Accolades about Nina Spencer’s Motivational Keynotes: Master List

What people are saying about Canadian Public Sector Speaker, Nina Spencer…

“The customer is the only critic whose opinion matters at all.” — Mark Twain

A Sample of Audience Reactions

“Nina, we loved your keynote! It was inspiring! One hundred percent of our attendees found your messages and platform style motivating. I would highly recommend you as a keynote speaker for any association’s annual conference and look forward to booking your services once again.” Neta Gear, Executive Director, Distress and Crisis Ontario

“We received lots of positive feedback related to your keynote, and I, personally, really enjoyed your presentation and learned a lot! A few of us stayed behind after the retreat was over, and there was a lot of discussion around your messages, specifically about the way we verbally communicate and choose our words. Your messages sparked a great deal of discussion, and more than a few laughs, as we caught ourselves! You were a delight to work with, Nina. I hope there will be occasions in the future when we can book your services again.” Joanne Nickel. Sr. Executive Assistant, Office of the Vice-President, External Relations & Advancement, University of Ontario Institute of Technology

“Your presentation was perfectly pitched to our group. Many were apprehensive about our treetop trekking activity following immediately after your talk, and the thoughts and experiences you presented, and the way in which you presented them resulted in a shift in mindset for nearly everyone in the room! I especially liked the “soar/creep” analogy and in fact used that in my closing remarks later in the day! Everyone left your keynote believing in themselves and that they “can,”—and they took that attitude right out onto the course! And the good news is that everyone “did.” In one case, someone wasn’t going to finish one of the courses. I heard one of our members say, “Are you going to be that person who made it as far as one hour away from her goal and then quit?” She didn’t quit! You inserted just enough references back to our group that it made your Kilimanjaro climb talk very personal and relatable to us. And it even spoke to those of us who already believed we were capable—in fact, a colleagues and I found the confidence to try the “black” course, which is the hardest, and finished it easily! So for those reasons, and many more, your presentation was a resounding success. The entire group got so much more out of our morning trekking exercise than we would have without having heard from you first. And I believe that they are going to carry those ‘morals of the story’ forward in their day-to-day lives.” Wanda Szajnocha | Executive Assistant to Warren Spitz, UCS Forest Group of Companies

“Nina, you were the perfect choice for our keynote speaker at our annual Leadership in Sport forum. You both inspired and appreciated the female educators in the audience, for the work they do. I admired how you planned your keynote address with our audience in mind. You related so well to the theme of the forum and you made your comments relevant and fun. It was a real joy working with you!” Donna Howard Executive Director OFSSA ( Ontario Federation School Athletic Association)

“Our finance staff found you to be an energetic and engaging speaker. We really enjoyed your helpful insights about Getting Passion Out of Your Profession, and your tips will help everyone bring their best selves to work each and every day. Staff comments about your keynote included: ‘Very good speaker,’ ‘I mostly enjoyed Nina’ s session,’ ‘Great speaker.’ Thanks again, Nina, for your inspiring and valuable contribution to our staff off-site day!” Joseph Silva, CPA, Director, Strategy & Transformation and Deputy Treasurer, The Regional Municipality of York

“Re our annual conference survey – lots of positive feedback! Comments included: ‘The keynote and plenary speakers were amazing!’ ‘I came back from this conference feeling very inspired and motivated.’ ‘It was just what I needed!’ ‘I very much enjoyed this year’s conference–particularly, the keynote speakers, were fantastic!’ Keynotes/plenary speakers were amazing!’ ‘Really interesting and engaging speakers.'” Alina Toda, Executive Assistant, Ontario Association of School Business Officials/OASBO

“I really enjoyed your presentation this summer; you are so dynamic, funny and professional! I most certainly walked away feeling that I learned something important that I want to share with others.” Michele Langlois, Director, Canada Post Corporation (Ottawa)

“Nina is such a dynamic and engaging speaker! We were very lucky to have her on stage for our May 2018 OASBO (Ontario Association of School Business Officials’) Conference in Ottawa. Her keynote on Getting Passion Out of Your Profession was inspirational. Nina did a great job getting an important message out to everyone in the room, and did it with the perfect blend of charm and humor!” Robert Smith, Incentive Programs Advisor, Ontario Education Sector (and Member of the Ontario Association of School Business Officials)

“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

“Wow Nina – what an impactful package I just received!!!! Thank you so much for your generosity. And as I quickly glanced through your book, it’s easy to see that you in fact DO promote sticking your thumbs in your suspenders and being proud of what you do!! A colleague sent me a YouTube link to one of your talks and within three seconds of listening… you had me. Loved your style, honesty and passion for the topic. Really looking forward to meeting you and having our staff exposed to your great topic and messages. We are destined to become the Super Tourism Team of Eastern Ontario!” Bryan J. Mercer, Director, Marketing, St. Lawrence Parks Commission

“Thank you Nina for making our Celebrating Women in Business event an absolute success! Your presentation on Getting Passion Out of Your Profession was lively, engaging and inspirational. Feedback from participants reflected a vast number of ratings as outstanding for your keynote, along with comments that they thoroughly enjoyed the humor in your presentation. You are a speaker I highly recommend as a keynoter or workshop presenter. It was a pleasure to meet and work with you!” Colleen Sadler APEC CBC, Business Consultant, Enterprise Renfrew County

“Thanks again for joining our team last week. All told it was a great success! It was my first time hearing your presentation and I now understand why your name comes up over and over again when groups are looking for an inspiring, engaging speaker. You hit all the right notes, Nina! We all walked away motivated and energized and with new tips and techniques to bring out our inner power and passion.” Thanks so much.” Mary Reali, Deputy City Manager, City of Vaughan l Community Services

“A big thank you for yesterday. After the day was wrapped up and also this morning, I still have employees approaching me about how inspired they were by your presentation; it was engaging and inspiring. Our Director was very impressed by your presentation style and points, too, and brought them up a couple more times during the balance of our day, and even at the end-of-day wrap. So a big thank you from the bottom of my heart, for making the time and for your very valuable contribution. I look forward to future opportunities to book you, and will definitely recommend your keynote speaker services to my existing clients who are looking for a great guest speaker.” Angela Poletto, Sales Executive, Parks and Culture Division, Toronto and Region Conservation

“Sincere thanks for your enthusiastic keynote. During times of transition we sometimes lose sight of what we do well. Thanks for reminding us that we each make a wonderful contribution to our organization. We greatly enjoyed your inspiration and sense of humor, and were all motivated as we laughed and smiled together! You have a wonderful gift and you are a pleasure to work with, Nina. Let’s do it again sometime soon! Susan Badame, Senior Human Resources Advisor, Department of Justice, Ontario Regional Office

“I wanted to again thank you for your keynote address to the Legislative Assembly employees last Friday. The feedback both formally and informally has been very positive. The employees have indicated that you held their attention and gave them many things to think about both in their professional and personal life. Our management team was very pleased and enjoyed your presentation. It was a pleasure working with you and hopefully we will be able to do so again in the future.” Nancy Marling, Director, Human Resources, Legislative Assembly of Ontario

“Good afternoon Nina, on a gorgeous Friday afternoon I thought I would send you my sincere congratulations on your presentation with us on Wednesday. You are a great facilitator, as you are very engaging and very entertaining as well. We discussed your presentation and messages on the drive back and all of us agreed we benefited from your passion! Thank you!!” Dermott Barrett, Program Manager, Ministry of Labour

“Nina, thank-you again for your energetic, thought provoking keynote presentation to our division. Everyone commented favourably on our choice of guest speaker and had only positive things to share. That’s either because they carefully followed your advice about passion or really liked what you had to say. I think both! Cultural change, in countries or in organizations, is driven by great messages. Your message about passion was, and is, invaluable. I hope we will have the opportunity to work with you again!” Oswald Zachariah PhD, Manager, Innovation & Knowledge Management, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

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

“Thanks for your great presentation at the Parks and Recreation Ontario annual conference. It was very thought provoking and exactly what I needed to hear! It was your keynote, in particular, that drew me to the conference/motivated me to sign up. Thanks again for giving me a much needed boost!” Mandy Walker, Recreation Manager, Facilities, Town of Ajax

“We were delighted with your presentation. A relevant message delivered with humor, enthusiasm and demonstrated belief in the subject. Our team thoroughly enjoyed the audience participation and the exercises you used to emphasize the benefits of positive thinking. Now, when we see staff twirling out of our director’s office when things go differently than one would prefer, we know everyone benefited and enjoyed your session.” Wilma Aselstine, Training Co-ordinator, Ontario Ministry of Finance

“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

“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

“A great big Communications thank you for your opening keynote presentation! Our offsite was a great success; you set the right tone for the balance of our meeting. All feedback has been extremely positive.” Susan Amring, Director Corporate Communications, City of Mississauga

“Exceptionally well done!” Cal Corley, Chief Superintendent, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

“I can confidently say that Nina captivated our audience in a unique way and demonstrated how a more positive and productive working environment is within grasp.” Michael Parzei, Committee Chair, Management Board Secretariat, Ontario

