We assume high performance is a result of ambition, when for so many it’s a result of survival.
Ambition gets to rest. Survival doesn’t know how.
Keynotes and workshops on the hidden cost of high performance. Based in Halifax, booked across Canada.
First BIPOC-focused clinic in CAF history·2024 DM/CDS Excellence in Defence Award·10,800+ people in live audiences to date
Keynotes and workshops.
The keynote creates the shift. The workshop builds the capability. Facilitation moves the conversation forward.
Keynotes
- The Cost of Capable™The hidden cost of high performance
- Hold the ConversationThe Psychology of Conflict and Repair
- For the AskingThe Conviction to Build What Does Not Yet Exist
- Rain CheckCultivating Joy in a Life That Is Already Full
- How We Miss Each OtherThe Art of Noticing What Holds Us Together
“By far the most memorable session of the week… Captivating. Confident. Inspirational.”Devin Donegani · Crisis Intervener, Nova Scotia Health
Workshops
Every keynote deepens into applied work. The workshop is built from that keynote’s own framework rather than bolted on, so the audience works with the same architecture it just heard. Books are part of every workshop.
- Leadership teams Executive and senior teams; retreats and offsites
- Care providers Physicians, nurses, psychotherapists, social workers; clinical training
- Culturally and racially responsive care Clinical teams, health systems and community organizations
- Emerging leaders Conference cohorts, leadership programmes, associations
“It sparked a number of meaningful conversations throughout the remainder of the conference and gave participants a language and framework to discuss something many had experienced but hadn’t previously been able to articulate.”Claire Lessel, CPHR · Chair, ACCEL 2026
“Expertly uses her own experiences as a mother, clinician, child of migrants, author to inspire listeners to build capacity in their own lives.”Tiffany Richards · Family Physician · Markham clinical session, October 2026
Custom and ceremonial
Addresses written for the occasion, and conversations held in front of an audience.
“Verena Rizg provided a thoughtful and powerful convocation address today at our last fall convocation ceremony. Thank you for sharing your important insights and expertise.”Brenda Merritt · Acting Provost and Vice President Academic, Dalhousie University
Watch the 2026 Dalhousie convocation address →Host kit: download the one-sheet (PDF) · request the host pre-brief
How booking works.
A conversation
Thirty minutes with Verena about your people and what you need.
Fit and format
Keynote, workshop or both; the audience, the date window, virtual or in person. One agreement, in plain language.
Everything prepared.
A pre-brief with the host, the one-sheet for your programme, and the Before-You-Leave card.
The day
Verena arrives early, meets your people, and stays after. Books are part of every workshop.
What follows
The one-sheet by email for everyone who attended, and a feedback report to the host within a week.
What clients say.
“Your message around sustainable leadership and the ‘cost of being capable’ resonated deeply with our participants. Many attendees commented that they saw themselves reflected in the examples and challenges you shared, particularly the tendency for capable leaders to continually take on more while neglecting their own sustainability.”
Claire Lessel, CPHRChair, ACCEL 2026
“Verena Rizg provided a thoughtful and powerful convocation address today at our last fall convocation ceremony. Thank you for sharing your important insights and expertise.”
Brenda MerrittActing Provost and Vice President Academic, Dalhousie University
“I use it almost daily with my clients and over the dinner table with my family. It helps people understand that their exhaustion is not a personal failure, and that their capacity may have come at a cost that deserves attention, care, and healing.”
Karen Rezk, RP, RN, MScN, MDivFounder & CEO, Ubuntu Psychotherapy and Wellness
OrganizationsDalhousie University·Nova Scotia Health·Horizon Health Network·National Payroll Institute·ACCEL · Atlantic Canada’s Collective for Emerging Leaders·Atlantic Central Credit Unions·Salon Resource Group·NPAC · Nurse Practitioner Association of Canada·Ubuntu Psychotherapy and Wellness·Conscious Economics
The Cost of Capable™
We assume high performance is a result of ambition, when for many it’s a result of survival. Ambition gets to rest. Survival doesn’t know how.
The framework →Workshops and keynotes are booked directly with Verena. Virtual is available. Travel is arranged with the host. Books are part of every workshop.
The conversation comes first. Fees follow the format, the audience and the day.
Inquire.
What does Verena Rizg speak about?
High performance and human capacity: what people carry to stay excellent, how belonging becomes contingent on performance, and what leaders can do about it. Five keynotes: The Cost of Capable™, Hold the Conversation, For the Asking, Rain Check, and How We Miss Each Other. Each is also delivered as a half-day or full-day workshop.
Who are the workshops for?
Leadership teams, care providers, and emerging leaders. Recent work includes a clinical session for healthcare providers in Markham, Ontario.
How is Verena Rizg booked?
Directly through this page. Already working with a speakers bureau? Your bureau can book Verena directly. Virtual delivery is available. Travel is arranged with the host. Books are part of every workshop. The conversation comes first; fees follow the format, the audience and the day.
Where is Verena Rizg based, and where does she travel?
Halifax, Nova Scotia. She speaks across Canada, in the United States, and internationally.
Is Verena Rizg a practicing clinician?
Yes. Sixteen years of clinical practice across federal corrections, migrant health, acute and community care, and occupational health. Recipient of the 2024 DM/CDS Excellence in Defence Award, part of the Celebrating Excellence Awards, the Department of National Defence’s highest form of recognition.
What are her credentials?
MN, NP-PHC. A clinician with sixteen years of practice across occupational health, federal corrections, acute care, community health and migrant health; founder of the first BIPOC-focused clinic in the history of the Canadian Armed Forces; recipient of the 2024 DM/CDS Excellence in Defence Award, part of the Celebrating Excellence Awards, the Department of National Defence’s highest form of recognition; author of The Cost of Capable™.