Unsinkable community

Unsinkable is backed by an energetic and enthusiastic group of advisors, volunteers and other community members. Together with the Board of Directors, they support Unsinkable’s mission to educate, empower and support people on their mental health journey

Lindsey Thomson

  • Lindsey is a Registered Psychotherapist, Educator, Clinical Supervisor and Advocate. She is passionate about all things mental health, which is demonstrated by her range of experience. She owns and runs a business providing psychotherapy focused on women’s issues and also supports novice psychotherapists to grow their skills through supervision. Lindsey is also a furmom to a rescue pup and loves everything Formula 1.

    As a Registered Psychotherapist and  someone who has struggled with my own mental health for many years, I believe in the power of speaking out and speaking up. One of the best things we can do for our well-being is to connect with others and open up. I’m looking forward to supporting Unsinkable through a clinical lens.

Peter Neal

  • Peter Neal is a pioneer in the Canadian Natural Food Industry, starting Neal Brothers Brands Inc. in 1988 with his brother and Co-Founder, Chris Neal. Today, Peter also splits time as Chief Sales & Brands Officer at newly merged National Food Distributor, Jonluca Neal. Peter is a strong pillar in his community supporting a variety of charities and local initiatives that are close to his heart. By speaking publicly and candidly on his own mental health struggles, Peter has been able to continue to advocate and support mental health challenges Canadians are facing.

Kim Race

  • Kim Race is a communications professional with two decades of experience in strategic communications serving organizations and C-suite executives in financial services, health care, education and more. She is currently director, corporate communications at Sun Life where she oversees communications for the company’s global corporate functions including finance, legal, risk and sustainability.

    Kim has worked on both client and agency sides including Environics Communications (now Proof), Colleges Ontario, and Trillium Health Partners. In 2018, Kim helped to focus government and media attention on the issue of mental health on post-secondary campuses – a campaign that prompted a government pledge of $2.1B for campus mental health. She also has board experience with the Child Development Institute, an accredited children’s mental health agency in Toronto.

    She holds a BA from the University of Western Ontario and a MSc. in Public Relations from the University of Stirling, Scotland. Her husband and three teens keep her connected to what really matters and she is inspired by Unsinkable’s work to bridge the gaps for people needing support.

Michelle Boyd

  • Michelle is currently Director, Strategy at Sun Life where she is accountable for developing and maintaining a long range perspective on the future of the Group Benefits Industry.

    Michelle's involvement in extracurriculars includes the United Way campaign, where she supported the campaign chair and was instrumental in shifting the theme, approach and objectives for the year. She was also involved with DiverseAbility network, creating a new leadership team and developing a new vision for the network, and Start2Finish, where she volunteered helping kids learn to read and run.

    She holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a Minor in Economics from McMaster University.

    Michelle is excited about the opportunity to share her passion and leverage her experiences to support and further Unsinkable's mission to help #BridgeTheGap.

Hayley Peek

  • Hayley’s passion for mental health stems from her own lived experience and desire to support others. She works as a Mental Health Consultant and Peer Supporter and is focused on creating safe spaces for open conversations around supporting mental health and wellbeing. Leading from a place of living experience with mental illness, recovery and healing, Hayley weaves elements of her own story into her work for the purpose of connecting. She strongly believes in the wisdom and value of using one’s living experience to provide insights and education on how perceive and speak about mental health. She’s had the pleasure of working with a variety of public and private sector organizations across Canada delivering keynote presentations, educational workshops and providing peer support services.

    www.HayleyPeek.com

Alexandra Guerin

  • Alexandra is currently the Marketing Manager at UTILE, the only social economy enterprise that specializes in developing and operating affordable student housing in Quebec.

    Alex is passionate about the power of storytelling and believe it can help people find their own version of relief along their mental health journey. Here is an example of her recent project, a seven prized winner mental health campaign www.thediaryoflouise.ca.

    She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing & Entrepreneurship from Bishops University.

    "The storytelling approach of Unsinkable’s mission is one among many reasons why I decided to join because I believe that understanding and putting words to what you’re going through is the first step to getting better."

    - Alex

Noah tile

  • Noah is a Registered Psychotherapist, academic coach, Rabbi and Co-Founder of a Canadian student mental health company called Resolvve.

    Resolvve is a low-cost, student-focused therapy platform, that provides integrative support for mental health, academic success, and personal growth.

    In private practice, Noah specializes in the treatment of OCD and ADHD.

    In addition, Noah is passionate about integrating spirituality with mental health, working both within the Jewish community, and with people of different religious and spiritual affiliations.

Lisa Marshall

  • Lisa began her career working in the family business in Scotland. After moving to Toronto in 2010, Lisa was inspired to start her own business. Passionate about finances and with a degree in Business Management and Consumer Studies, she parlayed her previous experience and launched Tidier Books.

    Lisa prides herself on her accurate and efficient cloud-based paperless bookkeeping services, provided in an approachable manner. Besides Lisa’s enthusiasm for spreadsheets and strategizing, she is equally passionate about giving back and is the Treasurer for a not for Profit Nursery school and is a member of Unsinkable's Finance Committee.

    In her spare time, she can be found with her 3 kids in tow ski- ing or immersing her family in all things Scottish.

Franca Piacente

  • Franca Piacente has been working in the advertising industry for over 35 years. She began her career at Y&R. After a decade working on a variety of categories. Franca decided to broaden her experience and moved to Vickers &Benson, where her main accounts consisted of McDonald’s and Ontario Tourism. In 1992, she gave up fast food and carried on to McLaren McCann to work on Coca-Cola, Molson, MasterCard, GM and many other clients. She became Head of Production at McLaren McCann and continued to work on big and small projects. She has now landed at Leo Burnett as SVP of Production Services, running four departments and still producing. She’s become a top producer in the industry and has won a truckload of awards. She has worked with some of the top industry creative’s and production folks. In 2012, Franca received a lifetime achievement award, giving recognition to her many accomplishments. Franca is also the co-creator and producer of the Unsinkable Youth COVID-19 CTV special.

Jennifer Blunt

Sarah Carter

Michael James

  • Michael enjoyed several disparate careers from the performing arts to construction, network administration to being a programme manager at the Bernard Betel Centre, a senior citizens community centre in Toronto. It was there, in 2006 that he began volunteering for United Way Speakers Bureau, a passion that he continues to this day.

    He was awarded the inaugural “Innovation and Creativity Award” given by the United Way Bhayana Family Foundation for his work teaching computer skills to senior citizens. Michael was the Creative Director of Songs of the City, a major annual event for United Way held as a thank you to major donors in Toronto, St. Catherines, Halifax and New Brunswich. He volunteers at a transitional home for Alzheimer a d related dementia patients as well. Michael is a recipient of the Volunteer Toronto Legacy Award.

    Michel found his true passion 15 years ago as a coach and mentor to aspiing storytellers. He subscribes o what Peggy Noonan wrote: “ A speech is poetry: cadence, rhythm, imagery, sweep. A speech reminds us that words, like children, have the power to make dance the dullest beanbag of a heart.” But there is something more - storytelling is redemptive for both the speaker and the listener. And for Michael, mentoring storytellers is redemptive too.

    Michael is honoured and delighted to be a member of the Unsinkable family and community.

Trevor Loke

  • Trevor is Co-Founder & CEO of Orgmatch, a social venture supporting community investment teams. Trevor has worked with over 150 clients around the world to deliver community-led impact, and has served in management and leadership roles at the University of Portsmouth, Coast Funds, and MakeWay Foundation. His certification as a CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive) was achieved in 2019 and renewed in 2022. He was previously co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Weeve until its acquisition by LX Ventures. Based in Vancouver - on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sə̓lílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) people - Trevor has deep involvement in his local community having served on several nonprofits boards and as a former Vancouver Park Board Commissioner. Trevor enjoys playing hockey, cycling, reading, volunteering, and spending time with friends and family. Trevor is excited about empowering people to support themselves and others with their mental health at Unsinkable.

Niya Bajaj

  • Niya Bajaj is an international conference speaker on wellness centered leadership. She most recently chaired the Canadian Wellbeing at Work Summit. As an award winning internationally accredited yoga therapist and certified narrative medicine facilitator she has drawn on research and best practices as well as her lived experience to develop hundreds of bespoke wellness learning experiences that address the specific concerns of diverse corporate audiences at organizations like the Ontario Public Service, City of Hamilton, Trent University, Peel CAS, RBC, Oxford Properties, Brookfield Corporation, Triovest, Temenos, Hinterland and others. This includes building, delivering and evaluating intensive leadership development programs including a best-in-class Leadership development program at the Ministry of the Solicitor General. She also co-leads the Mindfulness for Leaders Program for people managers at all levels that supports organizational culture change for improved employee wellbeing, engagement and performance. Her customized sessions are based on a thorough needs assessment so she can better understand the audience's needs, goals, and success metrics. She uses this to build on best practices learned over her decade of experience in corporate communications and event management. This ensures memorable adult learning experiences with accessible solutions and tools that participants can put into practice immediately to see results.

Sarah Robertson

  • Sarah is a hands-on strategist and Thought Partner who helps business leaders and organizations tackle their toughest challenges and build sustainable positive workplaces. With more than two decades of successful strategic communications and transformational leadership programs in her arsenal, she knows how to navigate uncertainty & complexity, successfully driving alignment, connecting stakeholders with high expectations, accelerating transitions, and closing trust gaps. Her work, grounded in business acumen, positive psychology, and the principles of trust, Creates Capacity and Uncovers Possibility.

    She is recognized as one of PR News’s Top Women: Industry Champion 2024 and Ragan Communications & PR Daily’s Top Women in PR: Crisis Navigator 2021. She has overseen successful corporate communications & social responsibility mandates for mid-to-large organizations with global or national reach in the Greater Toronto Area, the New York metropolitan Tri-state area, and the Halifax Region. As an entrepreneur since 2021, her clients in sectors such as global digital business services, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, healthcare, not-for-profit, global standards, and manufacturing trust her to work behind the scenes to help them achieve their goals with Integrity and Authenticity.

    As a lifelong learner, Sarah's most recent certifications include Building Positive Workplace Cultures (Dalhousie) and Lumina Learning Practitioner (Spark). She is also an Accredited Business Communicator (IABC) and is Prosci® certified.

    Sarah maintains excellence in strategic communications and advances the profession through her contributions as a member of the Canadian Public Relations Society of Nova Scotia's Board of Directors, judge for the International Association of Business Communicators/Toronto Ovation Awards, member of the Public Relations Society of America, and a Registered Research Panelist with the Commission on Public Relations Education.

    Born and raised in south-western Ontario, Sarah and her family now live in the Prospect Communities of Nova Scotia's south shore with their beloved rescued black-and-tan hound, Beau.

Michelle Archer

  • Michelle Archer, founder of Archer Consulting, and a graduate of The University of Western Ontario brings with her over 20 years of digital, marketing and advertising experience. She has experience on both client and agency side on such brands as Nike, LoyaltyOne, McDonald’s, Unilever, Canadian Tire, Rogers Communications, Cystic Fibrosis, University of Toronto and Oracle. She has an intimate understanding of digital and social in both B2B and B2C space and a breadth of industry experience in Healthcare, Education, Not For Profit, Telco, CPG, Food Services, Technology, and Retail. She has worked with talented creative teams resulting in various awards such as the Applied Arts, Bessie and POPAI for her work on McDonald’s and Rogers Communications respectively. Michelle has also completed her first manuscript for middle grade readers, and is launching a Writers Retreat with good friends Donna Frietas and Andrea Jo DeWerd. She sits on the board of POV, a not-for-profit dedicated to helping talented young BIPOC adults who are denied access to careers in TV, film and advertising. Michelle is the co-creator and producer of the Unsinkable Youth COVID CTV special. When she isn’t writing, you can find her on her Peloton, in front of her iPad binging on TV shows or snuggled up with a book.

nikita baxi

  • Nikita Baxi is a dedicated psychology undergraduate student with a passion for mental health advocacy specializing in counselling and neuropsychology. Currently she works as a researcher and contributing writer, and is interested in furthering research within developmental psychology related to youth stress, anxiety, and trauma through a multicultural lens. Besides this, she's an avid reader and film-watcher, and likes cooking/baking

Julia Ferreira Gomes

  • Julia (she/her) is a health scientist and sport sociologist currently pursuing her doctoral research in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University. Julia's academic background includes an Honour’s degree in Health Science, with minors in Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology. She subsequently earned a Master's degree in Kinesiology and Health Science where she received comprehensive training in physical cultural studies, as well as statistical and qualitative research methods.

Stephanie celso

  • Stephanie Celso is an elementary school educator in Ontario. When not teaching, she enjoys cosplaying at conventions, watching shows and films with her husband, travelling the world, and attending theatre. She enjoys assisting others in the neurodivergent community and advocating for mental health. 

Selin Ozunaldim

  • Selin Ozunaldim is a dedicated global gender equality activist hailing from Istanbul, Turkey. She serves as a National Gender Youth Activist, representing Turkey on a global scale, and proudly advocates for the HeForShe initiative of UN Women. Selin also contributed her expertise as part of the editorial team for the YOUth Newsletter published by UN Women for a three-year period.

    As a member of the Global Feminist Coalition for Gender Transformative Education, hosted by UNGEI in collaboration with Unicef, Selin demonstrates her commitment to transforming education to promote gender equality. She holds the role of Ambassador for WAVE Organization, co-funded by the European Union, and serves as a Board Member for the State of Youth, a project by Kids Rights, while concurrently participating as a Youth 4 Gender member hosted by Unicef.

    Selin's impact extends to her role as the founder of the first Girl Up Club in Turkey, an initiative initially launched by the UN Foundation. She is also a co-founder of the Girls Who Codes movement in her country, fostering opportunities for young women in the tech world. Notably, Selin is actively involved in the "Kız Kardeşim" project, supported by the Coca Cola Foundation, and serves as an ambassador in the field of social benefit for the "Yıldızlar Karması" program.

    Selin is holding a position on the Gen Z Advisory Board of Fast Company Turkey and a Board Member at Être Girls, a mentorship organization designed to empower young girls by connecting them with accomplished female leaders from diverse sectors.

    Selin is currently pursuing a degree in International Relations as a Sophomore at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey.

Anna Young

  • Anna is a registered social worker who works in cancer and chronic disease prevention. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with a major in Equity Studies. Some of her work-related highlights include researching gaps in healthcare resources for elderly Franco-Ontario populations in rural northern communities, working in HIV prevention for 2S-LGBTQ+ communities, and supporting women's cancer and chronic disease prevention through healthy lifestyle changes. Outside of work, Anna is most often found with a cup of coffee and a podcast or audiobook.

Ashlinn Brewer

  • Ashlinn Brewer is a teenager from a small town in Ontario, who has a passion for story-telling, art, and mental health. As a child, she created a variety of art pieces, including the cover for a children’s book sent to Bangladesh in 2018. At fifteen, she took her writing skills to Wattpad, where one of her stories was featured twice and won awards. Early in 2023, she volunteered for Unsinkable, creating a variety of works such as an art piece showing anxiety and depression, and writings which display the struggles of mental health issues. Ashlinn continues to focus on mental health, such as social anxiety, depression, and self-esteem and how that impacts students.

    In her free time, Ashlinn is an avid listener of K-pop music, has a strong interest in ancient history, goes on nature walks and spends time with her family.