“Our staff has been using superlatives to express how they feel about the presentation you delivered last Wednesday morning. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Just thought you’d appreciated receiving a sampling of the comments: Fabulous!; Very good; I really don’t like perky, perky so early in the morning, but I have to admit she won me over; That presentation triggered an attitude adjustment in all of us.; That was fun!; Great!; Excellent!.” Anne White, Manager, Communications Branch, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

“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

“We’ve had wonderful feedback about your keynote presentation. You certainly made the evening and we can’t thank you enough! The Board certainly recognizes that you’ve gone above and beyond for our organization and it’s very much appreciated. You made my job very easy due to your accommodating nature. I felt as if I’d known you for ages by the time we finally met. Many thanks Nina, and I sincerely hope our paths cross again.” Nancy Landry, Conference Planner, Northumberland County Children’s Aid Society

“Thank-you so much for your passionate presentation to our staff. We have received a great deal of positive feedback and much interest in your book. It was a sincere pleasure working with you and hearing your insights on keeping our passion for work and life!” Robin Dafoe, Director, Corporate and Public Affairs, Education Quality and Accountability Office

“Thank-you for making our 2006 conference such a great success! Your keynote was a perfect way to wrap-up the event”. Christina Neumann, Conference Committee Chair, Parks & Recreation Ontario/PRO Aquatics

“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

“Nina, you were great! Your presentation was well laid out with a good combination of humor and information. I thoroughly enjoyed it. You immediately engaged our audience, formed a relationship with us by learning everyone’s name and your energy appears to be immeasurable.” Chas Anselmo, Municipal Advisor, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

“Nina, you were great to work with both before and on the day–very professional…very accommodating. You worked closely with us to craft a fine keynote address, which provided an informative and motivating kickoff to our conference and helped inspire senior staff throughout their day. Well done!” Thomas Plant, Senior Manager of Strategic Planning, City of Vaughan

“Thank you for speaking at our annual Ontario Public Service Women of Influence and Inspiration conference. Sharing your personal career choices and experiences helped to inspire others and you made a difference. Your energy is quite illuminating, and sharing your excitement about your first “real” job being with the Ontario Public Service (OPS) resonated with not only the young women in the audience, but also with many who can relate to receiving their first pay cheque and feeling wonderful. It is not often women in the OPS have a chance to meet a bestselling author that they can actually have a chance to speak with; this, in itself, was inspirational and rewarding. On a personal note, thank you, Nina. You are a delightful speaker and helped to make the seminar a success. It was very nice to meet you and I enjoyed our many chats. Thank you for making such a difference.” Linda Lane, Women of Influence and Inspriation Coordinator and Project Officer, Ontario Ministry of Government Services

“Nina, I truly had a fantastic time at your keynote presentation (at the 2009 Career Development Association of Alberta’s Annual BTT Conference). Because of it (and you), I’ve felt much more rejuvenated and inspired since my return to work. Your presentation helped fortify the love of my job, and the people with whom I work, and you helped me remember why I love what I do for a living. Also, the way you started and ended your keynote was one of the most inspiring things I’ve heard in a long while. Thanks again!” Lesley Winfield, Library Manager, Olds Municipal Library, Alberta

“Great feedback on your presentation, Nina! Your keynote was definitely a BIG success! Your “Getting Passion Out of Your Profession” address elicited a very positive response from our Administrative Professionals Community, as evidenced by the line-up out the door for those wishing to have you sign copies of your book after the presentation. Feedback included: motivating, positive, inspirational, very interesting and useful; I have already incorporated Nina’s ideas into my work habits; I thoroughly enjoyed Nina’s keynote and emerged from it inspired and excited about approaching my workday in a much more positive way.” S. Mitchell, HR Learning Advisor, Government of Canada Agency

“Nina, on behalf of the staff and students at the JIAS LINC Programme, I thank-you for your inspiring keynote presentation. Despite the wide spectrum of our audience, your passion and high energy captivated each of us. You have motivated us all to incorporate your positive communication tips into our everyday lives.The feedback about your keynote has been fabulous!” Roz Greenberg, Executive Director, JIAS LINC Programme/Jewish Immigrant Aid Services

“Nina, we received wonderful feedback about your presentation. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all! Here is a sampling of the feedback: amazing speaker; I really enjoyed listening to her and loved how she involved the audience; What she said really made sense; She was great!; She was a lot of fun, which made the time go by quickly. I can’t wait to read her book; Quite the motivational speaker; She was very down to earth, but could get her point across; Her anecdotes were awesome; Offered very practical, hands-on advice in an intelligent and humorous manner. Very enjoyable; Inspiring; She was fabulous!, kept us listening; She was the best yet. Topic was perfect for our current corporate culture; Great message. Well presented. Fun to listen to; Fun very and motivational; Excellent speaker, relevant material; enthusiastic speaker and kept people involved; Wow, wow and then wow!” Nancy Yeldon, Conference Chair, Export Development Canada

“Thank-you very much, Nina, for your speaker services at our all-staff learning day. The evaluations of your presentation were fabulous! In fact, one of our senior managers commented, “Where have you been hiding Nina Spencer all these years?” This was definitely our best staff event ever and your contribution was definitely a terrific part of that, so much appreciation to you.” Judy Dunnington, Regional Director’s Office, Ottawa, Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services

“Nina’s approach in presentations keeps participants engaged and motivated. Her book “Getting Passion Out of Your Profession” is a must-read…even this old dog learned some new tricks!” Murray Clarke, Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Sidney, BC

“Thank you, Nina, for your words of wisdom. Staff really enjoyed hearing you speak. You rang lots of bells for them and created a very positive atmosphere, which will carry on in the work environment over the coming year.” Suzanne Gagnon, Regional Director, Eastern Region/Ottawa, Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services

“Your presentation was engaging, funny, thoughtful and contained immediately useful tools and tips. It was profound, yet simple to understand, and many of our staff indicated they had “aha” moments at various points throughout the morning. Thanks, Nina! Boni Fox-Gray Assistant Director, Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture

“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

“Your presentation was well received, with the majority of participants indicating it was “excellent”. Comments expressed included: ‘Great speaker and good refresh for everyone to make new commitments’; ‘So amazing and fun’; ‘Just long enough and motivational’; ‘Engaging, dynamic and easy to relate to'”. Suzanne Rubinstein, Director — Ontario Travel Information Centres/OTIC, Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation/OTMPC

“A big thank-you for such a wonderfully insightful afternoon. Your delivery was extraordinaire and your messages will resonate with us for a long time. Thanks again for your wonderful ‘care and feeding’ of my team.” Susan Alikhan, Director, Project Management Office, Ministry of the Attorney General

“Nina’s contagious energy is a force so strong, that it vibrates through the phone. From the moment you contact Nina, her passion illuminates so effortlessly and her professionalism is truly a breath of fresh air. Just speaking with Nina is inspirational in itself. Thank you Nina for all of your kindness and hard work. As I have told you countless times, you have been an absolute pleasure to work with.” Natashya Dailey, Durham Region Unemployed Help Centre

“A big thank-you for your part in making our (Zone 2 AMCTO/Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario) Annual Spring meeting so successful. Our larger than normal attendance was mostly attributed to you being our keynote speaker. You held us in the palm of your hand for two hours! Thank you so much for making it possible for Zone 2 to offer your presentation.” Barbara L. Wilson, CMO, County Clerk, County of Huron, Ontario

“Nina, your presentation and facilitation went extremely well and had many people remarking that they enjoyed it. Your topic was timely and you delivered your session with lots of energy and enthusiasm, while creating a space that allowed us to relax, get into the moment and participate in the activities. I don’t think I’ve seen that much activity and participation at a Managers Forum in a long time. Very enjoyable!! Thanks for everything!” Bryan Pitt, Manager, Divisional Learning Unit Ministry of Labour

“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, your presentation was engaging, informative and entertaining. I found value in a number of your messages, which I felt encouraged and demonstrated for participants the personal and professional benefits of concepts such as: exploring self-awareness; ownership and control of personal attitudes; recognition of the existence and potential impact of ingrained habits and beliefs and; the leadership advantages, enhancements and influences that can stem from increasing one’s optimism, hopefulness and openness. Thanks again!” Ken Fox, Director,
Central East Region, Operations Division Ministry of Labour

“Sincere thanks for being our keynote speaker for our three 2013 Orientation Sessions. From our first phone call, to each final presentation, I knew you were the perfect fit for our organization. Your dedication to understanding our needs, researching our product and expressing the detailed needs of your delivery demonstrated to us your utmost professionalism. The delivery of your message to three different audiences was professional and precise to our desired outcome. We appreciated that you genuinely considered the change of audience and demographics, and tweaked your keynotes as needed. I look forward to working with you again! Until then, I wish you great success is spreading your ‘gems’ (Going the Extra Mile on Services) message.” Deanna Davies, Manager, Marketing, Web & Business Development
St. Lawrence Parks Commission

