


Creative Catalyst

Creative Catalyst
The world needs more originality. Make your Move.
Amplify originality with a creative* mindset in order to find novel solutions to chronic problems.
*no arts and crafts required


Creativity.
Our Elemental Human Gift
Let me be your guide...
Everyday Creativity has proven to influence:
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Resilience
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Innovation
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Confidence in Uncertainty
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Job Satisfaction and Performance
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Agility and Adaptability
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Complex Problem Solving
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Critical Thinking
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Empathy


Videos
Disrupt HR Talk
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Creative Leadership to Seize more Smiles (and profit)
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How to D.A.N.C.E into a bright future with Creativity
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Creative Thinking for useful solutions despite Uncertainty
Most Requested Talks
Since I'm a creativity speaker, I'm extremely flexible.
Amplify team cohesion, collaboration and innovation with custom workshops.
Let's ignite a spark so big that it launches your team into next year. Got kindling?
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Put a Spring in your Step: Raise your Resilience with Everyday Creativity.Keynote to Inspire Optimism and Enthusiasm
Best Audience
Idea for attendees in traditionally "non creative" fields or industries. Best for Sales Conferences, Training Kickoffs, Professional Development, Association Events, Leadership Programs
All the Feels
After years of study, late nights, and mac and cheese dinners, you might have hoped it would finally be worth it. But maybe you’re struggling to maintain your enthusiasm. How can you regain your early passion for your career? Wouldn’t you love to go to work with a smile and come home with energy to spare? Everyday creativity is the treasure map to work-life integration, with a proven impact on resilience. Many abandon creativity as a frivolous pursuit, or think it’s only for artists and grandmas. If you think you are too analytical to be creative, science proves you wrong. Everyday creativity is a human, elemental gift, accessible to everyone. No arts and crafts required. Learn how to effortlessly engage creativity in only a few minutes a day, from an unapologetic left brainer, stand-up comic and veterinarian.
In this session, you will learn
-5 habits to amplify your existing creativity in a few minutes a day
-How and why everyday creativity augments resilience and happiness
-The common pitfall that derails creativity and keeps us from expressing ourselvesLearning Objectives
List 5 easy ways to practice creativity daily (D.A.N.C.E)
Identify why we build barriers of judgement to expressing creativity.
Explain the difference between divergent and convergent creativity and why it matters to problem solving.
Summarize the evidence that creativity impacts resilience and creativity.
“I realized that I was creative, but did not label it as creativity. I was associating creativity with arts. You kind of democratized creativity. I'm less stressed and I'm able to think more deeply. I'm much more at peace with myself and I'm a better human. Thanks so much.”
— Anne-Marie Levasseur, ACAS - Attendee at Women in Insurance Canada 2021
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Dauntless Teams: Collaborate with Creativity for Competitive AdvantageKeynote or Workshop on How to Empower Teams to Collaborate Effectively.
Best Audience
Annual Meetings, Corporate Events, Leadership conferences, Personal Development training.
All the Feels
Disconnected teams with lackluster engagement are common barriers to organizational success. Intrepid teams who embrace creativity have higher trust, produce exemplary results, and are half as likely to quit. Luckily, you can build a creative mindset in every team member. Lay a foundation for success where teams collaborate more effectively to achieve innovative solutions. Learn how to get a team to pull together with creativity from an unapologetic left-brainer, stand-up comic, entrepreneur and locum veterinarian who has to engage and connect with new teams every day (and even herd some cats, for real!).
In this session you will learn
-Simple ground rules to lay the foundation for a creative team.
-Effortless habits to engage creativity in every team member.
-The most common mistakes that block team performance and creativity, and how to course correct.Learning Objectives
