Helping You Cope With & Stop

WORKPLACE BULLYING

RESPECT • CIVILITY • ACCOUNTABILITY

CANNT

Once again, you made our conference an unbelievable success with your opening keynote and break out session – perfect for any audience wanting to be inspired and encouraged and also walk away with real practical advice. Your humorous and engaging style connects well every time we hire you. Thank you!

Here’s what some of the participants said!

Encouragement for the Encouragers! Putting the Hope Back into Healthcare

  • Valerie was hands-down the best speaker at the conference – phenomenal!
  • Fantastic emotion at the end of the session – connected well with the audience.
  • Great choice of speakers. Very engaged, practical and encouraging!
  • The speaker is unbelievably great in connecting to the participants!!!
  • Held my attention for the entire session – best speaker of the weekend!
  • Great to begin the day on a positive note-put me in the right frame of mind to attend and process new information and ideas. Val is an excellent speaker!

 

Bully Free at Work: Coping With and Stopping Workplace Bullying

  • Love Valerie Cade we need more of her!
  • My favorite session. Incredibly awesome. Bring Valerie back!
  • Thank you Val. You are a great speaker. Your book is excellent!
  • Valerie’s approach to Bullying is spell bounding! Excellent session!
  • Love Valerie. Well presented. Valerie connected fantastically with us!
  • Best presentation of the conference – worth every minute, standing room only!!!

- Heather Reid, Official Meeting Planner

Canadian Association of Nephrology Nurses and Technologists

IBEW

Valerie you did an amazing job at keeping our audience attentive and engaged! Speaking from the heart with sincerity, honesty and genuine passion, you shared both your knowledge and unique gift of communication to connect with each member. Dealing with a difficult and sensitive topic with the skill of Wayne Gretzky stick handling a puck, it was obvious that you had done your homework and had a very real understanding of, and connection with, those in the room.

As testament to your talents as an orator, interspersed with keen insights and real-life tips, you were able to weave in humour and anecdotes as you imparted wisdom, comforted with inspiration, and you gave us the tools necessary for implementation. A five star presentation!

Energetic, encouraging, inspiring, warm, caring and funny, Valerie you are an incredible person whose spirit, gifts and talents are well suited to every audience. You took the time to learn about our members and customized the program in such a way that was meaningful for all – and your efforts clearly paid off!

- Paddy Vlanich, Education Officer

IBEW Local Union 636, Ontario Canada

Christian Labour Association of Canada

Valerie presented dynamically and engagingly to both small groups and large.  As word got out of her seminars, the back of the hall became crowded with people switching their elective seminars or just coming to see what the hype was about.  Our participants (mostly Union Stewards) were not disappointed as they received clear identifiers of bullying, the effects on individuals and the workplace, and practical advice on how to deal with the bully, whether as a recipient, a peer, or a leader.

I look forward to bringing Valerie in for more advanced exploration of the topic of bullying and on the topic of Mediation vs. Arbitration for Unions.

- Daryl Grant, Representative

Christian Labour Association of Canada

HRMAM

It was great to have you back again to present “ Handling the Politics of Workplace Bullying: Especially for HR Professionals”.

You are a very engaging speaker, connecting key messages with practical and relevant examples making it easy for participants to understand and relate their own HR situations. Thank you also for spending time engaging with participants prior to and following the session – our members had nothing but positive feedback for you and the program!

Valerie is an excellent presenter. She did a great job of threading the needle with the myriad of points to keep the topic on target.

The workbook was excellent with just enough student activity.

It is a great session with an engaging speaker.

It’s worth the day – very informative!

- Ron Gauthier, CEO

Human Resource Management Association of Manitoba

Nexen

Our session “Creating the Behavioural Economics of Building Trust” went exceptionally well and there many many positive comments. Know that 100% of the people who responded to our feedback survey indicated that they felt your session was very valuable! Some of the comments include:

Excellent choice of speaker!
Very timely presentation as I have been facing some struggles.
Very interactive and engaging!
Amazing speaker and fantastic content.
Valerie is a wonderful human being.
Insightful, Humorous, Sincere.
Really valuable information.
Important information for both personal and work situations.
Very high energy and great examples.
Enjoyed the workbook to follow along with.
Loved her style, warmth and stories.
We all need this in the workplace.
Excellent strategy to gauge others’ interests in handling a situation.
This session will stick with me the most.

-

SAP

Words cannot even begin to describe the overwhelming positive reaction that SAP employees had to Valerie’s Session – “Bully Free at Work: Creating a Culture of Respect.” We were fortunate enough to come across Valerie’s work online and after just one phone call, were able to connect directly with Valerie and get our desired session on the calendar. It was so easy!

From the initial phone call, to her flexibility with our delayed vendor approval process, to her arrival and departure, Valerie and her team were flawless.

Employees were completely engaged. Valerie’s charisma and ability to relate to the audience made her session that much more enjoyable. In addition to her well-researched facts and examples surrounding workplace bullying, she peppered in personal stories and down to earth examples we could relate to.

Many employees stayed after to discuss details of creating a respectful work environment. Valerie continued until the last person left and really made each attendee feel as if they were not alone and that she was there to help. Valerie went above and beyond and offered to help some employees outside of our session and has stuck to her word in following up with all employees who were in need of help.

We were thrilled with our decision to bring Valerie to SAP. We would absolutely recommend Valerie for companies big or small, local or international as a great resource in helping employees manage workplace bullying!

- Lauren Maser, Silicon Valley Marketing

SAP Software & Solutions

Nebraska State Government

If you want to learn from the best; someone who is not only extremely knowledgeable on the subject workplace bullying, but is also humorous, non-threatening and approachable then Valerie Cade is exactly the person to give you not only relevant strategies, but hope and inspiration as well.
Valerie presented “Bully Free at Work” for supervisors and managers, one for HR professionals and one for employees. Each session was absolutely tweaked to support the needs of each audience and she sincerely related to each group – we continue to receive positive comments from attendees!
Valerie definitely has a passion for her work and a compelling gift to help others engaged in the task of creating a safe workplace. Valerie provides practical advice that can be used immediately and inserts humor throughout her presentations. Valerie even stayed after each presentation to visit one-on-one with employees. She proved that she is flexible, warm, funny, and a true professional!
While in town, Valerie made it a point to meet with our leadership in a separate session; her idea! We covered the survey results and steps needed to clearly define what workplace bullying is and how it should be handled in our new policy. We learned so much from Valerie and truly enjoyed her and are hoping to have her back in the very near future. Thank you Valerie for getting us headed in the right direction!

- Dovi Mueller, Training & Development

Nebraska State Government

Health Sciences North

I had the privilege of seeing Valerie speak at a conference back in October 2012. The material presented along with Valerie’s ability to engage and interact with her audience really struck a cord in the room. I knew that I needed to bring Valerie to our organization to spread her message, knowledge and strategies for dealing with workplace bullies.

Valerie was able to provide us with a number of staff sessions and an additional manager’s session giving us all the tools to help identify and manage bullies very effectively. Her sessions were uplifting and inspiring to all who attended. The feedback which we have received from staff has been extremely positive, many of them highlighting how much they appreciated her real life scenarios and stories.

I would highly recommend Valerie as an exceptional speaker who is beyond knowledgeable about this subject. She has a way of capturing her audience and keeping them engaged while dealing with very difficult and complex subject matter. She is able to provide staff and managers with simple and effective tools along with new insight into dealing with this every day real issue.

- Stephanie Cranston RN, BScN, Nephrology Program Manager

Health Sciences North

Inclusion Network

Valerie Cade’s session, “Handling the Politics of Workplace Bullying” to our audience of HR professionals and management was an excellent and provided concrete tools to manage the slippery slope of bullying complaints in the workplace. Valerie’s presentation style is not only extremely informative but very entertaining as well!       She is very down to earth and relates exceptionally well with the audience. Feedback was that awareness and confidence in dealing with bullying behaviors increased dramatically.  This session was well presented and is a session every supervisor should attend. Our goal is to create an inclusive and welcoming place for people of all backgrounds to live and work and you helped to create that further for us!

- Shari Maloney, PHR

Chief HR Office, Alexandria Technical and Community College

The John Howard Society of Grand Prairie

Through her natural, genuine style, Valerie connected well with our staff and provided useful and practical information delivering the session Creating A Respectful Workplace – Building a Culture of Trust and Goodwill. Valerie is professional and very skilled at sharing relevant experiences; balanced with solid research. Her approach is direct and respectful and she made a conscious effort to meet people at their level. Valerie provided our staff with tools to explore their own behaviors and opportunities to look at internal motivators and to collectively determine our expectations for a respectful work place. Since the session, staff have done a lot of self reflection and are more aware of their own behavior and considerate of their impact on others –we even ironed out some long standing conflicts as a result! Staff continue to talk about what they learned and discuss where to take it next. We look forward to continuing to build on what we have gained. We are grateful to Valerie for sharing her expertise and would recommend her to others looking to enhance their work place morale and effectiveness!

