My name is Chukuka (Chuka) Ebuta, and I’m from Scarborough. Scarborough is marked by isolation, banding together and forming layered community. That mark has defined my life and my journey as a Mental Health Worker. When I’m not obsessing over music and basketball, I’m sharing my story of vulnerability and growth. Storytelling not only crystallizes our realities and our truths, it also connects us to other each other and a communal sense of understanding and purpose.

Afreina Noor is a storyteller, poet, improviser, and spoken word artist based in Montreal. Her performances explore themes of identity, resilience, and belonging while creating spaces where others can share their stories with confidence. She is the first-ever Spoken Word recipient of the Mairuth Sarsfield Mentorship Prize and the Program Manager for Outreach and Engagement at Unsinkable. 13 is Afreina’s lucky number, and Friday the 13th is always her lucky day!

I'm Alex Howard, a transformational coach and founder of Mind, Mood ALIVE!, living in the forested hills of Chelsea, Quebec with my wild and wonderful family. I'm passionate about helping people come alive, on their own terms, through soulful self-leadership. I believe storytelling is how we remember who we are and reconnect to what matters most. I love ballroom dancing and mowing the lawn in a dress - my kind of aliveness! Come say hi on IG!

Shemar Barnett is a community leader, storyteller, and founder of BLISS – Black Life Is So Sweet, a creative clothing brand that connects fashion, culture, and philanthropy to celebrate the diversity of Black experiences in the diaspora. Raised in Toronto’s Jane and Finch community, Shemar’s journey from survival to self-actualization fuels his commitment to social impact and post-traumatic growth. His lived experiences shape powerful talks that explore resilience, systemic barriers, youth empowerment. Through mentorship, innovation and civic engagement, Shemar empowers others to see that even the harshest soil can grow something beautiful.

Raffela Mancuso is a mental health activist, entrepreneur, and content creator based in Edmonton, Alberta. She regularly shares about her lived experience with mental illness, severe ADHD, and living in a marginalized body in order to spark authentic conversations and help people feel less alone in their struggles. For Raffela, storytelling is a way to take something heavy and turn it into connection, hope, and healing.

Al Raimundo (they/them) is a dynamic storyteller and mental health advocate who has spent over a decade transforming lived experience into powerful narratives that drive change, on hundreds of stages—from TEDx talks and global youth summits to the United Nations.. With a talent for weaving vulnerability, resilience, and insight into every story, Alicia has helped organizations, communities, and individuals better understand mental health through authentic, impactful storytelling. Whether on stage, in policy rooms, or through digital media, Al’s voice bridges gaps between sectors and people, making complex emotional landscapes accessible and inspiring. Their storytelling doesn't just inform—it moves people to act, connect, and care more deeply. Their voice and advocacy have resonated far beyond Canada, with features in The Globe and Mail, CBC, Huffington Post, India Times, Clarin (Argentina), and other international outlets—highlighting Al’s global influence in reshaping how mental health is understood and talked about. Al has worked with leading organizations including CAMH, MHCC, 988 and Kids Help Phone. During their time with Foundry, they played a key role in building and scaling youth-focused, integrated mental health and wellness services across British Columbia—making sure young people were not just served, but truly heard. Whether advising government leaders, co-designing care systems, or speaking directly to youth, Al brings storytelling that is deeply rooted in lived experience, empathy, and a relentless belief in change. Their work inspires action, fosters connection, and opens up brave spaces for healing and transformation.

Mikaela Brewer is a multidisciplinary writer, editor, speaker, and researcher. Her work has previously been published in SAPIENS, The Stanford Daily, Unsinkable, The 44 North, Global Sport Matters, and the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Some of her other work can be found online at mikbrew.substack.com or @mik_brew on Instagram. Mikaela played basketball for Team Canada and Stanford University where she studied human biology (brain, behaviour, and mental health) and creative writing, and earned a notation in science communication. As a multi-suicide-attempt and multi-suicide-loss survivor, she is currently working on several storytelling projects that braid suicide prevention with poetry, language, fiction, voice, and music. She is also the Publication Manager at Unsinkable, the Senior Editor at The 44 North, and the Founder & Editor of Lamplight Magazine.

Niya Bajaj, award winning mentor, philanthropist and Champion of Mental Health, is an internationally certified holistic yoga therapist, and narrative medicine facilitator. She has coached over 500 people-leaders through the Mindfulness for Leaders program and delivers bespoke wellness-centered leadership learning experiences that support organizational culture change for improved employee well-being, engagement, and performance at organizations including Accenture, Brookfield Investments, Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal, and the University of Toronto. Her words have been featured in the Toronto Star, New York Times, Forbes, The Ethnic Aisle and are included in the upcoming book "Are We Friends or Coworkers?" released on May 30.

Niya is also part of the Unsinkable Program Advisory Committee.

Michael enjoyed several disparate careers from the performing arts to construction, network administration to being a programme manager at the Bernard Betel Centre, a senior citizens community centre in Toronto. It was there, in 2006 that he began volunteering for United Way Speakers Bureau, a passion that he continues to this day. He was awarded the inaugural “Innovation and Creativity Award” given by the United Way Bhayana Family Foundation for his work teaching computer skills to senior citizens. Michael was the Creative Director of Songs of the City, a major annual event for United Way held as a thank you to major donors in Toronto, St. Catherines, Halifax and New Brunswick. He was a recipient of the Volunteer Toronto Legacy Award in 2018 for that initiative. In 2024, Michael co-founded Regift Ontario, an Instagram campaign inspiring anyone who could afford it to donate their $200.00 Ontario tax rebate to an organization or cause of their choice. He volunteers at Ewart Angus SPRINT Home, a transitional home for Alzheimer and  related dementia patients and was honoured as their Volunteer of the Year in 2025. Michael serves as President of the Board of Directors for his condominium. Michael found his true passion 15 years ago as a coach and mentor to aspiring storytellers. He subscribes to what Peggy Noonan wrote: “A speech is poetry: cadence, rhythm, imagery, sweep. A speech reminds us that words, like children, have the power to make dance the dullest beanbag of a heart.” But there is something more – storytelling is redemptive for both the speaker and the listener. And for Michael, mentoring storytellers is redemptive too.