Ema Dantas

Ema Dantas is an accomplished mountaineer who climbed the Seven Summits, award-winning entrepreneur who founded a successful Canadian translation and interpretation company, and a philanthropist who formed Peaks for Change Foundation, a charity focused on ending stigma surrounding mental illness.

Dantas is excited to share her message of passion, resilience and strength with the world. Her story is one that many can relate to. One where family mental health issues and lack of awareness, and support, led to fractured relationships and broken homes. Dantas provides hope and inspiration in how to turn our challenges into opportunities that can change the world. And she shares how she learned to overcome her limitations and fears one mountain at a time - literally.

Dantas founded Language Marketplace in the year 2000 as a professional interpreter. She saw an opportunity to do things differently by treating language professionals with respect and building trusted relationships with professionals across Canada. Language Marketplace quickly grew to become a multi-million dollar company and due to her success Dantas received Canada’s Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs from Chatelaine Magazine in 2012. Dantas then led her company to the Profit 500 list of Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies in 2013. She also received the President’s Award in recognition of her Public Policy work to benefit fellow Women Business Enterprises by WBE Canada. Language Marketplace joined NATIONS Translation Group in November 2022 and Danatas is currently the VP of Interpretation Solutions for NATIONS.

Dantas founded the charity Peaks for Change Foundation in 2016 and is currently Board Chair. Her charity is focused on raising awareness (and funds) to end the stigma surrounding mental illness. Dantas created Peaks for Change Foundation after witnessing her mother’s mental health challenges while growing up, and her untimely passing which Dantas attributes to her mother not getting adequate diagnosis and care. Dantas recognized how difficult it was for those suffering from mental illness to seek help, or even tell anyone they had mental health challenges, especially within some cultures.

Dantas and her board of directors believe that completely ending the stigma of mental health will take something extraordinary. So Dantas chose mountain climbing because of her slight stature (she is 5 feet tall and weighs just over 100 pounds) plus she had a tremendous fear of heights. So why not go and climb the tallest mountains in the world?

Dantas completed the 7 Summits for Mental Health when she summited Mount Everest on May 13, 2022. By doing so she became the first Portuguese person to complete both versions of the 7 Summits (Bass and Messner) and live to tell the tale. Dantas is one of only 70 women worldwide to complete the 7 summits and one of around 500 people to have completed the 7 summits since the 1950s.

Dantas speaks to overcoming obstacles; not just the physical ones in front of you, but those mental mountains that threaten your success. She shares her personal journey, defeats and triumphs with an honesty and authenticity that is sure to inspire all audiences alike.