Riley Yesno

Riley Yesno (she/her) is a queer Anishinaabe scholar, writer, and commentator, from Eabametoong First Nation and Thunder Bay, Ontario.

She is highly sought after for her words and analysis— called an “Indigenous powerhouse” by the Toronto Star, “one of the brightest young minds in Canada today” by jury members of the Canadian Journalism Foundation, and “a rising intellectual giant by the University of Toronto.

She has been a contributor and commentator for some of the largest media outlets in Canada and the world, including the New York Times, BBC World News, The Globe and Mail, and CBC National News. Riley has also travelled the globe speaking at internationally renowned institutions and events, including the UN climate negotiations, the Stockholm Forum on Gender Equality, TEDx stages, and many others.

She has taught Indigenous governance at Toronto Metropolitan University and is completing her PhD at the University of Toronto, where she is studying Indigenous / Canadian politics and is a Vanier Scholar. Riley is at work on the proposal for her first book of non-fiction, which will look critically at reconciliation in Canada, interwoven with her lived experience.

SPEAKING TOPICS

Beyond Reconciliation
It has been almost ten years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its Final Report and launched Canada’s reconciliation project into the country’s political and social consciousness. What progress has been made? Where have we failed to take action? In this talk, Riley charts the trajectory of reconciliation from its inception to the present— highlighting Indigenous people’s critiques and the work we must all do to go beyond reconciliation as it has been pursued to date.


The Future is Indigenous
Too often, Indigenous people are wrongly viewed as ‘past people’— stuck in a time of pre-colonization and unable to adapt to the modern world. In this presentation, Riley shows that Indigenous people are, contrary to this racist belief, one of the most adaptable people out there— surviving apocalypse after apocalypse and adapting to every change brought on by colonization— Indigenous people have never let up on their commitment to realizing futures where we all thrive. Drawing on a concept called ‘Indigenous Futurism, ‘ Riley will explain how Indigenous art and activism are writing the story of a bold new future— today.


Indigenous Queerness: The Colonizers Brought the Closet
Over the past few decades in North America, the term ‘two-spirit’ (2S) has been increasingly recognized. As a queer Indigenous person herself, in this talk, Riley aims to break down what ‘two-spirit’ means, where it came from, and common misconceptions of the identity. She will also highlight how colonization has impacted all of our understandings of gender and sexuality and challenge audiences to decolonize their relationships to gender and sexuality as well— whether you’re Indigenous or not.


#LandBack
How did an internet joke turn into a rallying call for Indigenous action that spans across the continent? This is the story of Land Back: Building off of a longstanding history of refusal of the settler-colonial status quo, Land Back has become a point of connection for supporters of Indigenous self-determination and, increasingly, for those who see Indigenous leadership as the world’s greatest hope against climate destruction. This talk will outline how Land Back came to be and how it fits into the larger story of Indigenous contestation, provide examples of Land Back in action, and suggest ways we can all take part in the growing movement.


Lessons in Youth Leadership
Riley was only sixteen years old when she started taking up prominent leadership roles in Canada and around the world. From the Prime Minister’s table and UN negotiating rooms to grassroots youth movements, she’s learned many lessons about what it means to be a truly strong and honourable leader. Drawing on these experiences and teachings from an Anishinaabe worldview, this talk asks audiences to deeply consider questions like: How do you define leadership? How do you move through challenges with integrity? Is leadership about having a seat at the table, or should we be challenging the idea of ‘the table’ altogether?


Transforming Education for Indigenous Peoples
In Canada, we know that public education is not serving Indigenous people in the way it should, even as the statistics improve from year to year. From the closing of the last residential school in 1997 to now, Indigenous people continue to have high school graduation rates far below our non-Indigenous counterparts, and Indigenous representation in higher learning is even further behind. How do we overcome this? How can we decolonize the classroom— both the physical environment and the learning approach— so that all students not just pass, but feel empowered and seen by their education?


Murdered and Missing: Canada’s Failure to Protect Indigenous Women, Girls, and Queer People
The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people was released to the general public in 2019, but it had been a conversation in Indigenous communities for much longer than that. In this talk, Riley traces the history of injustice against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people from the onset of colonization to now. The goal is to look beyond the data and the public reports and ask bigger questions like: How can we build communities and worlds that truly value non-violence, consent, and accountability?

To book Riley, please reach out to speakers@transatlanticagency.com


Asha Frost

Asha Frost (she/her), is an Indigenous Medicine Woman and a member of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation. She has a BA in Psychology from the University of Guelph and a degree in Homeopathic Medicine. Asha is the best-selling Author of You are the Medicine and has guided thousands of people through profound and lasting transformation for the past two decades in her work as a healer, homeopath and mentor.

Impacted by generational trauma and colonization, Asha has been on a lifelong journey of reclamation. A lupus diagnosis sent her on a path of studying and practicing a multitude of energy Medicine modalities with many guides. She has blended this life experience with her innate gifts and the wisdom of her Ancestors. She loves sharing her Medicine in powerful ways through Ceremonies, teachings, and speaking events. Through this work, she has seen people reclaim their roots, find their healing wisdom, and rise into their power.