- Penny Mickanuck, Executive Director

The John Howard Society of Grande Prairie

Talisman Energy

We were very impressed with the content of Valerie’s presentation and her depth of knowledge; we also very much enjoyed and benefitted from her delivery style which captivated the room. There was much anticipation before the 90 minute session and Valerie did not disappoint! The content was understandable and direct, and Valerie really helped humanize and organize a topic that is often hard to approach and get your arms around.

We highly recommend Valerie for her well-researched content as well as her amiable and appealing delivery style. In fact, we have had several requests to have Valerie join us again for another session next year. We look forward to having her back.

- Gudrun McLean, Adminstrative Assistant

Talisman Energy Inc.

AUPE

You delivered an excellent session! You kept the audience’s attention, they laughed and cried! You gave them the tools they needed. I would recommend you in a heart beat to other leaders and meeting planners looking for an effective approach to stopping workplace bullying.

- Lynn Gough, Union Representative, Education

Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE)

Alberta Employment & Immigration

Thank you for the excellent presentation you gave us! You are a class act and an absolute pleasure to work with. Not only were we impressed (again) with your knowledge, but your natural delivery ability, honesty and approachability made workplace bullying far more accessible to the audience than it might have been otherwise…you truly are delightful and we love your sense of humor!

- Kris Bojda & Linda Cherry, Business & Industry Liaisons

Alberta Employment & Immigration, Alberta

COOP

First of all Valerie, may I once again thank you for your outstanding preparation, “above the bar” presentation with awesome style and relevance, and the complete acceptance and admiration of each and every one of our Pharmacy group attendees at our conference. Over the past 18 years, you are the first one who helped us not only gain an insight in going from “first class to world class”, who adrenalized our motivations to come forward, but most importantly, made us feel better about ourselves. And you did it in such a naturally genuine “conversational” style. Thank you!

- Larry Surkan, Pharmacy Director, Home Office

Federated Co-operatives Limited, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Society of Human Resource Professionals

Valerie, your evaluations were the highest of any speaker at the Virginia State SHRM Conference! Your ability to establish rapport and engage our audience was absolutely effective and energizing. Your expertise in understanding workplace- bullying goes far beyond the academic world– you are practical in your approach as well as relevant and inspiring! We’re so glad we had your Bully Free at Work session certified for educational credits. You are a gifted speaker – I am confident that every audience would find value and inspiration in your presentations.

P.S. Thank you for filling in at the last minute due to our speaker cancellation delivering “How to Build Trust With People You Don’t Understand, Don’t Connect With, But Have to Work With” to a packed room (word got out!). You received a perfect score and inspired us to go back to work energized, confident and able!

- Gwen G. Partenheimer, SPHR, Virginia State SHRM

Society of Human Resource Professionals, Virginia

Rancho Los Amigo National Rehabilitation Center

Your sessions were the “talk of the Ranch” and you could literally feel a renewed energy in the air!

There is so much to say about what happened after the 4 days you were here presenting to our leadership and employees. It was truly amazing to see staff in the hallways truly reaching out to one another – relationships were mended and new ones forged. Two of our administration who hadn’t spoken for a year finally made up!

Our Executive Council has decided to make this a “standing item” effective immediately to keep momentum.

You truly have a comprehensive approach to culture change. I give you the credit for your inspiring delivery, sincere commitment and professional yet approachable support you gave throughout the entire process. Your name was mentioned so many times throughout the day and people were talking about “Val” as though she were an old friend and part of the Rancho team.

You are an amazing lady and fortunate to be able to make such an impact.

As they say in Canada – cheers eh!

- Valerie Orange, Associate Administrator

Rancho Los Amigo National Rehabilitation Center, Downy, CA

Space Telescope Science Institute

Our staff at STScI include prominent astronomical researchers, engineers, computer scientists, telescope operations specialists and administrative professionals.

Traditionally, many scientific and technical environments have been often characterized by their lack of well-developed interpersonal behavioral skills, communication abilities and attention to personal awareness and satisfaction. Your talk on “Bully Free at Work: Creating a Respectful Workplace” fit perfectly with our objectives to assist in developing these skill sets in our workforce.

