Shawna J. Serniak, Indigenous Speaker

When you hire Shawna J. Serniak, you’re not just hiring a speaker—you’re bringing an experience to your audience.

Shawna combines motivation, empowerment, humour, storytelling, lived experience, and meaningful conversations to create presentations that connect, challenge, and inspire. Her work ranges from corporate team building and leadership development to personal empowerment, motivation, workplace connection, youth engagement, and Indigenous teachings and perspectives.

Every presentation is tailored to the audience, organization, and goals of the event. Whether she is working with a corporate team looking to strengthen communication and workplace culture, leaders navigating change, or an audience needing renewed confidence and motivation, Shawna creates an environment where people feel engaged and included.

Clients can expect:

- High-energy motivational and empowerment presentations
- Corporate team building and workplace development
- Leadership, communication, and relationship-building strategies
- Powerful storytelling and relatable real-life experiences
- Humour, interaction, reflection, and audience participation
- Practical tools audiences can use beyond the event
- Indigenous perspectives and teachings when appropriate
- A presentation customized to your organization and goals

Shawna doesn't simply want people to leave saying, “That was a great speaker.”

She wants them to leave saying, “I needed to hear that.”

Shawna J. Serniak is an internationally recognized Indigenous speaker, storyteller, and advocate known for creating powerful, transformative experiences that resonate across generations, cultures, and professional environments. Her work is rooted in lived experience, cultural knowledge, and a deep commitment to creating meaningful and lasting change.

Shawna is the creator of the widely recognized presentation “Which Wolf Do You Feed?”, a powerful message that has reached youth, educators, corporate teams, communities, and organizations across Canada. Through her presentations, she weaves Indigenous knowledge and teachings—including the Seven Grandfather Teachings—with contemporary conversations around resilience, leadership, identity, emotional intelligence, personal growth, and workplace culture.

Her ability to bridge traditional teachings with today's challenges allows audiences to not only hear her message, but to see themselves within it. Shawna challenges people to examine the choices they make, the beliefs they carry, and the impact they have on themselves and those around them.

Beyond the stage, Shawna is a passionate advocate for awareness and action surrounding Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). In 2017, she founded the Every Woman Empowered Endowment Fund, a charitable initiative held with the Edmonton Community Foundation. The fund supports education, advocacy, searches, memorials, and community-driven initiatives that honour MMIWG and support affected families and communities.

Shawna's contributions have been recognized through multiple awards, including the Alberta Northern Lights Award (2021) and the SERVUS Feel Good Fund Award (2022). Her influence has continued to grow internationally, including speaking at the Canadian Embassy in Japan during Indigenous Peoples Month in 2025 and appearing on the Canadian television series Come Dine with Me Canada in 2026.

Today, Shawna is a sought-after speaker for schools, corporations, conferences, Indigenous communities, and organizations seeking more than simply a presentation. She creates experiences that encourage reflection, spark meaningful conversations, challenge perspectives, and inspire action.

Grounded in truth. Guided by purpose. Driven to create change.

Shawna doesn't simply tell audiences what to think—she inspires them to think differently about themselves, each other, and the world around them.

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