Asha lives on Anishinaabe, Huron-Wendat, and Haudenosaunee Territory, with her husband and two beautiful children, with whom she co-creates a better world for the seven generations to come. Her oracle deck, The Sacred Medicine Oracle will be released in 2023 by Hay House.

You are the Medicine

We are conditioned to believe that all of the answers we seek come outside of us. This comes from the systems at play such as colonialism, capitalism and the patriarchy. We have forgotten that we carry an inner wisdom and power that guides us. Asha will take the listener through exercises, guided journeys (meditations) and self-reflection to unwind the systemic impacts that have affected us all. She will then show you how to reclaim and remember the innate guidance that has always resided within.

Living by the Medicine Wheel

The Anishinaabe Medicine Wheel teaches us that every season and every cycle that we move through in life is needed and of great importance. After the past few years, many of us find ourselves in burnout and overwhelm. In this talk, Asha will show you how we can turn to the teachings of the Medicine Wheel to assist us in bringing more joy, ease and flow into our lives. In sharing these traditional teachings, Asha will help the audience turn burnout to beauty and overwhelm to balance.  She will provide an embodied, healing experience so you can live with more peace and joy.

Opening and Closing Ceremonies

Asha is available for opening/closing ceremonies and land acknowledgements for any event, organization or workshop.  As an Indigenous Healer, she has facilitated for thousands in such ceremonies and offers personalized words, energy and teachings based on the event topic. Her style infuses a healing experience for the participants providing a container that feels inclusive, warm and inviting.

7 Seven Grandfather Teachings for Resilience

Walking in a good way with the teachings of love, respect, humility, bravery, truth, honesty and wisdom is something we can all strive for. In times of struggle, these teachings can guide our way. When Asha was 17, she was diagnosed with lupus, a serious, long-term autoimmune disease. Following these seven teachings she has built a life of courage and joy, reaching goals and dreams that doctors told her would never happen. In this talk she will offer ways that we can use these teachings to build resilience and capacity for ourselves so that when hard things happen, we can continue to thrive.

 Workshop offerings:

All of the following workshops can be offered and made suitable for the event topic and comfort of the audience. They can be offered in a traditional-circle way or a workshop style. These offerings tend to be more intimate, with a focus on wellness, teachings and healing.

Full Moon/New Moon Ceremony

From Trauma to Wisdom – Generational Healing

Animal Spirit Guidance

Summer/Winter Solstice Ceremony

Fall/Spring Equinox Ceremony

Ancestral Connection and Guidance

To book Asha Frost, contact Rob Firing at speakers@transatlanticagency.com.


Clayton Thomas-Muller

Clayton Thomas-Müller is a member of the Treaty #6 based Mathias Colomb Cree Nation also known as Pukatawagan located in Northern Manitoba, Canada. Based in Winnipeg. He has been recognized by Yes Magazine as a Climate Hero and is featured as one of ten international human rights defenders in the National Canadian Museum for Human Rights. He has campaigned across Canada, Alaska and the lower 48 states organizing in hundreds of First Nations, Alaska Native and Native American communities to support Indigenous Peoples to defend their territories against the encroachment of the fossil fuel industry with a special focus on stopping the expansion of the Canadian tar sands and its associated pipelines. Clayton is an award winning film director, media producer, organizer, facilitator, public speaker and bestselling author on Indigenous rights and environmental & economic justice. His book, Life in the City of Dirty Water, was a national bestseller and a CBC Canada Reads finalist.

Speaking Topics
Storytelling as an Indigenous practice is alive and immersive, as much about the moment and the listener as about the teller. For decades Clayton has toured extensively as a public speaker, engaging audiences at venues around the world and inspiring listeners to take action for climate justice and decolonization.

Clayton can speak on a variety of topics concerning Indigenous Rights, the environment, and crucial issues about land and the extraction industry.

Clayton’s presentation of Life in the City of Dirty Water as an immersive, multimedia theatre experience weaves together oral storytelling, powerful video clips, audio sequences, and Indigenous Art, allowing audiences to go explore other dimensions of colonial trauma, healing, and Indigenous resurgence.

A documentary about his life and book, produced by the CBC, premiered at Hot Docs in 2019. Watch the two-minute trailer:

Selected media

CBC Radio The Current
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-nov-3-2021-1.6235180/lack-of-control-over-land-leaves-indigenous-communities-exposed-to-pollution-says-activist-1.6218178

CBC Radio Sunday Magazine
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-57-the-sunday-magazine/clip/15868623-clayton-thomas-muller-reads-memoir-life-city-dirty-water

APTN
https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/cree-activist-turned-author-tells-story-of-healing-in-winnipegs-inner-city/

Vancouver Sun
https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/local-arts/in-new-memoir-activist-thomas-muller-traces-impact-of-extraction-industries-on-first-nations-and-his-own-life

Winnipeg Free Press
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/books/warrior-mentality-575533102.html

To book Clayton Thomas Muller, contact Rob Firing at speakers@transatlanticagency.com.


