EO Canada’s Warrior Program Celebrates Members Who Bring EO Values to Life

What does it mean to truly live the EO experience? For EO Canada, the answer can be found in the members who consistently show up, give back and help others discover what is possible through EO. For the past three years, EO Canada has recognized members who bring EO values to life through its Warrior Program. Launched by former Canada Regional Council Chair Kate Holden, the program was created to recognize the people who may not always seek the spotlight, but who make a meaningful difference through mentoring, volunteering, connecting members and sharing their experiences.

Since its launch, approximately 80 Warriors have been nominated and recognized across Canada, and all 14 EO Canada chapters have had Warriors recognized. The program represents a diverse group of EO members who demonstrate what it means to contribute to the EO community. For Kate, the idea began with a simple observation: Some members truly “get” EO. “They give back, they make other people want to be part of it, and they are proud ambassadors,” she says. “It is those people that it never occurred to them not to renew.”

What began as an informal recognition called “Get It” has evolved into a national Warrior Program that celebrates members who embody the spirit of EO.

More than recognition

The Warrior Program is designed to celebrate the members who strengthen the EO community through their actions. Warriors actively engage in EO programming and experiences, give back to their chapters and the broader EO community, inspire other entrepreneurs to join and stay in EO, and represent EO values and culture with pride. Tenure can be part of the story, but it is not a requirement. A Warrior may be a long-standing member or someone who has reached a notable milestone. What matters most is how they contribute to the EO experience.

The nomination process reflects that spirit. Any EO member can nominate another member by submitting a nomination through Chapter Staff. Engagement Chairs and/or Chapter Staff submit nominations monthly, and the Member Engagement Director and Regional Council select one Warrior per award cycle. Once a member is nominated, they remain in the pool for future consideration, nominations do not expire.

For Kate, recognition was always intended to feel special and unexpected. Early versions included metallic vests, armor and medals. The program eventually evolved into its signature recognition: custom red Nike shoes featuring EO on the heel. But the recognition itself is only one part of the experience.

“A Warrior is not just someone who gets recognized,” Kate says. “They are an advocate. They share the value of EO and help other members discover what is possible.”

Living EO through connection and service

For Michelle Menard, an EO Canada Bridge member of 23 years, being recognized as a Warrior brought that idea to life in a deeply personal way. Michelle joined EO in 2003 after her husband and business partner was referred to the organization through EO Charlotte. Over the years, both became deeply involved, serving on the chapter board and participating actively in Forum. What kept Michelle engaged was the opportunity to connect with entrepreneurs at every stage of the journey.

“EO is a rare environment where you can share the highs and lows of entrepreneurship with people who understand,” she says. “There is a level of support, confidentiality and connection that is difficult to find anywhere else.”

When Michelle was recognized as a Warrior at One Canada 2025 in Montreal, the moment carried the weight of more than two decades in EO. “As Kate called my name, I was emotional,” Michelle says. “I was standing alongside entrepreneurs who had shared so many years of this journey with me, and I thought about everything that had happened since I joined in 2003.”

For Michelle, the Warrior recognition felt less like an award for longevity and more like a celebration of resilience, growth and community.

The moments that matter

Michelle says it is difficult to identify a single EO experience that stands above the rest. Her EO journey has included international experiences, challenging business periods and moments when the community showed up during deeply personal circumstances. She remembers traveling to Cuba with EO Atlanta in 2012 and learning from other entrepreneurs. She also credits EO connections and experiences with helping her navigate the 2007–2008 financial crisis.

When her husband and business partner experienced a stroke in 2019, the EO community rallied around their family, helping with hospital visits, business responsibilities, farm animals and preparations at home. Later, after Michelle experienced a severe concussion and post-concussion syndrome, EO Toronto member Nick Kindler coached her in developing that deeply personal experience into an Impact Talk, which she shared at One Canada Victoria in 2023. She later continued sharing her experience through other EO opportunities, including the Global Speakers Academy in Panama.

“Each entrepreneurial and personal journey is our own, yet we do not have to travel it alone,” Michelle says. “Sharing not just 5 percent, but even 1 percent, is an extraordinary gift.”

For Michelle, those moments capture what makes EO different: the opportunity to learn from one another, to be vulnerable and to find support through both professional and personal challenges.

Building the next generation of EO culture

Michelle also sees the Warrior Program as part of a larger opportunity to strengthen EO culture for future generations of members. She points to the diversity within EO Canada Bridge, where members bring different ages, genders, backgrounds, businesses and levels of EO experience.

“I believe that diversity is one of EO’s greatest strengths,” she says. “We have proven practices and structure, but we also have the freedom to experiment, evolve and find new ways to connect and learn.”

As an Engagement Chair and now Virtual Engagement Chair, Michelle has focused on helping new members feel welcomed and connected. She knows how meaningful that can be because she experienced it herself when she joined EO Charlotte and later became part of EO Canada Bridge. For Michelle, helping another entrepreneur feel welcomed is one of the most meaningful ways to contribute to the community.

For Kate, that ripple effect is the ultimate purpose of the Warrior Program. She hopes recognition will inspire more members to lean in, participate, be vulnerable, take opportunities, have conversations and say yes.

“EO is so much bigger than Forum or what is on your calendar,” Kate says. “It can change your leadership, your business and your life.”

The strongest communities, she believes, are built by people who ask not, “What can I get out of this?” but, “What can I bring to it?” That is the spirit of the Warrior Program: recognizing the people who bring that spirit to life and inspiring more members to do the same.