Your approach is engaging and provides for an in-depth understanding of the topic. Approximately 150 members of our staff, both in person and online, were able to attend the talk. I received numerous compliments from the attendees on your presentation and message. We were very glad you could fit us into your schedule.

- Heather Greenfield, Human Resources

Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland

City of Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie, Alberta

Valerie, thank you for your three excellent sessions of “Bully Free at Work” to our employees and supervisors at the City of Grande Prairie. Having you back once again was a good decision!

The sessions were an overwhelming success and received rave reviews:

  • One of the best Leadership Network Meetings ever, best presenter!!!
  • Valerie Cade is an awesome speaker! She caught my attention the very first minute of her session and I could’ve listened to her all day! A lot of interesting information received. I bought her book and I can’t wait to read it! This session should be longer and mandatory to ALL city employees!
  • This was awesome! Val was great.
  • Valerie is very engaging and humorous, loved her style!
  • The personal touches – loved, loved, loved Valerie’s stories!
  • Just wanted to say I thought it was excellent. It was very pertinent to so many things. Not just bullying. Thank you!!!!
  • Just wanted to let you know that this morning’s session was one of the best I have attended since my employment started here.  Also, I believe the seminar should be mandatory for ALL city staff. Thank you for the great seminar.

As you can see from the comments, you delivered an outstanding session on a very worthwhile topic! Your style is very down to earth and you weave many personal stories and examples into your presentation, keeping it interesting and relevant. People walked away with many more tools in their toolkits.

Valerie, you also offered to spend extra time after each session addressing individual questions … several staff took advantage of this and were impressed with the one-on-one answers you provided. In addition, thank you for offering to host a tele-seminar for supervisors and managers who wanted extra time to pose questions. We will be setting this up soon!

Valerie, you approached a somewhat difficult topic and set the foundation for a new approach that is supportive, relevant and hopeful. Clearly your expertise and exceptional delivery made the difference!

- Janice Kretzer-Prysunka, CHRP, Q.Med. Human Resources

City of Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie, Alberta

Government of Alberta Human Services

Thank you for the absolutely fantastic Bully Free at Work presentation – staff are still singing your praises and I’m pleased to see you’ve been invited as our keynote speaker at our Ministry of Human Services Staff Conference.

Your presentation Bully Free at Work: Leading a Respectful Workplace especially for Managers and Supervisors was timely and right on target with the Government of Alberta’s Reaching Our Full Potential movement where the Deputy Ministers have committed to exploring bully-free strategies and working together to make a difference. Your session gave hope to our staff that they could actually create respectful workplaces.

It was such a great pleasure working with you Valerie. Thank you for all of your efforts in making this event a huge success. Once again, your knowledge, information and enthusiasm you shared truly had an impact on our staff; you left them wanting more.

- Linda Morrison, MBA, Regional Manager

Workforce Planning & Regional Human Resources, Government of Alberta

University of Virginia

I write to thank you for the excellent workshops you facilitated on Bullying in the Workplace at the University of Virginia. The sessions were not only informative and full of strategies for really addressing bullying situations but they were also engaging and thought provoking. Your presentation fulfilled all our objectives of increasing awareness and informing participants of practical tools that they could immediately put to use.

Evaluations were overwhelmingly positive with several that stated that you are one of the best speakers that they have ever heard. I am still receiving comments from participants expressing their appreciation to you for being available for one-on-one conversations prior to and after the workshops. This was an unexpected benefit that our employees were very grateful to have received.

I was impressed with your efforts that you made to assess what the participants needed and your ability to make the presentation relevant for the diverse group of attendees. It was a pleasure to work with you and I hope that we will have the good fortune of being able to have you back.

- Brad Holland, MBA, Ombudsman & ADA Coordinator

University of Virginia

Community Futures Visions North

Community Futures Visions North had Valerie deliver “Bully Free for Life: Yes! You Can Have Respectful Relationships” for our Annual Women’s Conference. She was so well received by the audience they requested we bring her back for our next conference the following year!

Valerie is an entertaining and energetic speaker who delivers a clear message and she kept the audience’s attention throughout her presentation.
Thank you Valerie for a wonderful job well done. I have had some of the audience contact me to say how much they appreciated your presentation. Valerie, the feedback was so good is it possible to get a list of your other session so we can have you back once again?

