Speaking

Hire Kimberley to Speak

Notable Speaking Engagements

Upcoming Keynotes

Keynote - Soul Full Camp - March 2, 2024

Keynote - Literacy Network of Durham Region - June 23, 2023

Fireside Chat - Canadian Women in Cybersecurity Conference - May 30, 2023

Take Your Power Back Show  - St. Francis Centre, Ajax - February 18, 2023

Keynote - Fundraising for Freedom - SafeHope Home - January 28, 2023

Take Your Power Back Show - Toronto Public Library - December 16, 2022

Keynote - Town of Whitby - September 28, 2022

Take Your Power Back Show - Flato Markham Theatre - September 23, 2022

Keynote - Victim Services of Durham - September 14, 2022

Keynote - Ontario Brain Injury Association of Peel & Halton - June 29, 2022

Kimberley & Rob - Whitby Chamber of Commerce Mental Health Luncheon - April 13, 2022

Keynote - Durham Family Court Clinic - March 30, 2022

Keynote - Administrative Professionals Conference - September 28, 2021

Topics

Resilience & Violence Against Women

Few women contact the police when they are victims of sexual assault or violence. Often, women feel they won’t be believed or they will be blamed. When sexual or physical violence is reported, they are subject to a lengthy and demoralizing legal process with no guarantees of a favourable outcome. Furthermore, women from patriarchal communities and religions have historically been marginalized and relegated to positions of submission to men’s authority. Even in Western cultures, there exists leniency towards male perpetrators as evidenced by sentencing outcomes and continued acts of violence.


What is it like to be on the receiving end of gender-based violence? What is it like to navigate the criminal justice system, realizing you are simply a name on a docket with no access to the details about the attacker? How do you move forward knowing you’ll be dragged back into the past to be revictimized when the justice system is ready for you? And how can we help those who are unlucky enough to endure the physical and emotional consequences of this experience?


During this talk, Kimberley will share her experience of surviving a sexual assualt, a life-altering beating resulting in traumatic brain injury, and an attempted murder amidst the pandemic. Reflecting on what contributed to her resilience, Kimberley will compare the things that hurt her with those that helped her. She will discuss topics such as social pain, social support, victim-blaming, self-compassion, and the value of reframing your thinking and being future-focused. She will also explore the vicarious and secondary trauma experienced by her caregivers. Participants will take away the lessons learned and the strategies used to cope with a traumatic experience; strategies transferable to others who may be navigating life’s challenges.


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Resilience & Education

Making the decision to return to school as an adult takes courage. You may be forced to step outside of your comfort zone and revisit past negative experiences. You may anticipate the challenges of balancing your studies with managing your family and job responsibilities. Finding the self-confidence to take on these challenges is the first step towards realizing you are full of potential and have a lot to offer. 


During this talk, Kimberley will share how she navigated her way through her relationship with school from being a high school dropout to a mature student and share both the challenges faced and the lessons learned while working towards completing a post-secondary education. She will explore the different impediments to education such as a family breakdown, a move to a new city, low academic achievement of parents, and religious resistance.


Kimberley will share stories of resilience through her experience of domestic abuse while completing her undergraduate degree, and being the victim of a sexual assault and attempted murder while completing her master's degree, and how her lived experiences resulted in her pursuing doctoral studies. She will demonstrate how obstacles in life may slow you down, but they don’t have to stop you from accomplishing your goals. Kimberley will also examine the extraneous benefits of the school experience such as newfound friendships, an expanded worldview, and the self-confidence gained from perseverance, commitment, and a positive attitude.


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Resilience & Religious Trauma

How do you handle rejection? Do you brush it off or does the fear of rejection hold you back from taking chances? We’ve all been rejected by romantic interests, potential employers, or social groups, but what if you were rejected by your family? What if your own parents rejected your very existence and ostracized you for leaving the religion of your upbringing? 


In our communities, there are different cultures and subcultures. Many within these cultures are impacted by isms: racism, sexism, ableism, classism, heterosexism, etc,. Learning to negotiate rejection and bullying behaviours is an ongoing challenge that has resulted in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within governments, businesses, and educational institutions. But what if some institutions don’t adhere to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives? What if some organizations abide by their own set of cultural rules - rules that enforce conditional love of family members dependent on their adherence to religious indoctrination? 


During this talk, Kimberley will share her experience of overcoming religious trauma and the ostracism of her family; factors that are at the foundation of her doctoral research. Recognizing and explaining the role of social pain in our experience of rejection and devising a social pain action plan will be explored. Kimberley will discuss how to be solution-oriented by employing resiliency strategies and expressive therapy techniques.


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