Turn On the Lights:

Small moments. Lasting Legacy.

Dr. Marjorie Aunos is a psychologist, international keynote speaker, and disability advocate who brings science, storytelling, and lived experience together to show audiences how small moments of showing up create lasting legacy.

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Legacy Matters More Than Ever

Our lives are composed of moments—like notes on a page. Every time we show up for someone,we leave a little light on. Each light accumulates, shaping who they become.

Change is inevitable. It is also our opportunity to matter—to show up, to connect, to leave lasting lights.

Consider what’s already happening:

50% of institutional knowledge is lost as baby boomers retire in the next 5 years

1 in 7 teenagers struggle with hopelessness, unsure if they possess the strengths to navigate what’s ahead

1 in 4 people live with a disability—yet most organizations aren't designed for them

7 in 10 employees want purpose at work, but only 15% feel connected to their company's mission.

Thousands experience major life disruptions daily—acquiring disabilities, receiving devastating diagnoses, losing loved ones, facing divorce or job loss—confronting not just practical challenges, but fundamental questions about who they are and where they belong

These aren’t just statistics—they’re opportunities to leave lasting lights.

Legacy isn’t about what you leave behind when you’re gone. Legacy is how you show up right now.

It’s showing up in small moments that matter—believing someone can do hard things, restoring dignity, being present. It’s living your values through transitions and lighting the path for others. It’s helping young people discover the spark and strengths they already possess. It’s parents staying authentic through change, showing children that who we are shines through even when everything changes. It’s organizations choosing to shine a light on solutions, creating spaces where everyone can contribute and belong.

Each moment you choose to show up—that’s legacy in motion.

“She is the speaker you want to hire if you are looking for transformation through inspiration.”

Marjorie Aunos represents the essence of our Speaker Slam brand. Her journey to winning our 2021 Inspirational Speaker of the Year has been nothing but brilliantly inspiring! She is a phenomenal writer, beautiful speaker, and she embodies vulnerability, compassion and excellence. She is the speaker you want to hire if you are looking for transformation through inspiration. And it won't hurt to keep a box of Kleenex nearby.

Rina Rovinelli

Co-founder of Speaker Slam & Emerging Speakers

MEET MARJORIE

Hello! I am Marjorie Aunos—psychologist, speaker, author, and proud disabled parent who discovered that legacy isn’t built at life’s end, but in every moment we choose to show up.

At 34, a car accident left me paraplegic. For five years, I fought to stay exactly the same—until I crashed mentally from trying to keep up. That second breaking point became my breakthrough: I didn’t need to do it all, I needed to do what mattered. I didn't need to do it all, I needed to do what mattered.

That's when I learned the difference between existing and living with legacy in mind.

During my recovery, I experienced the transformative power of people showing up: nurses who restored my dignity, therapists who believed I could do hard things, friends who brought joy, and peer mentors who showed me what was possible. Every time someone showed up for me, they left a little light on. Each light accumulated, shaping who I became.

Now I guide corporate teams, parents, healthcare professionals, and young people toward the same discovery: Every time you show up for someone, you leave a lasting light. Your value aren’t just beliefs—they’re your blueprint for the lights you leave behind.

In a world obsessed with productivity and perfection, I offer a different path. Every challenge is an invitation to go deeper—into authenticity, connection, and the kind of contribution that accumulates into lasting legacy.

My approach is simple: Show up with intention. Leave lights that matter. Shape the future.

Whether you’re facing unexpected change, leading others through uncertainty, or simply wondering if your daily choices align with what you want to be remembered for—let’s explore the lights you’re actually leaving while you’re here.

Because the legacy you leave starts with how you show up today.

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Here’s What People Are Saying

“Of becoming and being parents with disabilities, extra hurdles and stigmas are often present in navigating life with their children. Marjorie offers important advice about being positive and creative in finding solutions to every day parenting problems. She also reminds parents with disabilities that a solution doesn’t have to be perfect or permanent to serve its purpose. I love her message about the importance of inclusion – because when we can all fully participate with our children, it means that no parent or child is left behind. Kudos Marjorie, you’re a difference maker for your son, and you’ve set an incredible example for all parents through your life, mindset and your work!”

Rick Hansen
Founder, Rick Hansen Foundation
It has been an honour and privilege to work with and get to know Marjorie. She has a natural gift as a speaker to completely and authentically deliver from the heart, with relatable stories and a well crafted structure. She wants to make a difference in this world, and does so by sharing inspiring messages to those she speaks to, and they will carry those messages long after the presentation ends.

Ian Tyson
Veteran Motivational Speaker and Trainer, Author, Comedian, Silver Lining Prospector
You know those people that make an immediate and positive impact on your life? Marjorie is one of those people for us! We were blessed to have her as our podcast guest, sharing her beautiful story of hope through tragedy. Her heart of love shines through in every aspect of her story.

Stephanie Martino & Lydia Zuniga
Co-Founders of Hope Warriors Project
Marjorie combines a thoughtful, wise mind with an embracing heart to bring us stories that inspire and compel us to positive change - either on behalf of ourselves or those around us. Her stories are powerful, poignant and to the point and as a speaker she brings such a clear consideration to any topic that we are left wiser and somehow bigger within ourselves. There is goodness in all her work

Dr. Maria Sirois
Psychologist, Inspirational Speaker & Author
Marjorie's keynote address to our Australian National Virtual (on-line) Disability Conferenccalled us to consider if the challenges were in fact appropriately ascribed to the person with disability or more appropriately challenges for the service system and our wider society. Importantly, Marjorie was able to contrast the experience of parents with ID with that of her own experience of parenting with a physical disability and drew on her extensive research experience to bring solutions to these challenges including ways in which service providers, parents, and natural supports can work together in order to maximize self-determination of parents with ID to promote family quality of life.

Keith McVilly PhD
Professor, Convenor for the Australian National Virtual Disability Conference
Marjorie is one of the best storytellers I've had the privilege of watching over the past 2 years. She has proven herself as an amazing speaker beating out over 300 speakers to become the 2021 Inspirational Speaker of the Year. She has an amazing work ethic and go-getter attitude which make her an asset to any team. We partnered with Marjorie to launch our Amplifying Voices series supporting Parents with DIF-abilities. She not only put the event together with a remarkable group of speakers, she even was able to get national media attention to the online event getting it featured in Global News and CTV

Dan Shaikh
Co-Founder of Speaker Slam & Emerging Speakers