- Jean Powell, Executive Adminstator

Community Futures Visions North

Lethbridge College

We had the pleasure of having Valerie present and customize two sessions for our management/leadership as well as our employees. Our participants were happy to have a clear definition of the difference between bullying and incivility and they appreciated advice on how to proceed if they believed they were being bullied or if they saw bullying behaviour at work. Our managers and supervisors appreciated having a system as well as access to many forms and references. Valerie is an engaging speaker, and her stories touched an emotional chord that sparked conversation all over the campus!

- Rika Snip, BA, MEd., MA

Professional Communication Learning & Development - Lethbridge College, Lethbridge AB

The Alberta Teachers’ Association

“Valerie was originally scheduled to provide a 75 minute keynote presentation at our Legal Issues for System Administrators (LISA) Seminar. When another speaker had to withdraw from the event a couple of days before the conference, Valerie stepped up to cover the additional one-hour time spot. We very much appreciated her flexibility and her willingness to help out!

 

Valerie’s presentation style is engaging, infused with humour and filled with interesting stories that brings the content to life. Valerie also participated on a panel and as such answered open questions from the floor. Her answers were clear, to the point and she provided excellent information that participants were seeking. Valerie provided a practical approach to addressing the complex topic of workplace bullying and many aspects of the information she provided will be helpful to the participants who attended LISA.”

- Joyce Sherwin, Acting Associate Coordinator

Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) LISA (Legal Issues for System Administrators)

Parkland Regional Library

We were thrilled to have Valerie talk to our group of library trustees, managers and staff at our Parkland Regional Library Conference! Her keynote address on the Behavioral Economics of Building Trust was a huge hit with our audience. Both funny and touching, she kept the audience engaged and entertained with her astute observations of our many foibles in communicating with others. Valerie provided a positive and encouraging talk in a simple and clear style that was easy to absorb. She showed us how we can adapt our

approach when communicating with others to more effectively build positive relationships and respectful workplaces. We would highly recommend Valerie without hesitation to other organizations seeking an engaging an inspiring keynote speaker! 

Feedback from our audience:

“The key note speaker, Valerie Cade, made a big impact on me. I used what I learned in this session in a recent interview and was able to talk comfortably with everyone. I am glad I purchased her book at the conference. I hope to bring her to my organization”.

“Valerie gave me something I could use right away”

“Valerie is an engaging speaker – very powerful”

“This keynote was exceptional!”

“This was an excellent keynote, probably the best I’ve attended”

“Valerie’s talk was a 10 out of 10!”

“I found the keynote speaker to be extremely wonderful, amazing! She made me think about how I react when communicating with others”.

- Rhonda O'Neill, Co-Chair Parkland Regional Library Conference

Parkland Regional Library

Christian Labour Association of Canada

Valerie, thank you so very much for the inspiring opening keynote you delivered at our National Staff Conference. You have such a gift to connect and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to you. I overheard a number of conversations over the two days that referenced your great talk. Our Executive Director, in his closing speech, talked how he was moved to tears on your closing and said we cannot be the organization that says no to people.

I so appreciate the work you did for us. I hope our paths will cross again.

- Melanie Sykes, Co-Chair National Staff Conference

CLAC: Christian Labour Association of Canada

Camrose Association for Community Living

Valerie, your presentation on “Bully Free at Work” hit many different and positive notes with the staff at CAFCL. Your vibrant spirit and well-delivered personal stories added to the overall presentation.

One staff member stated, “Everything she said was pertinent to life. I really believe that if more people hear what she has to say the world would be a much better place and people would get along better.” Another staff member stated, “Valerie is a charismatic speaker, who gave me the courage to stand up for myself. You added great humor and told wonderful yet thoughtful stories we could all relate to.”

Your sessions are aimed at managers, supervisors and all employees – you gave us insight into how to deal with bullying, and how to fix the problem; combining all staff. Valerie, you present the information in a simple to follow manner and you provide inspirational tools that grow people and organizations. Thank you very sincerely from our entire staff! PS: Your close to the session was absolutely heartfelt as I’m sure you could tell – you brought staff together that hadn’t clicked in years!

- Wanda Harberg, Director of Human Resources

Camrose Association For Community Living, Camrose, Alberta

National Joint Powers Alliance

Valerie’s presentation was extremely well received and she made a strong impression as our conference kick-off to regional leaders and also to our staff the next day. Her engaging style encouraged thoughtful conversation and discussion. Our staff now have a more solid understanding of workplace bullying. Valerie provided tools that were easy to understand and use and staff are now able to evaluate their own behaviors and hold each other accountable to meet our expectations of a respectful work environment.