“Nina, you were a tremendous addition to our orientations and most would say the highlight of the entire experience! Well done! You enthusiastically delivered a targeted and thoughtful Customer Service message to our over 500 staff members, with real, workable tips on ‘Going the Extra Mile on Service’. In three distinct sessions, with three distinct business unit audiences, you took care to research the audiences and adjust your message delivery to best fit each group. And the audiences reacted well to your humorous anecdotes, fun exercises and personal challenges to them to succeed in their daily jobs. We would most confidently recommend you, Nina, to interact with groups that are particularly tasked with delivering front line customer service excellence. We will definitely have you out again.Thanks again Nina, it was a real inspiration hearing you speak.” Darren Dalgleish, General Manager and CEO, St. Lawrence Parks Commission

“Congratulations, Nina! As expected, you were our highest-rated speaker of the conference! No surprise to me. Thanks for another great, spirited and dynamic presentation to the OPS Finance Community. Our event (attended by over 600 delegates) was a great success; our highest rated ever—in no small part due to your participation. Through your keynote A Time to Creep, A Time to Soar you were able to very effectively translate/parallel your experience of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to the “mountains” that we all need to climb in our own lives, both personally and professionally. We’ve heard over and over how well your message resonated with everyone.” Lori Glen, Finance and Business Management Council, Executive Coordinator and Event Organizer

“Nina, thank-you for your excellent keynote on your climb of Kilimanjaro. Your presentation was meaningful and engaging for all of us. Good luck with your next adventure and you can absolutely use my words as OPS directors’ feedback!” Lillian Duda, Director of Business Planning and Financial Management Branch, Government of Ontario

“Thank-you again for the truly motivational, inspirational keynote (at our autumn Mid-Atlantic Association of Court management/MAACM Conference)! It will be one to long-remember and carry with me both at work and personally. I have started reading “Kili” (A Time to Creep, A Time to Soar) and am thoroughly enjoying the book! Again, a confirmation of your ability to motivate and to inspire!!! I would truly be “honored” to have you include my words among your ‘Accolades,’ of which you are so deserving!” Maria Vogel, Jury Office, Jury Commissioner, Montgomery County, Maryland, USA

“Anecdotal feedback to me on your presentation was very positive and matched my own observations. Your keynote was what I’d hoped for and expected: positive, informative and entertaining. Again, thanks for the very enjoyable presentation. I would easily recommend you to my colleagues for future engagements.” Jim Rooke, Director, Human Resources Advisory and Recruitment Services, Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services

“It was definitely a great day yesterday, from the organization to the Presentations and I have already received great positive feedback on your Presentation! As expected, folks are relaying that your keynote was engaging and full of great energy and great ideas to think about. So thank-you for ending our staff engagement day on such a high note—not easy to do as the last presenter of a very full day! Kudos to you, Nina! I will definitely share your name, and recommend your services and books to my colleagues, as a great reference for motivational speaking events.” LouAnn Micallef, Regional Manager, Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services

“It really was a pleasure to have had you keynote at the annual NCON Professional Development Conference. Our audience appreciated your address immensely and walked away on a high and positive note. Your messages will help them persevere well when they face challenges in their day-to-day, sometimes mundane work!Feedback included: Nina’s keynote was wonderful & engaging; I found it to be extremely helpful and informative!; this is by far the most engaging and relevant conference I’ve attended in five years; the information was relevant and presented in an exciting and engaging way; speaker was dynamic, engaging and passionate. I learned a lot and am going to bring a wealth of information back; I especially liked Nina’s closing keynote presentation—it really spoke to me.” Shalini Da Cuna, Executive Director, Peel Halton Workforce Development Group

“The feedback about your Getting Passion Out of Your Profession keynote has been extremely positive. You did an amazing job – you had a powerful message and you delivered it with passion. I truly believe you delivered an amazing presentation, so feel free to quote me anytime.” Sherwin Jung, CTP, Specialist, Learning & Development, Corporate Learning, PEEL REGIONAL POLICE

“Overwhelmingly, all feedback about your keynote has been positive!” Sonia Bozzo, Assistant Probation Manager, Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Youth Justice Services

“Alberta loves Nina! She is an extremely passionate and dynamic speaker that captivates her audience. She is warm and inviting both on stage and in person, demonstrates the ability to motivate and coach others in the career development and human resources fields, and displays discretion and diplomacy with her colleagues and clients. If you want attention to detail, promptness and expertise in the field of career development–Nina Spencer is the lady for you. She was an absolute pleasure and a treat to have at our 15th Annual Alberta Career Development Consultation.” Tracey Campbell, Chair, 2009 BTT/Building Tomorrow Today Planning Committee, Career Development Association of Alberta (Career & Employment Consultant, Alberta Ministry of Employment and Immigration)

“As always, you gave another inspirational talk. The feed back I’ve received has again been extremely positive! I will definitely recommend you as a guest speaker to my colleagues around the City.” Roberto Rossini, Deputy City Manager & Chief Financial Officer, City of Toronto

“In a previous position, while doing some analysis-type research, a former employer said to me…’When doing this type of work, sometimes you spend hours and hours researching and come up with absolutely nothing; then other times, you find that gold nugget! You just have to keep looking.’ Well, Nina, on that particular Sunday morning a few weeks back, when I was surfing the net and found you as a keynote speaker for our team building event, I knew I had found that gold nugget. You are an amazingly, eloquent professional. The event was a huge success because of the power of you!” Viviana Precopi, Manager—Special Projects, Community Services, City of Vaughan

Feedback from (three) keynotes delivered to employees of the City of Mississauga (for their annual staff appreciation breakfast events): “Nina’s keynote inspired me to think more positively; I loved her presentation–it really took your day-to-day life and flipped it around to be more positive; A great reminder… I liked her sense of humor; My favourite take-away was how to turn a simple statement into a more positive one; I found Nina very inspiring and engaging; She’s a wonderful speaker; Very informative; Very inspirational, positive and loved learning different ways of doing things; Please have more sessions like Nina’s, that focus on developing Emotional Intelligence in the workplace; I liked learning how to Inspire coworkers and how to lead without title; I certainly left Nina’s keynote with a better sense of how to get passion out of anything that we/I do; She helped me understand what drives positive interpersonal workplace communications, and how to strive for excellence and go the extra mile in everything that we do; She was really positive. I appreciated that… very interesting insights; If she can remember, or try to remember, all those names, then I should try as well; Nina’s messages work well in the workplace, but also in personal life, too.” Gary Kent, Commissioner of Corporate Services and CFO at City of Mississauga’s staff’s feedback (sample of… )

“Thank you, Nina, for your thoughtful and enlightening opening keynote at our Annual GTA Colleges Support Staff Day. Over 180 employees attended from surrounding GTA colleges and the feedback was very positive; staff felt engaged, energized and positively focused! Your additional small group session delivered on lessons learned for work and life from climbing Kilimanjaro was also inspirational. Thank you Nina for sharing your life’s work!” Susanne Wodar, Director, Centre for People & Organizational Development, Sheridan College


What Professional Associations are saying about Canadian Motivational Speaker, Nina Spencer…

“The customer is the only critic whose opinion matters at all.” — Mark Twain

A Sample List of Audience Reactions

“Re our annual conference survey – lots of positive feedback! Comments included: ‘The keynote and plenary speakers were amazing!’ ‘I came back from this conference feeling very inspired and motivated.’ ‘It was just what I needed!’ ‘I very much enjoyed this year’s conference–particularly, the keynote speakers, were fantastic!’ Keynotes/plenary speakers were amazing!’ ‘Really interesting and engaging speakers.'” Alina Toda, Executive Assistant, Ontario Association of School Business Officials/OASBO

“Nina is such a dynamic and engaging speaker! We were very lucky to have her on stage for our May 2018 OASBO (Ontario Association of School Business Officials’) Conference in Ottawa. Her keynote on Getting Passion Out of Your Profession was inspirational. Nina did a great job getting an important message out to everyone in the room, and did it with the perfect blend of charm and humor!” Robert Smith, Incentive Programs Advisor, Ontario Education Sector (and Member of the Ontario Association of School Business Officials)

“Thank you for your keynote. It was VERY well received! I know it got folks thinking, and I hope the enthusiasm continues. We will certainly keep you in mind for future presentations. Tammy Taylor, Manager, Deafblind Services, CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind)

“I knew you’d ‘deliver’ as our keynoter for our IIA National Conference! You masterfully held the attention of 800+ delegates with your sense of humor, intriguing facts, audience participation and challenging perspectives. You had us! We were riveted. It was amazing how you kept a bunch of auditors and chartered accountants engaged, laughing and connected. We had fun! You were a terrific choice for our big annual I’d recommend your services in heartbeat to any committee charged with finding a great keynoter.” Peggy Gilmour CA, CRMA, ICD.D, Senior Vice President, Wholesale/Brokerage Operations at CIBC

“Thank you Nina for making our Celebrating Women in Business event an absolute success! Your presentation on Getting Passion Out of Your Profession was lively, engaging and inspirational. Feedback from participants reflected a vast number of ratings as outstanding for your keynote, along with comments that they thoroughly enjoyed the humor in your presentation. You are a speaker I highly recommend as a keynoter or workshop presenter. It was a pleasure to meet and work with you!” Colleen Sadler APEC CBC, Business Consultant, Enterprise Renfrew County

