WATCH NATASHA SPEAK
Natasha Zanolin, MBA. I struggled with an eating disorder for thirty-four years. I navigated two divorces. I raised two children through their own mental health and addiction crises. And somewhere in all of that, I built a career in executive leadership, became Executive Director of NIED (National Initiative for Eating Disorders), and wrote my first book, How to Make Life Your Gym.
I have spent over twenty-five years in high tech, including more than fifteen in management, and I hold an MBA along with an advanced change management certification (LCeX-P, Leanova Academy). Much of that career was privately shaped by my own illness and my family's. I know what it costs to lead while struggling, and what it takes for organizations to make that less true for the people in them.
I speak to audiences who need to hear one simple truth: mental illness is not a moral failing. It is an illness like any other, and it deserves the same research, compassion, and treatment we give to physical disease. There should be no shame in being sick.
I speak to two audiences: people in the thick of their own crisis, and the leaders trying to build workplaces and communities where that doesn't have to be a secret. The work is the same. Only the audience changes.
SIGNATURE TOPICS
01
Resilience Through Personal Crisis
Turning struggle into purpose, at home and at work.
Breaking the Stigma at Work
Why silence about mental health costs organizations more than support, and what leaders can do about it.
Leading While Struggling
How executives can lead teams through their own hardest seasons without hiding or breaking.
04
What Caregivers Teach Us About Management
How navigating a loved one's crisis builds the leadership skills no MBA teaches.
05
From Survival to Leadership
How personal transformation becomes the foundation for leading teams, organizations, and movements.
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Custom-tailored for your audience
Corporate wellness summits, HR conferences, nonprofit galas, leadership retreats. Let's talk.
IN HER OWN WORDS
"Would you apologize if you had a broken arm? Would you be sorry if you had cancer? Mental illness is an illness like any other, and it deserves the same research, compassion, and treatment we give to physical disease."
Natasha Zanolin, MBA
MY FIRST BOOK
How to Make Life Your Gym
Strong, Grounded and Free. Without a Gym Membership
Strength is not built in the gym. It is built in the small, daily choices we make when no one is watching.
In How to Make Life Your Gym, I share the mindset and discipline that carried me through decades of struggle and into a life I did not believe was possible.
"Every moment of adversity is a repetition. Every repetition builds strength. Life is the gym."
I'd love to hear from you.
Available for keynotes, panels, workshops, and interviews across Canada and beyond, from corporate wellness summits and HR conferences to nonprofit galas and community events. English and French.
✉ natasha@natashazanolin.ca
📞 613.813.1565
Speaking fees start at $1,500. Custom pricing for corporate, multi-day, and travel engagements.
Natasha Zanolin, MBA · Speaker · Author · Mental Health Advocate · Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
© 2026 Natasha Zanolin. All rights reserved.