Testimonials
I bring my A-game to classrooms, conferences and boardrooms.
Corporate & Public Speaking
Anita’s talk at InnoTown 2018 was truly amazing, with the unbeatable combination of original, great content, and a personal and dynamic presentation style.
I have had the pleasure of working with Anita on multiple occasions as a “Luminary,” engaged to bring her expertise and magnetism to workshops with corporate executives. She is a clarion voice and adept educator on the topic of empathy and empathic action, and she weaves a powerful combination of informing, inspiring, and sparking conversation. I would eagerly collaborate with her again – on just about anything!
Anita delivered The Emotional Closing at a two-day design session for BMW in which 150 participants (including senior executives) explored “The Future of Mobility.” She was exceptional in getting her message across that empathy is the one distinct difference between humans and artificial intelligence. Anita gave us all confidence that humans will survive – and thrive – as long as we leverage our innate capacity to empathize.
Anita’s message about the need for more empathy in business and in the world is profound, touching and spot on. Empathy is exactly what our world needs in this high tech age where we often forget our humanity.
Anita and I organized and co-hosted a two-day roundtable for major grant-making foundations from across Canada. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner! Anita is insightful, hardworking, and gets results. She engaged her vast network to attract top speakers and participants to the gathering, and throughout the process, we freely exchanged ideas, growing from each other’s perspective and experience. While passionate about the issues that she addresses, Anita is also a deep listener and a caring, patient friend and colleague. The roundtable was a success, and I am looking forward to working with Anita on many other ventures.
The most important aspect of a TEDx talk is the substance behind the “Idea Worth Spreading.” Due to her profound understanding of the topic of empathy as well as her strong public speaking skills, Anita successfully communicated The Power of Empathy by fostering a strong connection with her audience both onstage and online.
Inspiring
Students
Dr. Anita Nowak used her pitch-perfect ability to energize our students and staff as keynote speaker for our Empathy, Leadership and Social Change event. We could not have imagined a better way to inspire our community personally, professionally and intellectually than to unleash the passion and the power that she brought to our campus.
Anita spoke to a sold-out crowd for Global Entrepreneurship Week and wowed our students with stories of empathic action. Anita is a very engaging and masterful speaker whose message of empowering others to apply empathy and kindness has definitely influence my own personal journey and my social mission. The world is a better place because of her. Highly recommended!
Anita gave a presentation on empathy to a group of 100 students ranging in age from 9 to 14. She maintained complete and total engagement from them throughout her presentation. She also used inspiring real life stories, music and images to elicit authentic responses. The students listened raptly and were given multiple opportunities to share their thoughts and ideas, allowing for connections to be made to their own realities and experiences. Each student left the assembly feeling empowered and charged up to make a change.
Anita is an inspirational force, with a charisma that fills the entire room. Anita’s ability to invite listeners to think critically about an issue and see the need for a better future makes her a strong advocate for social and environmental sustainability. McGill’s Desautels Sustainability Network is extremely proud to count Anita as a close ally of our organization.
I have sat in on Anita’s class at McGill a number of times. She is an outstanding lecturer from whom students love to learn. I would also rate her among the very best speakers I’ve heard.
Mentoring
Changemakers
Anita pushed me, challenged me, and constantly set the bar higher and higher. As a result, within 3 months, I had a working prototype of The Soular Backpack, extensively researched 30 solar companies, launched a crowdfunding campaign (which raised $50,000) and used a ton of human-centered design (and empathy) in the process. Two years later, Soular has a team of 5, is present in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and is seeing incredible social impact. We’ve had features in Forbes, BBC, Vogue, Upworthy and Al Jazeera, as well as a partnership with Disney.
Anita inspired me to ride from Montreal to Vancouver on my bicycle. With her help, I doubled my crowdfunding goal and raised $20,000. This helped fund the development of the Freedom Collaborative, a global online platform that unites stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking. Her vision for social change and her passion for empathy challenged me (and many others) to take action. She is a wonderful listener and a committed educator changing the world.
Anita is definitely a key player in the story of the Centre Magnétique, an economic development NGO based in Lac-Mégantic, a rural area of Quebec that faced a rail disaster. Not only was the idea for the project conceived in her class, but she immediately noticed its potential and encouraged us to apply to various social entrepreneurship competitions – one of which we won. She gave us support and opened her network to accelerate the growth of the project. She also gave us confidence, which was key to the success we now enjoy. Our project is funded by the Canadian Ministry of Economic Development and an example of rural development throughout the country.
Anita generously found time – again and again – to guide me on my first social entrepreneurial venture. I always left our interactions feeing unstuck and empowered by incredible insights to help me (and my organization) move forward.
More than a mentor, Anita has been a sponsor to me. She directed opportunities my way and opened her network whenever she had the chance. Her support and belief in me (along with so many other students) contributed tremendously to helping me find my dream job as a social intrapreneur at a major Canadian bank.
I’m a serial entrepreneur and currently the CEO of VOYCE, an app that translates over 227 languages leveraging live human interpreters available instantly via audio and video with the click of a button. Anita helped me utilize empathy principles volunteering with Syrian refugees to help build an app that facilitated communication between them and organizations providing healthcare, legal and other important services. I am eternally grateful for her encouragement and mentorship over the years.