“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)

“Engaging, a delight, thought-provoking and inspiring are the words I leave with after attending Nina’s presentation (at our Florida annual conference) on, Getting Passion Out of Your Profession. With the uncertainty life brings, Nina helped us all come back to reexamine and embrace things that are most important. If you are fortunate enough to attend a session with Nina, don’t be surprised if you walk out a different person.” Joe McClary, Interim CEO, The (International) Association of Real Estate License Law Officials/ARELLO

“If you’re looking for a speaker who is motivational and energizing, Nina is your person! She is a very lively, energetic and entertaining speaker. I found her to be very motivational and challenging.” Ruthanne Krant, Conference Chair, Human Resources Professionals’ Association of Ontario/HRPAO, Barrie and District Chapter

“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)

“You certainly wowed us in Ottawa! Definitely this was the best day-long workshop I have ever attended. Thank-you so much for your energy, your sense of humor, your professionalism and instruction. It was a real delight to meet you.”
Anne Jeanjean, President, Ottawa Chapter, International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP)

“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)

“All mentioned how much they loved your dynamic keynote and your message. The majority responded to the question, “What did you like best about the conference?”, with your name! Thank-you for your words of wisdom. You are an inspiration!” Marcia O’Hearn, Canada District Director, International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP)

“Thank-you so much for your presentation at our recent Toronto Conference. Your evaluations were very positive and the scoring high!” Anne Valdo, Director, Special Projects, Meeting Professionals International (MPI)

“It was such a pleasure having you speak at our Promotions Canada Annual Conference. Audience comments included: ‘Nina has a wonderful real presentation style’; ‘Great presentation–lots of information that I will be able to apply to my expanding career’; ‘So motivating! Thank You Nina!’ ‘Very enthusiastic and energetic presenter. Lots of valuable information’.” Lise Bujold, Vice-President, Promotional Products Association of Canada (PPAC)

“Nina…You’re a peach! I really appreciate your support.” Helen Van Dongen, Manager Conferences and Events
Canadian Society of Association Executives

“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)

“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

“My association with Nina goes back at least 15 years. As a workshop facilitator Nina is extremely knowledgeable, professional and engaging. She knows how to get and keep the attention of audiences from a wide variety of industries and professions and easily displays her understanding of the unique characteristics of different businesses. It is with confidence that I booked Nina to present on a variety of professional development topics. On top of all this, Nina consistently demonstrates just the right degree of humor in her presentations, whether for intimate groups or large conference audiences. More recently, I’ve worked with Nina on at least one keynote engagement–this event was a huge success, with nothing but positive feedback about her message and contribution. Nina is a fine, seasoned workshop facilitator and conference keynote speaker who can motivate and inspire any group. She would do any organization proud.” Sandra Parker, Manager of Professional Development, Insurance Brokers Association of Canada

“On behalf of the International Customer Service Association of Canada, the executives and conference committee thanks for your help in making our Annual Conference a huge success by way of your keynote presentation on “Getting Passion Out of Your Profession”. Below are the ratings your keynote received: Effectiveness of Speaker’s delivery: 97%; Content of session: 95% Well done, Nina! I look forward to booking you again in the near future.” Dolly Konzelmann, President, ICSA Canada/International Customer Service Association of Canada

“Thank-you very much for keynote presenting “your inspirational journey” climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Feedback was excellent. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed your talk. You were both entertaining and inspirational as you related your experience to our work environment and our personal lives. We now feel like we could summit our own mountains after your presentation! I would highly recommend you to any organization seeking to motivate their association members or internal staff.” Darice Withers, President, International Association of Administrative Professionals/IAAP Peel-Halton Chapter

“Nina, thank-you for your presentation at our 2013 AGM and Convention. We received significant feedback from delegates regarding the high caliber and relevance of the workshops and in particular the quality of speakers who delivered the educational content. We very much appreciate your contribution and you will be pleased to know your session was ranked highly–in the top five of this three day event. Here is a sample of feedback from your session: ‘Fantastic!; Excellent, useful and inspirational; very energetic beginning to the conference; great tone and energy; dynamic, uplifting and kept us engaged throughout; very relevant; made me look at myself in various ways; very interactive with loads of information that really focused on self-awareness and impressed me how much information was new to me; got a lot out of the presentation–very real and applicable to the workplace and life!’ One again, thank-you for helping to make our convention such a success! We look forward to working with you again!” Stuart Sweeney, Education Manager, Ontario Association of Non-Profit Housing and Services for Seniors/OANHSS

“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

“It really was a pleasure to have had you keynote at the annual NCON Professional Development Conference. Our audience appreciated your address immensely and walked away on a high and positive note. Your messages will help them persevere well when they face challenges in their day-to-day, sometimes mundane work!Feedback included: Nina’s keynote was wonderful & engaging; I found it to be extremely helpful and informative!; this is by far the most engaging and relevant conference I’ve attended in five years; the information was relevant and presented in an exciting and engaging way; speaker was dynamic, engaging and passionate. I learned a lot and am going to bring a wealth of information back; I especially liked Nina’s closing keynote presentation—it really spoke to me.” Shalini Da Cuna, Executive Director, Peel Halton Workforce Development Group

“Nina, you are one of the most personable, down-to-earth speakers I have ever met as program director. You were very easy to talk with and I loved how you engaged us in your keynote presentation by having us interact with each other and with you. A great night!!!”Denise Travers, Program Director, Women’s Business Network

“Nina, I’ve been running everywhere (still at the conference) but need to take a moment to say how wonderful you were yesterday! Rave reviews all around (about your Kilimanjaro keynote). Thank-you!” Karen Majerly, Association Manager, Ontario Medical Group Management Association

“Nina, I cannot thank you enough for all the wonderful and positive tips and techniques you shared during your keynote at the 2015 OMCA (Ontario Motor coach Association) annual conference. I started at the Akron / Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau last April, so I am most grateful to have all your advice so early in my career. Thank you!” Robert Ivory, Destination Sales Manager, Akron / Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau, Akron, Ohio, USA

“Once again, on behalf of the Board, thank you for your great keynote presentation at our annual October conference. As you see from the feedback, your were amazing! Here is a sample of what our members/conference attendees had to say: ‘fabulous speaker;  she really held our interest; was very informative and entertaining; her topic was relevant; excellent choice of speaker; it’s always good to bring in motivational speakers; we can all use a “shot of energy” from time to time; a great speaker, a very pleasant and interesting lady; inspirational… always good to be reminded of the small things… and small changes in our lives can amount to big changes towards our goals; she was entertaining and kept us alert; very entertaining speaker.’ Lets stay in touch, Nina. I have already recommended you to TCET (The Centre for Education and Training) as well as TESL Ontario.” Alexander Harchenko, CSP, TESL, RCIC, TESL Ontario Chapter President

“In choosing speakers for our Ontario Motor Coach Association Annual Conference, one always hopes that the outcome will be positive and well received. Nina, our delegates were delighted with your presentation. They found your keynote informative and motivational, as well as engaging and entertaining, too. Feedback has been extremely positive. It was a pleasure to work with you. Having you present at our annual meeting was a definite bonus.” Mardi Schueler, General Manager, Ontario Motor Coach Association

“Alberta loves Nina! She is an extremely passionate and dynamic speaker that captivates her audience. She is warm and inviting both on stage and in person, demonstrates the ability to motivate and coach others in the career development and human resources fields, and displays discretion and diplomacy with her colleagues and clients. If you want attention to detail, promptness and expertise in the field of career development–Nina Spencer is the lady for you. She was an absolute pleasure and a treat to have at our 15th Annual Alberta Career Development Consultation.” Tracey Campbell, Chair, 2009 BTT/Building Tomorrow Today Planning Committee, Career Development Association of Alberta (Career & Employment Consultant, Alberta Ministry of Employment and Immigration)

“Thank you for bringing such value to our conference. Your keynote was interesting, thought-provoking and entertaining–a triple WOW!!! It was a true pleasure to work with you and to get to know you. You’re a true class-act, Nina! And you are more than welcome to use my testimonial on your website. It is so deserving. You will also see an honourable mention of your fabulous keynote contribution in my Editor’s Notes of our association’s upcoming Chemunicator.” Catherine Wieckowska, Vice President, Communications & Member Services, Responsible Distribution Canada (Association Client)

“Amazing [keynote] speaker—and very professional and very entertaining! I would highly recommend Nina for your event!” MARY ROMERO, Program Manager, Conferences and Seminars, Ontario Hospital Association/OHA

“Thank you very much for your closing keynote – not only were you inspiring and funny, I am positive your presentation offered a new perspective to our team/agency. Hopefully we are all moving forward with more passion for our profession because of your address. Please do keep in touch!” Gwen Sheridan, Supervisor Deafblind Services, CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind)


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

“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


What Business, Financial, Insurance, Legal, Real Estate, Crown Corporations are saying about Canadian Business Conference Speaker, Nina Spencer…

“The customer is the only critic whose opinion matters at all.” — Mark Twain

A Sample of Audience Reactions

“I knew you’d ‘deliver’ as our keynoter for our IIA National Conference! You masterfully held the attention of 800+ delegates with your sense of humor, intriguing facts, audience participation and challenging perspectives. You had us! We were riveted. It was amazing how you kept a bunch of auditors and chartered accountants engaged, laughing and connected. We had fun! You were a terrific choice for our big annual I’d recommend your services in heartbeat to any committee charged with finding a great keynoter.” Peggy Gilmour CA, CRMA, ICD.D, Senior Vice President, Wholesale/Brokerage Operations at CIBC

“‘An amazing presenter!’; ‘I cannot stop talking about Nina!’. These are just two of the comments from our staff that explain why Nina is frequently invited back for employee programs and events. She consistently presents with enthusiasm and efficiency, plus she’s very easy to work with. Nina has become a staff favourite and I highly recommend her for both workshops and keynotes that deliver the WOW factor. Pamela Preston, Senior Learning Consultant, Mackenzie Investments

“Our team truly had a great day and thought you were a terrific keynote speaker. You were down-to-earth and your messages were very relevant and practical. Thanks, again, for helping to make our team meeting such a success!” Cheryl Clark, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Cadillac Fairview Corporation

“Nina, you are a dynamo of a speaker!! All positive feedback on your keynote at our National Institute of Internal Auditors’ Annual Conference, and I especially loved your inspirational closing comments (that I’ll carry with me, always). Thanks for getting us all charged up with positive energy. You do great work!”
Tony Stanco, Chief Auditor, Toronto Hydro

“I agree with the feedback you received from Tony Stanco! Thank you for your message. I thoroughly enjoyed your keynote at the IIA National conference. Your presentation fit well with some culture change initiatives that we have going on in our company and I was pleased to recommend your services to our VP of HR and am glad you will be partnering with her for our HR staff retreat in a few weeks’ time. You are a dynamic speaker with a great message. On a personal note, I especially liked your quote used to open and close of your address. I found it very inspiring and am now applying it every day.” Bill Porter, Vice President, Internal Audit, Cadillac Fairview Corporation

“Engaging, a delight, thought-provoking and inspiring are the words I leave with after attending Nina’s presentation (at our Florida annual conference) on, Getting Passion Out of Your Profession. With the uncertainty life brings, Nina helped us all come back to reexamine and embrace things that are most important. If you are fortunate enough to attend a session with Nina, don’t be surprised if you walk out a different person.” Joe McClary, Interim CEO, The (International) Association of Real Estate License Law Officials/ARELLO

“Thank-you for your outstanding and inspiring contribution to our Vancouver meeting. Closing a long, exhausting and powerful meeting requires a lot of courage and leadership to capture and wrap-up in an elegant and constructive manner the main topics of the assembly. In that regards, chapeau! Through your meticulous approach and discussions, you were in a position to clearly understand our conference’s theme and objectives. You came well prepared and your energy was contagious. We felt your passion in delivering your thoughts on our company’s values. Again, chapeau! Thanks!” Serge Levesque, National Sales Director, Old Port Cigar Company

“Thank-you so much for speaking at the recent WOCCU International Leadership Institute and AGM meeting in Nassau, Bahamas. Your workshop on “Championing Excellence” was one of the highlights of the conference. Feedback included, “well delivered, imaginative and thought provoking”; “Nina did a great job–fabulous speaker”; “knows her stuff–dynamic woman–attention holder; “very high energy and relevant presentation for work, volunteer leadership and personal world–applicable to my whole world!”; “great fun…”; very entertaining and informative”. Again, thank-you. Your participation certainly contributed to the overall success of the conference.” Dave Grace, Senior Manager Trade Association Services, World Council of Credit Unions

“Conference attendees raved about how ‘wonderful’, ‘super’ and ‘passionate’ your closing keynote was and what a ‘great start to a Saturday morning’. The evaluations also reflected an overwhelming number of ratings as ‘excellent’ for both your content and presentation skills.” Mary-Jane Govers, Conference Committee Member, The Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario/ILCO

“Your enthusiasm and material presented at our Mt. Tremblant staff off-site was a valuable combination. As our opening keynote, you set a very positive attitude to go forth with and an excellent spirit for the rest of our conference! We’ve all brought back great tools for our collective and individual goals and success.” Michel Bourgeois, Vice-President, Contracts, Regional Aircraft, Bombardier Aerospace

“Thank you for the fabulous, knowledgeable, witty, engaging and interactive professional presentation. Your keynote was designed with great thought and we received so many congratulatory messages on the choice of a very polished guest speaker. I was proud to be a part of our the conference organizing committee.” Marie Jansen, Snr. Assistant to Jim Willoughby VP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Roche Canada

“Your workshop had a tremendous impact on me. I actually feel like a better person and others tell me they’ve noticed the change in me since that time. All the valuable knowledge I gained from you was quickly put to the workplace test on a few occasions. I can actually now say, “I get it!” and, “I can do it! Your keynotes and workshops really do get into the heart and soul of a person when they are ready to receive the knowledge. I sincerely thank you and truly appreciate your wise, wise words, which I will carry with me for the rest of my life.” Judy Blenkensopp, Accounts Payable, Canada Bread

“I really enjoyed your presentation this summer; you are so dynamic, funny and professional! I most certainly walked away feeling that I learned something important that I want to share with others.”
Michele Langlois, Director, Canada Post Corporation (Ottawa)

“Nina, You were a hit! Thank you so much for a wonderful closing keynote. We couldn’t stop smiling, and enjoyed many, many silly moments after the conference, laughing, and remembering your presentation. I know you hit a nerve with many, and if the organizing committee, along with our Director, is any indication, your warm professionalism won us over! It’s just amazing how fast you are on your feet!”Carol Peischl, Retail Business Manager, Canada Post Corporation (Hamilton)

“What one thing do all meeting organizers look for in a presenter? When people talk about the event, they can’t say enough good things about the speaker. An outstanding speaker delivers a motivational, inspirational, high energy message, that’s relevant and topical, with a great sense of humor, and in a way that gets high audience involvement and participation. Look out, Nina Spencer can deliver the goods!” Bill Barrett, Director of Engineering, Glaxo Wellcome Inc.

“Nina is a genuine, enthusiastic and dynamic facilitator who successfully informs and inspires individuals to thrive in times of change. Her participative and effective style serves to motivate you to maintain a positive attitude, while constantly reaching for the best within. I enjoyed the experience… it was fun and made a difference.” Bill MacKenzie, Manager, Royal Learning Network, Royal Bank

“This was the most successful conference we’ve ever held. In particular, your keynote was rated highly, with respect to content, applicability and presentation, and was noted as being one of the best sessions that delegates attended.”
Veronica Feldcamp, Director of Communications, Credit Union Central of Canada

“Thank-you for the excellent job you did as our Keynote Speaker. We received very positive feedback including: “dynamic speaker”, “fantastic, very inspirational and humorous”, “very much enjoyed the keynote speaker”. Sue Lynes, Communications, Colleges of Applied Arts & Techn. Pension Plan

“Delegates loved your closing keynote and gave it rave reviews–rating it the highest of the event! Everyone left inspired and invigorated!” Kim McElroy, Director, Program Development, Institute for International Research

“Thank-you so much for your presentation at our recent Toronto Conference. Your evaluations were very positive and the scoring high!” Anne Valdo, Director, Special Projects, Meeting Professionals International (MPI)

“It was such a pleasure having you speak at our Promotions Canada Annual Conference. Audience comments included: ‘Nina has a wonderful real presentation style’; ‘Great presentation–lots of information that I will be able to apply to my expanding career’; ‘So motivating! Thank You Nina!’ ‘Very enthusiastic and energetic presenter. Lots of valuable information’.” Lise Bujold, Vice-President, Promotional Products Association of Canada (PPAC)

“Along with Jim Harris and Jim Clemmer, Nina Spencer spoke at our 2003 Staff Convention. Her presentation was very inspirational, providing time for participants to reflect on their personal and professional lives. All of this was done with professionalism, insight and humor on the part of Nina. A similar message was echoed in the feedback comments from staff. It was a pleasure to work with Nina. She came highly recommended and I am glad she was part of our day. She was very attentive to the audience, which made participants relax and open to new ideas. I found Nina’s eagerness and passion for her own job made working with her delightful.” Helen Engel Corporate Training, Credit Union Electronic Transaction Services/CUETS

“Thank-you for your involvement in our 4th annual Administrative Professionals’ Conference. This was our most successful year-to-date and we couldn’t have done it without you. Your contribution as Keynote Speaker was an essential part of the success of our conference. The feedback (about your presentation) from our delegates has been full of acclaim.” Kelly Thomas, Project Manager, Canadian Management Centre

“I attended the annual Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario conference in February and one of my favorite keynotes was your, “Looking Inward, Looking Outward, Looking Forward” presentation. It gave me a better understanding of myself and my role as a leader in my department.” Stacey Nash, Human Resources Supervisor, Eddie Bauer Inc.

