Jessica
Jessica Zapata is a social communicator, journalist, and founder of The Winged Foundation, a nonprofit supporting Colombian youth with education, mental health, and leadership programs. Her work spans Colombia, Africa, and Canada, blending storytelling, tech skills, and social impact.
Her career began in journalism and corporate tech, rising to Product Manager at Skip the Dishes. Yet she felt drawn to social impact. “That moment volunteering in Winnipeg crystallized my purpose. I wanted my work to create ripple effects beyond the office walls,” she reflects.
Jessica founded The Winged Foundation to unlock potential in youth. “What inspired me was seeing potential unlocked. A student gaining confidence or accessing new opportunities—it felt like magic.” She leads a fully remote team across Latin America, navigating time zones, cultural differences, and late-night meetings to ensure meaningful impact.
Her international development work in East Africa deepened her leadership philosophy. “I wanted to be present, to understand challenges from the ground. Working with these women showed me the power of resilience and ingenuity. Empathy, patience, and listening drive meaningful results,” she says.
Jessica emphasizes that small actions matter: “Sometimes progress is slow… even small wins—one scholarship, one business launched, one youth empowered—are victories that ripple outward.” She encourages changemakers to start now, lead with empathy, and trust that purpose-driven action creates lasting impact.
Vera
After losing her partner, Vera noticed something few people were naming: grief was showing up in her body long before she could put it into words. Her heartbeat raced, digestion slowed, sleep was disrupted, and tension accumulated in her jaw and shoulders.
“I didn’t recognize myself,” Vera recalls. “I couldn’t go to the gym. I had no energy. Anxiety and depression could show up on the same day. I’d be hyper-vigilant during the day and then completely depleted when I got home.”
Vera realized there was a gap in grief care, everyone talks about emotions, but nobody addressed the physical and relational impacts of loss. Drawing on her background in health and wellness, she created grief-informed nutrition and body-based coaching, helping others navigate grief as a whole-body experience.
“Grief isn’t just emotional, it lives in our heartbeat, digestion, sleep, and the tension we hold in our body. Healing requires caring for all of it.”
Iris
Iris Guo has never followed a straight or predictable path. From moving to Canada at 17 to working across Google X, Scale AI, and Zynga, her decisions have been guided less by certainty and more by curiosity. In this conversation, Iris shares what it means to choose growth over comfort, build without waiting for permission, and trust that uncertainty can be a sign you’re on the right path.
David
David Johnson is a Canadian Paralympian and advocate whose journey is defined by resilience and adaptability. Growing up in Victoria, BC, he was active in many sports before learning he had a degenerative eye condition, leaving him with less than 3% vision. Instead of limiting him, this challenge shaped his path, leading him to focus on Paralympic track and field, where he has represented Canada at the Commonwealth Games and Para Athletics World Championships. Along the way, he has overcome injuries and setbacks with determination and creativity. Beyond athletics, David works at CNIB, enjoys social activities and learning new skills, and shares his story through public speaking to inspire others. His journey shows that limitations don’t define a person, how they rise to meet them does.
Gigi
Gigi Alsaadi is redefining how we think about sustainability. From leading climate impact tools at Prime Coalition to co-founding KanataQ, a marketplace connecting nearly 400 sustainability startups, her work makes environmental action practical and scalable. For Gigi, it all comes back to empathy: “I thought I’d help people through healthcare, but I found my path in helping the planet, and in turn, people.” Her advice to aspiring changemakers is simple yet powerful: layer sustainability onto your skills, stay curious, and keep moving forward, small steps can ripple into real impact.
Stella
Stella Nakawuki Lukwago, Country Manager for Youth Challenge International Uganda, grew up in Bwaise, one of Kampala’s toughest slums. Witnessing hardship early on, she promised to create change. After gaining experience abroad, she returned to empower rural youth and women through sustainable solutions like biodegradable straws. Stella’s leadership is about shifting mindsets and inspiring action—showing that real change starts with believing and taking the first step.
John
“John Liu: Capturing the Spirit of Running Through Photography” explores how street photographer-turned-sports storyteller John Liu found purpose behind the lens by documenting runners in motion. From casual joggers to elite athletes, Liu’s work celebrates perseverance, community, and the beauty of human effort—capturing not just the sport, but the spirit behind every stride.
Ignacio
Ignacio Tartavull grew up in Argentina with an insatiable curiosity for how things worked, so much so that new appliances rarely survived more than a few hours before he took them apart with a screwdriver. That curiosity led him from manufacturing engineering to brain research at Princeton and MIT, then into self-driving car development at Uber.
A tragic accident in 2018 shifted his path forever. “That crash showed me how much responsibility technologists carry. It’s not just about pushing innovation, it’s about lives and trust,” he says.
Determined to make safety the priority, Ignacio founded PinkBot, small, friendly, baby-pink delivery robots designed to replace errand driving, which accounts for 40% of trips and hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Today, PinkBot delivers about 1,000 meals daily across U.S. cities, saving time, cutting emissions, and, statistically, saving lives.
For Ignacio, it’s not just about building robots. It’s about building trust, protecting communities, and proving that technology can be as caring as it is clever.
