Zak I. Hussein is the founder of MenTELL.ca, a Canadian platform dedicated to raising awareness about men’s mental health and suicide prevention. Born in Tanzania, East Africa and Rooted in Calgary since 4 months of age, Zak’s work is driven by a simple but urgent belief: no man should ever feel like he has to struggle alone.

As a tech and digital media entrepreneur, storyteller that is the founder and host of CanadianPodcast.ca, and men's mental health advocate, Zak has spent years building projects that connect people, foster open conversations, and challenge stigma. Through MenTELL.ca, he is focused on creating a space where Canadian men can find facts, resources, and community support.

Zak believes that awareness is not enough. Change happens when we stand shoulder to shoulder, when we listen, and when we remind each other that every life matters. MenTELL.ca reflects his commitment to building that collective voice.

“We cannot afford silence. Men’s mental health is Canadian health. Suicide prevention is not just an issue for some of us. It’s all of us.”

Shaun Taylor is a Canadian Armed Forces veteran, a Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) infantryman, an Airborne Pathfinder, a sniper, and a plank holder of Joint Task Force 2, Canada's special operations unit.

He retired as a Warrant Officer.

was stood up in 1993 to take over the counter-terrorism mandate from the disbanded RCMP Special Emergency Response Team. The original cadre was drawn primarily from PPCLI and the Canadian Airborne Regiment. Shaun was one of those original operators. His career inside the unit spanned the disciplines that define work, including sniping, reconnaissance, and special operations.

What he did after the military says as much about him as the uniform did. He served as a Use of Force instructor at a Canadian police college. He pivoted into tech, becoming a computer systems engineer and full-time instructor, and authored a 700-page study guide that sold across North America. He moved into private international security consulting, where he met his wife.

He opened a coffee shop. He found ultra-endurance sport, raced 24-hour solo mountain bike events around the world over thirty races, and became a World Champion. That led to a 15-year run as a performance coach to elite endurance athletes globally.In 2022, troubled by the numbers around veteran suicide and mental health, Shaun stepped away from his coaching business and turned his attention back to the community he came from.

That decision led to The Collective, a podcast and content platform he co-founded with fellow veterans Chance Burles and Tim "Gunny" Turner, alongside ZAK. The show has hosted over 200 guests, including SOF operators, first responders, behavioural scientists, athletes, and thinkers, all pointed at the same target, which is human betterment and a healthier path forward for the veteran, law enforcement, and first responder communities.

Shaun is also a martial artist, an author, and a coffee roaster.Find him on Instagram at @shauntaylors1.

Find The Collective at the-collective.ca.

Sebastien Lavoie spent more than two decades with the RCMP, building a career inside the force's most specialized units.

Born and raised in Quebec, Seb served in the Canadian Armed Forces in the pre-9/11 era before joining the national police. His RCMP career took him first into the air as an in-flight safety officer, then to the ground as a full-time member of the BC Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team. He worked ERT as a breacher before stepping up as a team leader. He retired in 2021 as the Divisional Sergeant Major for "E" Division, the RCMP's largest.

Throughout his service, Seb held himself and the officers around him to a high standard. Selection, training, decision-making under pressure, leadership in the field, and the realities of the courtroom were the through-lines of his work on the teams.

Today he runs Raven Strategic Inc. as CEO, where he delivers leadership and performance training along with security services. He stays active in the fitness and Brazilian jiu-jitsu communities, and is co-writing a book with a former Canadian SOF operator.

Shane is the President & CEO of the Shane Homes Group of Companies and the namesake. Shane's responsibilities include strategic direction for the companies, policy advice for the building industry through BILD Calgary, and political involvement through the Alberta Enterprise Group on the economy, making him an industry leader in his field. Shane's sales and marketing background comes from growing up with two entrepreneurial parents, Cal and Edith, and participating in a business advisory group. On the personal side, Shane considers himself a bit of a "tech junky" and social media influencer on various platforms. He's also proudly apart of the LGBTQ community.

Greg Cooper is the owner of Cooper Performance Coaching. He specializes in guiding individuals to elevate their performance to the highest level, whether in business, sport, or personal growth.

Greg is also the Lead Instructor at Kodokwai Judo Club in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His goal is to grow the sport of Judo in Edmonton at all levels, from first timers to experienced judoka.

He is currently a second-degree black belt in Judo and is in the lifelong pursuit of excellence personally, professionally and physically.

