The LifeSpeak team has a wealth of experience working with many of Canada's leading corporations as well as a record of excellence and dedication. We are committed to working with our clients to understand the needs of their businesses and to ensure that our program meets those needs.

The Founders

Aimée Israel, LL.B - Chief Executive Officer
	Aimée graduated from the Faculty of Law from the University of Western Ontario in 1997 and returned to Toronto to practice corporate law at one of Canada's largest law firms. In 2000, Aimée had her first child and while on maternity leave co-founded a successful prenatal education and support network. After her maternity leave, Aimée joined Canada's largest confectionary company as corporate counsel on a part-time basis in order to maintain a balance between work and family life. In 2003, while on maternity leave again after the birth of her second child, Aimée felt that it was time to build upon her prenatal business experience and invest in identified growth opportunities leading to the creation of LifeSpeak. Since the launch of the business, Aimée has been profiled in numerous publications including The Globe and Mail, The National Post, and The Toronto Star and has been quoted on both CFRB annd CBC Radio. Aimee was also featured in “Get Real” written by Patricia Lovett Reid which features 26 Canadian women who share their secrets to authentic success. In 2008, Aimee was a nominee for the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award and in 2009 was named by Profit Magazine as one of Canada’s Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs. LifeSpeak was also nominated to Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures™ of 2009. In parenting her 3 children and leading a busy life with her husband in Toronto, Aimee applies the knowledge she has learned from experts at hundreds of LifeSpeak workshops. aimeeisrael@lifespeak.ca

Michael Held, LL.B., MBA – President
	After graduating with the gold medal from the combined LL.B. / MBA program at the University of Toronto in 1997, Michael practiced as a corporate lawyer at one of Canada's largest law firms in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and securities law. In 2001, Michael moved to one of North America’s leading strategy consulting firms where he earned a position on the Toronto management team. As a consultant, Michael provided advice to Canadian and global organizations with respect to developing business unit and corporate strategies, evaluating acquisition / merger opportunities, and enhancing strategic planning and organizational processes. Michael’s experience has included a significant focus on healthcare and he has worked on client engagements in a variety of other industries including consumer products, government (economic development), financial institutions, food services and natural resources. Michael and his wife live in Toronto have one son. michaelheld@lifespeak.ca

Claudine St-Jean, Senior Director , Western Region
	After graduating from McGill University with a degree in Finance and International Business, Claudine began her career in the financial department of a leading insurance company. In 1990, her love of nature brought her to Calgary where she became an Assistant-Controller for a large courier company. In 1995, she decided to make a career change and became a Business Consultant for an internationally renowned consulting firm. After her second daughter was born, Claudine continued consulting on an independent basis. In 2005, Claudine joined the LifeSpeak team as Program Director, Calgary and enjoyed this role for 3 years before being promoted to her current position. Over the years, Claudine has been involved at many levels with non-for-profit organizations. She is a humanitarian at heart. She has worked as a human rights observer in the jungles of Guatemala and participated in a four-month assignment in South Africa with her family, where she and her husband job shared an executive directorship role for the Society of Children of AIDS. Claudine lives in Calgary with her husband and two daughters. claudinestjean@lifespeak.ca

The Team

Lisa Adams, Toronto Director, Programming and Business Development
lisaadams@lifespeak.ca
Lisa graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto in 1991 and practised as a corporate lawyer at one of Canada's largest law firms.
In 1997, Lisa joined FedEx as corporate counsel where she advised the company on legal matters ranging from mergers and acquisitions to new product development. Although she enjoyed all aspects of her 15 year legal career, she most valued working as part of a team and fostering solid client relationships. After the birth of her second child in 2006, Lisa stayed at home for two years to care for her two young sons. Ready to return to work and focus on her passion for people matters, Lisa then joined LifeSpeak. Lisa lives in Toronto with her family.

Laurel Conley, Calgary Director, Programming and Speaker Management
laurelconley@lifespeak.ca
Laurel graduated in 1986 from NAIT. She worked for several years with Dow Chemical before moving to Calgary in 1994 when she began working in the Calgary Oil and Gas Marketing Sector. In 2001, she began her career in the Personal Development arena and gained valuable experience through the six years she spent organizing and managing seminars and workshops. Laurel has an enthusiasm and passion for bringing support and balance to families functioning in the busy world of work, life and family. Laurel currently lives in Redwood Meadows, Alberta with her two sons.

Anna Mittag – Montreal Director, Programming and Business Development
annamittag@lifespeak.ca
After graduating from the Faculty of Law at McGill University in 1996, Anna started practicing in the litigation department of a large Montreal law firm. In 2000, Anna joined Cirque du Soleil as legal counsel. After the birth of her first child in 2001, Anna decided to stay home to care for her young son full-time. Her second son was born in 2003, and Anna returned to work part-time in 2005 as the Montreal Program Director for LifeSpeak. Anna lives in Montreal with her family.

Dena Pollack – Toronto Director, Programming and Business Development
denapollack@lifespeak.ca
Dena received her MBA from University of Ottawa in 1997.  Dena brings with her years of experience having successfully originated, structured, negotiated and executed numerous partnerships with top tier organizations. After working with the Business Development Bank of Canada as an Account Manager in Montreal, Dena moved to Toronto in 1999 where she joined Yahoo! Canada as Business Development Manager. In 2004, she then joined ACCPAC as Senior Business Development Manager for their Simply Accounting small business group. Dena currently lives in Toronto with her husband and daughter

Heather Poliwoda – Toronto Director, Business Development
heatherpoliwoda@lifespeak.ca
Heather Poliwoda graduated from the University of Windsor with a B.A. in Sociology. Heather brings to LifeSpeak Inc. her experiences of eight years in the insurance industry. Heather joined the team while on maternity leave with her second child. Heather and her family live in Toronto.

Julia Uyeda, Vancouver Director, Programming & Business Development
juliauyeda@lifespeak.ca
After graduating with a Bachelors of Arts in International Relations at the University of British Columbia, Julia began her career in the airline industry eventually transferring to New York. Julia brings to LifeSpeak a background in business development, HR, sales & marketing and client relationship management. Through her work experience with organizations in the recruitment, tourism, corporate, and not for profit sectors Julia has fostered strong client relationships and implemented strategic sales and marketing programs both locally and internationally. Julia lives in Vancouver with her husband and daughter.

Janna Werry, Vancouver Director, Marketing Initiatives and Account Management
jannawerry@lifespeak.ca
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia in 1992, Janna pursued her dream of skirting corporate life by starting a walking tour company to operate during the summer in Vancouver and to escape the rainy winters by teaching SCUBA diving in the tropics. After one dive season in Australia, Janna missed her family and grew tired of getting into a clammy wetsuit. She returned to Vancouver where she promptly parlayed her service and business knowledge in to a job at a bank.  She then joined the tourism industry and worked promoting Vancouver to local and international media, acting as media spokesperson for many high-level city events and being part of the initial team that sought the Vancouver/ Whistler 2010 Winter Olympics. Janna has worked as a public relations consultant since 2000 and is the proud mom of three young children.