Speakers > Lauren Pires

Lauren Pires

Invisible Disability Speaker on Resilience

Lauren Pires shows teams and individuals how to build resilience through joy, by discovering the power of “the daily yay.”

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Defining Moments

#2 North American Inspirational Speaker of the Year 2023 (Speaker Slam®)
Canada’s first and only Invisible Disabilities Association Ambassador

Fee range:

$3000-7500

Travels from:

Toronto, Ontario, CA

Website:

https://laurenpires.ca

Perfect for:

Team building, youth inspiration events, resilience-themed events

Tone & Approach:

Sweet and cheerful, bubbly and inspiring but grounded storyteller

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Meet Lauren

Lauren Pires is an award-winning speaker on resilience, joy, and self-acceptance. Born with Central Core Disease, a rare neuromuscular disorder, she navigates life with just 33% of the physical strength of the average person—but her unwavering spirit is at 100%.

Named the #2 Inspirational Speaker of the Year in North America's largest inspirational speaking competition (Speaker Slam, 2023) and recognized globally on the D-30 Disability Impact List (Diversability, 2024), Lauren is a trailblazer in the disability advocacy space. She made history as the first Canadian recipient of the prestigious "But You LOOK Good" Inspiration Award (Invisible Disabilities Association, 2023), joining past honorees like Wayne Brady and Yolanda Hadid.

As Canada’s first and only Invisible Disabilities Association Ambassador, Lauren has raised over $4,000 USD for the nonprofit. She also played a key role in the global Rare Disease Day #LightUpForRare campaign (2024), leading the lighting of 21 monuments across 14 Canadian cities.

Lauren’s impact has been featured on Breakfast Television, CityNews Toronto, RareDiseaseDay.org, GlobalNews.ca, and more.

She believes that resilience isn’t just about overcoming obstacles—it’s about embracing joy, saying yes to life, and showing up as your whole self, no matter what. Through her speaking, she inspires others to own their story, stand in their truth, and find strength in the unseen.

Download Lauren’s Speaker One Sheet

Signature Presentation

Seeking Strength: How to Build Resilience Thru Small Moments of Joy

Description:

We spend so much of our lives trying to fit in—hiding the parts of ourselves we fear won’t be accepted. But what if “normal” doesn’t actually exist?

In this powerful keynote, award-winning speaker and invisible disability advocate Lauren Pires shares her journey from hiding her rare neuromuscular disorder to fully embracing who she is. Through personal stories—like the moment she finally shared her truth on a second date—Lauren reveals how the pursuit of normalcy holds us back from real confidence and connection. She introduces a simple three-step framework to help audiences let go of self-doubt, own their story, and show up fully in their lives.

With her signature concept, “The Daily Yay,” Lauren reframes resilience as an everyday practice of joy and self-acceptance. Audiences will leave inspired to stop shrinking themselves to fit in and start embracing what makes them truly unique.

By the end of this session, attendees will:

Discover how the pursuit of "normalcy" can hold you back and discover actionable strategies to embrace your authentic self.
Understand how sharing your story builds empathy and connection with others, while also finding your supportive community.
Apply the "Daily Yay" method to identify and create moments of joy, reframing challenges into opportunities for growth and gratitude.

Additional Presentations from Lauren Pires

(youth motivational speech)
Growing up, it’s easy to feel like you have to fit into a certain mold to be accepted. But what if being “normal” isn’t the goal—what if it’s the thing holding you back? In this engaging and relatable keynote, Lauren Pires shares how she spent years trying to hide the rare neuromuscular disorder she was born with, only to realize that real confidence comes from embracing who you are. Through honest storytelling and practical takeaways, Lauren helps students break free from the fear of judgment, build resilience, and find the courage to show up as their full selves. Because the truth is, the world doesn’t need you to be normal—it needs you to be you.

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Testimonials

Lisa Paterson, VP, Operations & Pre-Claim Services, GroupHEALTH

“A delight to work with...very responsive following my inquiry and incredibly collaborative in building a presentation that would work for our team. Her presentation was phenomenal and very well received. It can be difficult to create engagement in a virtual setting but Lauren did a great sparking discussion, and all of us were moved and inspired by her story.”
Urmila Puran, Student Life Coordinator, University of Guelph-Humber

“Lauren delivered a motivating and impactful speech to the Class of 2024. Working with Lauren was seamless and fun. She followed the guidelines of what was requested and put deep thought into what she wanted to say. This made it easy for us to approve her speech ahead of the deadline. Lauren is a pleasure to work with and I highly recommend her for your next motivational engagement!”
Estelle Gonzalez-Fadel, Curriculum Head/Teacher, Peel District School Board

“As part of Asian Heritage Month, Lauren…shared her own story and lived experiences with overcoming adversity and embracing joy; emphasizing the significance of owning who you are and finding the "yay" in all of life's circumstances. She was inspiring, innovative, and diverse with her delivery, and her desire to connect with the crowd was evident - which is essential for speaking to teens and educators.”