

Canada is entering a defining moment.
Global competition is accelerating. Technology is reshaping industries. And the choices we make about innovation, risk, and ambition will shape our economic future.
Yet for decades, Canadians have been told a quiet story about ourselves.
That we are cautious. Risk-averse. Comfortable playing it safe.
Shift Canada exists to challenge that story.
Through research, education, and public dialogue, we are working to build a culture where bold ambition is expected, supported, and celebrated. A culture where Canadians feel empowered to take risks, try new ideas, fail, learn, and try again.
Because the countries that thrive in the coming decades will be those willing to move first.
Shift Canada’s CEO, AJ Tibando, speaks to leaders, educators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers across the country about the mindset shifts required to build a more ambitious Canada.
Her talks combine national research, real stories, and practical insights about how individuals and organizations can build the confidence to take bold action.
Common speaking topics include:
What Canadians really think about risk, ambition, and entrepreneurship today and what must change if Canada is to compete globally.
Why failure is not the opposite of success, but one of its most powerful teachers and how we can normalize learning through experimentation.
How organizations, schools, and communities can create environments where ambition and risk taking are supported rather than discouraged.
How individuals and organizations can strengthen their “ambition fitness” and move from intention to execution.
Our goal is not just inspiration,
it is clarity.

Most importantly, people leave feeling that bold ambition is not something reserved for a few extraordinary founders.
It is something all Canadians can practice.

AJ Tibando is the CEO of Shift Canada, a national charity dedicated to building a culture of boldness, innovation, and risk taking through education and public awareness.
A two-time founder and social innovator, AJ has spent more than fifteen years working at the intersection of technology, education, and public policy. Her work focuses on empowering individuals and organizations to take risks, pursue ambitious ideas, and build the confidence required to lead in a rapidly changing world.
Through Shift Canada’s research and programs, she is helping spark a national conversation about how Canada can cultivate a more ambitious, innovative, and resilient culture.

Shift Canada regularly speaks at: