What Health and Wellness professionals are saying about Canadian Healthcare Speaker, Nina Spencer…
“The customer is the only critic whose opinion matters at all.” — Mark Twain
A Sample of Audience Reactions
“Thank you [for your closing keynote to] our association members, Ministry of Health and Ontario Health decision makers, and all other conference attendees at our annual conference. Your passion in speaking to how we can better approach the opportunities and challenges facing primary care teams was insightful. AFHTO and our members feel energized and optimistic after hearing your talk, and we look forward to using your pearls of wisdom as we face new challenges ahead. Thank you again!” — Leslie Sorensen, CEO, AFHTO/Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario
“I thoroughly enjoyed your keynote last Wednesday [at our annual AFHTO Conference]! You have amazing energy which was so much appreciated at the end of the day! I am really looking forward to reading your books and will definitely keep you in mind if we are looking for a keynote speaker.” — Melodie O’Connell MSW., RSW, New Vision Family Health Team
“You were terrific yesterday! Your keynote was an energizing and appropriate way to end the conference. Thank you!” — Sherry Parsley, Executive Director, AFHTO/Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario
“Your keynote was a truly inspiring session today [at our annual AOPHBA Conference/Association of Ontario Public Health Business Administrators]. I thank you for your words of advice!” — Rob Cunnington, CPA CA, Chief Financial Officer, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health
“Nina, you were professional, engaging and such a pleasure to work with! Your keynote at our Alberta Society of Orthodontists annual conference was motivational and received very positive feedback from our members and attendees—on a five-point rating scaled, here is the feedback about your presentation: Topic 4.6; Presentation 4.8; Engagement 4.8; Quality of Material 4.8. We are truly grateful to have booked you as our keynote speaker and for helping us to close our annual conference on a high note, and with a sense of optimism.”
— Dr. Saleh Al Daghreer, President, Alberta Society of Orthodontists/ASO
“We sincerely appreciate all you shared with our audience at our 2019 AGM. Your keynote was truly inspirational and educational! And your messages and content are applicable not only to our particular focus within our nursing profession/our professional practice as team members within a ministry of pastoral care, but also to our everyday lives.” Lily Cugliari-Kobayashi, Annual Conference Committee Member, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario/RNAO (FCNIG)
“A consummate professional, Nina, you were a pleasure to work with before and during our annual conference. I wish all speakers were as well organized! You gave an impressive opening keynote, engaging our occupational health nurses/association members with laughter, interaction, and valuable information. Your life-affirming presentation gave attendees lots to think about during conference, and most importantly, to put into practice when they return to work and home. Thank you, Nina!” Karen Watson, RN, BHSc(N), COHN(C), CRSPOntario Occupational Health Nurses Association
“Our planning committee wanted to end our annual conference with an up-beat and inspirational keynote presentation… and I must say, Nina, you delivered! I am sure our paths will cross again.” Anne MacLaurin, Patient Safety Improvement Lead, Canadian Patient Safety Institute
“Nina is not only professional, engaging and a lot of fun, she’s a life saver. With literally 2 days until a major medical conference, I needed to find a new keynote speaker. I have booked Nina twice in the past and all of a sudden thought she would be amazing if she was available on such short notice. Well she was available and she did her job as well as I had remembered five years ago. With a room full of physicians and medical staff, she had them laughing, standing on their feet and even competing against each other. I had many wonderful comments in the days following. Great job Nina and I look forward to working with you again, just not another 5 years.” Lynne Davies, Executive Director, Couchiching Family Health Team
“Feedback on your keynote has been fabulous! From the written survey results, 98% of attendees were ‘very satisfied’ with your presentation and 2% ‘satisfied’. The comments were excellent as well, ranging from ‘Inspirational, motivational enthusiastic, powerful, awesome and very engaging!’ Personally, I thought you were great! You kept the audience engaged and provided excellent tips on how to be more positive in their daily lives. Thanks again for joining us. You were terrific and I would gladly recommend you to others!!! Lynda Farant, Performance Coordinator, Eastern Ontario Regional Labs Association (EORLA)
