After struggling with her self-image, Zoya discovered her mission  – to ensure that others do not have to fight the same personal battle.

In August 2011, she founded the Simply You Program at Dr Charles Best Secondary, to empower youth to recognise their leadership capabilities and embrace inner beauty.

An 8 session program with the goal of building self-confidence, self-awareness, and leadership skills in students ages 11 to 16, Simply You sessions included deconstructing media images, art classes, yoga class, and cooking class.  Essentially, Simply You provided a healthy outlet for students to express themselves, embrace their inner beauty, and make new friends.  Within two years, 60 students at 6 schools went through the program, and Zoya reached thousands of people with her message of being ‘simply you’ through engaging presentations.

By embracing values of health, gratitude, and optimism, the Simply You Workshop motivates participants to discover their own true beauty.

A TEDx speaker, torchbearer in Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Olympic games, and recipient of the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award, 19 year old Zoya has contributed hundreds of volunteer hours to her community and is now a  speaker and workshop facilitator on personal development.

She is incredibly excited to speak at the Pemberton Wellness Gathering. Follow her thoughts at her blog: zoyajiwa.wordpress.com and on twitter @zoyajiwa.