NSB Logo Ann Dowsett Johnston Ann Dowsett Johnston

Ann Dowsett Johnston

Speaker Exclusive

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Public Policy & Addiction Expert

The bestselling author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol, Ann Dowsett Johnston is a prominent voice on addiction, mental health and recovery. With a specialty on the closing gender gap on risky drinking, Ann’s message has never been more urgent. Her TEDx Talk—Drinking and How it Changed my Life—has more than 1.5 million views. A former award-winning journalist, Ann has earned many honours for her advocacy, including an honorary doctorate from Queen’s University. Now a psychotherapist, specializing in women, addiction and concurrent disorders, Ann lives in Toronto.

Keynote Speeches

Virtual Keynotes & Webinars
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Mental Health and Addiction: Beating the Twin Curse of the Overacheiver

Every person has a public story, a private story and a secret story. Ann’s was depression: for decades, she medicated this affliction with work. Overwork led to stress, which she ultimately medicated with alcohol. This double whammy—mental health and addiction issues—has become the twin curse of a growing number of professionals. How do you turn a life around? With grit and gusto and extreme self-care. There is no worthier role for an employer to play than helping to shepherd an achiever back to balance and health. With candour and passion, Ann will explore the signs of trouble and the signposts on the journey back to a life of joy and meaning.

 

Our Love Affair with Alcohol: How a Fairy-tale Romance Blocks Strong Policy, and How Media Can Help

To create strong alcohol policy, we need to take a hard look at the best available evidence, examine our core values and ask ourselves: what do we want for Canada? What role does the media play in the outcome? Enormous. Ann Dowsett Johnston argues that the media is key to shaping strong policy: essential in disseminating good research, advocating for change and puncturing many myths.

 

The Drinking Diaries: Why Women Drink Too Much and What We Can Do About It

Alcohol consumption is on the rise, and women are leading the growth, both here and in most of the developing world. Parity in postsecondary achievement, parity in the workforce, and now this? Clearly, this is not what Gloria Steinem had in mind. The marketers think differently. Ann Dowsett Johnston explores this phenomenon: what’s driving the trend in risky drinking for all age groups, the health risks, and what can be done.

Stigma and The Workplace
All too often, a troubled employee is a high performer whose life has gone sideways, who may be suffering from concurrent disorders. How do you shepherd that person towards appropriate help and then re-integrate them back into the executive or high-performing team? How do you deal with resentment and discomfort within your team? How do you foster a stigma-free environment of support? As addiction reaches epidemic proportions in North America, this is a leadership challenge for all corporate teams. People can and do recover. As one of the team of experts on the upcoming national Life in Recovery survey—which will make big news across Canada this fall—I can tell you that this evidence is well supported. I can advise on this important area, tailoring my talk to each and every sector.

Stigma and The Workplace

All too often, a troubled employee is a high performer whose life has gone sideways, who may be suffering from concurrent disorders. How do you shepherd that person towards appropriate help and then re-integrate them back into the executive or high-performing team? How do you deal with resentment and discomfort within your team? How do you foster a stigma-free environment of support? As addiction reaches epidemic proportions in North America, this is a leadership challenge for all corporate teams. People can and do recover. As one of the team of experts on the upcoming national Life in Recovery survey—which will make big news across Canada this fall—I can tell you that this evidence is well supported. I can advise on this important area, tailoring my talk to each and every sector.

Audience reviews:

  • Ann is very warm, relatable and genuine. People appreciated her charisma, conversational style and her candor.

    The hour flew by as she has a wonderful way of holding the audience’s attention. People agreed that this is an important topic and they thought Ann clearly exhibited a passion for it and an expertise in the field – both of which made her a very compelling speaker. - Torys LLP
  • On behalf of House of Friendship we want to fully endorse Ann Johnston both as a speaker and a champion for individuals struggling with addictions. The event was sold-out in advance and there wasn't a spare seat to be had in the hall. Ann challenged our thinking through the presentation with her insights, research, and experience.



    - House of Friendship
  • The audience loved Ann. She impressed most with her approachability and her down to earth style. I felt as though I had known her my whole life. Her presentation was powerful and you could hear a pin drop in that room. What a beautiful person.

    - Executive Director, Breton House
  • She was a rockstar whose message was challenging and fit perfectly with what HoF is trying to accomplish.


    - Attendee, House of Friendship Conference

Speaker Biography

An award-winning journalist and bestselling author turned psychotherapist, Ann Dowsett Johnston is uniquely poised to tackle the twin issues of mental health and addiction. Author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol, Dowsett Johnston broke the story of the pinking of the alcohol market and the closing gender gap on risky drinking. Feisty and outspoken, she is comfortable speaking of her own recovery from alcohol addiction and depression, and exploring the urgent need for addressing the issue of stigma.

Once renowned as the architect of the Maclean’s university rankings, a project she oversaw for 14 years, Dowsett Johnston transitioned to her next role as a vice-principal of McGill University. But in 2008, when her own relationship with alcohol, plus a crippling depression, led her to rehab, she decided to tackle the toughest subject in her life. Winning the prestigious Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy, she wrote a 14-part series in the Toronto Star on Women and Alcohol, the foundation of her book. Drink, named one of the top 10 books of 2013 by the Washington Post, predicted the epidemic in women’s drinking. Winner of five gold National Magazine Awards, a Transforming Lives Award from the Centre For Addiction and Mental Health, an honorary doctorate from Queen’s University for her advocacy, and more, Ann Dowsett Johnston is courageous in her willingness to name our love affair with our favourite drug, and the concurrent disorders which we tend to self-medicate. Now a practicing psychotherapist, fifteen years in recovery, Dowsett Johnston is uniquely poised to address some of the toughest issues in society. 

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