Tue, Apr 21
|Granville Island Stage, Arts Club
BEYOND WELLNESS: Authenticity, Belonging, and Care
With Dr. Gabor Maté, hosted by Dr. Maryam Zeineddin of Zili CARE. Exploring how authenticity, belonging and care can be the true meaning of health — for ourselves, our communities, and our societies.
Time & Location
Apr 21, 2026, 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Granville Island Stage, Arts Club, 1585 Johnston St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3S2, Canada
About the event
Beyond Wellness: Authenticity, Belonging, and Care
A conversation between Dr Maryam Zeineddin and Dr Gabor Maté
Overview
A collective conversation on health, humanity, and care — rooted in authenticity, belonging, and connection.
April 21 | Granville Island Arts Theatre | Vancouver
Beyond Wellness is an evening gathering that invites us to move beyond individual, performative ideas of wellness and toward a more human and collective understanding of health — one rooted in authenticity, belonging, and care.
In a time when individuals, communities, and systems are experiencing profound fatigue, disconnection, and uncertainty, this gathering creates space to pause, reflect, and engage in honest dialogue about how we care for ourselves, one another, and the systems we inhabit and lead.
Hosted by Dr. Maryam Zeineddin, founder of Zili CARE, the evening will feature a thoughtful and intimate conversation
with Dr. Gabor Maté, alongside a panel of respected Health Champions including Dr. Melissa Lem, Dr. Mark Sherman, Dr. Renee Fernandes, Claudia Chirico, and Sonja Foley of Maturn. The event will be emceed by Sonia Sunger, co-anchor of Global News Morning.
Together, these conversations will explore:
The true essence of health and healing
The role of belonging, connection, and community in wellbeing
How we can reimagine care in more sustainable, human ways
The event will take place at the Granville Island Arts Theatre, a culturally rich and centrally located venue that aligns with the spirit of the gathering.
It is an invitation — to pause, reflect, and consider how we move forward together.
There are Three types of tickets:
VIP tickets include canapé style dinner and opportunity to mingle with the invited speakers prior to the main event, with select seating starting at 5:30 pm
Regular tickets includes the main event with post event networking opportunities starting at 6:30
Angel Tickets are for you to purchase if you can't make it, but would like to purchase and donate it to someone who would love to attend with financial barriers.
→ PURCHASE TICKETS
→ SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
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KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Gabor Maté
Gabor Maté (pronounced GAH-bor MAH-tay) is a retired physician who, after 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, worked for over a decade in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. The bestselling author of five books published in 43 languages, including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction, Gabor is an internationally renowned speaker highly sought after for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship of stress and illness. For his ground-breaking medical work and writing he has been awarded the Order of Canada, his country’s highest civilian distinction, and the Civic Merit Award from his hometown, Vancouver.
His most recent book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture is a New York Times and international bestseller. His next book, co-written with his son Daniel, will be Hello Again: A Fresh Start for Parents and their Adult Children, based on their popular workshop.
EVENT HOST
Dr. Maryam Zeineddin | Founder, Zili CARE
Dr. Maryam Zeineddin is a remarkable figure in healthcare with over 20 years of experience as a family doctor and health leader. A UBC physiology honours graduate and UBC Medical School alumna, she has been passionately redefining health and wellbeing for communities. Dr. Zeineddin currently serves as a clinical instructor for the UBC residency program, where she is deeply committed to educating the next generation of healthcare professionals. Her leadership is reflected in past roles as President of the BC Family Doctors and as a negotiator for all doctors in the province via Doctors of BC, where she championed systemic change and enhanced equity in care. She was recently named “Woman of the Year” and “Change Maker” by BC Business Magazine for her preventative health platform, Zili CARE — bringing tools, insights, and a sense of community to how we care for ourselves so we can care for our communities.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
Sonia Sunger | Co-Anchor of Global News Morning
Sonia Sunger is the Co-Anchor of Global News Morning.
Born and raised in Victoria, B.C., Sonia is a proud second-generation Canadian and speaks Punjabi. Sonia studied journalism at Concordia University in Montreal before graduating with honours from the Radio and Television Arts program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. With two decades of experience as a broadcast journalist, she is passionate about delivering breaking news and believes in journalism’s overall power and ability to create positive change in the world. A self-described humanitarian, Sonia gives her time to numerous charitable causes including Canuck Place, Kidsplay Foundation, Surrey Hospital Foundation and Women’s Brain Health Initiative. In 2017, she spearheaded the successful charity event Haircuts for a Cause, joined by dozens of viewers who cut and donated their hair live on television. Over the course of the event’s four-year history, hundreds of ponytails have been donated to both the Canadian Cancer Society and Wigs for Kids BC.
When she is not on air, Sonia enjoys spending time with her husband Chris and their two children Hugo and Sohana.
She is a strong believer in the power of intention, healthy eating, meditation, and building an active lifestyle with her family.
SPEAKER
Dr. Brittany Bingham | Founder/Lead, Indigenous Equity Lab, WHRI
Dr. Brittany Bingham (she/her/hers) is a proud member of the shíshálh (Sechelt) Nation and a leading voice in Indigenous women’s health, wellness, and systems transformation. She holds an MPH and PhD in Health Sciences from Simon Fraser University and is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, as well as a Health Research BC Scholar.
