Assess

Persons with lived experience need time to heal. Experts recommend waiting at least one year to recover following an incident before considering becoming a public advocate.

Know the difference between healing yourself and helping others.

If unsure, consider consulting with a trusted professional such as a family doctor, Elder, spiritual advisor, psychologist, or counsellor to assess if you are ready to become a speaker.

Reflect

Think about why you want to tell your story. Are you in a place where you feel ready to be a catalyst for difficult conversations? Ask yourself if you're prepared to deal with the possible implications to your family, your workplace, or your social circles by telling your story publicly.

Do you have a support system and self‑care strategies in place?

Try

When ready, prepare a draft of your story. We suggest including information on resources and using safe and stigma free language. Focus on lessons learned and a potential call to action. Challenge your audience to share what they’ve learned by taking tangible actions, or by reflecting on their attitudes or mindsets.

Consider joining the Centre on Diversity and Inclusion’s Community of Speakers on Diversity and Inclusion on GCconnex, which gathers a network of speakers and resources that can support you through your speaking journey.

You may also want to share a draft with someone you trust to seek feedback about the content of your story and do a trial run.