Jennifer Ménard-Shand

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

• Moving Reconciliation Forward

  Reconciliation isn’t a checkbox — it’s a call to the heart. In this powerful and deeply personal keynote, Jennifer Ménard-Shand shares her lived experience as a First Nations Ojibwe and French-Canadian woman who has journeyed through trauma, resilience, and ultimately, forgiveness.

  Rooted in storytelling, Ménard-Shand weaves together the threads of her life and the transformative power of entrepreneurship and philanthropy, revealing how these can be tools not only for economic empowerment but for personal and collective healing. She speaks from a place of love and compassion with a focus on forgiveness and challenging audiences to confront uncomfortable truths, without shame or blame.

  This powerful keynote underscores a critical message: we must understand and honour our history — not to dwell in the past, but to ensure we never repeat it. Reconciliation begins with truth, empathy, and the courage to listen. From there, real change becomes possible.

  Through sharing her story, Ménard-Shand offers a practical and uplifting path forward, illustrating how individuals, organizations, and communities can use their unique gifts to build bridges, break harmful cycles, and participate meaningfully in the reconciliation journey. This is a talk for anyone ready to move from performative gestures to purposeful action — grounded in dignity, shared humanity, and the belief that healing is possible when we lead with heart.

• Wellness, Leadership, and AI: The Modern Business System

  How to integrate wellness and servant leadership (supported by the smart use of AI) to drive ROI and culture transformation. 

  In today’s fast-paced, tech-enabled world, burnout is high — but so is potential. In this energizing keynote, Jennifer Ménard-Shand shares how forward-thinking leaders can build modern organizations that prioritize people, embrace innovation, and stay ahead of disruption.

  At her company, Staff Shop, Ménard-Shand and her team have adopted cutting-edge tools, secured strategic grants, and continually evolved their practices to stay ahead of how AI should be used ethically and effectively in business. The message is clear: if we don’t adapt, we’ll be left in the dust. But here’s the key — wellness must come first, and AI should never replace the human touch. It’s a tool to free up time, so we can focus on what matters most: our unique abilities.

  At the heart of a successful modern business is servant leadership. At Staff Shop, leadership is not about authority — it’s about service: upward to our purpose and outward to our people. It’s about cultivating a culture where every individual is valued, empowered, and lifted to their highest level of contribution. People don’t work for leaders — leaders exist to serve them. That’s how Staff Shop continues to be a leadership factory.

  This talk offers a framework for integrating emotional intelligence, holistic wellness strategies, and ethical AI to drive not just retention and performance but purpose, trust, and long-term ROI. A must-hear for leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers who want to lead in a way that’s not just sustainable but transformative. Because when you lead with heart and innovate with purpose, your people don’t just survive — they soar.

• The Power of Community: Shifting the DEI Narrative to Heal, Serve, and Grow — Together

  Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has lost its way. What was meant to unify and uplift has, in many spaces, become confusing, polarizing, performative — and often ineffective. But at its core, DEI was never meant to be about quotas, corporate jargon, or political agendas. It was always about restoring balance, removing systemic barriers, and ensuring everyone — especially those historically excluded — has a real opportunity to compete on merit.

  In this honest and inspiring keynote, Jennifer Ménard-Shand reframes DEI through a powerful lens: community. As the founder of a certified Indigenous and Women-owned business, she draws on her lived experience as both a diverse supplier and a corporate partner to strip DEI back to its roots: dignity, fairness, economic inclusion, and shared humanity.

  This talk is an invitation to return to the heart of inclusion: to acknowledge history without staying stuck in it, to remove barriers without losing sight of merit, and to grow together — not through division or guilt, but through truth, respect, and shared purpose. This message is for procurement teams, corporate leaders, community builders, and policymakers who want to do DEI right, not out of obligation but out of conviction.

• Entrepreneurship: The Heartbeat of Canada's Economy

  Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy — driving job creation, innovation, and social progress. And Jennifer Ménard-Shand is living proof of what’s possible.

  From surviving childhood adversity to building multimillion-dollar ventures, her journey embodies the grit, vision, and resilience it takes to thrive as a business owner in today’s evolving landscape. This keynote is both a celebration of entrepreneurs and small business owners as well as a call to action to recognize them as vital to our national identity and economic health.

  Ménard-Shand will explore what it really takes to launch, lead, and sustain a business in an uncertain world — especially as a woman and Indigenous entrepreneur navigating systems not built for her success. She also delivers a compelling case for why we must invest in, protect, and promote Canadian entrepreneurship so we stop losing our brightest creators and innovators to other countries.

  Attendees will leave this talk not only inspired but equipped with real insight into how supporting small and diverse businesses strengthens Canada from the inside out.

• Purpose-Driven Partnerships: How to Deliver Transformative Business Outcomes

  Behind every visionary is a strategist who turns dreams into reality — and when these roles are rooted in mutual respect, shared values, and complementary strengths, the results can be exponential.

  In this insightful and uplifting keynote, Jennifer Ménard-Shand unpacks the power of purpose-driven partnerships through the lens of “Walt and Roy Disney” dynamics: where big ideas meet focused execution. Drawing from her own lived experience building companies alongside her trusted business partner, Alison Hernández, Ménard-Shand reveals how their alignment in values and common goals is the foundation to unlocking 10x growth. Inspired by the principles in outlined in the bestselling book, 10x is Easier than 2x, she explains that exponential results aren’t possible without radical focus, trust, and a shared mission. Their success is proof that when the right people come together for the right reasons, momentum multiplies.

  Delivered with heart, humility, and humour, this talk is perfect for entrepreneurs, leaders, and visionaries seeking to achieve more by going deeper, not just faster. Because in the end, no one makes it alone — and we are always stronger together. When opportunities knock, the right partnership ensures you don’t just answer… you rise.