Dr. Samra Zafar is an award-winning international speaker, bestselling author, and resident psychiatrist. After escaping a decade of abuse as a child bride in Canada, she went on to pursue her education and became a global advocate for progress. She has been recognized among the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, and a Top 25 Canadian Immigrant. A four-time TEDx speaker, Samra is currently completing her residency in psychiatry at University of Toronto. She has been recognized by Women’s Executive Network as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women. She has also been named among the Top 25 Most Inspirational Women in Canada and the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants.

Her bestselling memoir, A Good Wife: Escaping the Life I Never Chose, shares her journey of escaping an abusive child marriage to pursue her education. Her second book, Unconditional: Break Through Past Limits To Transform Your Future, explores science-based strategies rooted in lived experience to help readers unlearn limiting beliefs and live fuller, unconditional lives.

After arriving in Canada as a child bride and escaping a decade of abuse, Samra pursued her education as a single mother working multiple jobs and graduated as a top student from University of Toronto with several awards and scholarships. She began sharing her story to raise awareness about gender-based violence and has since become a globally recognized expert on equity and inclusion, violence against women, and mental health. Her speaking portfolio includes three TEDx Talks, and speeches to Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, UNICEF, Yale University, Amnesty International, Art of Leadership, and many leading nonprofits, corporations and universities around the world. Her work has been extensively featured in both Canadian and International media, including Washington Post, Huffington Post, National Post, Globe and Mail, CBC, CTV, Global News, Yahoo, and more - impacting tens of millions of people worldwide.