RRC Polytech’s annual Thrive Week is Monday, Nov 6 to Saturday, Nov 11, 2023. The week organized in collaboration between Campus Well-Being and the RRC Polytech Students’ Association is a time to focus on finding the balance that supports your mental health and well-being, so you can thrive in your studies, work, and personal life. Whether you find your balance through being active, creative, connected or relaxed, there’s an activity or event for you during Thrive Week!

This year we are pleased to welcome local singer-songwriter, performer and three-time JUNO Award nominee, Don Amero, as our keynote speaker. Whether Amero is performing, public speaking or hosting an episode of his podcast, Through the Fire, he taps into his ability to connect effortlessly and genuinely with his audience.

Students and staff can expect to get “up close and personal” with Amero as he shares the stories and songs that got him through some tough times. The singer-songwriter will be performing a few songs and sharing his lived experience thriving despite adversity.

“My desire is to leave people with hope and help them see that there’s beauty in life that’s worth fighting for,” says Amero, on what people can anticipate from his Thrive Week keynote presentation and mini performance.

On a personal level, music has helped Amero through trying times, which led him to research its therapeutic benefits. From a balance of research and his own experience, Amero developed the Music Is Medicine workshop, focusing on the impact and power music has mentally and physically. Elements of the workshop will be woven into Amero’s keynote presentation, illustrating the healing benefits of incorporating music into your life during challenging times.

Amero’s journey to pursuing music as a full-time career has come with its own unique challenges. In 2006, a disheartening experience on Canadian Idol left him feeling “quite depressed.”

“My wife said to me, ‘you’re giving them too much power – take the reins and don’t leave it up to others.’”

With his wife’s steadfast support, Amero continued living his passion for performing, dabbling in open mic nights and any opportunities he could find to share his music. Eventually he embarked on a coast-to-coast tour, performing 30 shows in only six weeks. He hit the road from Winnipeg to Vancouver, then east all the way to Halifax, and then headed back to his hometown.

“I made $0.00 – probably negative dollars – but I was very happy chasing my joy and peace,” says Amero of his first cross-country tour.

Amero had left his job laying flooring to chase his calling as a country singer-songwriter, noting that his wife worked two jobs to support his dream. While he continued to break into the music scene, he and his family lived very minimally. After about five years of focusing on music as an independent career, Amero was able to “make it work” as the sole income provider for his family.

Looking back on his journey so far, one of the pivotal moments was winning the Indigenous Singer-Songwriter of the Year at the 2009 Canadian Folk Music Awards, which he was up against the legendary Buffy Sainte-Marie and fellow Manitoban, the late Vince Fontaine.

“When I look around at the grand music industry, there’s so much talent. Sometimes I question how I got to a place where I’m thriving and able to financially support my family, feeding three kids on the regular.”

Amero expresses that it’s incredible that music provides him with this life. Equally, his ability to press on through life’s hard moments has played a key role in his successes.

Alongside a successful music career, he has branched out into other paths, including authoring a children’s book, These Roots Of Love, advocating for Indigenous communities, public speaking and podcasting.

Amero’s podcast and video series, Through the Fire, focuses on overcoming adversity, re-framing misfortune, and celebrating the courage to get through it all. Guests featured on Through the Fire are primarily public figures and musicians, including Mark Chipman, Sam Corbett of The Sheepdogs, and Fred Penner, to name a few.

Throughout the series, many guests have shared how they’ve got to the other side of obstacles along their paths and overcome some deeply painful experiences. When asked about advice for those going through challenging or painful times, Amero turned to the words from his friend and podcast guest, Christa Couture.

“Christa has experienced some of the most traumatic loss, and as a father, I felt the weight and heaviness. She spoke about grief, noting that there’s something to be said about the passage of time – if you allow yourself to sit in the sorrow and trust that while the wound will still hurt, the pain won’t always feel the same.”

Breaking an ankle, for example, there’s immediate, searing pain, but we know we will come to the other side. Amero emphasizes that emotional pain, too, takes time. We need to create space to allow ourselves the time to heal.

Similarly, Amero expresses that prioritizing self-care is something to be very intentional about. Amidst his busy schedule, he takes time out for himself, using the time to build.

“When travelling, my goal is to find a nice park to take a walk or use the hotel gym. At times it’s okay to sit and watch TV, too, but for me, moving and exercise are my self-care.”

Catch Don Amero’s Thrive Week Keynote Presentation to learn more about his journey and experience some of his songs live, on Thursday, November 9, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., in the Roundhouse Auditorium at Manitou a bi Bii daziigae, Exchange District Campus. The Keynote will also be livestreamed. Register to attend in-person or virtually.

Read more about Don Amero at donamero.ca and listen to his latest EP, Six, which includes the singles, Ain’t Too Late and Go Girl on Spotify or wherever you stream your music.