Keynote Speaker
A Disability Keynote Speaker With Something Real to Say
Lauren Pires spent 30 years hiding her disability. She knows firsthand what happens when workplaces, schools, and institutions make it unsafe for people to show up as themselves. Her keynotes help organizations move past awareness and into the kind of understanding that actually changes how people treat each other.
Why Lauren
A disability keynote speaker who has lived both sides of the conversation
Lauren Pires was born with Central Core Disease, a rare neuromuscular disorder. She has about 33% of the physical strength of the average person. Not 33% less. Just 33%. For over 30 years, she hid it from colleagues, employers, and audiences, performing wellness and normalcy at a cost she didn’t fully understand until she stopped.
She understands what it costs people to hide disability at work, what organizations lose when that's the norm, and what shifts when cultures change.
As Canada's first and only Invisible Disabilities Association Ambassador, Lauren has raised over $5,000 USD for the nonprofit and led the #LightUpForRare campaign to illuminate 26 landmarks across Canada for Rare Disease Day. She has been featured on Breakfast Television, CTV Your Morning, CityNews, CHCH Morning Live, and SiriusXM Canada.
Learn About LaurenWhat to Expect
What a Lauren Pires disability keynote actually delivers
Disability keynotes often stay at the surface. Lauren goes somewhere different. Here's what organizations consistently report after working with her.
The numbers behind the story
1 in 5 Canadians has a disability. Between 70 and 80% of those disabilities are invisible. Lauren opens with the data and makes it human, helping teams understand that disability is far more present in their workplace than they realize.
Language that actually matters
Lauren is a recognized authority on language around disability, identity, and belonging. She gives audiences the words to have conversations they've been avoiding, and explains why the language we use shapes the cultures we build.
The workplace lens
Lauren speaks directly to the organizational reality: what happens to performance, retention, and culture when employees feel they have to hide. She connects disability inclusion to outcomes that HR leaders, managers, and executives care about.
Tools that travel home with people
Lauren's Daily Yay framework gives individuals a repeatable practice for building resilience through joy. Teams leave with something they can apply the next day, not just awareness they'll forget by the following week.
A room that opens up
Lauren's storytelling creates the conditions for honest conversation. People come off camera. Employees send personal messages afterward. Sessions consistently generate the kind of audience response that tells you something real just happened.
Built for your audience
Lauren consults with organizers in advance to understand your team, your goals, and what your audience actually needs. Corporate ERGs, government agencies, universities, and secondary schools all get a different version, because they should.
Keynote Topics
Lauren's disability keynotes
Each topic is available as a keynote, workshop, or panel, in person, virtually, or hybrid. Lauren works with you to tailor the right fit for your audience and event goals.
Beyond What You See: Building Inclusion for Invisible Disabilities
Through personal stories and workplace insights, Lauren highlights the realities of invisible and non-apparent disabilities. She explores common myths, biases, and barriers, sharing practical ways organizations can foster awareness, empathy, and an inclusive culture so that all employees can thrive as their authentic selves. For corporations, government agencies, HR teams, and DEIA and employee wellness teams.
View full topic →Bias, Belief and Belonging: Rewriting Narratives on Disability and Acceptance
This keynote explores Lauren’s journey of embracing her invisible physical disability after 30 years, common biases and beliefs around disability, and the transformative power of disclosure in fostering personal acceptance, community, and workplace inclusion. For corporations, ERGs, education, and associations.
View full topic →Seeking Strength: How to Build Resilience Through Small Moments of Joy
Lauren shares her journey from hiding her disability to fully embracing who she is. Through personal stories, she reveals how the pursuit of normalcy holds us back from confidence and connection. She introduces a simple three-step framework to help audiences let go of self-doubt, own their story, and show up fully in their lives. For corporations, ERGs, and associations.
View full topic →Everyday Ableism and How to Recognize It
Through personal stories and real-world examples, Lauren breaks down what ableism actually looks like in everyday life, from comments made by strangers and loved ones to the biases we hold within ourselves. Students explore four forms of ableism, examine the prevalence of both visible and invisible disabilities, and leave with a clearer lens for recognizing and challenging ableist attitudes in their own communities. For high school students and educators.
View full topic →Case Studies
Disability keynotes that moved the room
Lauren has delivered disability keynotes for corporations, ERGs, government agencies, and schools across North America. Here are a few examples.
The Co-operators: Invisible Disabilities Week Keynote
Lauren was selected by The Co-operators' Visible & Invisible Differing Abilities ERG to deliver a company-wide invisible disability keynote. The session drew on Lauren's personal story and her Beyond What You See framework, creating space for employees to reflect on their own experiences and biases around disability. Following the session, multiple employees sent personal messages to the organizer describing the impact it had on them.
GroupHEALTH Benefit Solutions: International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Lauren delivered a virtual invisible disability keynote for GroupHEALTH in recognition of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Virtual keynotes can be difficult to bring to life. Lauren's approach of combining personal story with interactive moments sparked discussion across the team and moved the audience in a way the organizer described as rare for a virtual setting.
Arc'teryx Equipment: Disability Inclusion 101
Lauren delivered a disability inclusion keynote for Arc'teryx's People Operations team, introducing employees to invisible disabilities and the workplace experience of people who navigate them. The depth of engagement during the session, with employees coming off camera and the volume of questions in the chat, demonstrated a level of impact the team hadn't expected.
What Clients Say
Hear it from the organizations themselves
As an IDEA & Wellbeing Advocate, I felt honoured to have a chance collaborating with Lauren, an authentic storyteller and human-centred educator. From the very first moment we met her, I could feel that she had a great balance between storytelling and knowledge transfer skills. It got one of the top satisfaction ratings out of many employee learning sessions we hosted this year. One employee even stated it was one of the best learning sessions so far. Highly recommended speaker.
I had the pleasure of inviting Lauren to speak at a company event in recognition of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Her presentation was phenomenal and was very well received. It can be difficult to create engagement in a virtual setting but Lauren did a great job sparking discussion, and all of us were moved and inspired by her story. I would not hesitate to recommend her to other organizations looking for a speaker.
When I saw the depth of questions that showed up in the chat, and some people who came off camera, I was like "this had real impact." It was an excellent 101 and it just opens up so many more questions on this topic.
Formats Available
Flexible formats for every event
Keynote (45–90 min)
A full keynote experience for conferences, all-hands events, ERG sessions, and recognition events. In person or virtual.
Workshop (Half or Full Day)
Deeper learning for teams who want more than a keynote. Includes interactive exercises, small group discussion, and practical takeaways.
Virtual or Hybrid
Lauren has delivered compelling virtual sessions for audiences across North America. Technology is never an excuse for a flat room.
Explore More