“Nina, thank-you once again for a delightful set of presentations today! We’ve had such a positive response from our staff over the past few days, as people have been reflecting on your pearls of wisdom. You have re-ignited a connection for many to the passion that led them to their respective fields within healthcare and your authentic and dynamic presentation skills are second to none. We’re so fortunate to have had the opportunity to hear you speak at our organization’s staff event.” Amanda Pike, B.A., M.Ed Organizational Development Manager, Central West Community Care Access Centre
I thoroughly enjoyed your keynote and heard lots of positive comments. You offered exactly the right tone and message for our group, as they came from some stressful experiences during H1N1 and are in the process of revitalizing for the year ahead. Thanks very much! Very much appreciated.” Cathy Jaynes, Director, Healthy Lifestyles Public Health Branch, Community and Health Services Department Region of York
“Thank-you for your (keynote) contribution to our Strategic Plan Launch. You did an excellent job of tying our strategic directions with your 8 key points. Staff feedback on your presentation was overwhelmingly positive.” Wayne Orr, Director of Administration, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health
“The workshop you presented was exceptional! The entire workshop was fun and sparked both energy and excitement among staff members. I personally found the session to be creative, humorous, inspiring and uplifting. You have done a fantastic job!” Sylvia Fung, Training Coordinator, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care
“Nina is outstanding! I have known, and have been booking, Nina since the late 90’s. The evaluations of her work, her enthusiasm and commitment speak volumes. I highly recommend Nina for your event.” Joanne Young Evans, Executive Director, Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario (RPNAO)
“Thank you for delivering such an upbeat, thought provoking and motivating keynote presentation at our Annual Divisional Staff Forum. Your ability to weave the morning speakers’ points into your presentation was also greatly appreciated. I personally found it to be inspiring.” Linda D. Hunter, Senior Divisional Manager, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care
“Your energy and information were a highlight of the opening day and left the audience charged with enthusiasm.” Todd Hutchings, Program Planner, Ontario Hospital Association (OHA)
“Thank-you very much for the time and effort you put into your presentation. It was very well received–much positive feedback. My colleagues and I are definitely putting the learning to use–there are many more “Tah-dah”s around the office than EVER before!” Marilyn Seib, Health Care Manager, Saskatoon Health Region
“You were wonderful!! I am so proud to have found you for our conference and even prouder to know you. You are a very lovely person. I have heard nothing but positive comments about your closing keynote address…which is great!” Lorna Coutoulas, Vice President, Central Services Association of Ontario/CSAO (Hospital Medical Sterilization Services: and Team Leader, Perioperative Services, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto)
“The feedback about your keynote was GREAT! Ninety-three percent of participants were extremely satisfied with your presentation–can’t beat those numbers! Comments included: helped me refocus; inspiring, motivating; amazing, best session of the week–learned a lot; pleasantly surprised–by far the best part of the off-site; superb–best I’ve heard.” Darlene West, Director of HR, Arthritis Society of Canada
“We could not have achieved success in such an ambitious event without your professional expertise and advice. We have had nothing but positive comments about your keynote program.” 2006 National Planning Committee, Canadian Diabetes Association
“Thank-you for your valuable contribution as a speaker at our Continuing Education Conference in Edmonton. It was a great pleasure for our Optometrists and their Optometric Assistants and Opticians to have you present an outstanding keynote…your presentation was a significant factor to the success of our conference.” Stacey Dominiuk, Events Coordinator, Alberta Association of Optometrists
“Thank you again for your fabulous keynote address yesterday. The organizing committee has been receiving thank-you’s all morning for inviting you! You quickly established a rapport with our group and kept us engaged through your address. The 90 minutes flew by! Your enthusiasm and good humor are contagious and the group left the session feeling upbeat and energized. I can’t remember the last speaker we had who generated so many rave reviews.” Cathy Furze, Contract Administrator, Hoffmann-La Roche Limited
