Special Guests
Brielle Ansems - Musical Guest
If you’re looking for an artist to help you debride some emotional wounds, Brielle
Ansems is it. With a voice like an exposed nerve and a penchant for facing hard
personal truths, Brielle’s music has earned a reputation for honesty in both design
and delivery. Living somewhere between moody alt-pop and modern folk, her debut
album This New Hurricane won Music PEI’s Pop Recording of the Year in 2021, and
was followed by Still Awake– an album which hammers home her advocacy for
mental-health awareness and finding beauty in the broken.
Brielle has made a home of some of Prince Edward Island’s best venues. Notable
features include the 2024 United Way United by Song event, Northern Lights:
Reimagining the Canadian Songbook, and Harmony House’s Inside American Pie.
Regardless of the stage she appears on, Brielle strives to pull her audience into a
shared experience of vulnerability, and to find relief and humour in even the
hardest of truths.
Wade Lynch - Master of Ceremonies
WADE LYNCH is a 40+ year veteran of Canadian theatre as an actor, producer, director, playwright, and educator. He is the former Associate Artistic Director of the Charlottetown Festival and author of the plays, Epiphanies, On the Road with Dutch Mason, Come All Ye, Canada Rocks, Reconciliation on the Street, Something Wonderful, Abegweit Soul of the Island (Wendell Boyle Award), Quebec a la Carte and many others. He earned his BA in theatre at Western Washington University and a master’s degree in education from the University of PEI. He currently teaches in the Workplace Essential Skills program for the CMHA and in the online Knowledge Mobilization program at Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Wade is the former co-host of MA-TV’s arts and culture program, Teatime at Uplands. Wade is looking forward to directing the 2025 production of Anne and Gilbert at the Florence Simmons Performance Hall.
Helen MacDonnell - Guest Speaker
Helen MacDonnell is an award-winning mental health advocate and founder of Women & Wellness, a national awareness and fundraiser for the Canadian Mental Health Association. Helen grew up in Nova Scotia and raised her family in New Brunswick. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction Writing and has a background in journalism and law.
In 2018, Helen became the Executive Director of Community Links (now Aging Well Nova Scotia), where she worked to support age-friendly communities and combat ageism. She draws parallels between the stigma of mental illness and ageism, including their shared roots in fear and discrimination.
Helen led a significant $1.2 million research project to study the impacts of COVID-19 on older adults and community organizations before retiring in June 2024. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, including her granddaughter, Eleanor, and her dog, Willow.
Ann Worth - Guest Speaker
Ann Worth, President of Worth Consulting Group is a business owner, consummate connector,
economic developer, commercial real estate advisor and professional facilitator and trainer passionate
about helping people succeed. With extensive market knowledge and experience, her commitment to
understanding and facilitating exceptional client relationships and solutions is a passion.
She brings over 35 years of business facilitation experience in various areas of competency including
entrepreneurship, international trade, marketing, retail, manufacturing, commercial real estate, wellness
and workplace skills development.
A champion for Next Level Leadership, Personal Empowerment, Wellness and Respect in the Workplace,
Ann’s extensive experience in the private and not profit sectors have given her a rich foundation of
leadership competency through these incredible experiences. Experiences that have enabled her
facilitation competency and excellence through the delivery of engaging content designed to lift people
up.
Diversity and Global View
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A commitment to continuous learning and professional development has permeated Ann’s career
development with growth and change evolving a rich tapestry of workplace experiences spanning
• International trade leading Canadian companies to develop export markets around the world.
• Co-creating Grow Export Programs and delivering professional training to business leaders and
teams throughout the region.
• Business ownership including gift retail, vending, food manufacturing, real estate sales,
consulting, training and facilitation services.
• Service in various leadership positions in the not for profit and private sector including Meetings
and Conventions Prince Edward Island, The PEI Aquaculture Alliance, the Atlantic Canada Food
Export Partnership, Delta Hotels, the Halifax Board of Trade, Rodd Hotels and Resorts and COWS
Ice Cream.
• Service to community with leadership roles to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Women
President’s Organization and Central Development Corporation as examples.
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An outdoor enthusiast, adventurer and avid mountain biker and hiker, Ann lives in the best place on
Earth, Prince Edward Island, an incredibly beautiful place that inspires her every day to make a
meaningful positive difference in the lives of others. Effective facilitation is the talent and the tool that
brings empowerment to the world one session, one person at a time.
Kirstin Lund - Guest Speaker
Kirstin Lund is the owner of Collaboration School, the creator of Collaboration in a Box, and is a mediator, facilitator, and trainer focusing on workplace conflict. She is a former lawyer and has worked extensively in crime prevention, women in leadership and family violence prevention. She has designed and facilitated personal and professional growth programs that incorporate research-backed practices for good mental health, including Living Your Potential, which uses The Adventure Group’s outdoor ropes course to support life-changing results.
Kirstin’s skills in supporting clients to manage stressful situations became more personal when her husband, Kevin, began showing minor signs of what looked like depression - apathy, stress and confusion that increased gradually over several years. In 2020, Kevin began exhibiting significant behavioural and cognitive changes and was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. He died 8 months later, on his 58th birthday. In the past three and a half years of grieving Kevin’s death, Kirstin, who has always placed high importance on her own self-care and good mental health practices, has ramped up her commitment to feeling good most of the time. In addition to using the tools and strategies that have always served her well, she continues to experiment with new practices and is successful in feeling good quite a lot of the time.
Sara Brehaut - Sarah Brehaut Photography
Hey All! My name is Sara Brehaut and I have been a photographer for roughly 5 years. I am a HUGE people person and thrive off of helping others in any way that I can. I am beyond excited for this year’s event and so thankful to CMHA for the opportunity to be involved again. Women & Wellness is not only a night of community and celebration for the unbelievably strong women in our lives, but a night full of trust, togetherness, and understanding that we women don’t get enough of in our everyday lives. I cannot wait to capture the unforgettable moments of the evening. Don’t forget to smile!