VIRTUAL DEI LUNCH & LEARN – CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

“Make things better for ALL women around you.”

Karolina Wisniewska keynoted MPI Toronto Chapter's first 2025 DE&I Lunch & Learn session on March 24th to a full ZOOM room of chapter members alongside national and international MPI colleagues alike. The event was in celebration of International Women’s Rights Day.

In this power-packed talk, Karolina told stories of lived experience as an eight Paralympic medalist with both seen and unseen disabilities.

Some of Karolina’s key pointers included:

1. Using motivation (both intrinsic and extrinsic) to reach your goals;
2. Find your allies (sometimes they are not people who you think should be!);
3. Prepare, prepare, prepare!;
4. Be coachable;
5. Have a desire to make things better for the next generation (i.e., have guts to do the hard things and you won’t regret it).

Additionally, Karolina encouraged event professionals to think of the accessibility considerations up front so that access isn’t an afterthought but a must-have. “At the end of the day, people want to feel like you see them.”

The DE&I Committee would like to thank the generous sponsorship of adn conférenciers, without whom this session would not have been possible.