Dr. Bingham is the founder and lead of the Indigenous Equity Lab, where her work is grounded in matriarchal wisdom, Indigenous leadership and mentoring the next generation of Indigenous scholars. Her research centers Indigenous women’s health, gender equity, climate and planetary health, and transforming health systems to better serve Indigenous communities. For more than 20 years, she has worked alongside Indigenous communities, health systems, and policy leaders to advance community-driven research that improves Indigenous experiences in healthcare.
Her work champions wellness, cultural safety and humility, and Indigenous-led approaches to learning health systems, sexual and reproductive health, and equity-focused system change. Most recently, her project called IMPACT (Investing in Matriarchal Access, Care and Traditional Wellness) received five-year funding to explore and elevate understanding of Indigenous women’s experiences of menopause and midlife wellness. Dr. Bingham is passionate about uplifting Indigenous leadership and matriarchal knowledge to shape a healthier and more just future for communities.
SPEAKER
Claudia Chirico | Founder, Bloom Energy Therapy
Claudia Chirico was first introduced to Bio-Energy Healing in 2006 during a period of profound physical and emotional challenges. Through receiving deep healing, guidance, and support, she not only restored her health but also awakened to her own innate healing abilities. What began as a personal journey of recovery became a calling — and ultimately, a life devoted to service.
Certified as a Bio-Energy Healing Practitioner in 2010, Claudia has since supported countless individuals in reconnecting with their body, mind, and spirit. Her work is rooted in the belief that healing is not something given from the outside, but something remembered and reclaimed from within.
Over the years, Claudia has developed a distinctive and integrative approach that blends Talk Therapy with Energy Therapy — creating a space where emotional insight and energetic alignment work hand in hand. Through this work, she has helped clients move through grief, trauma, anxiety, depression, chronic stress, low self-worth, lack of clarity, and physical pain — guiding them toward renewed strength, purpose, and vitality.
Claudia is known for her ability to help individuals recognize their inherent strengths and step into their personal power. She gently challenges her clients to take ownership of their healing journey, while providing the steady support needed to create meaningful and lasting transformation.
Her work is not simply about relief — it is about awakening.
SPEAKER
Dr. Renee Fernandez | Chief Medical Officer, BC Family Doctors
Dr. Fernandez is a family physician and inspiring leader. She has been an indefatigable force for primary care reform in British Columbia, where one fifth of the population lacks a family doctor.
In 2018, Dr Fernandez took the helm of BC Family Doctors as Executive Director. In 2022, amid an escalating crisis in family medicine, Dr. Fernandez harnessed the power of an organization representing thousands of family physicians to transform the BC healthcare system. Her leadership, strategic thinking, and skillful negotiation with government led to the development of the new Longitudinal Family Physician Payment Model as the Chief medical officer of BC Family Doctors.
Dr. Fernandez is a thoughtful, courageous, and purpose-driven leader. She believes in the power of relationships and community to achieve meaningful change. She is committed to cultivating a community that fosters radical change beyond the boundaries of the healthcare system.
SPEAKER
Sonja Foley | Co-Founder, Maturn
Sonja Foley brings two decades of experience across non-profit, public, and private sectors, with a career grounded in advancing equity, inclusion, and meaningful systems change. Born to Iranian refugee-status parents in Sweden, her lived experience fuels her commitment to justice and belonging.
Prior to co-founding Maturn, Sonja led Intergovernmental Relations and Strategic Partnerships for the City of Vancouver. She has held governance board roles with organizations including the YWCA Canada (as Vice-Chair) and the West Vancouver Police Board (as a provincial appointee). Sonja is a mother of two and a certified leadership coach.
SPEAKER
Dr. Melissa Lem | Co-Founder, PaRx
Dr. Melissa Lem is a Vancouver family physician who also works in rural and northern communities within Canada. Co-Founder of PaRx, Canada’s national nature prescription program, and Past President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, she is an internationally recognized leader in the field of nature, biodiversity and health. As a widely published writer, in-house medical columnist for CBC TV Vancouver, climate change panellist on CBC Radio’s Early Edition and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia, one of her major priorities is knowledge translation. She is a co-investigator and advisor on two international nature and health research projects (PANDA and RESONATE) with total funding of $10M+, and holds multiple advisory and editorial board positions, including with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Journal of Mental Health and Climate Change. Dr. Lem was named to Vancouver Magazine’s Power 50 List in 2025, and was the recipient of a 2026 Clean50 Award, YWCA Women of Distinction Award and King Charles III Coronation Medal for her dedicated work to advance planetary health and nature prescribing.
SPEAKER
Dr. Mark Sherman | Founder, BC Association for Living Mindfully (BCALM)
Dr. Mark Sherman is a proud father and husband who lives in Saanichton, BC on the traditional, unceded territory of the Tsartlip First Nation. He is a Family Physician, clinical instructor at UBC, co-chair of the South Island Division of Family Practice, and a meditation teacher. He is a founder, and current senior facilitator, of the BC Association for Living Mindfully (BCALM), and the current Executive Director of Living This Moment.
Mark has been facilitating workshops, courses and retreats on mindfulness, meaning and joy, for health care professionals, educators, parents and community for over 15 years throughout Canada, and is currently working on his first book on Mindfulness in Medicine. Mark believes that mindfulness and meditation offer powerful tools in healing our minds and bodies, and are necessary human skills in fully living our potential to engage in healthy loving relationship with ourselves, each other and with the land upon which we depend.