“I’ve subscribed to your newsletter, Working Wisdom, because I recently attended a professional meeting in NYC, NY. Your name came up as of the of the best motivational and common sense professional speakers known in the New World. As a result, I took the opportunity to research your website for the wisdom of everyday life. Sure enough, it was beyond what I’d heard about your writings. Thank you for brining a common sense voice and approach to an otherwise philosophically senseless world!” Jeff Schneider, Sr. Business Analyst, US PHARMA/GlaxoSmithKline/gsk
“I have worked with Nina on a number of occasions while as an OD Consultant at the City of Mississauga. Nina delivered both keynote addresses and facilitated workshops for our Community Services and Corporate Services Departments, respectively. Nina is one of the most enthusiastic, energetic, and articulate speakers I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. Nina approaches her work with passion, which is evident in all that she does.” Amanda Garson, M.Ed, Organizational Development Consultant, Learning & Organization Effectiveness, London Health Sciences Centre
“I received rave reviews from our staff on your presentation, and your theme has left a positive impression on all of us. We would be pleased to have you speak to our group again and I will certainly recommend you highly to future committee members who are assigned the responsibility for planning this event.” Wayne Pushka, Manager, Special Investigations Unit, Legal Branch, Workers’ Compensation Board of Ontario
“Our agency experienced Nina’s wonderful keynote address recently. I encourage your association or organization to book her services for your annual convention or staff event. In turbulent times we need inspiring and practical knowledge that we can apply to our daily work and ‘get the passion’ back into our professional and personal-life. Nina truly put the passion and enthusiasm back into the professional and personal-life of our staff through her keynote address. As is evident by the feedback, Nina has a fresh and compelling message and learnings to share with audiences.” Raymond P. Applebaum, C.E.O.. Peel Senior Link
“Nina is an accomplished, dynamic woman who I would not hesitate to recommend to any one or organization. She goes that extra mile for her clients.” Andrea Swinton, Director Marketing & Fund Development, Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation
“Having Nina as keynote speaker for our Canadian Mental Health Association AGM was a great choice! She was engaging and energetic and even warmed the room right away, during the lunch hour just prior to her presentation, by walking around and visiting our guests/participants. She put people at ease and made them feel welcome and included, thereby setting a great overall tone for our AGM to follow (I believe it also encouraged participation during her very interactive and informative presentation). Nina had our guests leaving with many “aha!” moments and information that could surely apply when later needed. As the main organizer for our AGM, I can also assure that prior to the event, during planning stages, Nina was a charm to work with. She clearly demonstrates putting passion in your profession and life–you can just tell she lives it, given the energy she put out during the days leading up to and on the day of her address. Selling her book at the AGM was also great, as many purchased copies to learn more and implement the strategies in their work and life. Some even remarked they purchased, Getting Passion Out of Your Profession (Nina’s book), to give to someone they care about whose job is, “eating them alive/draining their energy”, so to speak. Nina’s keynote thoroughly engaged the audience and it was great to hear repeated laughter throughout the hour…so good for our mental health! So, thank-you, Nina, indeed!” Christina Papadopoulos – Health Promotion, Public Relations Specialist, Canadian Mental Health Association
“Several times a week I think about your keynote address at the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Annual General Meeting, and how it effected me so, emotionally. I do believe the universe takes care of us, and that particular day I needed to hear your message of remembering how wonderful it felt when I was first offered “the job”. I was excited and it felt so right! Ever since your keynote, whenever I have had doubtful thoughts or feelings, I close my eyes and see and hear you reminding me of the passion and pride I feel for my work. I’m grateful to have attended your presentation, Nina, and to have shared those moments with you. I look forward to our paths crossing again.” Patti Ashbridge, Coordinator Volunteers & Education, Durham Hospice
