Perdita Felicien spent 10 years as a professional athlete, competing for Canada in the 100m hurdles. During that time, she won numerous international distinctions, including becoming a two-time World Champion, two-time Olympian, and being named Canadian Female Athlete of the Year in 2003.

It’s almost ironic that Perdita turned out to be a world class hurdler, because that is exactly what her mother, an immigrant from St. Lucia, had to do to change the trajectory of her daughter’s life to something extraordinary – she had to overcome hurdles.

In this deeply personal talk, Perdita shares the memories from her tumultuous childhood, along with the startling revelations she makes about her own origins and how they fuelled her success on the track.

This talk is told with raw honesty and humour. It is for anyone who has ever had their life shaped by another, or faced an obstacle. It inspires others to take their own experiences and use them to go through life as a more resilient person.