“We did an extensive evaluation following the staff retreat. Your keynote presentation was considered excellent or good by 96% of them – that’s awesome!” Shannon MacDonald, V.P Communications, Easter Seal Society of Ontario

“Thank you for the great workshop. Your knowledge and enthusiasm will inspire many of us for the rest of our lives. I feel that I gained a lifetime of experiences in two short days. I learned to look at many issues with a much clearer perspective.” Dave Mainella, Buyer, Husky Injection Molding Systems

“Nina, you’re a ray of sunshine! What an amazing presence and spirit you have to share.” Wanda Dzierzbicki, Event Manager/President, WMD Consultants

“Thank-you for your workshop. We’ve had many, many positive comments about your presentation…it was a hit!” Peter Meyer, Associate Manager/Broker, Royal LePage Realty

“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

“Thanks again Nina for your closing motivational presentation, your energy and enthusiasm, and for just making our afternoon an awesome one!I have heard so many positive comments about (your keynote) just from this following morning. I am so glad that I found you!” Paula Douglas, Assistant to P&C Operations Manager, State Farm Insurance

“Thank you again for speaking at our retreat. Your message was perfect and timely. I have heard nothing but positive feedback! We would certainly book you again in the future.” Valerie Munro, Marketing Events Coordinator, Widex Canada Ltd.

“On behalf of the World Council of Credit Unions we sincerely thank-you for helping to make the 2007 World Credit Union Conference in Calgary a wonderful success. Many called the conference the ‘best ever and a world-class event’! As a speaker, you personally contributed to our ‘world-class event’ and we greatly appreciate your participation. You’ll be delighted to know that you were among the top ten presenters. Feedback about your (keynote) presentation included: ‘dynamic speaker’; ‘great session’; ‘I rarely give these (high) scores, but Nina keeps everyone’s attention, her slides are entertaining and informative/very positive’; ‘Nina is a very interesting speaker and keeps the crowd involved’; ‘excellent speaker, excellent ideas’; ‘I will take this information back with me to the Bahamas’; and, ‘she’s a keeper, you should book her for future conferences’.” Sue Sabatke Conference & Special Events Manager, World Council of Credit Unions Inc.

“We are delighted to have had your (keynote) participation at our Quality Assurance Institute Worldwide International IT Conference…attendees were very pleased and excited about their experience…99% felt (the presentation) had direct value for them and/or their organization and, in fact, over 91% indicated it met or exceeded their expectations. Comments included: Wonderful! Will recommend to management that we book her for our divisional meeting; refreshing, enthusiastic; excellent presentation…with value and integrity; great speaker, great presentation; fabulous speaker, great start to the day-will definitely buy her book!; great speaker, very motivating; very well done! tons of enthusiasm and passion displayed and a lot I will take away from this session!;it was worth the price of the whole conference just to hear you and get your book!” Thomas Ticknor, President, QAI Worldwide/Quality Assurance Institute Worldwide

“Thank you, Nina, for your passionate and dynamic presentation to our CA members and recruiters. Your presentation received high marks and your enthusiastic delivery and helpful responses to the questions resulted in a very successful event overall.” Janice Turner, Project Manager, Chartered Accountants of Canada

“Your Credit Union has recently changed leadership and with that comes a need for change, reworking ideas and values and focusing on new ones. With your professional and positive outlook during our one day workshop, we are now able to look within ourselves and find that we are not all “crusty crabbyolas”. In fact, we are finding that many of us were unknowingly frustrated and scared of change and are now able to embrace change in a different light. Thank you, Nina, for a wonderful day and for renewing our interest in our success! Thank-you, too, for a great day and a refreshed outlook!” Sandy Tuepah, CHRP Human Resources Training Manager, Your Credit Union

“I just returned from one week sitting on the beach in the DR. The break from work finally gave me time to read your book. It is excellent! Getting Passion Out of Your Profession: How to keep loving your living…come what may, is very positive, very action-oriented, contains great quotes, great pointers, is very nicely put together and is a very pleasant read. It is truly inspiring! I hope others are enjoying it as much as I did!” Trish Duff, Chief Information Officer, IT Architecture and Planning, Bell Aliant

“Nina, I was very, very pleased with the time and effort you put into developing your keynote address for our staff’s Health and Safety Week, taking the time to specifically relate to some challenging issues we have been dealing with pertaining to managing change. Immediately, upon entering the room and sitting down, I felt at ease with you. It was apparent to me the other people in the room felt the same way, too. Your delivery and message were exactly what I was looking for, presented with real sincerity, a sense of humor, yet still driving home all the key points that were required. You are so natural in helping your audience feel important, as well as at ease. Little things such as remembering people’s names are just so important. You are just so natural in front of a group of people, Nina, and delivered an excellent presentation for our control centre. I will be looking for other opportunities to use your services. My sincere thanks for a job very well done.” Sue Small, Director, High Performance Program, Bell Canada

“Thank-you, Nina, for so powerfully, passionately and positively presenting ideas and messages to our team on maximizing effective professional attitude, behaviour and communications. Your poignant words have prompted a significant and immediate change in our way of thinking–a true metamorphism has taken place!” Kim Malone, HR Workshop Facilitator/Consultant, Bell Canada

“I use many, many excerpts from your book, Getting Passion Out of Your Profession, in my monthly meetings, to inspire and motivate my team. My staff say these are the best meetings they’ve ever attended and they always come away having learned something new from your thought-provoking pearls of wisdom. I consider your book/Getting Passion Out of Your Profession, my “secret weapon” for being the best leader I can possibly be. It’s proving to be such tremendous value to us all here.” Judy Blenkensopp, Supervisor, Corporate Accounts Payable, Canada Bread (Maple Leaf Foods)

“Thanks to you, our event was a great success and the feedback from participants was very positive. You did a wonderful job of engaging our audience with exuberance and delight in your delivery. The content of your presentation was perfect for emphasizing the need for all of us to reach within, to be the BEST at who we are and really find the PASSION in everything we do! Your keynote was well worth the time and financial investment; a very positive experience!” Tara Roccatagliata, Regional Sales Manager, TD Canada Trust Broker Services

“Nina, we received wonderful feedback about your presentation. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all! Here is a sampling of the feedback: amazing speaker; I really enjoyed listening to her and loved how she involved the audience; What she said really made sense; She was great!; She was a lot of fun, which made the time go by quickly. I can’t wait to read her book; Quite the motivational speaker; She was very down to earth, but could get her point across; Her anecdotes were awesome; Offered very practical, hands-on advice in an intelligent and humorous manner. Very enjoyable; Inspiring; She was fabulous!, kept us listening; She was the best yet. Topic was perfect for our current corporate culture; Great message. Well presented. Fun to listen to; Fun very and motivational; Excellent speaker, relevant material; enthusiastic speaker and kept people involved; Wow, wow and then wow!” Nancy Yeldon, Conference Chair, Export Development Canada

“Nina, thank you again for a wonderful and inspiring day! I received nothing but positive feedback from our group about your facilitation. They really felt that you “got us” and everyone really took a lot home from the day. Our executive directors now feel re-energized and ready to face tomorrow, and each and every day from here on, thanks to the tools you shared to recreate that feeling we got when we first heard the words “You’re Hired!”. Barbara Berke, Executive Director, Beth Sholom Synagogue and Conference Chair, Synagogue and Temple Executive Directors/Administrators of Toronto (STAT)

“Nina is a natural mentor. Generous, positive and action-oriented, she has a rare gift for helping others to appreciate and refine their talents. Any interaction with Nina boosts my energy and sharpens my focus.” Rona Maynard, Former Editor-in-Chief, Chatelaine Magazine and Author of My Mother’s Daughter: A Memoir

“Meeting Nina at a seminar in the spring of 2009 was a highlight day for me. I soon realized we have much in common – passion for what we do and for those we love; an eagerness to share our knowledge and help others to reach their goals; and to mentor others just beginning their journey whether it be as an author or as a professional speaker. Nina’s best-selling book “Getting Passion Out of your Profession” is a must read for all who want to be the best they can be in all they do. This book is a very smooth and comfortable read and her sense of humor is a bonus. Nina reminds us that passion is a choice, change is everywhere and that it is possible to beat the Monday morning blues. Read the book!” Carol Ann Cole, Author, COLEMIND

“Nina has offered wonderful advice on a variety of career issues for stories I have done for The Globe and Mail over the years. I value her insights.” Wallace Immen, Business reporter, The Globe and Mail

“I have had the privilege of knowing, interacting and listening to Nina for more than a decade. I have always found her to be exceptionally energetic, deeply insightful, and entertainingly engaging both on stage and off. Nina is uproariously funny and incredibly human. Her keynotes are provocative and practical and she reminds me what it’s like to have passion for my profession.” Suzen Fromstein, APR, Owner, The Write Connections Inc.

