About Tyler
Learn the story behind the power of living a life of building resilience and well-being.
The Early Days
In November of 1990, at the age of 14,Tyler’s friend Curtis was murdered while he was sexually assaulted, his throat slit, set on fire and left to die by the same attacker. After years of surgical procedures, including skin grafting, Tyler was the key witness in the trial which led to the conviction and life sentence of their attacker.
For years he dealt with survivors guiltand unforgiveness, but refused to believe that an event or circumstance could define him. Over the years, he learned to press on make the most of everyday and committedtohelping others, believing there was a reason he was still here.
Featured on the Biography Channel’sacclaimed series - “I Survived”, Tyler tells the compelling story of confronting his attacker in prison and finding peace and purpose in life through exploring mental wellness and a journey of forgiveness.
Over 30 years have passed since theattack on Curtis & Tyler, and after serving a life sentence, Earl Giesbrechtthehigh school boy who attacked them that night has since been released from prison.
Over all those years, Tyler has developed a genuine curiosity about understanding mental health & well-being, and continues to grow and
explore how we can all live a life to the full everyday.Professional Experience
Professionally, despite sustaining 3rd degree burns to 25% of his body, Tyler went on to pursue a career as a Firefighter/Paramedic and has continued to rise within the ranks of the Canadian fire service over the last 28 years, working today as a Deputy Chief.
Further to his career in Emergency Services, he is also a member of Canada Task Force II (one of 5 national disaster response teams within Canada), where he has had the opportunity to serve in Incident Command / Emergency Operations Center roles a at the 2011 Slave Lake Wildfires, 2013 Calgary Floods, 2016 Fort McMurray Wildfires and the 2021 Yukon Floods.
Tyler is also an innovation geek - He loves exploring concepts around design thinking, and people centric problem solving. Tyler led a large scale innovation movement within Emergency Services from 2016-2018, which included the development of a large scale innovation community of practice built from grass roots interest in Emergency Services. This provided him invaluable expereince in facilitating groups of diverse people.
He holds a Bachelors of Public Administration and most recently completed his Certificate in Diversity & Inclusion through Cornell University.
Public Speaking
Based on his experience as a burn/post traumatic growth survivor, first responder and crisis leader, Tyler is a sought after speaker and facilitator, having reached audiences as far as Central America.
His goal is simply to help others build resilience through inspiration & education relating to developing pyshcological safety and mental health awareness and resilience. Tyler has had his share of mental health struggles & speaks to audiences about practical steps we can all take to make the most everday and make healthy choices.
Through all aspects of his personal and professional life, his goal is to support motivated leaders at all levels and teams of all kinds so they can develop themselves & their organizations to reach their maximum potential.
Tyler is well versed in small and large group faciliation, as well as delivering Keynote, or interactive sessions for the cilent needs. His dynamic and interactive approach will inspire audiences to develop a healthy perspective and continue to push forward both personally and professionally.
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