Brandi Heather

The Future of Personal and Professional Mental Health and Wellness, Inclusion and Creativity

Brandi Heather is an award-winning educator and conference keynote speaker with 25 years of lived experience and expertise in disability inclusion, mental health, and therapeutic play. From college professor to CEO, she inspires creative, informative and humorous solutions for today’s ever-changing workplace. She specializes in promoting workplace mental health and wellness, inclusion, engagement and stress reduction by utilizing the serious science of play.

She holds a Master’s Degree in Physical Education, A B.Ed in Special Education, a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University and Advanced Certification in Play Therapy. As a four-time nominee for the Alberta Women’s Entrepreneurship Award, and winner of the Women of Excellence Award, she is committed to building organizations where people want to be.

Brandi will show you that play is not what we do, it is who we are. Play drives problem-solving, resilience, conflict management, resourcefulness and adaptability.

Brandi’s research and experience show that being “in play” is one of the most vital, science-based tools for improving your personal and professional mental health, resilience, and creative drive. She is a one-of-a-kind conference keynote speaker whose presentations and workshops share her personal journey as an educator, business owner, and as a person living with mental illness as proof that the solution is always in play.

Stay in the game and return to play.

Programs By Brandi Heather

Healing Our Caring Systems: Restoring and Re-Engaging Your Caring Workforce

Brandi offers a collaborative new lens for compassion-led workforces to THRIVE. Taking care of others professionally is rewarding and challenging, and people in frontline services often struggle to balance survival with thriving. So who is taking care of people who take care of people? This keynote restores and reignites people in human services, healthcare and education by showing them that what they want most for others they need to give themselves. This interactive, action-packed keynote gives participants strategies for increased personal and professional confidence and creativity, leading to greater organizational effectiveness and empowered workplace cultures. Known for her humor, powerful energy and 25+ years of experience as a College Professor and Therapeutic Play Specialist, Brandi Heather is inspiring people who take care of people to return to play.

Building Organizations Where People Want To Be: Innovation and Inclusion Start With An "I" For A Reason

If you’ve noticed your employees are racking up more sick days than “wins” lately and it seems like people are disconnected, distracted, and uninspired you’ve probably got a bad case of a creativity and connection-starved workplace. If declining sales, staff retention and toxic office politics are filling up your calendar, it is time to change. People who don’t feel like they belong, are valued or understood don’t contribute. The worst part? You might be missing valuable staff skills, knowledge and abilities, and replacing that is is costly. Brandi gives organizations a clearcut strategy that can be used to help improve employee wellness, engagement, onboarding, retention and customer service strategies in powerful ways.

Return To Play: Why Play Is The Future of Workplace Wellness and Organizational Performance

Work can be hard, don’t forget to play! Play is Brandi Heather’s signature strategy for thriving personally and professionally. Watch children play – they don’t have to tell you they are playing – you know. When you are “in play” you will know it. Play is not what we do, it is who we are. Play is not silliness, it is science. Play is as variable as people themselves. Find out how being “in play” can: Reduce chronic stress and burnout Ignite your imagination and creativity Improve interpersonal relationships Promote mental and physical wellness In this conference keynote let Therapeutic Play and Inclusion Specialist Brandi Heather help you stay in the game by returning to play.

Personalized Employee Experiences : Creating Collaborative Workplace Communities That Flourish

Want this? Companies with the most engaged employees were 22% more profitable than those with the least engaged employees (Gallop 2021) Do this: Figure out the effect of massive change and challenge on connection and collaboration in your workplace and support people to brave connection again. There are reasons people are feeling disconnected and disengaged that cannot be solved with surveys and office parties. When people are faced with new, unfamiliar and changing circumstances they stop communicating and collaborating in order to “protect” themselves. This is totally natural – it’s moving forward that takes practice. This conference keynote is full of creative solutions for learning what makes people feel safe, valued, included and motivated. Move forward together by getting to know what really matters to the people you work with and for.

