Deri's Blogs

Wake-up Your Brain
With These Posts

Deri’s blogs and video posts include emerging information, tools, tips, and strategies for living a positive, mentally-healthy life – at work and beyond!

7 Strategies for Resilient Leaders

Leaders require certain capabilities to be successful in today’s complex work environment. While the importance of ‘technical’ skills decreases as you rise within the organization, the importance of self- and social-awareness increases. Interestingly, research shows that the capacity for self- and social awareness declines as leaders rise within the organization. The difference seems to be…

ACT: A Mental Health Strategy for Overcoming Obstacles

Sometimes you are just rolling along and – WHAM! – you are broadsided by an unexpected obstacle. It might be a physical obstacle, such a being stuck in traffic. Or it might be another kind of obstacle, one that is more ‘internal’, an emotion or a way of thinking that is having a negative impact…

Feeling Unmotivated? Try These Tips to Get Re-Activated!

Last week, I had the honour of being interviewed on Jim Toth‘s show on GlobalNews CJOB 680 Radio. When setting it up, he said he wanted to talk about motivation; people are getting tired of ‘the longest winter ever’ and to top it off, our beloved hockey team, the Winnipeg Jets were not performing as…

Run Towards The Danger: Informing Your Relationship To Your Memories

Sarah Polley‘s recently released book is titled ‘Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory“.  One particular line stood out for me in the Winnipeg Free Press article and interview with Polley by Deborah Dundas: “In order for my brain to recover from a traumatic injury, I had to retrain it to strength…

Live and Let Live, A Short Love Story on Valentine’s Day

Reading Shelly Cook‘s article in the Winnipeg Free Press today reminded me about Randy Pausch‘s The Last Lecture. Pausch was facing his imminent death, and delivered a message filled with optimism and  hope – with a focus on living life. Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love. With all the divisiveness and conflict in…

Not Crazy, Just Human: Cut Yourself Some Slack during the Holidays

Over the next several months, we will be sharing some of the learning from “Not Crazy, Just Human: Moving Through Trauma to Healing”. This first excerpt is timely. The holidays can bring all sorts of joy and also all sorts of stress. Remember to be kind to yourself can help! Cut yourself some slack One…

Not Crazy, Just Human: Moving Through Trauma to Healing

Not Crazy, Just Human The book is out in in print (paperback and hard cover) and e-book at Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble online. And, the book is carried by McNally Robinson and Penny University Bookstore so far. Your local bookstore can order it in for you, when you give them the ISBN: Hardcover…

Returning to the Workplace: Tips for Positive Mental Health At Work

Positive mental health is a state of well-being, of flourishing, of resilience, and of positivity. It is a desirable state for human beings to be productive, to feel good, and to live a meaningful life. Sound interesting? You can begin to practice positive mental health by embedding a few simple practices into your every day…

Grandfather Teachings: Good For Us All

During a recent Indigenous Peoples Panel hosted by Suzanne F Stevens of the YouMeWe Social Impact Group, I first heard of the sacred Grandfather Teachings.  As one of the panelists briefly described them, I was struck by the common humanity implicit in all of them. These are teachings for us all. These are values that we…

What Clients Say...

“Deri, you are the best! Not a dull moment and the time went too fast!”
Linda Borbridge, Manager, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network
“I’m often asked to recommend a professional speaker who will captivate and motivate, and without hesitation Deri Latimer comes to mind. Deri has a reputation for a no-nonsense, energetic, synergistic approach. Her cutting-edge sessions are the perfect combination of science and inspiration and will have you moving into a new groove.”
Dr. Lewena Bayer, CEO, Civility Experts Inc.
“Deri is the personification of quality, style, and enthusiasm in her message. She delivered a message with our group that heightened their awareness and ability to share success. My hope is that you too will seek her out as a keynote, connector, and catalyst for change.”
Joseph Bork, Program Director, St. Mary’s University
“I am usually the type to sit in the crowd, quietly take it all in, and take notes, notes that end up in a binder, often never to be seen once I return to work. Deri was engaging, fun and as real as they get. I was so moved by her session that I shocked myself by approaching her after the session to chat. During the session I didn’t need to take notes because her concepts hit home and stuck with me. I have already taken her advice and acted on her tips and tools to be more positive. Her positivity is contagious and her message is one that everyone should take time to listen to.”
Amy Normal, VP, Corporate Services, Said Business School, University of Oxford
“I had the privilege of hearing Deri keynote at our conference. She captivates, motivates, and positively engages an audience with her unique combination of wisdom about neuroscience and positive behaviors that can be life changing when put into action. I would recommend her without any reservation for those seeking a speaker who can move an audience – from associates on a manufacturing floor to members of an executive leadership team – into action. Her takeaways are designed for positive impact. Prepare to laugh, to be curious, to be hungry for more time to listen to Deri.”
Vickie Maris, Host, Agile Digital Business
“Deri, your seminar truly resonated with our team. You took the time to learn about our roles, our challenges and opportunities and created an inspiring and motivating seminar just for us and made an impact with every person there. Having your book to use as a tool in our day-to-day has also been very valuable and has enhanced the results we got out of the time with you. We all hope that we will see you again at the next conference!”
Chantelle Arsenault, GBA, Great West Life Assurance Company of Canada
“It was an absolute pleasure to have Deri speak at our AGM. Deri brought an amazing level of passion and energy as she engaged our members with her talk on growth mindset. If you are looking for a speaker to connect with your audience, I would highly recommend that you reach out to Deri. Thank you, Deri – we were lucky to have you!”
Rob Chester, Director Information Security, Wawanesa Insurance
“A wonderfully authentic speaker with an infectious positive energy, Deri takes the crowd back to the roots of inspiration by sparking something within the humanity of the people in the room. Her fantastic sense of humor and knowledgeable way of integrating experiential learning opportunities into an inspirational message makes her a speaker not to miss!”
Ashley Collette, Social Work Officer, Canadian Armed Forces
“I forgot to take notes because I was taking it all in and feeling change take hold…”
Derek Rumboldt-Delouche, Director, Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada
“That was fantastic! That was the most energized I have ever felt leaving a conference!!”
Barb Spurway, Principal Consultant, Protegra
“I cannot exaggerate how positively our Forum delegates reacted to your presentation. You set the perfect tone for the entire conference and left a lasting impression on our delegates and CPA staff alike.”
Sarah Marshall, President, Canadian Physiotherapy Association
“You changed people.”
Michelle Kletke, Human Resources Manager, TNG, Jim Pattison Group