Looking Back moving Forward
Based on the observation that we have been presented with a fantasy about life through various forms of the media and that we think most of us come from good happy fully functional families; this speech deals with the reality that dysfunctional is truly the norm. As a result most of us have difficulties based on trying to be perfect, pleasing others and taking care of everyone else while neglecting ourselves. I have presented this speech across Canada and have discovered that low self esteem (how we think about ourselves) is rampant. Using my own life as an example of someone from a dysfunctional background I speak about saving yourself first through food, water, rest and exercise, the difference between self confidence and self esteem, how low self esteem starts and how to deal with it through using our most valuable self directing tool – our instinct. I draw attention to the fact that we are all very much the same, our fears are the same and we all suffer from blame, shame and regret. I use humor and my own poetry to illustrate points.
The Pink Helicopter and The Green Room
This speech is pure entertainment. At age 22 I became the first woman in the world to fly and broadcast from a helicopter and logged about 5,000 hours up there…I worked in an all male environment and that was good , except for the few who were not too keen about a woman pilot, in one instance this prejudice almost cost me my life .This speech is a compilation of stories from the air and stories from the world of CITY TV, where I anchored the six o’clock news and began a talk show that eventually took me to CTV for eleven year’s as the host of a national talk show.. Stories from the green room include my friendship with Red Skeleton, my John Lennon moment where death and I met face to face, to the drunken guest who punched the other guest on camera and more. It is an inside look behind the camera and the insanity that happens from time to time. This speech is designed to entertain with stories from an insider’s perspective.
The Promise
I have only made this kind of promise to myself once in my life. It happened when in Romania while I was working in third world aid. We had finished our story and the film crew and I climbed into the van and were driving away from the orphanage and that’s when it happened, I silently promised myself “That if it’s the last thing I ever do, I’ll get that kid out of Romania. It happened, eventually, it took two years but it did happen and knowing every step of this story over the last eight years I have concluded, that it is “an event that appears unexplainable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God” and this , according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English language , is the definition of a “miracle.” Along the way the twists and turns and disasters that occurred finally led me to conclude, at one point, that I had just made the biggest mistake of life and the human tragedy that now surrounded me, was all my fault. Within days of this low point the “miracle” walked through the door. This true story was eventually turned into a documentary called “The Healing Home” that ran on CTV and is making its way into a novel.
Facilitator or MC
Over the last year I have moved into the role of facilitator or MC of conferences for either one day or three day events. This is very natural transition from hosting/moderating talk shows and interview formats. ”
“Her participation as Conference Moderator and Closeout Keynote Speaker elevated the event to a new height of excellence. Although her Closeout Keynote Speaker address was a big hit, it was her role as MC that received the most rave reviews. Dini is a natural in the role of MC. She was entertaining, insightful, engaging, personable, and motivational. In sort, a true professional. As Dini was a key reason for the success of CMC’s 3rd Annual Administrative Professionals Conference, we have asked her back to be the Moderator of our 4th Annual Administrative Professionals Conference.”
Chris Peacock, Executive Director, CMC Conferences.
How to get it all to work together
Hosting a national talk show for 11 years has many similarities to running any business:
-getting the team to work together-doing the impossible
-dealing with “whiners”
-getting everyone to be a professional
-what to do when it all falls apart
-getting everyone on the same page
-keeping the enthusiasm going
-dealing with failure
-dealing with stress
Television has one repetitive theme: when the red light goes on the show goes on, there are no excuses when the camera starts to roll. Eighty percent of the shows in the last season of Dini met my own personal standards of excellence. That’s batting 800, that’s a rare achievement.
The Moth to the Flame
This is an entertaining speech, based on stories from my life and my relationship with the stage. I knew where I was suppose to be at age four , I’ve never been sure what I was suppose to do once I got there. The stories cover my five thousand hours as the first woman in the world to fly and broadcast from a helicopter, a pink one with pink shag rug. The aviation incident that almost cost me my life and was a result of prejudice “Women don’t belong in the air.” It also includes tales from the green room covering 10 years at CITY TV and ten years at CTV. Strictly entertainment this speech has become the foundation for a one woman show I am writing, have done in twice with great success.