My philosophy centres on the lifelong pursuit of excellence. I believe that performance, whether in sport, business, or personal growth, is built on discipline, mindset, and continuous improvement. My mission is to guide individuals to uncover their potential, push beyond comfort zones, and perform at their highest level. In doing this, I help them unveil their Purpose in life.

As a second-degree black belt and Lead Instructor at Kodokwai Judo Club in Edmonton, I apply the principles of Judo, Maximum Efficiency (Seiryoku Zenyo) and Mutual Welfare and Benefit (Jita-Kyoei), to help athletes and clients both on and off the mats grow from their first session to elite performance. Coaching for me isn’t just about results; it’s about developing character, resilience, and a commitment to lifelong learning in every area of life.

Gilbert Bong is the Co-Founder and Portfolio Manager at Zelos Investment Counsel and co-host of Between Dots Podcast with Hafiz Mitha in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Gilbert is an experienced finance and business development professional who brings strong analytical thinking and a collaborative mindset to AWE’s Board.

With a passion for supporting entrepreneurs and strengthening Alberta’s business ecosystem, he offers insight into financial strategy, operational excellence, and long-term sustainability.

Gilbert believes in the power of women-led businesses to create meaningful economic impact.

Director, Wood’s Homes Foundation

Bryan is a seasoned non-profit leader in Calgary, Alberta, with over 20 years of expertise in fund development and community advocacy. As the Director of the Wood’s Homes Foundation, he is a driving force in securing vital resources for children and families facing mental health challenges. Bryan’s career in the Care Economy has been marked by leadership roles in social services, higher education and placemaking. He is committed to reducing stigma and building resilient community support networks.

At the core of Bryan’s drive is a profound foundation of faith and family. Guided by a sense of service, he views his work as a calling to care for people. As a husband and father, Bryan understands that community strength begins at home. He is dedicated to ensuring every man and family has access to timely wrap-around care necessary to navigate life’s challenges with hope and resilience. Because "we will ALL need a little help at some point."

Dustin Hogan is a Men’s Mental Health Counsellor, TEDx Speaker, and founder of
Therapy For Dudes, a movement redefining what it means to be strong by helping men
build emotional resilience, self-awareness, and purpose.
Through 1:1 counselling, powerful online programs, and raw, relatable content, Dustin
empowers men to take charge of their mental well-being without shame or stigma.
After facing his own struggles with anxiety and depression, Dustin committed his life to
helping other men navigate their inner world. He believes that vulnerability is not
weakness, it’s as strength. His work blends therapeutic expertise with lived experience,
creating a space where men feel understood, supported, and challenged to grow.

Danijel Slisko, known to friends as DJ, is a Calgary-based serial entrepreneur with more than 25 years of building businesses in Alberta.

He started his first company at 20, taking the entrepreneurial path his self-employed parents had walked before him. That company became United Supreme Group, one of the largest coating and painting contracting firms in the province. Under Danijel's leadership, the business worked on some of Alberta's most iconic projects, from Calgary's new Central Library, to the historical renovation of Old City Hall, to airport expansions, water facilities, and major infrastructure across western Canada. He recently sold the company to longtime staff partners.

Along the way, he built more than a contracting firm. He developed UDS, a proprietary ERP system, to scale operations. He created Emotions, a fragrance named in tribute to his late brother Anton, and inspired by his now-wife Rosina.

He opened a Pratt & Lambert paint dealership and ran it for over a decade, then partnered with Vista Paints in California to launch Crown Paint Legacy and built a 25,000 sq ft manufacturing facility to produce it.

Today Danijel is the Managing Director of Danijel & Co., a group of companies focused on marketing, communications, and digital adoption. The group includes Cerco Design, a Calgary marketing and creative agency offering branding, content production, web design, video, and large-scale environmental design through its in-house production team. It also includes Sysco Technologies, an IT consulting firm he co-founded that serves small and medium-sized businesses, and UTAGG, his digital business card platform.

Terence is the founder of F22 Clarity, a Canadian agency building AI solutions and apps for small and medium businesses. His work sits at the intersection of automation, conversions and ai adoption.

The old “suck it up and be a man” script has done enough damage. Real strength isn’t silence. It’s knowing when to ask for help — and actually asking.
I’ve done the work. I’ve learned to manage my challenges in a healthy way, and that process changed how I show up in every part of my life. I’m not here to give a polished speech about it. I’m here because I believe men deserve better than suffering quietly.

Anthony was a co-founder and CEO of the first nationally licensed online finance brokerage platform in 2001, creating a shift in the finance and brokerage space. His firm generated over 60,000 data protected applications, resulting in 3B+ dollars in closed real estate transactions.

