in to his presentations.
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Connect with Blain: blainconstant@live.com
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From small-town Oklahoma native to internationally acclaimed actor and musician, Wes Studi credits his passion and multi-faceted background for his powerful character portrayals that forever changed a Hollywood stereotype.
Drawing from his rich life experience, Wes moved audiences with unforgettable performances in “Dances with Wolves,” “The Last of the Mohicans,” “Geronimo: An American Legend,” and “Heat,” as well as James Cameron’s “Avatar,” Paul Weitz’s “Being Flynn” and Scott Coopers “Hostiles.” Breaking new ground, he brought fully-developed Native American characters to the screen, and then took his craft a step further highlighting the success of Native Americans in non-traditional roles.
In 2019, Wes received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Governors Award, an honorary Oscar statuette, given to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement. In 2018, Wes, a Vietnam Veteran, was invited to present at the 90th Academy Awards. To a viewership of 26.5 million households, he introduced a video montage of military movies as a tribute to our veterans.
Wes was inducted in to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Hall of Great Western Performers in 2013. Throughout his 30-year career he’s won numerous awards, including several First Americans in the Arts awards and the 2009 Santa Fe Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Wes is represented by: Flying Penguin PR
Wes Studi
Greg Personius aka BIG EDDY KOOKUM hails from Opaskwayak Manitoba. Greg is a singer, comedian, Emcee, music teacher, father and all around entertainer. Greg is a father to daughter Roselyn and is also battling kidney failure. Making people laugh is medicine for him and his daughter, music and making people laugh is what keeps him going!
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Connect with Greg: gregzky_99@hotmail.com
Christian Wassana is a scholar from the University of Oklahoma, with a degree in business management. He is the founder of the motivational movement 'I am, I can, I will,' and is passionate about speaking to youth and young adults about drug and alcohol prevention, culture, mental health, and suicide prevention. Christian also works in TV and film as an actor and director assistant, with one of his recent projects being Paramount Network's Yellowstone.
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Connect with Christian om instagram: @cwrelentless
If James Brown and Janis Joplin had a child, it would be Beatrice Love.
Love is a singer/ songwriter/ performer from Treaty 8 territory, belonging to the
Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation and Horse Lake First Nation.
Notable mentions of Beatrice Love’s musical journey highlights are being a
Semi Finalist on the 2022-2023 season of Canada’s Got Talent, 2019 Indspire
Awards finale performance, and the 2019 Indigenous Music Awards Host
and Performer. Beatrice has had the privilege to perform in various locations
across Turtle Island.
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Love credits her Wellness Counsellor Diploma from Rhodes Wellness College
as the anchor of her foundation in her life of recovery; she has been clean
and sober since May 12, 2017. In 2022 Love received a NIPAT Certificate
from the En'owkin Centre and Certificate of Indigenous Fine Arts from the
University of Victoria. Growth and development both personally and
professionally are continuous goals for B Love.
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Connect with Beatrice: PR-Chandelle Holomego, (780)-255-0225, info@beatricelove.com
Tantoo is an award-winning actress of Indigenous descent who will be seen
with Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s newest feature, Killers of the Flower Moon, which is premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023.
Recent TV series work includes playing Sue Lynn Blackbird in the ABC Television
Network series Stumptown. Or opposite Alfred Molina in the series 3 Pines on Amazon (produced by the same producers of The Crown). The fall of 2023 she will be seen in the new Marvel series, Echo.
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A Canadian native, she has appeared in over 120 film and television projects over the
course of her 50-year career. Multi Award winning performer, including the Earle Grey
Award (a lifetime achievement award by the Canadian Screen Awards), is a Member of the Order of Canada and is a CBC/Playback Hall of Fame inductee and a recipient of the 2020 Governor Generals Artistic Achievement Lifetime Achievement Award–
Broadcasting and Film (awarded in 2021). She has Honorary Doctorates from 5 Universities.
Her credits include numerous plays, television programs, and feature films, including the features: Legends of the Fall, Dances with Wolves, Black Robe, Falls Around Her, Wind River, The Grizzlies, Where The Rivers Flow North, Maina, Chasing Shakespeare and Eden. Television credits include: SEE, Westworld, Longmire, Mohawk Girls, Frontier, Blackstone, Lonesome Dove, Nobody’s Girls, Godless and Penny Dreadful among others.
Theatre work includes playing Gertrude in Hamlet, Regan in the production of King Lear and the role of Pelajia in a production of The Rez Sisters”. She was Awarded the Theatre Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work on “The Inheritance” at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.
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Tantoo is represented by: RED Management Inc.
Tantoo Cardinal
Jill Featherstone is the author of the Amazon #1 bestselling book, The Tale of Tiger Lily. She is a retired university professor, the founder of Featherstone Group, and the host of Driving While Indigenous the Podcast, which airs Mondays on all podcast platforms. Jill travels extensively across Canada providing Awaken the Spirit training and motivational speaking.
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Connect with Jill: hello@jillfeatherstone.com
Jessica Dumas is a professional speaker coach and the host of The Confidence and Communication Podcast. She has been recognized for her professional expertise as a recipient of the Manitoba 150 Women Trailblazer Award from the Nellie McClung Foundation for 2021, Ace Burpees Most Fascinating Manitobans for 2019, the 2017 Future Leaders of Manitoba and the CBC’s Top 40 Manitobans under 40 for 2015. She has a 2017 TEDx talk called The Journey to a Woman’s Identity.
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Connect with Jessica: jessica@jessicadumas.ca
Ted Williams Hailing from The Chippewas of Rama First Nation in Southern Ontario, Ted grew up like many of us, in a small space full of lots of brothers and sisters and no running water. He went on to become the Chief of Rama at the age of 29 and Councillor at 25. He was also a professional golfer, artist and the founder of Casino Rama. A venture that generated over $500 million in its first year and created thirty-five hundred jobs.
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Connect with Ted:
