“That moment when I thought I was going to die is forever etched in my heart…. now I see that it all prepared me, for the greatness that is to come”

Life presents many challenges and obstacles, but these are the very things that shape us, define us, and if we allow them to, make us better.

Why am I here on this earth?

What do I uniquely bring to this earth?

Have you ever asked yourself these questions?

Karina will take you through an intimate conversation where she will share a few of her personal stories that helped shape her into the person she is today, including a recent near-death experience after giving birth during COVID. That, and a subsequent 17 day separation from her husband and newborn daughter due to Karina having to quarantine, helped to redefined her WHY.

"Our Lives Have Prepared Us For Greatness - An Olympian's Story Of How She Redefined Her Purpose Through COVID"

Olympic Medalist, UNICEF Ambassador, Honorary Captain of the Royal Canadian Navy, Head of Women’s soccer for 41 countries at CONCACAF, and now, most importantly, a new mother to her 6-month-old daughter.

Karina LeBlanc will take you through her journey from immigrating to Canada as a shy 8 year-old, to becoming an Olympic medalist, and recently, just a week after giving birth, surviving heart failure and a COVID scare, which led to a 17 day separation from her husband and daughter. It was during this time that she realized that all of her life experiences, and the mindset that made her a two-time Olympian, had prepared her for these difficult times.

In telling her story of how in the midst of a pandemic, she was able to redefine her purpose, she will leave you recognizing the greatness you have within yourself, during these difficult times. Karina will challenge you to commit every day to living purposefully, to be the best version of you and to connect to a purpose greater than yourself.

Karina will share a few of her personal stories that helped shape her into the person she is today…just like these last few months have shaped all of us in different ways. She will go into how COVID has redefined her WHY, even more than winning an Olympic medal for Canada did.

Having faced adversity throughout her life, Karina has learned that beyond your greatest trials are your greatest success’. In hearing her story, it will help you as a leader to see the greatness within you, and within your team. This brief conversation will leave you inspired, challenge you to truly live purposefully, and to be the best version of yourselves.

"Our Lives Have Prepared Us For Greatness - An Olympian's Story Of How She Redefined Her Purpose Through COVID"

Olympic Medalist, UNICEF Ambassador, Honorary Captain of the Royal Canadian Navy, Head of Women’s soccer for 41 countries at CONCACAF, and now, most importantly, a new mother to her 5-month-old daughter.

Karina LeBlanc will take you through her journey from immigrating to Canada as a shy 8 year-old, to becoming an Olympic medalist, and recently, just a week after giving birth, surviving heart failure and a COVID scare, which led to a 17 day separation from her husband and daughter. It was during this time that she realized that all of her life experiences, and the mindset that made her a two-time Olympian, had prepared her for these difficult times.

In telling her story of how in the midst of a pandemic, she was able to redefine her purpose, she will leave you recognizing the greatness we have within ourselves, during these difficult times. Karina will challenge you to commit every day to living purposefully, to be the best version of you and to connect to a purpose greater than yourself.

Karina LeBlanc will take you through an intimate conversation on her experiences of being a Black Woman in todays world. Her father told her at an early age

“You are a Black Woman, that can either be two strikes against you or for you”

She has always approached life making sure people see her for WHO she is, not WHAT she is or what she looks like.

Karina is able to speak on race, diversity and inclusion from her own experiences. Born to Jamaican and Dominican parents, Karina immigrated to Canada as a shy 8-year-old who felt she had no value on this earth. Through impacting moments and her high performance mind set, Karina found her voice and way. Karina went on to win an Olympic medal and represent Canada internationally for 18 years as a player, and has travelled to various regions of the world as a UNICEF ambassador. She is now the head of Women’s Soccer at CONCACAF, representing 41 countries in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. All of this combined has given Karina a deep understanding of issues surrounding Race, Diversity and inclusion.

With her authenticity and honesty, she will speak from the heart on an issue and conversation we all need to have and go towards.

Achieving personal empowerment allows a leader to empower others. Sharing her own journey to personal empowerment, learning to embrace failures and celebrate successes, Karina will take participants on a journey to discovering self, and to recognizing the leadership potential within each of us. In this session, Karina will guide participants to explore aspects of self empowerment that will help them, as leaders, to empower others.

In 2011, Karina and the Canadian Women’s national team came last at the World Cup in Germany. Nine months later, they stood on the podium watching the Canadian flag rise, with a medal around their necks. The difference was John Herdman and the leadership group (which included Karina), who were able to connect on something greater than themselves and greater than an Olympic medal. Their goal was to leave a true legacy and inspire a generation. Through sharing this powerful journey, Karina will provide details that will connect you as a person, an employee, or a company, to change an environment so that in the end, you deliver a podium performance.

Karina will take you through her turning point when she was cut from the Provincial/ODP/State team at 15 years old, and how it shaped who she became. In short, she decided to give 15 minutes more each day towards achieving her dream and who it is she wanted to be. The result would be her standing on the field next to her heroes, singing her national anthem and playing for our country for 18 years. From a shy, bullied girl who did not fit in, to a confident woman, Karina will show you how giving 15 minutes more to anything in life will take you closer to being the person you are meant to be.

Karina has many stories of overcoming obstacles, staying focused on your goal, not giving into peer pressure. She has the ability to inspire the next generation as for many years in her life they were what inspired her. Karina would be the last one singing autographs for her teams, the one teammate who would go to schools, classrooms, banquets and many other events to inspire the youth to own their voice, set crazy goals and having each young boy or girl realize the greatness within them. With her experience as a UNICEF ambassador, Karina has gone into all cultures and environments with the mindset to add to the lives of youths so they walk away feeling inspired and driven to be a better version of themselves.

Achieving personal empowerment allows a leader to empower others. Sharing her own journey to personal empowerment, learning to embrace failures and celebrate successes, Karina will take participants on a journey to discovering self, and to recognizing the leadership potential within each of us. In this session, Karina will guide participants to explore aspects of self empowerment that will help them, as leaders, to empower others.