Keynote Presentation

Getting Along with Difficult People

Conflict at work is unavoidable – but how leaders handle it determines performance, culture, and engagement. Difficult interactions drain focus, undermine decision-making, and often trigger reactions we later regret, from avoidance to unnecessary escalation. 

In this keynote, Amy shares research-backed frameworks drawn from more than 14 years of study and interviews with leading academics and workplace experts. She identifies eight common patterns of difficult behavior and equips leaders with practical strategies to navigate tense conversations with confidence and composure. Whether it’s addressing a passive-aggressive peer, an insecure leader, or a high-stakes feedback conversation, this session provides tools to respond effectively without damaging relationships or authority. 

Designed for executives and senior leaders, this keynote builds interpersonal resilience – the ability to stay clear-headed, reduce stress, and lead effectively in the moments that matter most. 

Key Takeaways 

• Recognize the most common patterns of difficult behavior – and how to respond to each 
• Navigate high-stakes conversations without escalating conflict or disengaging 
• Reduce stress and regain clarity during challenging interactions 
• Build interpersonal resilience to lead with confidence under pressure 
• Strengthen relationships while maintaining credibility and results 

Amy Gallo Biography

Amy is an acclaimed speaker, who has delivered keynotes and workshops at hundreds of companies and conferences, including SXSW (Featured Speaker), the Conferences for Women, the World Economic Forum, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Google, Adobe, and the American Chambers of Commerce in Finland and Sweden. In 2019, she delivered a talk at TEDxBroadway about the positive benefits of conflict. 

Her writing and thinking has garnered several awards. She is on the 2023 Thinkers50 Radar List, was shortlisted for the Thinkers50 Talent award, and was named a 2022 LinkedIn Top Voice in Gender Equity. The Harvard Business Review Guide video series, which Amy stars in, was honored by the Webby Awards in 2023, and the five-episode Women at Work podcast series based on her book won the 2023 Digiday Media Award for Best Podcast.  

Amy is frequently sought out by media outlets for her perspective on workplace dynamics, conflict, and difficult conversations. Her advice has been featured in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post (The Lily), Fast Company, and Marketplace. She has been a guest on numerous podcasts and radio shows including Ten Percent Happier, HBR’s Ideacast, Hello Monday, WNYC, the BBC, and ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).  

Before working with Harvard Business Review, she was a management consultant at Katzenbach Partners, a strategy and organization firm based in New York. She contributed to the firm’s research on the “informal organization” – the unofficial networks and communities that govern how people work together in practice. 

Amy has three popular courses on LinkedIn Learning about managing conflict and difficult conversations. She has taught at Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania and is a graduate of both Brown and Yale University.  

She currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with her husband, daughter, and their dog, Emmet. 

Keynote Presentation

Make the Impossible Possible

What does it take to achieve extraordinary results when the odds are stacked against you?  

Drawing on his remarkable journey from complete novice to Olympic silver medalist in just four years, bestselling author and speaker Jeremiah Brown shares powerful lessons on mindset, resilience, and teamwork. Through compelling storytelling and research-based insights, Jeremiah challenges leaders to rethink what’s possible, navigate uncertainty, and perform under pressure.  

Attendees will gain practical strategies for overcoming obstacles, sustaining motivation, and driving breakthrough performance – individually and collectively – in today’s demanding business environment. 

Jeremiah Brown Biography

When companies want to increase workplace goal commitment, adapt to change, strengthen resolve, and inspire their teams, they call JEREMIAH BROWN “The 4 Year Olympian”.

Jeremiah is a change & transformation expert, bestselling author of The 4 Year Olympian, and former leader of career transitions, skill development and mental health for the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Jeremiah electrifies audiences with battle-tested strategies on goal resilience, transformation and team success. His keynotes equip your people with the grit, leadership mindset and collective resolve to power through obstacles and achieve ambitious goals. A highly sought-after speaker, Jeremiah has delivered hundreds of keynotes for world-class organizations like Spotify, TD Bank, Cisco, and the NHL’s Calgary Flames.

An Olympic underdog story like no other – Jeremiah Brown achieved the incredible feat of going from complete beginner to Olympic medalist in just fouryears. His story has been featured on CBC, CTV, Roger’s Sportsnet, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, and USA Today.

Breakout Session

Think Like a Strategist: Unlocking the 6 Disciplines That Drive Bold Leadership

Strategic thinking isn’t just for the boardroom – it’s a daily leadership discipline that separates reactive managers from visionary leaders. 

With his energy and enthusiasm, Nick brings a new approach to corporate image management, culture development and enterprise growth. As a founder and former President and Chair of Metromedia Marketing Ltd. and BrandAlliance Inc., Nick now shares his 25+ years of leadership and executive management experience with business owners and professionals across Canada. Nick is especially passionate about sharing leadership experiences in the areas of culture, M&A and strategic growth.

The organizations that he spearheaded have grown to be internationally recognized, with dozens of locations across the globe and employing hundreds of people in numerous countries. With extensive experience in importing/exporting between multiple countries, marketing strategies and executing on business plans, these businesses have become award winning – having been listed on the “Best Places to Work” roster yearly as well as gaining the “National Distributor of the Year” award in 2014 and 2015. BrandAlliance also obtained Deloitte’s “Canada’s Best Managed Companies” distinction in 2015 and 2016.

Nick’s credentials include being a finalist for the Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” award, recognition as one of Business in Calgary’s “Leaders of Tomorrow”, recipient of the “Premiers Award for Healthy Work Places”, and has been featured on the cover of a number of commercial and trade publications for his business acumen. He holds the rare marketing designation of M.A.S. (Master Advertising Specialist) and was awarded the first ever Humanitarian of the Year award by his industry association for his endless philanthropic contributions.

Nick continues to be actively involved in development projects in western Canada – as an investor, an advisor and a stakeholder. This includes commercial buildings, residential/community property developments and vacation complexes. He has served on many Boards, including his past companies, both the Provincial and National Boards of the PPPC (Promotional Products Professionals of Canada), and several not-for-profit enterprises. He is also active in the worldwide Entrepreneurs Organization as a member, a coach and a trainer for their Accelerator program across North America.

In his free time, Nick is in the process of writing and publishing a number of books on personal and business life lessons. He also enjoys staying active – hiking, running and playing sports of any kind. He and his wife take great pleasure in travelling, looking for new experiences, and tasting new foods and wines.

Christy Benoit Demuth works with entrepreneurs and business leaders to help them unlock their full potential and build purpose-driven businesses. She has over 20 years of experience in business leadership, having founded, built, and led several business ventures, including an innovative engineering firm that delivered industry-changing products to some of the largest oil and gas companies in North America. Through her focus on developing healthy corporate cultures that foster a continuous improvement mentality, she’s demonstrated that it is possible to do good while doing well in business.

As a Business Execution Specialist with Results, Christy provides coaching, training, and advisory to senior leaders and their teams as they strive to build successful and sustainable businesses. Her work focuses on the areas of strategy execution, culture transformation, productivity improvement, and leadership development. She adds value to teams by providing insight and experience on strategic and relational issues, holding them accountable to their commitments, asking challenging questions, and holding a safe space for the hard conversations that often stand between teams and the fulfillment of their goals.

When not at work, Christy can be found spending time with her husband and their 5 teenage/young adult kids, sweating it out in the yoga studio or hockey rink, or fighting weeds in her garden.