Recognize the relationship between Tolerance of Ambiguity, Creativity, and Resilience.
List benefits of a creative team to organizational performance and culture.
Describe 5 creative habits that are foundational to individual creativity in a team.
Build an agile mindset to embrace “just in time” skills development.
“We recently completed a workshop with our team that Caroline facilitated and it had a significant impact, particularly with one quite shy team member who now speaks up in meetings when she used to not share. I've also noticed our team seems to be smiling and having fun together more often than they used to as well which is no doubt due to the awesome session with her. If you're thinking about how to re-energize your team and bring creativity into your business, you better call Caroline! “
— Lisa Genovese, Président, BottomLine
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Blood, sweat and smiles: Rebound from a Tough Day Keynote for inspiring hope and building resilience in patient facing healthcare practitioners.
Best Audience
Organizations and groups with patient facing healthcare roles.
All the Feels
If you have a patient-facing role in healthcare, you might have asked yourself, even once, why you went into this field in the first place. Colleagues are worn out and irritable, or leaving. You are expected to do the work of many, while performing miracles every day. No wonder you’re tired. Everyday creativity is a key ingredient that many have missed in the quest for the cure.
Research illustrates that healthcare workers bounce back faster after doing something creative, like making a meal, finding a new way to rip tape, or planting a flower. No paint nights or take an improv class (unless you want to). Engage creativity in only a few minutes a day as a balm for stress and an elixir to build confidence in uncertainty. Side effects may include better problem solving, improved job satisfaction and performance, and engagement at work. Learn how a veterinarian and stand up comedian uses everyday creativity to rebound from a tough day, and the published evidence on the benefits of creativity to resilience and happiness.
In this session, you will learn
-5 easy habits to engage creativity in a few minutes a day.
-The link between creativity, tolerance of ambiguity and resilience, and how to strengthen them.
-How to find your own creative practice to help rebound from stress.Learning Objectives
Define "everyday creativity" and compare to "big C" creativity.
Describe the evidence based relationship between everyday creativity, tolerance of ambiguity and resilience.
Identify personal creative practices that will build resilience.
List 5 habits that will build a nurturing environment for creativity.
“Caroline was a pleasure to work with! She was respectful of deadlines and very attentive and responsive to the needs of our organization both financially and in requirements for presentation content. Caroline delivered an engaging presentation with both humour and professionalism. As our closing keynote speaker, Caroline had our attendees D.A.N.C.E-ing Into the Future with Creativity!”
— Susan Iannuzzi – PTSA 2020 Virtual Conference Planning Committee
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Creative Leadership: Unlock Creativity at Every Level for Incomparable ResultsKeynote or Workshop to Leverage Unorthodox Keys to Engagement and Performance
Best Audience
Leaders, Managers, Team Leaders, anyone seeking more collaboration and engagement in teams.
All the Feels
Stop settling for sub-par, incremental improvements on old solutions. In this interactive experience, we will explore the prerequisites for creative thinking. Creative organizations inspire 70% of employees to contribute to innovation compared to 20%.
We have a big brain for a reason. Let’s use it to pause, get curious, and adapt. Banish status quo thinking and foster collaboration, engagement, and innovation.
Only for leaders who are willing to do what it takes to gain competitive advantage, drive innovation, and nurture empowered teams who want to come to work.
Uplifting and empowering keynote with clear, actionable takeaways. Workshop option for a more customized deep dive.
For leaders who want to change the world. And, for what it's worth, I'm not prone to hyperbole.Learning Objectives
Make better decisions despite outdated reactions to uncertainty.
Amplify curiosity for better business results and collaboration.
Get better ideas from yourself and others by avoiding the biggest pitfall in creative thinking.
Embed 5 foundational personal habits every day to magnify creative thinking.
Multiply profits and innovation by applying proven prerequisites for a creative company.

