Speakers 2025 | TEDxArgyle St

Meet the 2025 Speakers

Danella Calina

Talk: Brain and Heart: The Myth About Science and Art

About the speaker: Danella Calina is a neuroscience student, performer, and multidisciplinary creator who challenges the idea that science and artistic self-expression must be separate.

Through her social media platform, @princess.danella, she encourages others to embrace their inner royalty and express themselves boldly through fashion. By romanticizing academia in pink, Danella blends science, fashion, and femininity to break down stereotypes about women in STEM fields.

As the founder of the STEM-Arts Fusion Society at Dalhousie University, she advocates for creativity, duality, and interdisciplinary innovation. Whether in the lab, onstage, or online, Danella inspires others to redefine what success looks like.

Tyler Hayden

Talk: Building Strength from Adversity

About the speaker: Tyler Hayden, CSP, Hall of Fame Speaker, is a Canadian internationally respected team builder, author, and business speaker since 1996. Known for his powerful and engaging style, Tyler inspires teams, innovates management techniques, and energizes workplace culture.

With a unique blend of insight and humor, Tyler empowers audiences and teams to succeed and perform at their best every day. He is the bestselling author of over twenty-five books and the creative force behind hundreds of dynamic team-building products at Team Building School.

Serena Haines

Talk: Pleasure is Power

About the speaker: Serena Haines is an International Sex Coach, Certified Sexologist, and host of the Intimacy Unlocked podcast. With nearly a decade of experience, she guides people to move beyond shame and embrace pleasure, connection, and authentic intimacy.

Trained in psychology, somatic sex education, and clinical sexology, Serena believes sexual energy is life energy—meant to be expressed, not suppressed. Her work uniquely blends science with compassion, and play with purpose.

On the TEDx stage, Serena invites audiences to view sexual wellness not as taboo, but as a vital path to healing, joy, and wholeness—reminding us that pleasure is not a luxury, but an essential part of being human.

Amber Uhler

Talk: Shedding Limits: Letting Go of What Others Think

About the speaker: Amber Uhler is Mrs. Universe USA 2025, a TEDx speaker, and a passionate advocate for resilience, women’s empowerment, and drowning prevention. After a life-changing wake-up call in 2021, Amber lost 160 pounds, transformed her mindset, and committed herself to helping others break free from the limits holding them back.

She played a pivotal role in passing Florida legislation to provide free swim lessons for children under five and has made over 150 public appearances promoting confidence, purpose, and community action.

In her TEDx talk, “Shedding Limits,” Amber inspires audiences to rewrite the stories they tell themselves and take bold steps toward the lives they truly want. This October, she will proudly represent the United States at the Mrs. Universe pageant in Manila, Philippines.

Dr. Denise Daley

Talk: Building a Thriving Workforce: Investing in Sustainable Wellness

About the speaker: Dr. Denise Daley is a Pharmacognosist, Wellness Consultant & Advocate with over 15 years in research and academia. She holds degrees in Biotechnology, Nutrition, Botany, as well as a PhD Biochemistry, with a research focus on diabetes and hypertension.

An award-winning innovator and educator, Dr. Daley has been recognized as Young Scientist of the Year, Graduate Scholar and the recipient of a Health & Wellness Innovation Award and the University President Award for Research & Innovation.

Through talks that blend data with heart, she inspires action across health, environment, and education bridging science, nature, and entrepreneurship to design science-validated wellness ecosystems. Dr. Daley empowers individuals and organizations to improve health and productivity through sustainable evidence-based solutions.

Matt Thomson

Talk: Find Your Orchard- Slowing Down to Hear What Matters Most

About the speaker: Matt has been described as a blend of Ted Lasso, Robert Munsch, Michael Scott, and Fred Penner - equal parts heart, humour, and humanity.

A father, husband, leader, and author, he co-founded Placemaking 4G to help organizations rethink how they hire and support their people. He speaks openly about mental health and the messy, meaningful work of leadership.

A Mount Allison graduate and former football player, Matt helped launch a student-athlete mental health initiative. He’s also a proud alum of the Wallace McCain Institute’s Entrepreneurial Leaders Program and leads with curiosity, care, and intention—creating spaces where people feel seen, valued, and heard.

Tash Jefferies

Talk: Can AI replace people and technology companies?

About the speaker: Tash Jefferies is a 4-time founder, global startup advisor, TEDx speaker, and best-selling author.

A Resident Mentor with 500 Global and Anchor Mentor with a16z, she has coached 1200+ startups across MENA, Asia, Europe, and North America. With a background in biology, sales, and consulting, she helps companies unlock product-market fit and build scalable growth engines.

Named one of the “33 Badass Black Womxn in Silicon Valley,” her mission is to empower diverse founders to thrive and lead boldly.

Max Medyk

Talk: How AI Can Bridge the Gap Between the Rich and the Poor

About the speaker: Max Medyk is an AI innovator and cross-media influencer with over 400,000 followers, known for delivering reliable, source-based information through tech and media.

As the founder of ImmigrateAI Global, he built one of Canada’s first AI platforms for legal help, used by thousands of immigrants. Max collaborates directly with decision-makers at all levels of government to ensure accurate information reaches the public.