“I truly enjoyed your keynote presentation last week (at the annual NENA/National Emergency Number Conference). You are a professional, easy-going and thought-provoking speaker, Nina. You made us laugh and helped us learn about ourselves in a fun and informative way. I was inspired!” Rene Kosi, Systems Business Analyst, Bell Canada | Business Systems & Technology

“Well, once again, you didn’t disappoint! Your presentation was exactly what I was expecting; your delivery was very engaging with humor in all the right places and great stories to support your message. My team fully and totally enjoyed the session and we all thank you very much! I will definitely keep you in mind, of course, for any future requirements. Thanks again Nina!” Nicole Mahoney Director, Human Resources, Trow (Engineering) Associates Inc.

“Nina, thank-you for your workshop presentation to our Customer Service employees. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the wisdom and all the stories you shared. You delivered your solid content with such elegance and your inspirational words were practical, humorous and felt authentic. Our group was truly energized after your visit and inspired to deliver excellence. It was a great experience!” John Galibert, Director, Customer Service, 407 ETR/Electronic Toll Road

“We extend our most sincere gratitude to you for your outstanding contribution to the success of our 2011 IIA Canadian National Conference. One of the conference organizing committee’s guiding principles was to engage thought-provoking, future-oriented speakers who would educate, enlighten and inspire our delegates. We believe we have discharged this obligation perfectly with our roster of speakers and we thank you for your stellar part in this achievement.” Serena Persaud, Sub-Committee Chair, IIA National Conference

“My association with Nina goes back at least 15 years. As a workshop facilitator Nina is extremely knowledgeable, professional and engaging. She knows how to get and keep the attention of audiences from a wide variety of industries and professions and easily displays her understanding of the unique characteristics of different businesses. It is with confidence that I booked Nina to present on a variety of professional development topics. On top of all this, Nina consistently demonstrates just the right degree of humor in her presentations, whether for intimate groups or large conference audiences. More recently, I’ve worked with Nina on at least one keynote engagement–this event was a huge success, with nothing but positive feedback about her message and contribution. Nina is a fine, seasoned workshop facilitator and conference keynote speaker who can motivate and inspire any group. She would do any organization proud.” Sandra Parker, Manager of Professional Development, Insurance Brokers Association of Canada

“Nina,, you hit a home run! We asked you to address accountability, teamwork and change management in 90 minutes and you delivered in spades and then some. Your enthusiasm, demeanour and the high quality of your material presented during our Professional Development Day was impressive, to say the least. As our opening keynote speaker, you set the stage for a full day of technical training related to the business of Private Investigations. Your positive attitude, sense of humor and in-depth knowledge set a positive tempo for the rest of our conference! And your BOOK!, given to all staff, has provided interesting insights, frameworks and tools allowing us all to grow and hopefully protect or put the passion back in our profession! A must read.” R.W. (Rob) Goodfellow, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Investigative Research Group

“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

“Thanks Nina for a great keynote. It was the perfect ending to a great day. I have already received great feedback from your session.” Margaret Pacheco, CA, CPA Associate Vice President, Wealth Management & Insurance Audit Group TD Bank Group

“In this ever-growing society of “stress,” thanks, Nina, for reminding us how to turn negatives into positives every day! Your keynote presentation was so inspiring! Feedback included: ‘Nina’s presentation was energetic and fast’; ‘That was great!’; ‘Nina was excellent!’; ‘Wow, uplifting and motivating!’; I encourage others to pick up your east-to-read book for an even deeper understanding of Getting Passion Out of your Profession. Thanks again for your inspiration!” Monica Bailey, Field Operations, Desjardins Financial Securities

“Nina Spencer is absolutely, without doubt, the best motivational, inspirational speaker I have ever encountered. Not only do I say that, but she has always received glowing reviews whenever she has presented both in Ottawa and here in Toronto for the IIA (Institute of Internal Auditors). I give her my highest recommendation and with her new adventure climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, and then writing her second book (on that topic, as it pertains to work), she has many fresh (keynote) insights to share.” Tony Stanco, Director, Risk – Internal Audit at PwC/PricewaterhouseCoopers

“Nina, thank you for making our experience with you unforgettable. Your professionalism shines through, from making the booking arrangements to your PowerPoint to your interactions before during and after the event. Our clients loved you and felt your presentation was inspiring, entertaining and positive. We hope that our paths will cross again soon!” Zahra Buchanan, Marketing Manager, Assante Wealth Management Ltd.

“Thank-you again for the truly motivational, inspirational keynote (at our autumn Mid-Atlantic Association of Court management/MAACM Conference)! It will be one to long-remember and carry with me both at work and personally. I have started reading “Kili” (A Time to Creep, A Time to Soar) and am thoroughly enjoying the book! Again, a confirmation of your ability to motivate and to inspire!!! I would truly be “honored” to have you include my words among your ‘Accolades,’ of which you are so deserving!” Maria Vogel, Jury Office, Jury Commissioner, Montgomery County, Maryland, USA

“Nina, thank-you so much for speaking at our Q1 Sales Meeting. Your passion for your work and your keynote presentation continued to be a topic of conversation at our social event afterwards. Very positive feedback, with a number of people coming up to us to specifically say how much they liked your message and style. Thanks for helping us kick off 2015!” Cathy Bisbee, LLB, CIP, CAIB, Industry Leader, Programs & Associations, Cowan Insurance Group

“Nina’s presentation on leadership lessons gleaned from kissing the side of a mountain (A Time to Creep, a Time to Soar) is excellent! Don’t let her enthusiastic upbeat style and gentle voice fool you. This is a woman who has pushed herself to the brink, challenged herself beyond her comfort zone and then used her unique talent for observing teachable moments to create some very memorable and entirely transferable leadership skills. The leadership lessons I learned from attending Nina’s address will stick with me for a very long time to come and the impact of Nina’s climb will be felt by the teams I lead to the next business summit! Thank-you Nina for sharing the ‘rests’ in your music.” Gabriella O’Rourke, Director, Marketing & Business Development, WeirFoulds LLP

“Thank-you again for speaking at our annual Regional Event. Your keynote message made for great listening and was truly empowering. Despite our playful ad lib tangent in the middle, you didn’t miss a beat. You’re quick on your feet, Nina! Thanks to your presentation I’ve been consciously watching my word choices ever since, to keep a better, more positive attitude with clients, family, my reps and even friends. All the best to you as you share your important messages and energy with other finance-focused professionals and beyond.” Jeff Gregory, BA CFP PFP CHS Certified Financial Planner/Branch Manager Desjardins Financial Securities Independent Network/DFSIN

“l LOVED your newest book, A Time to Creep, A Time to Soar! So very insightful. And I also loved the way you organized it through tales to tell, and then insights and lessons learned. Ingenious. Thank-you again for sharing with me. Use my feedback! I loved this book and am very happy to have everyone know it!” Paula Francescutti, Learning and Development Manager, Talent, D+H Financial Technologies

“Over the years I’ve read a handful of mountaineering books and all have gained their fame from tragedies. Into Thin Air, The Last Man on the Mountain, Denali’s Howl and the list goes on… Your book was a refreshing twist on the inspiration and life lessons that can be gained from experiencing a mountain climb. It was a wonderful boost just before I started my (Kilimanjaro) ascent.” John Ouzounis, Director, SMCT Corporation


What Educational Professionals are saying about Canadian Motivational Speaker, Nina Spencer…

“The customer is the only critic whose opinion matters at all.” — Mark Twain

A Sample List of Audience Reactions

“Re our annual conference survey – lots of positive feedback! Comments included: ‘The keynote and plenary speakers were amazing!’ ‘I came back from this conference feeling very inspired and motivated.’ ‘It was just what I needed!’ ‘I very much enjoyed this year’s conference–particularly, the keynote speakers, were fantastic!’ Keynotes/plenary speakers were amazing!’ ‘Really interesting and engaging speakers.'” Alina Toda, Executive Assistant, Ontario Association of School Business Officials/OASBO

“I finally read your [Kilimanjaro] book. I simply could not put it down! It’s really good! You write extremely well! Your ability to express your ideas is impressive. Your descriptions are not only rich, they are lyrical, and I love your sense of humor. Your story is informative, entertaining and, yes, at times even suspenseful!! The story you tell so exquisitely well will always be timely and never passe. Good for you! Congratulations Nina!” Professor, French Studies, University of Waterloo

“Feedback from our group included: she was wonderful; great presentation; Nina delivered a very interesting workshop and kept everyone interested; wonderful presentation, YAHOO!, marvelous morning!; dynamic presentation and very useful information; very positive, very helpful for our workplace, and humor was great; very helpful and inspirational in both my job and personal life; reminded me how satisfying my profession is; uplifting! So as you can see Nina, we all had a wonderful day. I personally would like to thank you for such a great presentation and your professionalism. You did not miss a beat which made my job easy. You made us laugh and helped us realize how important our profession is. I will certainly refer your name to my colleagues”. Shelley Shaw, Conference Chair, Limestone District School Board

“I have just reviewed the evaluations from staff who participated in our Academic Excellence and Innovation Day and wanted to share with you the resounding positive feedback about your closing keynote. People found you to be insightful, informative and of course…fun. Your commitment to applying your presentation to our culture was evidenced by the many examples and opportunities you used information from our printed material, or previous presentations that day. Thanks again for your part in inspiring this great Durham Team!” MaryLynn West-Moynes Vice-President,
Academic Excellence and Innovation Durham College

