Lisa Belanger

Dr. Belanger’s research focuses on the impact of leadership behaviours, behavioural workplace interventions impact on employee mental well-being, and workplace performance. A behaviour change scientist, Dr. Belanger combines her background in exercise physiology and her PhD in behavioural medicine to provide empowering strategies to help people make positive life-long changes to improve their health and wellbeing.

An overarching theme throughout Dr. Belanger’s research and professional practice, is her belief that small changes in attitude and behaviour can have tremendous impact in increasing a person’s happiness, productivity and overall wellbeing.

As the founder and CEO of ConsciousWorks, Dr. Belanger customizes programs for organizations interested in investing in their employee’s health and wellness resulting in a solutions based approach to maximize a return on investment (ROI). Whether an organization wants to create a new health and wellness model for their workplace, or improve on one they already have, Dr. Belanger evaluates the organization’s own data to create a framework for success – the organization and its employees.

In 2018, Dr. Belanger received $110K from Mitacs and industry partner ATB Financial for a post-doctoral fellowship at the Canadian Centre for Advanced Leadership in Business at the Haskayne School of Business. Wanting to change their ‘break’ culture, ATB sought out Dr. Belanger’s expertise to design a training intervention program for ATB leadership, to role-model and encourage healthy work behaviours among their employees. Incorporating health behaviour education with behaviour change research provides business leaders a scientific foundation to reframe their own work behaviours and beliefs.

In addition to her research and professional practice, Dr. Belanger is also the founder and Scientific Director of a national registered charity called Knight’s Cabin Cancer Retreats, set-up in 2013 and named in honour of her friend Jane Knight, who lost her battle with cancer. Dr. Belanger organized a crowdsourcing campaign to raise $2 Million in toonie donations to set-up the charity.

While most post-treatment programs provide support to cancer survivors, the Knight’s Cabin program includes an opportunity for support persons to join in the retreat weekend too. Created to be a catalyst for behaviour health change, in-person retreats, followed by online behaviour change groups, help cancer survivors focus on post-treatment next steps in relation to their health and wellbeing. Knight’s Cabin video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4iOObvwOXk

As a published author, and keynote speaker, Dr. Belanger continues to share her enthusiasm and passion for helping others improve their lives by making small habit changes. Her most recent book, A Cup of Mindfulness: For the Busy & Restless blends science and humour together and challenges readers to consider how they might incorporate mindfulness into their own lives.

With her Innovation Fellowship, Dr. Belanger plans to continue her work on how breaks impact the mental wellbeing and workplace performance in employees.