As current news reports are constantly reminding us, our journey with COVID-19 is far from over.

Many of us are likely tired of living through a major historical event and continally unprecedented (modern) times. The urge to get back to "normal" is strong, even though we don't know what that will mean for us going forward, or when it will happen.

Jonathan is the CEO of TECTERRA Inc., a non-profit that provides funding and support to companies who develop innovative geospatial technologies. Jon oversees a small and dynamic team that provides their clients with the opportunity to commercialize their products faster than they could have on their own.

Dr. Rupinder Toor is a medical doctor who is passionate about women’s health and believes that empowering women through reproductive health is the key to building strong families and communities. She has proven to be a champion, innovator and thought leader in the areas of women’s health, birth control, intrauterine devices (IUDs), and culturally appropriate health care and has successfully redefined women’s health as a primary care speciality.

Anila is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Newcomers, and has 25 years of experience in the settlement sector. During her tenure as CEO, she has spearheaded programming to include volunteer-led refugee supports; indigenous integration for newcomers; LGBTQ+ supports, domestic violence, homeless and mental health support services and broadened vulnerable youth programming and social venture opportunities.

Dr. Ryan Todd is a psychiatrist at Foothills Hospital in Calgary, Alberta, where he has seen and treated thousands of individuals who have a mental illness as a result of trauma, medical or surgical illness.

Dr. Todd believes mental wellness can be learned and practiced by everyone, and that technology is a vital resource in helping bridge the gap between demand and mental healthcare today. This belief fuelled his desire to start headversity, a mental wellness tech company where he acts as CEO. Through headversity, Dr. Todd envisions building a culture of mental wellness in the Canadian workforce through mobile, micro, and measurable training.

What else do you do after you've been a world traveller (including working as a carnie and on a cattle station in Australia), ran for city council at age 20, and completed an engineering degree? Move to Canada and start over 75,000 conversations that matter, of course!

We first saw glimpses of Jan's skills with deep conversations at TEDFest in 2018, when his Ask Deep Questions cards were being used to spark new ideas and deep conversation across TEDx organizers from around the world. Right then, we knew he was someone we wanted as part of our ENGAGE: with Ideas series, which is all about making new and deeper connections across our participants. Jan is a connection coach based in Toronto, a video creator, and a passionate entrepreneur.