“Thank-you once again for the outstanding keynote address you gave last week at our CPMEA Symposium and AGM. People are still sharing accolades and compliments about you!” Margaret Miceli, Manager, Human Resources & Employee Relations, York University

“Wow! Nina, I can’t imagine how we could have finished on a better note than what you provided in your closing keynote address.” Phil O’Hara, Assistant Director, Dalhousie University

“Your keynote was fantastic! It was great to finally meet you in person, Nina, after all our teleconference calls preparing for the event. Everyone had a wonderful time and your presentation was superbly delivered, and even better received. I hope we get to book your services and work together again one day!” Francine Rowsell, Administrative Assistant to the Manager of Finance, Ottawa Catholic School Board

“Many thanks for your wonderful keynote at our annual Georgian Day all-staff appreciation event. Participants loved your visuals and shared lots of positive feedback, such as: ‘Nina was very uplifting and motivating; loved her message about resistance to change; very savvy and professional speaker’. Nina, you are a true friend of Georgian’s! Thanks again.” Kelly Duggan , Director of Organizational Planning & Development, Georgian College

“Nina models what she has written in her book “‘Getting Passion Out of Your Profession”. She is an extremely committed and creative individual who brings the best out in others. She is a gifted speaker with an ability to reach out to her entire audience. She is adaptable and can work with a variety of clients. Her humor is fabulous and her storytelling ability is compelling. She leaves her audiences with nuggets of wisdom that challenge, provoke and inspire. I highly recommend Nina Spencer.” Program Co-ordinator of Human Resources Studies and Professor at Georgian College

“Nina, thank-you very much for your engaging opening keynote at our annual Adult Education PD Conference. Feedback about your presentation was stellar! Here is a sample of the comments: ‘excellent choice in keynote speaker; very uplifting; awesome plenary; very relevant tips; fantastic, remarkable and inspirational; lively, interesting and dynamic presentation’. Bask in the well-deserved glory, Nina!!! Thanks again for being so easy to work with beforehand and on the day, and know I’d easily and enthusiastically recommend your keynote services to any district school board, or other education institution or association, looking for a thought-provoking and inspiring plenary speaker!” Eileen Paulsen, Program Consultant, Adult Education, Toronto Catholic District School Board

“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

“Thank-you so much for your passionate presentation to our staff. We have received a great deal of positive feedback and much interest in your book. It was a sincere pleasure working with you and hearing your insights on keeping our passion for work and life!” Robin Dafoe, Director, Corporate and Public Affairs, Education Quality and Accountability Office

“Nina: Just had to tell you that I was asked to lead a very important part of our introductory meeting last night with our teaching staff and I used your “Kili” book. I really want our staff to work as a team and so I used your elevator example of a group and a team, followed by a team activity. I summed up my portion with your quote by Alexander the Great, from Lesson 23 (page 147). Subsequent speakers, including my boss, came back to what I had said and reiterated it, so it became the theme of the meeting. Our teachers’ book club has embraced A Time to Creep, A Time to Soar: Lessons learned for work and life from climbing Kilimanjaro as our first read of the new season; so I told them that they might just come across that example again! Thanks so much for being such a great resource and if you want to incorporate this info into plenary sometime, please feel free.” Eileen Paulsen Program Consultant, Adult Education Program, Toronto Catholic District School Board

“It was a sincere privilege to have you share your inspirational and empowering message (keynote address) to HNMCS mothers and daughters at our annual Mother-Daughter Tea. No doubt your suggested strategies, tips and techniques helped generate optimism and propel rethinking. Today’s girls face increasing pressures in a constantly changing and uncertain world, and your message of embracing change with balance and resiliency helped inform a new perspective. Your message was refreshing. Thank-you for giving up a sunny Sunday afternoon to inspire our school community. May the Spirit continue to guide you and may all your good return back to you in abundance!” Marilena Tesoro, Head of School, Holy Name of Mary College School

“Once again, on behalf of the Board, thank you for your great keynote presentation at our annual October conference. As you see from the feedback, your were amazing! Here is a sample of what our members/conference attendees had to say: ‘fabulous speaker; she really held our interest; was very informative and entertaining; her topic was relevant; excellent choice of speaker; it’s always good to bring in motivational speakers; we can all use a “shot of energy” from time to time; a great speaker, a very pleasant and interesting lady; inspirational… always good to be reminded of the small things… and small changes in our lives can amount to big changes towards our goals; she was entertaining and kept us alert; very entertaining speaker.’ Lets stay in touch, Nina. I have already recommended you to TCET (The Centre for Education and Training) as well as TESL Ontario.” Alexander Harchenko, CSP, TESL, RCIC, TESL Ontario Chapter President

“I thoroughly enjoyed your keynote. You bring so much energy and enthusiasm to the platform–it’s contagious! I am definitely reminded of why we all work so hard thanks to your messages, and will make it through the home stretch of this school year armed with your inspirational words to cheer me on! I look forward to sitting down and reading your Getting Passion Out of Your Profession book this summer to get myself prepared and fresh for September!” Sara Pakosta, Health and Physical Education Teacher, Anderson CVI, Durham District School Board, Ontario

“Alberta loves Nina! She is an extremely passionate and dynamic speaker that captivates her audience. She is warm and inviting both on stage and in person, demonstrates the ability to motivate and coach others in the career development and human resources fields, and displays discretion and diplomacy with her colleagues and clients. If you want attention to detail, promptness and expertise in the field of career development–Nina Spencer is the lady for you. She was an absolute pleasure and a treat to have at our 15th Annual Alberta Career Development Consultation.” Tracey Campbell, Chair, 2009 BTT/Building Tomorrow Today Planning Committee, Career Development Association of Alberta (Career & Employment Consultant, Alberta Ministry of Employment and Immigration)


What the Canadian media has to say about Canadian Motivational Speaker, Nina Spencer

“Great meeting you in person! I really enjoyed your interview. Our Executive Producer was watching upstairs and said the same. Thank you very much!” Colin Ellis, Producer of The Agenda with Steve Paikin

“Nina is a natural mentor. Generous, positive and action-oriented, she has a rare gift for helping others to appreciate and refine their talents. Any interaction with Nina boosts my energy and sharpens my focus.” Rona Maynard, Former Editor-in-Chief, Chatelaine Magazine and Author of My Mother’s Daughter: A Memoir

“Nina… I just heard a portion of your interview in Jane’s newcast… IT WAS WONDERFUL!! It’s such a pleasure when you meet inspirational people, full of life and enthusiasm – and that’s you!! I can see why you’re so successful. Jane and I both enjoyed meeting you and are now your biggest supporters. Keep doing what you doing Nina! Eva D, Host – The Happy Gang Morning Show, The New AM740 Zoomer Radio

Click here to listen to Nina’s October 25, 2015 segment of Zoomer Week in Review (the second story in).


For the past ten months I have been lucky enough to have Nina Spencer visit my morning radion show every week for the Monday Motivational Moment. Leaning on Nina’s extensive background in keynote and motivational speaking, we crafted a five minute feature that would help us break down some of the barriers that prevent us from being motivated and getting the most out of our work, our play and our life. The feature could not have worked out any better. Nina is a consummate professional! Every week she was prepared with a topic, sometimes more than one, that was also tied into a personal story. This connection, joining real life moments with how they inspired her and could inspire others, created a strong personal attachment for our audience and for myself. Nina Spencer engages people on a personal level, delivers strong content and is able to converse effortlessly on a myriad of topics. It has been my pleasure to work with her on building the Monday Motivational Moment and I know that it’s a feature that would fit on any radio program. Mike Nabuurs, Program Director, 1150 CKOC / FUNNY 820, Bell Media Stations (August 12, 2015)

View Nina Spencer-CKOC Testimonial_ReferenceLetter

Listen to CKOC sample of Nina Spencer and her radio feature, “motivational moments.”


“Nina, I’ve been wanting to drop you a note all day to thank you for joining us this morning. You really are such a wonderful guest. Full value as we say! I’m glad you enjoyed yourself as much as we did. It’s great when we have a guest that we click with. Having you join us on a topic is such fun and I knew you would be right into it.” Carol Mott, The Motts Show on Bell Media’s CFRB Newstalk 1010 AM Radio August 30, 2015


“Thanks so much for joining us again, Nina. You are always such an inspiration and so much fun!” Carol Mott, The Motts Show on Bell Media’s CFRB Newstalk 1010 AM Radio January 6, 2018


“Nina has offered wonderful advice on a career issues stories I’ve done for The Globe over the years. I value her insights.” Wallace Immen, Business Reporter, The Globe and Mail


“Thanks again for your workshop presentation to our staff. It went very well, and got a great reception from the evaluations. There is interest in taking a look at this being applicable for further rollout… I gave you a glowing report.” Doug Broadfoot, Senior Director, Media Production Services Media, CBC Toronto

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