In 2013 Anthony became the CEO of Formiga Capital, a finance and consultancy firm focused on the Turnaround, Restructuring and Direct Financing of small and mid market companies throughout North America. Anthony directly consulted and co-created specialty finance programs with Costco Canada, Mayo Clinic, GMAC and Ally Bank. He’s been a resource for CBC Radio, CTV, Readers Digest, Vancouver Sun, GlobalTV, The Globe and Mail and Money Sense Magazine.

Jason Sobkowicz is 46 years old, married 11 years with 3 children. A medically retired Policeman with 21 years of service, now dedicated to farming, Philosophical writing, advocating for mental wellness through barn yard talks called "Talking To Horses" and podcasting internal thoughts on all things regarding Religion, Existentialism, Philosophy, consciousness, mental health, the human condition and so much more.

Jason is a Bibliophile who reads nonstop.

Jason has also enjoyed 38 years of martial arts training and continues to be physically active on the farm and in the gym.

Jason has a flare for the Poetic and has an unusual way of expressing his deepest thoughts out loud for anyone to hear.

Jackson McDonough is a Calgary-born, fourth-generation entrepreneur with a relentless drive to build things that matter: businesses, communities, and people.

After graduating from St. Francis Xavier University with a BBA in Finance, Jackson launched his career in Austin, Texas at Medallia, a customer experience software company that went public on the NYSE. That experience gave him a front-row seat to enterprise SaaS sales at the highest level and a foundation he has been building on ever since.

In 2021, he returned to Calgary to found Upwardly Careers, a next-generation talent recruitment firm that uses personal branding, data analytics, and a people-first philosophy to connect exceptional candidates with the companies that need them most.

Today, Jackson serves as Head of Business Development at Candidly AI, an AI-powered voice platform that conducts autonomous stakeholder interviews for consulting firms. Backed by $1M in funding and built on Canadian infrastructure, Candidly gives consulting teams the capacity to listen at scale, capturing the insights that structured processes miss and turning stakeholder feedback into a genuine competitive advantage. If your firm conducts stakeholder consultation, expect to hear from him.

Beyond business, Jackson is an award-winning philanthropist and community builder at his core. He is the co-founder of Beacons of Hope, an annual event that has raised over $150K in support of the Calgary Police Service and the people who serve our city every day. He is also the founder of the McDonough Stampede movement Classic, a 36-hole golf tournament held each June that raises money for men’s mental health. He sits on the board of YouthLink Calgary. A former Team Canada rugby player, Jackson brings the same discipline and competitive drive from the field into everything he does.

He is always looking to connect with founders, consulting leaders, and community builders who are playing the long game.

Mo is a devoted father and husband with a distinguished background in public service, including roles as a federal correctional officer and firefighter. He is also an active military reservist and currently serves as the President of BOTG-AB. Throughout his career, Mo has recognized the significant lack of resources and support available for men, which has driven him to create and promote resources aimed at addressing this gap. He is passionate about encouraging men to engage in open discussions about their challenges in a safe and supportive environment.

Kevin Halliday knows what it feels like to look successful on the outside while quietly falling apart on the inside.

For years, Kevin carried the weight that many men carry in silence. He was overweight, unhealthy, drinking every day, exhausted, disconnected from himself, and struggling with serious health challenges, including sleep apnea, gout, and bladder cancer. He was over 240 pounds, out of shape, and at a point where even simple physical activities felt difficult.

On paper, Kevin looked like he had it together. He was a business owner, a leader, a husband, a father, and someone people looked up to. But behind the scenes, he knew he was not living as the man he wanted to be. His health was slipping. His energy was gone. His habits were controlling him. And deep down, he knew something had to change.

The turning point came when Kevin realized he could no longer just talk about leadership, discipline, and strength, he had to live it. He had to become the example. Not just for himself, but for his family, his team, and the men who were watching.

After 50, Kevin made a life-changing decision. He stopped drinking, rebuilt his body, changed his mindset, and committed to becoming the strongest version of himself. Through discipline, food, training, sleep, visualization, and personal responsibility, he completely transformed his life and went on to become a WNBF bodybuilding champion.

Today, Kevin is a TEDx speaker, author, entrepreneur, podcast host, and founder of The Shed Effect, a movement designed to help men open up in safe, familiar, shoulder-to-shoulder spaces. As host of ShedTalk with Kevin Halliday, he creates conversations around health, wealth, mindset, resilience, leadership, and men’s mental health.