His work has been featured by Global News and recognized by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada.

Mica Daurie

Title: The Realities of Being Trans in Canada’s Most Gender-Diverse Province

About the speaker: Mica Daurie is a 2SLGBTQIA+ community advocate and thought leader with years of experience in spaces like government public service, before turning to a career in grassroots advocacy.

Mica is a radical forward thinker who has brought difficult and thought-provoking conversations to every space she's been in. Her work is approached from her lived experience as a queer transgender woman raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Mica serves on the Board of Executives for the Local Council of Women Halifax, as well as serving as the Vice President of Health, Housing and Social Development for the National Council of Women Canada

Colin Mitchell

Talk: Beyond the Ivy: How American Billionaires Almost Ruined Education in Nova Scotia

About the speaker: Colin Mitchell is a proud Nova Scotian, natural storyteller, and shameless idealist. He is passionate about making government work better for people, with experience in politics and policy at all levels across Canada.

Colin connects people and their ideas by helping them shape and share their stories. He is a historian, public servant, tour guide, experienced TEDx speaker, and is currently writing a book on the rich and complex history of Acadia University. Colin holds a Master of Philosophy in International Relations and Politics from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Politics from Acadia University.

Dr. Ashley Margeson, ND

Talk: Why Wellness Has Nothing to Do with Willpower

About the speaker: Dr. Ashley Margeson, ND is a recovering perfectionist who’s redefining what it means to be well in a world that rarely slows down. As a clinician, speaker, and wellness advocate, she bridges the gap between performance and burnout — helping people protect their energy while holding onto what matters most.

She hosts The Superwoman Code, is COO of Cornerstone Naturopathic, and has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, and The Globe and Mail, making her a trusted voice for high-achievers seeking energy that’s sustainable. Her message is simple: wellness isn’t a finish line. It’s the scaffolding that makes everything else possible.

Damini Awoyiga

Talk: The girl who harnessed the wind (Poetry)

About the speaker: Damini Awoyiga is a high school student and dynamic young leader passionate about activism, art, and creative expression. A spoken word poet and former Youth Poet Laureate of Halifax (2023–2024), she uses her voice to inspire change.

Damini is the founder of Damini Creatives
and the Afro-Indigenous Book Club, promoting works by Black and Indigenous authors. She is
also a freelance journalist for CBC Mainstreet and serves on the HRM Youth Advisory
Committee.

Her recent works include Through Our Eyes and Melanin in Motion, powerful performances blending poetry, music, and dance. Damini also loves to write, sing, and create.

Olesya Shyvikova

Talk: The Power of Ripples: Who If Not Us

About the speaker: Olesya Shyvikova is a Ukrainian-Canadian journalist, filmmaker and social entrepreneur. A former war reporter turned humanitarian, she has directed award- winning documentaries and launched initiatives supporting veterans, children and elderly in conflict zones.

Olesya is the CEO of a tech startup developing life-saving AI solutions, and the founder of Chiron, a trauma recovery center for Ukrainian veterans in
Nova Scotia. Her work brings together storytelling, innovation, and compassion to create impact where it's needed most.

Morgan Englund

Talk: The epidemic of first responder suicide and what to do about it

About the speaker: Morgan Englund is a former actor best known as Dylan Lewis on CBS’s Guiding Light, who spent two decades as a firefighter/paramedic with the Los Angeles City Fire Department. After walking away from that career burned out and disillusioned, he now speaks and writes about mental health, trauma, and healing—especially within the first responder community.

A single father who raised two kids on his own, Morgan blends lived experience with tools like sound therapy, vagus nerve regulation, and inner child work. His message is rooted in integrity, vulnerability, and a deep belief: healing ourselves is how we help heal the world.

Missy Searl

Talk: Mosaic Mind – Embracing Our Intersections

About the speaker: Missy Searl wears many hats — Executive Director of Period Equity Alliance, Provincial Coordinator of NSANSF, business consultant, and all-around community cheerleader. She’s powered by passion, purpose, and a love for helping people thrive. With a flair for adult education, DEIA design, and global training, Missy’s career has taken her from local boardrooms to international classrooms. She’s served with CEED, Oceanview, AWENS, and more — always with heart. When she’s not leading change, she’s cheering on her sons and grandkids, loving life with husband Stuart (37 years strong!), or dreaming up her next bold idea. Missy lives to uplift and inspire.

Don E. P. Jones

The Architecture of Human Potential:Why Are We Squandering the Most Advanced Resource in the Known Universe—Ourselves?

From Halifax’s basketball courts to global leadership labs, Don Jones has spent his life unlocking human potential. He’s worked with Olympic teams, founded a leadership development firm, and guided 40,000 leaders from 70 countries through immersive, story-driven simulated worlds.

Called “one of the best simulation designers in the world today,” his company was a finalist for Fast Company’s Global Innovation Award alongside Meta and UNICEF. Don believes the greatest untapped resource on Earth is human potential—and the greatest tragedy is its waste. His mission is to change how the world understands, discovers, and develops our deep, often hidden capacity.

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