Event Details
October 9, 2024
Featuring Canadian Olympian Clara Hughes
Time, location and registration details to come
About
Let’s Keep Talking, presented by Bell Let’s Talk, is an annual event created to educate, inspire and celebrate the achievements of outstanding Nova Scotians who live with mental illness and addiction, or support those who do. This year, the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia is thrilled to welcome Canadian Olympian Clara Hughes back to the Let’s Keep Talking stage.
Clara Hughes – KEYNOTE SPEAKER
From one of Canada’s most decorated Olympians comes a raw but life-affirming story of one woman’s struggle with depression. In 2006, when Clara Hughes stepped onto the Olympic podium in Torino, Italy, she became the first and only athlete ever to win multiple medals in both Summer and Winter Games. Four years later, she was proud to carry the Canadian flag for Team Canada in the opening ceremony of the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. But there’s another story behind her celebrated career as an athlete, behind her recognizable smile.
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After her first Olympics in the gruelling world of competitive endurance sport that stripped away her confidence and bruised her body, Hughes began to realize that her physical extremes, her emotional setbacks, and her partying habits were masking a severe depression. The relentless pursuit of excellence in sport was put on hold in order to heal. When she did eventually return to competition, the healing path became an integral part of her athletic success. After winning bronze in the last speed skating race of her career, she decided to retire, and has since emerged as one of our most committed humanitarians, advocating for a variety of social causes both in Canada and around the world.
Told with honesty and passion, “Open Heart, Open Mind” is Hughes’ personal journey through physical and mental pain to a life where love and understanding can thrive. Throughout it all, connection was the ultimate reward. Whether on the Olympic stage, hiking long-distance trails around the world, or within stillness on the healing path, deep connection with place, space, self, and others is her ultimate focus. Her revelatory and inspiring story will touch the hearts of all Canadians.
Let’s Keep Talking Awards
Awarded annually at the public event, the Let’s Keep Talking awards highlight and recognize inspiring Nova Scotians who live with mental illness or addiction, or support those who do. These individuals use their own experiences to drive change, build supports, fight stigma, and improve the lives of those struggling with mental health.
Nominations for the 2024 Let’s Keep Talking Awards are now open. Do you know someone who deserves this recognition? Please consider nominating them below.
SPONSORS
presenting SPONSOR
Gold SPONSOR
AWARD SPONSORS
PAST SPEAKERS
Past Award Recipients
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Sandra Miller (Outstanding Healthcare Provider)
Geoff Tyler (Outstanding Healthcare Provider)
Naphtali Tucker (Outstanding Youth)
Robbie Shaw (Outstanding Senior)
Mike Sears (Outstanding Individual) Dr. David Gardner & Dr. Andrea Murphy, Sleepwell, Keynote Speakers (Outstanding Advocate Award) -
Aiden Bonner (Outstanding Youth)
Susan Kilbride-Roper (Outstanding Senior)
Sally Hutchinson (Outstanding Healthcare Provider)
Landon “Morty” Morton (Outstanding Individual)
Ann Margaret Gaudet (Outstanding Caregiver)
Jenna Robar, Keynote Speaker (Outstanding Advocate Award) -
Mario Rolle (Outstanding Healthcare Provider)
Jacqueline Colson-Clements (Outstanding Senior)
Shirin Mehrpooya (Outstanding Youth)
Nadine Leger de Blois (Outstanding Caregiver)
Steven Deveau (Outstanding Individual) -
Sarah Rahr (Outstanding Caregiver)
Marilyn Bright (Outstanding Healthcare Provider)
Elsie Morden (Outstanding Individual)
Judi Quann (Outstanding Senior)
Jessie Cullum (Outstanding Youth) -
Bev Fletcher (Outstanding Caregiver)
Dr. Linda Courey (Outstanding Healthcare Provider)
Juanna Ricketts (Outstanding Individual Award)
Clark Paul (Outstanding Senior Award)
Christene Southwell (Outstanding Youth Award) -
Sheila Morrison (Outstanding Caregiver)
Nicole Robinson (Outstanding Healthcare Provider)
Amanda Higgins (Outstanding Youth)
Jim Malone (Outstanding Senior)
Stephanie Reidy (Outstanding Individual) -
Linden Gray (Outstanding Caregiver)
Dr. Emmanuel Aquino (Outstanding Healthcare Provider)
Brandon Highmore (Outstanding Youth)
Laurel Walker (Outstanding Individual)
Trudie Helmke (Outstanding Senior) -
Heather Dempsey (Outstanding Caregiver)
Kristi Kempton (Outstanding Healthcare Provider)
Shawntay Rose Dann (Outstanding Youth)
Bob Ransom (Outstanding Individual)