Celebrated Coach | Media Maverick
Manager of Culture, Diversity & Inclusion at SickKids Foundation
Raia ‘Coach’ Carey is a firm believer that everyone is capable of greatness, and she’s made a career of empowering others to reach it. Coach Carey is a captivating motivational speaker, inspiring corporate wellness and meditation facilitator, and the EDI lead at Canada’s largest children’s hospital. In every role, she is dedicated to helping her clients—from individuals to corporations—access their untapped brilliance.
Coach Carey’s passion for supporting others dates back to a childhood marked by challenges. In school, she was bullied by her classmates for her race and weight. Academically, she struggled to translate her French Immersion education into English reading and writing skills. Still, Coach Carey didn’t allow those issues to derail her. Instead, she turned inward to find the confidence to be authentically herself, foster meaningful connections, and inspire others to do the same.
Those skills have proven essential to Coach Carey’s career success. In her early twenties, she used her outgoing personality and affinity for bringing people together to forge a career in events and parties. That industry became a classroom for Coach Carey, as she quickly learned essential business skills, including brand partnerships, sponsorships, budgets, and networking.
After a decade in the events world, Coach Carey found herself yearning for something more. When a friend introduced her to the concept of life coaching, she knew it was not only the next step in her career but a calling she needed to answer. Combining education in Psychology (Concordia University) and professional coaching (IPEC, George Brown College) with her life experiences, Coach Carey has risen to her purpose, translating her personal tragedies and triumphs into practical tools and strategies. For more than 7 years, she’s worked with both individuals and groups to deliver coaching, workshops, and programs that inspire confidence, encourage authenticity and build resilience.
Motivated by a goal to encourage as many people as possible to create thriving lives, Coach Carey has taken her fun and empowering approach beyond individual sessions. Her words and work have reached boardrooms, international stages, and global brands. She has served as a corporate wellness facilitator for notable companies like Google, LinkedIn, H&M, and Royal Bank of Canada. She’s spoken to audiences of thousands at the Move the Dial Global Summit and Elevate Technology Festival. And she’s landed partnerships with renowned brands like Nike, DoorDash, Crest, and Intel.
With every opportunity, positive impact is Coach Carey’s greatest metric for success. Her collaboration with Smash + Tess championed LGBTQ+ inclusivity, introducing the brand’s first gender-neutral romper. She joined Well.ca as the platform’s first certified life coach, promoting definitions of wellness that include mental health. At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Coach Carey offered free 15-minute coaching sessions, to make mental health support accessible for everyone. Like these projects, Coach Carey’s endeavours are always an investment in a legacy of love, inspiration, and empowerment.
When she’s not coaching, facilitating, or speaking, Coach Carey finds joy in life’s simple pleasures. She enjoys the silliness of cartoons, the peace of meditation and nature, and the company of friends and family who allow her to be her most authentic self.
TOPICS
Confidence From Within
Setting yourself up for success within your career starts with understanding how to find and foster your inner confidence. Whether you’re part of a team or leading one, [confidence from within] provides the tools you need to set up healthy boundaries, feel more decisive, collaborate in group settings and effectively achieve goals with your colleagues. With a focus on how to maintain a positive mindset, [confidence from within] will empower you to navigate and leverage your communication skills, finances, and mindset so you can achieve your full potential in and out of the workplace.
Embracing Stress in the Workplace
There are several reasons your company could be experiencing stress-induced low performance –Whether it’s internal restructuring or virtual to hybrid transitions, [Embracing stress in the workplace] gives you the tools necessary to reduce workplace pressure while supporting your team’s transition towards a healthy mindset. These elements will organically increase productivity, creativity, and problem-solving and better equip you to handle various scenarios while maintaining a positive relationship with stress. Together, we’ll identify potential triggers and analyze how you and your team can transform stress into empowerment. You’ll leave feeling calm, refreshed, confident and motivated to make impactful change within your workplace while keeping your team engaged.
Taking Leaps – Dealing with Impostor Syndrome
Imposter Syndrome is a deep dive into the psychology of how imposter syndrome can show up in, and impact, daily life. Whether you’re a creative, a team member in a fast-paced work environment, or a high achiever, Coach Carey uses an interactive survey to personalize effective strategies that will combat imposter syndrome. You’ll leave with the tools you need to feel confident in your decision-making, less stressed with deadlines and open to taking leaps without the fear of failure.
Introduction to Anti-Black Racism
This is a research-based leadership, diversity, equity and inclusion presentation. It offers tools grounded in the science of human behaviour, emotional intelligence, and positive psychology to disrupt anti-Black racism and unconscious racial bias. Participants will explore various dimensions of racism at the interpersonal, intra personal, institutional and systemic levels. Intro to Anti-Black Racism explores Black history in Canada, implicit intersectionality, and defines key terminology specific to the Black experience. You’ll leave with a deep understanding of the Black Canadian experience and the tools needed to work towards creating equitable, impactful workplace culture and organizational change.
Unpacking Unconscious Bias
Unpacking Unconscious Bias is a must-do “bootcamp” for leaders in the workplace. This presentation offers tools to explore unconscious bias within each person and how that may show up in the workplace. It contains strategies for understanding & managing biases and microagressions, including case studies that help the audience learn how to address these situations in real-time. Coach Carey blends storytelling, market research, and interactive learning to encourage open and transparent communication where diverse opinions and contributions are valued. Your team will leave with a toolkit to manage bias, an ability to identify, manage and minimize microagressions in the workplace, and a foundation for inclusive leadership.
