Stress Management & Mental Wellness for Entrepreneurs
Join H2i on Monday March 2nd as we kick off University of Toronto Entrepreneurship Week with an event exploring stress management and mental wellness for entrepreneurs!
About the Event:
Join H2i on March 2nd and give your brain a break before a busy Entrepreneurship Week!
Stress management is a critical skill for everyone, including entrepreneurs. Since many entrepreneurs are juggling school, work, family and starting their own businesses, it is imperative to build a toolkit of awareness and resources early in their career. By doing so, they can learn to identify stress, and ensure they know how to support their own mental health and that of their team.
The session will kick off with a keynote from Michelle Bancroft, titled ‘Breaking Mind Traps: The Power of Attention for Entrepreneurs.’ The talk will explore the common thinking patterns that pull entrepreneurs out of focus and into unnecessary stress. It will offer practical ways to notice these mind traps in real time and redirect attention toward clearer, more effective action. A panel discussion and audience Q&A will follow, with reflections and insights from a panel of remarkable founders from the H2i community.
Schedule
3:30 PM | Doors Open
4:00 PM | Opening Remarks
4:10 PM | Keynote | Michelle Bancroft: “Breaking Mind Traps: The Power of Attention for Entrepreneurs“
4:30 PM | Founder Panel | Lora Appel, Marc Shenouda, Shiron Lee; Moderator: Michelle Bancroft
5:00 PM | Audience Q&A
5:25 PM | Closing Remarks
Meet the Speakers
Michelle Bancroft is an entrepreneur, educator, and wellness advocate with demonstrated success in creating impactful wellness and mindfulness programs. In 2018, she founded Wellness Right Now!, a consulting business dedicated to delivering innovative wellness solutions to diverse audiences. Through this venture, Michelle has designed and facilitated programs that integrate mindfulness, workplace wellness, and inclusive learning strategies, serving organizations, faculty, and community groups. Her entrepreneurial work spans curriculum development, faculty well-being consulting, and mindfulness facilitation, with a focus on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accessibility.
Michelle also holds the position of Program Coordinator for Mindfulness, Meditation & Yoga at the University of Toronto’s Multi-Faith Centre, a division of Student Life, where she leads contemplative initiatives that support student and community well-being. Concurrently, she is a professor in Health and Wellness programs at Humber Polytechnic and Centennial College, creating student-centered curricula that bridge theory and real-world application. Michelle holds a Master of Education in Adult Education and Community Development from OISE, a B.Sc. in Kinesiology, and a post-graduate certificate in Workplace Wellness and Health Promotion (WWHP).
Dr. Lora Appel is CEO and Founder of caregiVR, an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health at York University; Adjunct Researcher at Michael Garron Hospital and a Affiliate Scientist at University Health Network. She is the Director of the Prescribing Virtual Reality (VRx) lab which designs and conducts studies that introduce and evaluate XR therapeutic interventions for patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers across the continuum of care.
Bio coming soon!
Shiron Lee is currently an MBA student at the University of Toronto as well as the co-founder and CEO of Re:Pair Genomics, a biotech startup company in Ontario. Her career journey began with a bachelor’s program in chemistry from the University of Calgary. After working for two years, she pursued an MSc in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Toronto. With years of experience in a wet lab setting, she’s now combining her knowledge in science and business to advance the gene therapy industry.