Kevin’s story is powerful because he does not teach from theory, he teaches from the fire he walked through. He understands what it means to feel stuck, ashamed, tired, unhealthy, and disconnected. He also knows what it takes to rebuild.

His message is simple: you are not too old, too broken, too far gone, or too late. Life can begin again, even after 50.

Through his work with Mentell Health, ShedTalk, and The Shed Effect, Kevin helps men drop the armor, speak honestly, rebuild their health, and reconnect with the man they were meant to become.

Sachin Latti is an ultra-endurance athlete, public speaker, and mental health advocate based in Surrey, British Columbia.

Before he ever ran a step, Sachin spent 18 years as a Canada Border Services Agency officer. He grew up wrestling at his high school in Plano, Texas, where he learned the value of hard work, but lost his connection to fitness after returning to Canada. The years of frontline work eventually caught up with him. He was diagnosed with PTSD as a first responder, and during the COVID pandemic, while also going through a divorce, he started running as a way to manage his mental health. He had not run 5 kilometres before.

In November 2021, he ran 103 kilometres from the RCMP's Pacific Regional Training Centre in Chilliwack to Vancouver International Airport in under 15 hours, raising over $19,000 for the Royal Canadian Legion's Poppy Fund and PTSD programs for veterans and first responders. That run changed the direction of his life.

Since then, Sachin has run nine ultramarathons in nine months, completed 22 marathons in 22 days from Revelstoke to Victoria for Honour House Society, and ran 60 kilometres a day for 52 days straight, the equivalent of running from Victoria to the Terry Fox Memorial in Thunder Bay. In June 2025, he set off from Clover Point in Victoria on Sach In Motion, a 7,500 kilometre, 80-plus day run across Canada with the goal of raising $1 million for mental health, with 100 kilometres a day on the road and a Meridian RV following the route as a community engagement hub.

Funds raised support organizations including Wounded Warriors Canada, Honour House Society, the Canadian Men's Health Foundation, Together We Can, Their Opportunity, and Jack.org. Sachin is a Lululemon Ambassador and hosts gala fundraisers under the SachinMotion banner.

His message centres on men's mental health, first responder and veteran wellbeing, and the cost of suffering in silence.

Justin is a mental health advocate, inspirational speaker and professional executive coach. But more than that, he is a loving husband and father of two amazing kids. He enjoys coaching his son in all sports that he plays in and spending time with his family. He loves to play hockey and is an avid fitness fan. He believes that the power of sharing your story can help those who struggle ask for help and realize that they are not alone. He is the creator of the Stronger You Project, which takes people through a 12-week journey of self-discovery and looks to build purpose, passion and possibilities. He also speaks to organizations, schools and sports teams on the power of your mental health and how it can lead to substance abuse.If you would like to know more about Justin and how you can work with him, please go to: www.justinbrien.comInstagram @justinbrien19TikTok @justininspiration

Travis Bader is the founder of Silvercore, Canada's premier firearms safety and outdoor education provider, and the host of The Silvercore Podcast.

Travis grew up around the trade. His father, Gordon Bader, is a 30-year veteran of the Vancouver Police Department who worked as a firearms instructor at the Justice Institute of BC and as a gunsmith at the Vancouver Police Museum.

That foundation shaped Travis early. By the time he formally launched Silvercore in 2003, he already had a decade of experience delivering firearms and safety training to police officers, border guards, and corrections staff.

What started as a training company has grown into a broader outdoor education ecosystem. Silvercore now offers courses in firearms safety (PAL and RPAL), CORE hunter education, range and live-fire training, bear and predator defence, fishing, and outdoor recreation, with a training facility based in Delta, BC.

The company has provided services to the City of Vancouver, BC Parks, GardaWorld, Brinks, and ACFC West, among others. Travis runs the business alongside his wife, Tiffany.

Today, Travis is best known to many in Canada's outdoor community as the voice behind The Silvercore Podcast, where he sits down with hunters, adventurers, soldiers, athletes, craftsmen, and founders to talk about competence, integrity, and the pursuit of mastery.

Sean was raised in the Tri-Cities and having lived in this community for over 27 years has seen the transform from a sleepy suburb to the vibrant community it is now. A leader and mentor through martial arts instruction he has supported the community with youth sponsorship in sport and activities and community functions.

As director of sales and marketing he is responsible for creating, implementing and managing all sales teams and creative consultants for the projects. His professional experience includes sixteen years of real estate financing and sales management success. His innovation, passion, and sales strategies have earned him Top 1% honours with over $100M of sales and acquisition in various multi-family developments.