I would very highly recommend Valerie to any organization looking to improve their knowledge with regard to workplace bullying, communication and respectfulness.

- Paul Drang, Director of Regional Programs

National Joint Powers Alliance, Minnesota

Alberta Managers

“Valerie you are a very energetic, dynamic, entertaining, as well as a well organized speaker! You immediately captured our attention and kept it with your enthusiasm, energy and sense of humor. You inspired and encouraged us so we could go back to work feeling energized and recharged. Wow!

You also provided useable and understandable knowledge that can be easily transferred and applied in the workplace. You clearly defined bullying and gave us solid tools of how to deal with it.

You are a competent, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic speaker Valerie. I’d recommend you anytime, as you really do know how to make a difference!

- Karen Giacobbo, Manager Queen Alexandra Place

Conference Coordinator: Alberta Managers

Family Law Office

“Thank you for facilitating our retreat with all of our lawyers and management team to work together effectively as a team. Your information was provided to us in an entertaining, thoughtful and content-focused manner that did not waste anyone’s time and respected the intelligence and abilities of all participants.  There were many illuminating moments and all of us left with a renewed vigor and enthusiasm for the work we do and a better understanding of our colleagues.

Because our lawyer retreat with you had been so successful, we asked you to undertake a follow up one-day seminar with both lawyers and support staff. Again, your willingness to meet with all staff individually beforehand to identify their thoughts and needs was very much appreciated and created a safe and welcoming environment for us all.

We learned to develop trust, be accountable to those we work with directly, and develop more understanding and compassion towards coworkers and clients. In addition, you helped us determine what overall attitudes and characteristics are needed from everyone here to create a “winning team” and truly feel part of something that “makes a difference”.

I know that in the time you were here you made everyone feel as if you were a friend they could talk to.  The sessions were uplifting and lively, but also laden with solid content.  Our office derived great benefit!”

- Sarah King-D’Souza, Associate Senior Counsel

Family Law Office, Calgary, Alberta

Calgary Home Support Services Ltd.

“Valerie was one of our keynote speakers at our recent Home Care and Support Association conference and she was terrific! Our group all work in the Home Health Care industry – big and small agencies, government and private agencies, very diverse group.   Participants had one thing in common; we were all dwelling on our problem. Valerie with her enthusiasm, humor and high energy plus her knowledge took us beyond our problem.   I have correlated many conference evaluations and have never seen a keynote speaker get 100% excellent – Valerie got excellent on every evaluation!!!  I would highly recommend Valerie for any group.”

- Judy Broker, Director

Calgary Home Support Services Ltd., Calgary, Alberta

Alberta Senior Citizens Housing Association

“Valerie delivers a clear and relevant message with an enthusiasm that captures everyone’s attention!  Her evaluations were outstanding and I believe one delegate’s quote says it all:  “Thank you Valerie, you were just what I needed to get back on track”. Valerie is an inspirational speaker with the strength, knowledge and experience to successfully target the key issues.  Valerie puts her heart and soul into her speaking and I would recommend her to any organization looking for a refreshing and professional approach that is results oriented.“

- Irene Martin, Executive Director

Alberta Senior Citizens Housing Association, Edmonton, Alberta

North Bay Regional Health Centre

Valerie, thank you for your series of very customized sessions you did for our North Bay Regional Health Centre Team! You were able to speak to our staff on all levels, including senior management, and provide meaningful, insightful and practical advice we could follow. Your special session with our Human Resources team was absolutely excellent! Thank you for aligning your delivery in a way that was congruent with our values.

You were so well received we will definitely be looking for a return visit to help us to continue in creating a bully-free environment for all staff and patients.

- Danielle Baker, Director of Health

North Bay Regional Health Centre, North Bay, Ontario

Health & Safety Conference Society of Alberta

We were very pleased to have Valerie Cade as a speaker for one of our Blockbuster Sessions at our recent Health & Safety Conference. Valerie is an exceptional speaker and very knowledgeable about interpersonal interactions in the workplace. Her professional style was very effective at engaging her audience in the session. The information Valerie provided to the attendees will certainly be valuable tools they can use to create a respectful workplace environment.

