Jessi Cruickshank

Jesse Cruickshank will be the first to tell you that the best place to cultivate lasting and fulfilling life habits is on your college or university campus. In this talk, Cruickshank shares her university experiences—equal parts hilarity and humbling lessons—while offering tips on how to strike a successful school-life balance. It's all about finding (or creating) the opportunities to excel and grow outside of the classroom. Extracurricular activities are integral to the college experience: not only will you leave with fond memories, but this is the chance to learn how to achieve the elusive work-life balance. It's a skill that becomes more invaluable with age, and one Cruickshank is eager to help her audience discover, cultivate, and maintain.

Jessi Cruickshank was born in an A&W restaurant in Calgary, Alberta. So, naturally, she was destined for greatness. Raised in Vancouver, Cruickshank moved to Toronto to attend the University of Toronto, majoring in English. She had her sights set on attending Yale University—which she got in to—when she saw a job posting for an MTV host search. The rest is history. A history that Cruickshank is thrilled to share with audiences. In this outrageously funny talk, Cruickshank speaks candidly about the decisions she made (and those she didn't) that got her where she is today.

Today's world is obsessed with all things celebrity—from the money, to the fashion, the material goods, the juicy gossip, and everything in between. So, who better to speak on the pitfalls of the celebrity kingdom than a celeb herself? Jessi Cruickshank's job requires her to live, eat, and breathe pop culture. But even after drinking the celebrity kool-air, Cruickshank refuses to be consumed by it all. How does she stay grounded? What lessons has the Hollywood life taught her about living a happy life? Cruickshank tells her audiences, with her signature sharp wit and wildly funny anecdotes, that happiness isn't found in exorbitant price tags or shiny new products. Cruickshank urges young audiences to be cautious of placing too much importance on net worth: it's self worth that matters most. She offers fresh insight into how to navigate the pop-culture bubble in way that is meaningful and substantial. Cruickshank helps decipher what in life is worth your time (and money), and what should be left on the cutting room floor.

As an Ambassador for Free The Children, Jessi Cruickshank has had the opportunity to help communities and individuals worldwide—it's been some of the most rewarding work she's ever done. It's also provided her with some of the most profound and valuable lessons, that she now wants to impart on her audiences. Seeing how life functions in a third-world country will open your eyes to what really matters in your own life. Cruickshank reveals a more serious side in this talk, but does so in her uniquely relaxed, warm and quick-witted way. She challenges you to step outside your comfort zone, and re-evaluate what kind of mark you want to leave on the world.

It's quite clear that Jessi Cruickshank is no stranger to hosting. She knows how to get a crowd laughing, and make any event fun and memorable. She can think quickly on her feet and hold the attention of a room full of people with ease and style. For red carpet events, private parties, charity fundraisers, award shows, store openings and corporate events, Cruickshank is a sought-after host and MC. Book her fast!