Brandi Leifso
Award-Winning Social Impact Entrepreneur | Resilience Advocate | Author | International Speaker
Jess Tetu
Award-Winning Entrepreneur | Resilience Expert on Turning Adversity Into Purpose
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About This Speaker
Jess Tetu is an award-winning Canadian entrepreneur, public speaker, philanthropist, and founder. Her story is rooted in resilience, reinvention, and impact. After leaving home at 15, she navigated poverty, family addiction, homelessness, grief, and personal hardship. She built a life and business career defined by grit, purpose, and service.
Today, Jess owns five Just For You Day Spas with locations across Saskatchewan and Alberta. She also serves as Founder and CEO of Lia Reese Canada, Founder and CEO of Iconic Betty Jewelry, and Founder of Jess Tetu Consulting. She is also Founder and CEO of 4seventyone Recovery Resources — a not-for-profit supporting individuals and families impacted by addiction and hardship.
Her work has earned national recognition. Highlights include Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, SK Entrepreneur of the Year, YWCA Women of Distinction, and one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women. Major media outlets have featured her brands and story, including Good Morning America, CBC, Global News, CTV, and the Daytime Emmys.
On stage, Jess Tetu brings a rare combination of vulnerability, entrepreneurial credibility, and practical optimism. She helps audiences see that adversity does not have to define the future. It can fuel clearer choices, stronger leadership, deeper purpose, and meaningful success.
Contact an agent to get Jess's availability and ratesSpeaking Topics: Jess Tetu
Built From Nothing: What Survival Teaches You About Success 
Jess Tetu’s story is not a polished overnight-success story. It is a real, raw, and deeply human journey through family addiction, poverty, homelessness, grief, and starting over - and ultimately into entrepreneurship, leadership, philanthropy, and national recognition.
In this powerful keynote, Jess shares how the hardest chapters of her life shaped the mindset, work ethic, compassion, and courage that allowed her to build multiple businesses and create meaningful community impact. Audiences will leave with a renewed belief in what is possible, along with practical reminders about resilience, personal responsibility, and the power of choosing forward even when the path is unclear.
In this powerful keynote, Jess shares how the hardest chapters of her life shaped the mindset, work ethic, compassion, and courage that allowed her to build multiple businesses and create meaningful community impact. Audiences will leave with a renewed belief in what is possible, along with practical reminders about resilience, personal responsibility, and the power of choosing forward even when the path is unclear.
Struggle to Success: The Blueprint for Building a Business That Thrives
Adversity can either harden us, stop us, or sharpen us. Jess' path to entrepreneurship was shaped by adversity, but her success was built through discipline, risk-taking, reinvention, and relentless commitment. In this keynote, Jess shares how she turned hardship into momentum, building multiple businesses while learning the real-world lessons that every entrepreneur and leader needs: how to stay focused when the path is uncertain, how to stand out in a saturated market, how to build trust with customers, and how to keep going when growth feels anything but glamorous.
With honesty, energy, and practical insight, Jess walks audiences through the mindset and leadership principles that helped her move from survival mode into business-building mode. From brand identity and customer service to team morale, community support, and resilience through change, this presentation gives aspiring entrepreneurs and established leaders a grounded look at what it actually takes to build something that lasts.
With honesty, energy, and practical insight, Jess walks audiences through the mindset and leadership principles that helped her move from survival mode into business-building mode. From brand identity and customer service to team morale, community support, and resilience through change, this presentation gives aspiring entrepreneurs and established leaders a grounded look at what it actually takes to build something that lasts.
The Business of Standing Out: Brand, Service, and Growth in a Saturated Market
Jess Tetu built her businesses in competitive industries where experience, trust, consistency, and brand identity matter. From spa and wellness to beauty, retail, consulting, and philanthropy, she has learned how to create brands that connect emotionally while still delivering operationally.
This keynote brings Jess’s entrepreneurial lessons into a practical business context. She speaks to what it takes to build a recognizable brand, create customer loyalty, maintain service excellence, grow through change, and stay connected to purpose while scaling. Jess also explores the role of community involvement, team morale, self-awareness, and values-led decision-making in long-term business success.
This keynote brings Jess’s entrepreneurial lessons into a practical business context. She speaks to what it takes to build a recognizable brand, create customer loyalty, maintain service excellence, grow through change, and stay connected to purpose while scaling. Jess also explores the role of community involvement, team morale, self-awareness, and values-led decision-making in long-term business success.
Give to Gain: Building Success That Means Something
For Jess Tetu, success has never been just about growth, awards, or revenue. It has also been about using business as a platform to give back, create change, and support people facing the kinds of hardship she knows personally.
In this keynote, Jess shares how purpose, philanthropy, and community responsibility can become more than “nice to have” values - they can become core drivers of culture, connection, and sustainable success. Through her work with 4seventyone Recovery Resources and her broader community involvement, Jess shows audiences how giving back can deepen leadership, strengthen brands, and create a legacy far beyond business achievement.
In this keynote, Jess shares how purpose, philanthropy, and community responsibility can become more than “nice to have” values - they can become core drivers of culture, connection, and sustainable success. Through her work with 4seventyone Recovery Resources and her broader community involvement, Jess shows audiences how giving back can deepen leadership, strengthen brands, and create a legacy far beyond business achievement.
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