“Thanks, Nina, for a great interactive keynote presentation. I was put in charge of creating a fun-filled afternoon, and your presentation truly brought both good humor and reflection to our employees at such an appropriate time. Everyone enjoyed staying after the session to get an autographed copy of your book and I’ve heard many say they have read their books (already!), and are going to incorporate your ideas into their daily work. Thank-you for making me look good!” Lynne Davies, Executive Director, Markham Family Health Team
“WOW-WOW-WOW-WOW-WOW-WOW-WOW-WOW-!!!! You obviously love what you do because you do it so well. If there was anyone in the room (at the annual Eastern Ontario Hospices’ PD Day for Volunteers) who wasn’t impressed, driven or excited by what you shared in your keynote, they are probably still there and should be buried shortly. I spent all my working years as an insurance claims adjusters, dealing with all manner of vehicle accidents and their results and encountering the good the bad and the ugly. And I had a ball! I worked very few days that were as short as eight hours and very few weeks that were as short as five days and I wouldn’t trade that period of my life for anything. I always said that I would hate to have to get up in the morning and think, “Oh Lord I’ve got to go to work.” I told my sons that and both of them are very happy in their professions. Keep up your good work. Doubtless there are many, many people out there in the workforce that need an injection to brighten their lives and you have the prescription. Thank you for your entertaining and provocative session.” Roy Holloway, Hospice Volunteer, Kingston, Ontario/Retired Insurance Claims Adjuster
“Nina, thank-you for gracing us with your time and talent. Your keynote was fun and inspirational–the perfect way to end our day. You have pumped us up for weeks to come!” Natasha Girard, Executive Director, Hospice Kingston
“Nina your keynote presentation at our UNICORN (Unit Infection Control Resource Network) conference was phenomenal! Your delightful speaking style and expertise educated and inspired us to face our personal and professional journey with enthusiasm and optimism. You have motivated us to see our profession through the refreshing lens of passion! You are empowering! Thank you again for making our event such a success.” Jackie Nugent RN, GNC(C), Infection Prevention and Control Practitioner, Trillium Health Centre (Mississauga General, Queensway General and Credit Valley Hospitals)
“I loved your book! I read Getting Passion Out of Your Profession, the first weekend after receiving it and continue to pick it up to re-read sections. Yours is definitely a book I will keep close at hand.” Debbie Hollahan, Regional Director, Waterloo-Wellington Diabetes Regional Coordination Centre
“Nina, It was wonderful having you keynote at our annual conference . I do hope our paths will cross again. In the meantime, here is some of the great feedback we’ve had about you: ‘Nina was very inspiring and uplifting and made her messages very applicable to our group. It was a nice way to end the day!; Nina was fantastic….loved her energy!; Nina is without a doubt one of the most dynamic and intriguing motivational speakers I’ve had the pleasure of hearing. At 2pm in the afternoon, I expected to be dragging, but within 10 minutes of Nina taking the stage, I was wide awake and listening; Nina was great!! I would like to attend a full day session with her.” Teresa Brezina, Assistant to Director, Inpatient and Outpatient Surgery Services, London Health Sciences Centre/LHSC
“I am completely confident that Nina would do a fantastic job kicking off or closing your meeting. Nina has an innate ability to blend her sense of humor with business and behavioural science concepts that are certain to reach every member of your team. I have had the pleasure of inviting Nina to present keynotes and workshops to engineering staff in the past, as well as health care professionals, always with outstanding feedback. She is extremely comfortable in any setting, whether speaking to 20, 50 or 800 people. I have hired Nina while working at 3 different organizations since 2002 and continually receive excellent reviews on her presentations.” Amanda Pike, B.A., M.Ed., Organizational Development Manager, Central West Community Care Access Centre
“Very positive comments from attendees (about your closing keynote). You were just what we needed to close off a great conference. I will certainly be bringing your name forward again to CHICA Canada!” (now booked to keynote at the CHICA National Conference, May 2014/Community & Hospital Infection Control Association-Canada) Suzanne Rhodenizer-Rose RN, BScN CIC, Director, Healthcare Quality & Patient Safety, IPCNS, Nova Scotia/Chair CHICA-Nova Scotia Conference
“Nina, it was a pleasure working with you. I found your presentation to be lively and interactive, and kept the audience engaged throughout. Feedback about your keynote was overwhelmingly positive, reflected by the line-up afterwards to purchase your book, by individuals wanting to continue their journey to have passion in their lives.” Pam Starr, BSW Interim National Director of Sales and Training Revera (Retirement) Living
“Nina, we had an overwhelmingly positive response to your opening keynote. Our clients and employees alike loved your presentation! Many of our senior level guests indicated that we really punched it up a notch. You were a big part of that punching and our owners were VERY impressed, too!! It was a real pleasure meeting and working with you…great fun and great outcome. I only hope we can do it again!!” Paula M Hucko, Chief Operating Officer
GoldCare
“Nina, your Getting Passion Out of Your Profession keynote was fabulous! Well researched and delivered in a professional, fun and practical-sense way. Even after thirty years in management I walked away from your presentation with enhanced tools to better understand how to motivate and engage myself, my staff and others. As well, I very much appreciated your concrete tips, techniques and strategies for putting more passion into our workdays and personal lives. Thanks for inspiring us!” Joan Regimbal, Executive Director,
Lunenburg County Home Support Services (Nova Scotia)
“If I could describe Nina’s presentation in three words, it would be: Engaging, Energetic and Effective. Nina shines from the minute she takes the floor until she delivers her last word. A true talent, her natural ability to connect with an audience makes her an incredible speaker. Nina adds just the right amount of humor to her presentations and is a great fit For Long-Term Care audiences. She’s left us with many tools and techniques to put to use, and for that we are grateful. It’s been a pleasure working with Nina, and Bella Senior Care Residence is hopeful to book her again. Thanks Nina!” Regina Gelfand, Managing Director, Bella Senior Care Residence
“Nina, you nailed it! You delivered a great keynote session. Your content was perfect. I appreciate your efforts and look forward to working together again.” Marla Fryers, Executive Vice President, Clinical Operations, The Scarborough Hospital
“My heartfelt thanks to you for bringing your energy to TSH and enveloping all of us in it. Your keynote presentation was a very needed replenishing for our leadership team and I saw lots of smiles on faces, wider than they have been for a while.” Rhonda Seidman-Carlson, Vice President of Interprofessional Practice & Chief Nursing Executive, The Scarborough Hospital; President, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario
“Nina, it was certainly a pleasure meeting you and hearing your keynote. Delightful talk! Thank you, indeed.” Tom Chan MD, CCFP(EM) Chief of Staff, The Scarborough Hospital Asst. Professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, DFCM, University of Toronto
“Based on the feedback we received, staff loved your presentation. It was informative, humorous, and value-added (how you related key messages to THFHT). The morning just flew by—another indication of how captivating your presentation was! It was such a pleasure meeting you and working with you. I can easily recommend your services to any other FHT or organization! And I’m certain your second book will be a huge success. Thanks again for everything!” Monique Bourdages, HR Advisor TRENT HILLS FAMILY HEALTH TEAM
“We had a wrap up meeting with those on the 2014 Nursing Week planning committee recently. They were raving about you and there was very positive feedback about your keynote during nursing week. Did you notice that the room had standing-room only to hear you talk? And there were many who were sitting on the steps! Thank-you so much for agreeing to come. You made a difference to Nursing week 2014.” Judith Keen-Bingham, Registered Nurse, Geriatric Nurse Clinician, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
“Indeed, it was our pleasure to meet you and to proudly announce you as our closing speaker at our annual national conference. Our attendees left on an enthusiastic and high (no pun intended) note because of your Mt. Kilimanjaro address, A Time to Creep, A Time to Soar. I certainly do hope our paths cross again and if we have need of a good speaker, I would certainly keep you in mind. Thank-you again.” Gerry Hansen (Ms.), Executive Director Infection Prevention And Control Canada
