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Lisa Brookman
MSW, PSW, t.s.
Lisa is a psychotherapist and the co-director of the West Island Therapy and Wellness Centre, a private Canadian clinic promoting mental health and wellness.
For over two decades, Lisa has been supporting people to deepen and strengthen their ability to transform their lives. She offers in-office and virtual online sessions to anyone who wants to connect more deeply to their inner voice, wants to be more purposeful, and cultivate a peaceful and enriched sense of self.
Her clinical experience includes working with individuals, couples & groups for issues surrounding anxiety, depression, infertility, postpartum depression, parenting challenges, marital conflict, self-esteem/confidence building, self-compassion and self-worth, bereavement and lifecycle issues.
Lisa’s objective is to help her clients honour their own inner voice, build a strengthened intuition, and unconditionally love themselves. In addition, Lisa is the creator of #ILOVEME and leads wellness workshops and retreats exploring self-compassion, the mind body connection, work/life balance & person growth.
With a healthy presence in Canadian media, Lisa was a regular on Breakfast Television and appears on Global News, the Beat 92.5 and CJAD 800 Talk Radio as a mental health expert. Lisa has a mental health column in Best Health Magazine. Her former radio show—Wise Women on Montreal’s CJAD 800 Talk Radio, was an inspired offering that garnered rave reviews.
With an insatiable passion for helping others it was no surprise that Lisa and co-creator Liz Wiener made a rapid ascent on social media with their inspirational blog and brand Wise Women Canada. Since 2015 WiseWomenCanada.com has been a story-telling canvas to promote issues that impact Canadian women with an emphasis on mental wellness advocacy. Lisa has championed important causes for Bell Let’s Talk and leads the West Island Wellness and Therapy Centre in several community organizations and fundraisers.
As a devoted wife and mother of three amazing teenagers (+ dog mom of two!) Lisa describes herself as “a home décor guru” and has aspirations towards becoming a Master Chef contestant.
Liz Wiener
At the age of 43, Liz decided to come out of the closet. For most of her life, she’d kept a secret – her diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and depression at the age of 24. Over 20 years later, she stepped out of the darkness and shared her story on Wise Women Canada, the blog she founded with her best friend, Lisa Brookman. A teacher by education, Liz discovered that mental health advocacy was her true vocation.
Liz is passionate about helping to spread awareness, promote acceptance and break the stigma associated with mental illness. Fueled by her own mental health battle, she strives to open up the dialogue, normalize mental illness and continue the conversation until there is no shame left.
As a former radio host at CJAD 800, co-founder of the blog, Wise Women Canada, a mental health columnist for Best Health magazine, and co-chair of MINDSTRONG, one of Canada’s largest and most successful mental health fundraisers, Liz encourages the community to own their stories and their struggles, step outside of their comfort zone and embrace the strength that comes from vulnerability.
A wife, a mom of three teenagers and one dog, a dedicated art journaler, and a fashion aficionado, Liz can usually be found with paint on her face while organizing her closet by colour.
Wise Women Warriors
Get inspired by Wise Women who are making an impact on women’s wellness
Beth Thompson
Editor-in-Chief
Best Health Magazine
Beth is an award-winning editor and writer, specializing in women’s health and wellness.
With a career spanning over two decades, Beth has spent the past five years as editor-in-chief of Best Health magazine, growing the multi-platform brand to help Canadian women prioritize their wellness.
Beth’s other Editor roles include Canadian Health & Lifestyle, Glow and Healthy Woman magazines. Her articles have appeared in Chatelaine, Canadian Living, Zoomer and Today’s Parent magazines.
An influencer in heath and wellness circles, Beth is also an author and sought-after speaker/contributor at media events.
Julie Cole
Co-Founder of Mabel’s Labels
Julie Cole is a recovered lawyer, mom of six and co-founder of Mabel’s Labels. She has helped her company bring their product to a worldwide market, gain media recognition and win countless entrepreneur awards. Cole is a serial entrepreneur, regular television contributor, published author, a sought after speaker and emcee and a digital influencer and blogger.
Shannon Bienvenue
Shannon is a proud Maritimer with Celtic roots, so community, connections and collaboration have always been part of her DNA. She founded her eponymous branding agency, Sb Creative Group, almost 19 years ago, and when she’s not creating ideas for the brands she partners with, she is the mom of two amazing teens who keep her on her toes.
Two years ago, the year before she turned 50, Shannon began a “Spread Kindness Campaign,” a journey of giving either time or money to women and organizations that were also dedicated to the pursuit of empowering and inspiring teens, girls and women. Shannon decided that rather than throw herself a party to celebrate her 50th birthday, she would give back to the communities and hopefully begin a ripple of change here in Québec for community, collaboration and inspiration. She believes there’s no better gift to herself and her children, William & Catherine.
The few years, Shannon decided to take it a bit further and being a non-profit organization she named Girls Living Out Loud (GLOL) where they have an annual summit to advocate for teens and young women in Quebec the importance of discovering who they are, creating a safe space to talk openly about life struggles and stress, and giving them practical tools to cope and thrive to be the best version of themselves. To really talk about the life is not perfect and it never will be, but how we decide to go through the journey it totally our choice.
Nancy Rubin
The Jewish General Hospital Auxiliary
Laurentian Day Ski School for many years and after serving 35 years in senior and executive positions mainly in non-profit and community organizations, Nancy up-ended retirement plans in 2006 when she accepted the role of Director of the Jewish General Hospital Auxiliary.
Her past positions such as Development Director of Montreal’s Yaldie Development Centre, a day treatment facility for children with special needs was rewarding. As National Executive Director of Maccabi Canada for four years working with coaches, athletes and parents from around the world was memorable. Special Events Coordinator for B’nai Brith Canada organizing galas and concerts and Special Events Coordinator for Montreal Jewish Community Centre,all served to embellish her skills and helped to grow with each professional challenge. To quote novelist, John Irving, “You only grow by coming to the end of something and by beginning something else.”
That something else has turned into 14 years as Director of The Auxiliary, giving Nancy Rubin a precious opportunity to continue to grow and be privileged to be part of a dedicated team of generous and caring volunteers whose desire it is to make life better for patients, their families and the community by providing services, educational programming and the extra touches that hospitals can’t always have funds, time, nor staffing for.
To quote Eleanor Roosevelt, “Think as little as possible about yourself and as much as possible about other people. Put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give by helping others”. This sums up what The Auxiliary is all about. To quote Ms. Rubin, “Every night, I go home feeling that what we’ve all accomplished together really matters. It’s gratifying to honour the legacy and values that have existed at The Auxiliary since it was founded in 1936.”
Hospital Opportunity Program giving Secondary V students in the EMSB, who are thinking of a career in healthcare, an opportunity to shadow medical professionals
Nancy and her team continue to be proud of the role that The Auxiliary plays within the hospital each and every day. The Auxiliary‘s numerous donors and volunteers strive to move forward while continuing to honour our past.