Check out my new book:
The Reluctant Creative
Everyone is talking about creativity, but you are hardly interested in “paint night.” What if creativity doesn’t mean arts and crafts? Everyday creativity includes things as different as making a meal to building a pivot table in Excel. Exercise your own creativity for proven beneficial effects on your mood, job performance, salary and more. You can be a Reluctant Creative! No art supplies needed.
Discover More

Connect with Caroline
Searching for an uplifting and inspiring way to build a cohesive, innovative and productive team with more smiles?
Book a call with Caroline to talk about how to inspire your team.




About Me
I was a creative genius in kindergarten. But, chances are, so were you. 98% of kindergarteners score as genius on a creativity test, but only 2% of adults score the same. What happened? Where did it go?
When I was in kindergarten, I loved animals, so it was a foregone conclusion that I should become a veterinarian. Then, in high school, I discovered a passion for performance, acting, improv and photography. Does this sound familiar? Did you think you had to choose Art or Science? Becoming a veterinarian seemed easier, more linear. Through a series of life events including entrepreneurship, a corporate speaking role, and stand up comedy, I regained my connection with my creativity. I recaptured my joy from kindergarten, by expressing what makes me unique and different.
But what would people think?
You, too, can find the joy everyday creativity, and learn how to worry less about rejection. I am obsessed with sharing the secret with other "non creatives" like me. Using my skills as researcher, I have devoured the evidence on creativity, and how it benefits our personal and professional life.
Nobody cares that much about what you do. You might as well have fun, enjoy your job, and share your unique gifts with the world. I know, it can be scary to try something new, and to speak up and stand out.
Leading with creativity builds cohesive teams who want to stay, because they are making a difference, feeling heard, and having fun. Creativity is contagious.
With experience for over 25 years as a "locum tenens" veterinarian, in hundreds of veterinary hospitals worldwide, I have mastered the nuance of engaging a new team, building their trust, and leading efficient process for superior patient care at warp speed. I have a Certificate of Professional Management from the University of Calgary, and am a certified Level 2 Creative Problem Solving Institute Facilitator. My time in research honed my critical thinking lens and demand for data, and my time in a global packaged goods company taught me the value of radical collaboration and innovation from the ground up (I got an innovation award!). Stand-Up Comedy and parenting have taught me the value of not taking things personally.
I live in Calgary, where my lectures go unheeded by my family. The dog listens, sometimes. My dream is to help the most reluctant creative find the courage to take tiny, unconventional actions every day towards a regret-proof life.




Testimonial Pond
(where I go fishing for compliments)
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“Our newcomer job seekers who attended your session not only had fun but learned practical and creative ways to approach their job search challenges particularly in these days of uncertainty and crisis. Your session was interactive, and your inputs were practical and relevant.”
— Marivic Prospero, Director, Career and Employment Services
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“Caroline is amazing at helping people to unlock that creativity with practical tips and tools that anyone can use. I had the pleasure to host a few of her sessions she presented with our organization, and had also been an attendee to her talks. I have seen and experienced how Caroline uses her knowledge and positivity to connect with people from all walks of life.”
— Michael Manzano, BA, MBA, Bow Valley College, Alberta
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“Caroline recently supported Elevated with a client in our course called Leadership Essentials. We would highly recommend using Caroline to support you in building a creative and more resilient team!”
— Michelle Berg, Chief Visionary Officer, Elevated
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“Caroline's workshop was fantastic! I had many key takeaways that I was able to utilize with my team and those tools have made us quicker at coming to a solution for a problem, easier to be more creative in our process and overall have a lot more fun working together. I'm so grateful I took the time to attend!”
— Lisa Genovese, Président, BottomLine
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“Caroline was highly accommodating and willing to create a custom program for our unique needs. It was very interactive and activity oriented, with lots of group work and opportunities to embed the learning in the moment. I highly recommend Caroline for any corporate keynote or workshop if you want to boost creativity and innovation in your culture.”
— Dawn O'Connor, Women's President Organization Chapter Chair
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“It was such an inspiration, interactive presentation. Our staff loved it and have mentioned they feel rejuvenated and are looking forward to finding more ways to stay creative through these times.”
— Karen Velthuys, Executive Director, Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba
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“Caroline was a pleasure to work with! She was respectful of deadlines and very attentive and responsive to the needs of our organization. Caroline delivered an engaging presentation with both humour and professionalism.”
— Susan Iannuzzi, PTSA 2020 Virtual Conference Planning Committee
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“Caroline is a confident, engaging, and charismatic presenter. Her enthusiasm for talking about creativity is contagious.”
— Hasmik Asmaryan, Project Manager, CCIS






