Guest Speaker Emily O’Brien, Comeback Snacks
Tri Club Dinner & Social - Get to know your fellow Rotarians in the Peterborough area during an evening of fellowship, food and a guest speaker. All members of The Rotary Club of Peterborough, Rotary Club of Peterborough-Kawartha, the BEL club and Rotaractors are invited to attend.
When: October 6th 2025, 5:30pm-8:00pm
Where: McDonnel Activity Centre, Peterborough
Dinner will be catered from The Favourite Greek (chicken kabobs, rice, potatoes, greek salad, pita bread). Note this will be a non alcoholic event.
For information please reach out to Tony Grady (contact@peterboroughrotary.ca)
Guest Speaker - Emily O'Brien, Comeback Snacks
Topic: The Comeback Blueprint!
It's easy to be told to recover or rebound after a difficult circumstance in life, but this is far easier said than done. Join Emily O'Brien, CEO and Founder of Comeback Snacks, as she walks you through her own 'comeback blueprint' that she has designed after successfully navigating the criminal justice system and the world of entrepreneurship.
Emily O’Brien is an entrepreneur and the Founder of Comeback Snacks—a specialty popcorn company that challenges the status quo. After being sentenced to a four-year federal prison term following her arrest at Pearson International Airport, Emily set out on a mission to transform herself and make her time in prison as meaningful as possible. Using her entrepreneurial pre-sentence background and experience, Emily birthed the idea for Comeback Snacks (formerly ‘Cons and Kernels’)—a popcorn company that serves up bold and unique flavours alongside the even bolder mission of fighting the stigma surrounding those who have a criminal record.Her popcorn is now availible in over 1200 locations in Canada and the US.
Through her trailblazing efforts, Emily is an example that positive change can happen within correctional institutions with passion, drive, and a positive mindset. Emily is determined to help remove the stigma surrounding people with prior convictions, as well as give them opportunities for reintegration through training, empowerment and education. As a leading voice in this unique movement, Emily is frequently called upon by media, including CBC, CTV, Global, Toronto Star, iHeartRadio, CHCH, VICE, and more. Emily was awarded the Business Leadership & Entrepreneurship award at the 2020 YWCA Hamilton Women of Distinction Awards , the Entrepreneur of the Year by the Women’s Empowerment Awards, and the 2022 Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Award for Community Service in recognition of her dedication to social justice. Most recently, she was a finalist in the 2024 Meridian Bank Small Business Big Impact Awards, winner of the 2025 Diversity Award from Sobeys and also one of the Top 50 Global Women in Sustainabiity 2025.