Theme: TEDxQueensU: Illuminate

The 15th TEDxQueensU Conference, themed "Illuminate," marks a milestone in our journey of inspiring change and connection. This year, we’re making significant strides in deepening ties with the Kingston community by partnering with local businesses and restaurants, bringing their unique flavors and offerings to attendees. Additionally, the Innovation Lab will feature some of the region’s most exciting organizations, showcasing groundbreaking ideas and fostering collaboration. Through these efforts, TEDxQueensU 2025 not only celebrates the legacy of impactful storytelling but also embraces its role as a bridge between Queen’s University and the vibrant Kingston community.

Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts
390 King St. W
Kingston, Ontario, K7L 2X4
Canada

Ahmad Jabbir

Ahmad Jabbir is an international keynote speaker who shares the power of creating your own mental fitness routine just like a physical fitness routine. With over a decade of experience in the world of mental fitness, Ahmad also led the marketing for Seek Discomfort, which is the clothing brand of Yes Theory, a YouTube channel with over 9 million subscribers. During his time there, he saw how people across 160+ countries pushed their mental limits, proving that strengthening the mind is just as important as training the body.

Brett McGonigal

Despite working as an engineer in Silicon Valley, Brett’s true passion lies in connecting with people from all walks of life (a skill he developed as a bartender). His greatest opportunities haven’t come from technical skills, but authentic relationships built on trust, respect and care. Outside the office, you can find Brett cheering on the Toronto Raptors, performing Interstellar on the piano, or maintaining his “absolute heater” of a Duolingo streak.

Geoffrey Lachapelle

Lachapelle has helped to develop and manage the Red Bull Gaming Hub at Toronto Metropolitan University, also helped establish the university as the first in the world to host multiple global esports finals. He has produced non-fiction media with CBC, Cineplex, VICE, The Documentary Channel, and more, notably co-producing the Canadian Screen Award-winning documentary The Artists.

Jesse Pound

Jesse is the co-founder of Vunatec, a Kenya-based social enterprise transforming subsistence farming into thriving agribusinesses through a digital marketplace and management platform. With a background in mechanical engineering and three years of experience working directly with farmers in Kenya, she has witnessed first-hand how a lack of coordination and support in smallholder farming communities leads to immense waste of Kenya’s rural food supply.

Kelsey Doerksen

Kelsey Doerksen is a PhD Candidate in Autonomous Intelligent Machines and Systems at the University of Oxford in the Oxford Applied and Theoretical Machine Learning Group. She is also a Data Scientist at UNICEF on the Climate and Environment Data Unit, where she is working on building UNICEF’s Children Climate Risk Index, and a Research Affiliate at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, working on the Scientific Understanding from Data Science Initiative.

Mike Kelly

Mike Kelly is the founder of We Mean Fitness, Inc., a company dedicated to empowering individuals to achieve lifelong fitness. With over 45 years of experience in the fitness industry, Mike, in addition to being a Queen’s University psychology graduate, has served as a Varsity Strength & Conditioning Coach, Personal Trainer, Expert Fitness Witness, Presenter, Course Creator & canfitpro PRO TRAINER (training & certifying fitness professionals). Passionate about helping people move better and stay consistent, Mike is driven by a mission to make fitness sustainable for all.

Sarah Khan

Sarah Khan is a leadership strategist and advocate for unapologetic self-definition. With a sharp lens on identity, power, and resilience, she challenges narratives that keep high-achieving women confined to expectation. Through bold storytelling and direct insight, she empowers audiences to break free from prescribed roles, reclaim their full presence, and lead with uncompromising authenticity.

Stefan Thomas

Student Success & Retention Coach

Stefan Thomas is an international youth keynote speaker, best-selling children’s book author, and Founder of Success Waves, a company that helps students overcome barriers to academic success and gain clarity around their career paths. From dropping out of business school to becoming an Academic Advisor – EDI at the University of Toronto, Stefan empowers students to build resilience, find purpose, and keep riding their wave toward success.

Victoria Gracie

Victoria Gracie is a research trainee at the Brain, Body, and Perception lab, a clinical neuroscience laboratory in CAMH and Temerty Faculty of Medicine. Outside of academia, Gracie is a fashion model and a Miss Canada top 8 finalist, expanding her work in body image to the fashion industry. Her story of becoming a changemaker has been showcased on national television and in publications internationally.