About Charles

Charles Achampong is a best-selling author and award-winning keynote speaker who teaches ambitious professionals how to build powerful pauses into their lives—so they can stop running on empty and start living fully.

With over 20 years of leadership experience across the public, private, philanthropic, and nonprofit sectors, Charles has led transformative initiatives with organizations such as the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Committee, Scotiabank, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and Mitacs.

His debut book, Around the World in Family Days, became a best-seller thanks to its heartwarming storytelling and deeply relatable insights. Inspired by a life-changing sabbatical with his wife and daughters, the book chronicles a journey of personal transformation—one shaped by curiosity, reflection, and meaningful connection. Through intentional pauses along the way, they uncovered deeper joy, emotional clarity, and a renewed sense of purpose. They also developed what Charles calls “failure immunity”—the inner resilience to face challenges with courage and turn setbacks into stepping stones toward a more fulfilling life.

As a dynamic speaker and thoughtful storyteller, Charles brings humor, heart, and hard-won wisdom to the stage. His talks help audiences rethink the pace of their lives, embrace the unexpected, and reimagine success on their own terms. Whether working with corporate teams or community groups, he empowers people to pause with purpose and reconnect with what truly matters.

Currently, Charles also serves as an Executive in Residence at Capacity Canada, where he champions social impact by connecting talented professionals with nonprofit boards through the MatchBoard program.