The completed evaluation forms for Valerie’s session consistently contained phrases such as “great speaker, excellent session, awesome speaker, exceptional speaker, very engaging, informative session, and simply WOW”. Thank you Valerie for assisting in the success of our Health & Safety Conference once again!

- Guy Clyne, Health & Safety Conference Society of Alberta

Calgary, Alberta

Sault Area Hospital

Thank you for taking the time to present your “Bully Free at Work: Inspiring the CARE in Healthcare” to both the Renal Programs as well as the Algoma District Cancer Program. We had very positive feedback – your enthusiasm, humorous style and engaging demeanor – participants were extremely satisfied, with 98% of staff rating the session as valuable!

Your ability to speak with the program leadership through one on one interviews prior to the sessions tailored the delivery to the specific needs of our program. These one on one experiences and use of tools truly allowed the staff to see their specific needs addressed.

The evening session that was delivered with our program leadership, added a richness and a deeper understanding of the concepts presented. I now feel confident that our leaders have the tool kits at their disposal to address challenging or difficult behaviors within their work environment. Further to this, I appreciate that you have made yourself available as an on-going coach and mentor to the staff, which exceeded my expectations! I am certain having you as a resource will greatly contribute to the success and sustainability of our investment. I would highly recommend you to any other organizations wanting to create a bully-free environment – you’ve got the complete package!

- Brenda Lynn, Clinical Director, Oncology, Renal and Tele-health Programs

Sault Area Hospital, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

CBE Staff Association

Valerie you immediately captured the audience and held them throughout your Bully Free at Work presentations for all of our staff. As I listened and watched it was clear people felt you were speaking to them on a one on one basis. Your passion for working with people with regard to bullying in the workplace is evident and inspiring and gave hope to those who experience this. You are one of the most gifted speakers we’ve ever had, thank you.

- Lois Robb, Chairperson

CBE Staff Association, Calgary, Alberta

Renfrew Victoria Hospital

Fantastic presentation! “Bully Free at Work: Information and Inspiration to Help You Stop Workplace Bullying” was just what we needed.

Because of your background in health care you were immediately respected by our staff – you were able to relate to their specific needs as well as customize your presentation to our organization.

Your presentation was not only informative but also injected with humour to keep everyone engaged. You were able to offer real-life and concrete examples, which added to the validity of your recommendations and strategies. I would like to commend you on empowering our staff with the tools needed to respond to behaviours in the workplace, classify them as bullying or not, and then follow-up on them in an effective manner.

Overall, your presentation was well organized, insightful and delivered at the right rate and level for all participants. I would welcome the opportunity to recommend you to other organizations that wish to educate their employees about bullying in the workplace.

- Kelly Hebert, Occupational Health, Safety and Wellness Coordinator

Renfrew Victoria Hospital, Renfrew, Ontario

University of Manitoba

Valerie I wish to extend a sincere thank you to you for your Bully Free at Work sessions you created for the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Medicine, Office of the Dean and Management.

The excitement of staff and the praise that was immediately conveyed throughout our office following the sessions is truly a testament to your skills and abilities as a Certified Speaking Professional and your content expertise is deep and relevant – you excel at engaging people on a topic that is so important, yet difficult to grasp and make meaningful. You excelled in reaching our attendees – you gave them the tools and insights and participants felt comfortable with you because of your understanding and humorous presence you bring to the room.

We left two copies of your book, Bully Free at Work at our main desk for staff to read – the books were signed out immediately and have returned only for minutes. That alone shows the energizing power that you have Valerie. The excitement and buzz that you injected into our office was wonderful and we hope to move forward as a dynamic workplace with the tools you’ve provided us.

- Keith McConnell, BA, MBA, Director of Operations, Faculty of Medicine

University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Alberta Council of Disability Services

Thank you for your keynote – 99% of the participants rated it as excellent… not good, but excellent! As a conference planner I get to know what makes for a great presenter, but you moved great… to a whole new level! You are a world-class speaker and a gifted storyteller, with an outstanding ability to connect with your audience. Your presentation was genuine, upbeat, truly uplifting and inspiring.

Your keynote Encouragement for the Encouragers touched the hearts of many of those in attendance and reconnected them to their purpose and the values that brought them to this work in human services. Here is a sampling of the comments we received:

  • Excellent speaking, message and enjoyment! Thank you for normalizing our challenges and reminding us about why we must rise above!
  • I learned a lot on how to inspire others.
  • Thank you for pointing a path to growth!
  • Brought my heart back!
  • Very uplifting, will look at my team differently and hopefully recognize how to work differently and more successfully.
  • Loved the upbeat presentation sprinkled with words of wisdom. Completely engrossed the entire time!
  • Thought provoking, and helped me see the way to understanding issues at work that are affecting me.
  • Thanks for helping me to understand myself and reminding me why I am here
  • It was real info you can use!

