Karina LeBlanc

Karina LeBlanc is retired Olympic bronze medalist and professional athlete, Karina LeBlanc has the distinguished honor of being one of the longest serving soccer players for Canada. With a prestigious career that spanned almost 18 years at the international level, she participated in 5 FIFA World Cups and two Olympic Games, winning an Olympic medal, and making her and her team household names.

LeBlanc has many accolades that speak to her contributions to sport and society in general. In 2019, LeBlanc’s home city of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, acknowledged her contributions by dedicating and naming a field in her honor, The Karina LeBlanc Field. More recently, in 2020, LeBlanc was inducted into the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame. LeBlanc is especially proud of her role as Honorary Captain of the Canadian Navy.

LeBlanc’s career path takes her around the globe both in person and digitally, where she participates in global leadership initiatives and delivers motivational keynote addresses, speaking to diverse audiences. She has spoken at the United Nations General Assembly events on two separate occasions, as well as the United Nations Race Against Climate Change. A dynamic speaker, she has engaged large audiences at major events including Canada's 150th Celebration, Women Empowerment Conferences as well as several Leadership Conferences and was the Host of TED x Vancouver. LeBlanc’s authenticity and vulnerability makes her relatable and allows her to connect with all audiences, ranging from fortune 500 companies, to small businesses, to 20,000 seat venues filled with adults and kids alike.

In 2018 LeBlanc accepted the position of Head of Women's Football for CONCACAF and its 41 countries where she works in leading the confederation with developing and growing the women’s game and using football as a means of empowering young women globally.

In March 2020, amid the COVID 19 world crisis, LeBlanc gave birth to her daughter. Shortly after delivery, LeBlanc suffered heart failure and had to be re-admitted to the hospital, separating her from her newborn and her husband. Due to possible COVID exposure, she then had to do a 14-day self-quarantine allowing no contact with her newborn or her husband. It was in this challenging and uncertain time that LeBlanc found herself redefining her purpose.

A positive role model and highly sought-after motivational speaker, LeBlanc is a passionate advocate for inclusion, diversity and humanitarianism. She has spoken on developing the mindset of an Olympian, her experiences traveling to some of the world’s poorest places as a UNICEF ambassador, her transition from and elite athlete to a leader in the corporate world and living in the uncomfortable of change. Her accolades include being an Honorary Captain of the Canadian Navy as well as LeBlanc knows how to create an Olympic Culture in any organization.

LeBlanc inspires and motivates her audience to ask hard questions, to engage in challenging conversations, and ultimately to become a better version of themselves. In LeBlanc’s own words, she truly believes that we all have greatness within us. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that we should live everyday aiming to be the best version of ourselves.