You Can't Play in a Show Home: Recruit, Retain and Re-engage Your Compassionate Workforce

Attention to detail and a high level of professionalism is expected in caring work, but overwhelming expectations, and workload can lead to fatigue, burnout, lack of motivation. Work can feel like living in a “Show Home” where we are just keeping up appearances, while living in and maintaining a “Fixer Upper”. This relentless quest for flawlessness can leave caring professionals feeling unappreciated, and overwhelmed, preventing them from offering the support and compassion they aspire to provide. When healers hide and coping skills educators struggle to cope, it’s time to shift our perspective. In this action packed, hilarious keynote Brandi Heather demonstrates that if you want to unleash the full potential, passion, energy of your team then you need to understand the science of play. Find out how learning what motivates, inspires, and makes your team feel capable and creative makes it easier to recruit, retain and re-engage your staff.

Brandi Heather Speaking Video

Taking Care of the People Who Take Care of People : Rebuilding our Caring System

You Can't Play in a Show Home: How to Restore, Retain and Re-engage Your Caring Workforce

What Clients Say About Brandi Heather

“I was introduced to Brandi when seeking a facilitator for an inclusive leadership workshop in celebration of International Women's Day. Brandi came highly recommended and did not disappoint! Through thoughtful, inspiring and curated content, she made instant and deep connections with all participants, ultimately equipping everyone with tools to identify their personal strengths to benefit their teams, companies and beyond! Brandi is warm, engaging and supportive and offers a safe space for leaders at all levels to be vulnerable, reflect and grow. It was an absolute pleasure working together.”

Brandi engaged a room of 240 people into stopping to play without feeling silly, demonstrating the powerful effect and science of play in our work. She was professional and engaged the through the entire process, and tailored the presentation for our participants. We will definitely be accessing her services again in the future!

“Being an organization that serves a wide range of children and families means that we must constantly strive to meet diverse needs and adopt inclusive practice.Brandi challenged us to evaluate and reflect on our current practices and spaces and to look for opportunities to grow as a team to better serve our community.Brandi’s dynamic facilitation had our group constantly engaged and smiling while at the same time building our capacity for inclusion. The sensory assessment process was a powerful tool for understanding how our environment impacts not only our members, but our staff, leading us to identify numerous opportunities for positive change.Our team is stronger because of having participated in these programs and I strongly recommend this training for any corporate, non-profit, or small business as it is nothing shy of invaluable.Thank you just doesn’t quite do it.”Executive Director BGC (formerly Boys and Girls Club) Cochrane and Area – Jill Bilodeau

I can easily say that 2 weeks after the event people are still talking actively about the keynote and are interested in attending next year and we project these conversations will continue. The Keynote was a huge hit and fit our unique group of conference attendees perfectly!She cares so deeply and is so kind that it radiates throughout the room, and it was an amazing experience getting to witness how everyone else around me changed when she walked in the room. Brandi is more than a great Keynote speaker; she is someone you never forget.

Return To Play: Rebuilding Resilience, Risk and Reconnection

Can play be the answer to some of our most significant and complex social challenges of the 21st century? This book reveals that the return to play creates a common ground to share hopes and fears, vulnerability and strength.Play gives us the inspiration and courage to confront, "what do we do when no one has the answer?" It gives us the creative certainty to build solutions to seemingly insurmountable issues and asks us to brave connection in the face of fear. Join me on this journey as I show you that play is worth risking a little of yourself to become more yourself in the process. "Play is a willingness to not win and still be ok with the journey, that's what it is for me" New York Times Best Seller Seth Godin personal communication "If we rehabilitate play, we might simultaneously resurrect our ability to get along and trust each other" New York Times Best Selling Author Daniel Pink - personal communication “What Brandi touches is magic! A book that the world has awaited for the longest time. Now is the time to play, if not now, then when?”Susanne Mueller, “Take it from the Ironwoman” Executive Coaching & Consulting, New York & Switzerland