I would highly recommend Valerie! To quote a participant “You are a gift!

- Doreen Hogarth, Manager Training and Professional Development

Alberta Council of Disability Services, Alberta

Northern Lights Health Centre

Thank you for taking the time to present your “Bully Free at Work” session at Northern Lights Health Centre in Fort McMurray, Alberta. Between the two general staff sessions and one management session offered, we a lot of employees attend – our highest ever attendance of a “non mandatory” course!

The participants were extremely satisfied, with 97% of staff and 100% of managers rating the session as excellent! The information presented was practical and valuable to a hospital setting – participants were delighted to be given practical examples and scenarios that can be applied to their healthcare settings.

Our Clinical Education Department and our management and senior administration team, are delighted with your long-term investment in our facility. Your commitment to help us take the next steps to achieving a bully-free workplace is truly outstanding. Together, we will achieve sustainability on this project.

The sessions you facilitated here in Fort McMurray, AB were second to none. You are well organized and insightful, as well as entertaining. Your passion for a bully-free workplace is contagious, and you were able to engage others in the vision of our facility.

This was perfect for our healthcare workers and I hope other hospitals and healthcare facilities consider what you have to offer – I am very confident that they will be just as impressed as we were.

- Pamela Stockley, BNRN, Clinical Educator for Medicine

Northern Lights Health Centre, Fort McMurray, Alberta

Virginia Commonwealth University

Your presentations were received so well – there is an immediate ripple effect in new initiatives at Virginia Commonwealth University! I will be forwarding your information to our Interim Dean to develop a game plan for the future. Yes, let’s plan on blending additional initiatives when you are here in September!

I would like you to know that I have been approached by so many of the participants who want to know “When is Valerie returning?” You have truly contributed to open discussions and hope. I look forward to our continuing communications!

- Frank R. Baskind, Ph.D., University Ombudsman

Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

TD Financial Group, Central Canada Region

I just wanted to send you a quick note thanking you for the presentation you did at our TD Canada Trust merger meeting. It was a pleasure spending the day with you and your commitment to learning about our organizations prior to speaking with our group was commendable.

We have achieved a number of milestones in our merger process since our meeting, and I am pleased to say that we are well on our way to “Building a Better Bank”. The enthusiasm we felt through our meetings are still there, which has made working through the merger both challenging and fun.

Our group truly enjoyed your high energy presentation and comical stories, and still talk about keeping their cup full.

Thank you again, and I hope our paths cross again in the future.

- Barry Mosiondz, Human Resources Counselor

TD Financial Group, Central Canada Region

Shell Canada Ltd., Calgary, Alberta

On behalf of the administration support team I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the work you did for our team building sessions, and your very fitting topic of “Empowering The Assistant”.

You were able to explore root causes and offer very practical suggestions for building relationships with peers and clients alike – even when we don’t have the authority!

Your ability to pin point key areas of concern in these positions and provide techniques for dealing with them was wonderfully insightful. The unanimous opinion of the team was that your sessions were successful and would assist them in the future.

You conducted the sessions in a very relaxed atmosphere and with a sense of humor that made the sessions engaging and fun as well!

- Dianne Engel, Supervisor

Shell Canada Ltd., Calgary, Alberta

Southland Transportation, Calgary Alberta

Valerie thank – you for delivering a fantastic customized program for our school bus drivers. You listened intently to many of our staff in interviews and additionally, went on a ride-along with a school bus driver to see first hand the actual environment. Throughout this process you were totally involved preparing information that would be relevant to us – and it made a difference.

Valerie, your session provided the support and tools for our drivers to tackle bullying behaviour. Everyone rated you as one of the best presenters they had ever seen; First Class! They were also impressed with the hand out materials and the opportunity for additional support.

In conclusion, Valerie you are a talented and gifted speaker. I am delighted that we had a chance to work with you and look forward to the opportunity of doing so in the future. Thank you for being committed to delivering a quality experience, getting the group emotionally engaged, and providing resources for follow up. What more could anyone ask?

- June M. Read, Assistant General Manager

Southland Transportation, Calgary Alberta