Susan R. Eaton

A geoscientist, journalist and conservationist, Susan R. Eaton studies the interplay of plate tectonics, oceans, glaciers, climate and life in polar regions.

A Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Susan explores the world’s oceans—from Antarctica to the Arctic—in the snorkel zone, a unique land-sea-ice-air interface where charismatic animals and snorkelers comingle.

In 2018, Ocean Geographic named Susan one of the “Ocean’s Best” 18 most influential women leaders in ocean conservation.

On Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017, Susan was honoured to be included in the book by Paulina Cameron, entitled “Canada 150 Women: Conversations with Leaders, Champions and Luminaries.”

In 2015, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society named Susan one of Canada’s top 100 modern-day explorers and trailblazers. A year later, the same organization named her one of Canada’s 25 greatest female explorers.

Susan is the founder and leader of the multi-year Sedna Epic Expedition, which is comprised of women ocean explorers, scientists, artists, educators and scuba divers from around the world. Founded in 2014, the Sedna Epic Expedition’s sea women scout, document and record disappearing sea ice in the Arctic. In consultation with Inuit team members and Inuit advisors, Sedna’s sea women deliver hands-on, ocean knowledge mobilization programs to Inuit youth, girls and Elders in Labrador, Nunavut and Greenland. To date, Susan has led three all-women dive and snorkel expeditions to the Arctic.

An active volunteer in the conservation sector since 1990, Susan is passionate about protecting Canada’s endangered ecosystems and the animals who call them home. She currently sits on the board of directors of Nature Canada—the oldest nature conservation charity in Canada—whose mandate is protecting parks and wildlife areas and creating citizen science and urban nature initiatives. Susan is a founding member of Nature Canada’s Women for Nature, a collaborative partnership of 150 women of influence who champion nature and inspire young leaders for nature.

A senior advisor in the Canadian and international energy sector, Susan provides technical, financial and strategic due diligence to oil and gas, legal and equity finance companies. Susan’s strong financial background was honed while working, as Vice-President of Exploration, with several publicly-traded and privately-held junior oil and gas companies. She is an expert witness in oil and gas litigation and regulatory hearings.

Susan holds a B. Sc. Hon. degree in geology and biology from Dalhousie University and a M.Sc. in petroleum geology (geophysics specialization) from Imperial College’s Royal School of Mines, University of London.

Equipped with a B. J. Hon. degree from Carleton University’s School of Journalism, Susan began her media career in as an on-camera news reporter with CBC-TV. Today, as a corporate communications specialist, she creates external communications materials which include annual and quarterly reports, press releases, speeches, advertorials, and website and social media content.

As a freelance writer, Susan reports on science and technology, business, energy, the environment, space, geotourism and adventure travel. Her articles and photographs have been published in Canadian, American and international magazines and newspapers, including The GeographerWater CanadaCanadian GeographicOcean GeographicOutpostPopular MechanicsExplorerDIVER MagazineALERT DiverDivePhotoGuideNew TechnologyAlberta Oil MagazineBusiness Edge, the Financial Post, the Edmonton Journal and the Calgary Herald.

To book Susan R. Eaton , contact Rob Firing at speakers@transatlanticagency.com.


Geoff Dembicki

As wildfires rage across the west, hurricanes slam into the east and sea ice vanishes in the north, it’s clearer than ever that climate change is happening right now – and it will only get worse. But whether it’s Donald Trump pulling the U.S. out of the Paris treaty, French workers rioting against a carbon tax or B.C. and Alberta ready to kill each other over oil pipelines, our leaders seem unable to address the climate crisis with the urgency it requires. So when you get right down it: Are we screwed?

In this talk, award-winning journalist and author Geoff Dembicki approaches the question from his perspective as a member of the millennial generation, which could be the first generation in history to truly experience the doomsday impacts of climate change, and potentially the last one able to avert global catastrophe.

Dembicki draws from his travels to the 2015 Paris climate talks, a Philippines city destroyed by a typhoon, a top clean energy laboratory in Beijing, a social club for Republicans and oil lobbyists in Washington, DC, and other locales across the U.S., Canada and the world. By telling the stories of people young and old fighting for a safer and more equal society, he reaches a conclusion both sobering and hopeful: we’re not as screwed as we think, but only if we take radical action now.

Geoff Dembicki is the author of Are We Screwed? How a New Generation is Fighting to Survive Climate Change, which won the 2018 Green Prize for Sustainable Literature and the 2017 Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award. He is a regular contributor to VICE and The Tyee and his work has also appeared in outlets such as The New York Times, the Guardian, the AtlanticMashable and Penthouse. A magazine feature he wrote for Foreign Policy entitled “The Convenient Disappearance of Climate Change Denial in China” won the 2018 Energy of Words Media Contest, an international media award given out by the Global Energy Association.

Select reporting samples:

Trump Has Declared Climate War. But My Generation Will Win (The New York Times)

An Optimist’s Guide to Solving Climate Change and Saving the World (VICE)

The Convenient Disappearance of Climate Change Denial in China (Foreign Policy)

To book Geoff Dembicki, contact Rob Firing at speakers@transatlanticagency.com.