“Nina, attached are the results of attendee evaluations of your (keynote) presentation at the 2014 IPAC Canada National Education Conference in Halifax. We congratulate you on your presentation and hope that these comments will be helpful for future presentations: What did you like about this presentation? ‘Everything, Great motivational speaker; Fun, inspiring; Positive; Moving forward; Fabulous presentation; She is a great speaker!!!; Absolutely amazing and inspirational!!!; Her enthusiasm. Great life sharing events relating to work life; Informal style?audience engagement; Amazing and motivating; All of it; Useful. Very entertaining, but meaningful; Excellent speaker!; Very motivating speaker; Reminder to persevere go for your goal; Very uplifting; Wonderful presentation. Loved the photos, stories and messages. Many thanks for a great time!; Great/Excellent comparisons made to link to our lives: professional and personal; Motivating, reaffirming, uplifting amazing speaker and session!; Outstanding; Resonates with me Enthusiastic! Motivating! Real; Awesome.’ On behalf of IPAC Canada, conference attendees and organizers, thank-you for sharing your time and expertise with us. We wish you every continued success.” Gerry Hansen, Executive Director, Infection Prevention and Control Canada (IPAC Canada)
“Listening to Nina as she speaks about passion in your profession can only cause one to become rejuvenated! And when she talks about her lessons learned from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro you are left feeling you also can apply the lessons to your own life. I personally gleaned many pearls of wisdom and at the end of the day was so overcome with emotion it was difficult to speak to thank Nina for all she offered to our group. The feedback from the hospice volunteers who attended Nina’s presentations indicate they found Nina’s keynote presentations “uplifting, beneficial, and inspiring!” I whole-heartedly endorse Nina and if you have an opportunity to book her to speak at your association or staff conference, seize the moment! We were blessed to have her speak to our group.” Gwendolyn D. Cleveland, RN, BScN, MEd, Executive Director, The Bridge Hospice
“Nina knows how to lead with passion as she shared with me and 70+ leaders her strategies and insights on professional leadership practices. She was inspiring, motivating and engaging as she captured us with her humor, positivity and intimacy she displayed throughout our half-day session.” Shamena Maharaj, MSc., CHRP, CTDP, Q.Med. Director, Organizational Development & Leadership Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
“Our planning committee wanted to end our annual conference with an up-beat and inspirational keynote presentation… and I must say, Nina, you delivered! I am sure our paths will cross again.” Anne MacLaurin, Patient Safety Improvement Lead, Canadian Patient Safety Institute
“It was SO great to have you headline our conference a two weeks ago, and even nicer to meet you in person! Here is some of the anecdotal/interim feedback already: ‘The book that Nina gave us at the conference, Getting Passion Out of Your Profession, has been a big hit in this office. It seems with these recent cutbacks, her messages are really hitting home for most of my physicians.’ And, one of our tradeshow vendors who stayed and listened to your talk shared, ‘she touched me’ and placed his hand over his heart. So nice!!! I thought you might like to know.” Nancy James, Manager Clergy Street Family Physicians Maple Family health Team/Ontario Medical Group Managers Association/OMGMA
“Thanks, Nina, for your excellent keynote [to our frontline managers, as well as middle and senior management, and hospital executives]. We received lots of positive feedback after your presentation–everyone seemed to feel uplifted! Hopefully, we will get more opportunities to call upon you to assist us as we continue to move forward on our integration journey. It was good having you keynote for us again!” Rhonda Lewis, Interim Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Scarborough and Rouge Hospital
“We received an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm and support for your [keynote] message and delivery at our [management/leadership] session.
Thank you!” Waheeda Rahman, MA, Director, Organizational Development and Diversity, Scarborough and Rouge Hospital
“Thank you very much for your wonderful, inspirational talk for the THP Volunteers! Many of them said it was the best education social we had ever put on!” Susan Larkin, President of the Credit Valley Hospital Volunteer Partners Board, and Trillium Health Partners’ Volunteer Partners Board
