CEO, people manager or part-time employee, you are the boss of your own well-being.

Join us for a candid conversation about work and wellbeing. Our expert panel will bring a diverse set of perspectives and experiences to a conversation about mental health.

From setbacks and challenges, to breakthroughs and mental hacks – this conversation will explore the realities of wellness in a new working world.

The Panel:

Jeff Adamson, Co-Founder and Chief Merchant Officer at Neo Financial

Jeff Adamson is co-founder and Chief Merchant Officer at Neo Financial, a technology company that is disrupting Canada’s finance oligopoly for the first time in over 20 years. Jeff’s background runs deep in entrepreneurship and knows first hand the challenges of building a business. Previous to Neo Financial, Jeff co-founded SkipTheDishes — Canada’s leading food ordering and delivery platform, which grew to over 3500 employees and 6 million customers. In building Skip, Jeff worked with thousands of business owners from a small local cafe to large multinational corporations, in finding new opportunities for growth.

Now, as Co-founder and Chief Merchant Officer of Neo Financial, Jeff and his team help businesses grow by enabling them to share in the upside of financial technology.

Bobbie Racette, Founder and CEO of Virtual Gurus

Bobbie Racette is the Founder and CEO of Virtual Gurus, a talent marketplace that leverages proprietary technology to match organizations and entrepreneurs with highly skilled Canadian and American fractional administrative workers. Forbes recently announced Virtual Gurus as one of the top 19 Innovative Tech Startups to watch.

Bobbie is on a mission to create employment opportunities for underrepresented individuals, setting a mandate within her own company that 95% of her workers will identify as female, 65% a part of the BIPOC community, and 45% part of the LGBTQ+ community.

An unstoppable force in the Canadian startup community, Bobbie acts as a mentor for eCommerce North and serves on the Board of the Telus Friendly Future Foundation, helping to build brighter futures for at-risk youth through the power of technology. She’s also a member of The51’s Community Council and Calgary’s CORE Working Group, ensuring the voices of underrepresented folx are included at both local and national levels.

Named as one of 50 Changemakers for 2021 by Report on Business magazine, Bobbie was also recently honoured by Startup Canada as Indigenous Entrepreneur and Woman Entrepreneur of the Year. Bobbie is a Cree-Metis woman who prides herself on building an inclusivity-first company, championing indigenous people and the LGBTQ+ community.

Jessica Valenzuela Gangoso, Founder of Vela Retail Advisors

Jessica specializes in growing brands via real estate expansion and whitespace opportunities. She has a passion for helping purpose-driven brands set sail, which led her to create Vela. Her career has spanned land development, acquisitions, as well as leading the real estate expansions for major retail brands.

Most recently, Jessica became an investor and partner for Kozm, a sustainable activewear company whose mission is to bring the circular economy to streetwear. A believer in constellation thinking, collaboration and conscious collective, Jessica continues to grow an expansive network to provide a truly customized service for her clients – from start-up to large corporations.

Jessica is also co-founder of Sea and Soil Collective, a non-profit organization bringing access to nature and organic food to underinvested communities. Her personal mission is to be the bridge between corporations and intersectional environmentalism and be at the forefront of regenerative business.

The Moderators:

Marlon Thompson, Founder + CEO, Future Capital

Marlon Thompson is an angel investor, startup founder and experienced advocate for diversity in business. He has spent the past 4 years creating pathways to success for underrepresented leaders in the startup ecosystem. He has developed and led diversity initiatives that support founders and investors for the likes of Hootsuite Media, and Highline Beta. He also serves on the Advisory Council for Diversity at lululemon. Thompson founded Future Capital in 2020 to change the landscape of startup investing across North America.

Jian Pablico, Director, IDEA Partnering – Brand & Product at lululemon

As the Director, IDEA Partnering – Brand & Product at lululemon Jian is responsible for creating, managing and driving global/local strategy through a range of diversity and inclusion activities and programs. Jian is a key point of contact with teams and leaders across the business, partnering to educate, advise, guide and champion behaviours that support Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Action (IDEA).

Tickets are free of charge + space is limited.

About Future Capital:

Future Capital is focused on developing a new, more diverse cohort of startup investors at the angel, syndicate and LP level.

Learn more: https://www.futurecapital.ca

About lululemon:

lululemon is a healthy lifestyle inspired athletic apparel company for yoga, running, training, and most other sweaty pursuits, creating transformational products and experiences which enable people to live a life they love.

Setting the bar in technical fabrics and functional designs, lululemon works with yogis and athletes in local communities for continuous research and product feedback.

Learn more: https://shop.lululemon.com