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Jeanne Beker tackles cancer with same tenacity she tackled her incredible career
Talking Fashion & Motherhood | Steven & Chris
LATEST BOOKS:
Heart on My Sleeve: Stories from a Life Well Worn
Fashion and style icon Jeanne Beker delivers an uplifting and inspiring memoir that walks us through a wardrobe of memory, one article of clothing at a time.
Jeanne Beker’s name is synonymous with style and grace in fashion. Recognized by many as the beloved host of Fashion Television and The New Music, Jeanne has spent an entire career interviewing celebrities and uncovering their most private selves. Now, in Heart on My Sleeve, Jeanne reveals who she is in an all-new way.
This is not just a memoir but a wardrobe of memory. Jeanne walks us through her recollections of specific pieces of clothing and jewelry, precious items that have made an indelible impact on her. She invites readers to think more deeply about how what we wear—whether it’s a thrift-store find or high-end couture—acts as a touchstone to our most treasured recollections, reminding us of who we once were or of loved ones we hold dear.
With Jeanne as our style guide, we get up-close and personal with a star-studded cast, including Paul McCartney, Madonna, Karl Lagerfeld, Kate Moss, Oscar de la Renta, Beyoncé, and Keith Richards. But equally important, Jeanne introduces us to the family members and loved ones who form her closest entourage—including her wise Yiddish mother and her industrious father, both Holocaust survivors; her childhood neighbor Mrs. Jaskolka, a style maven ahead of her time; her two trailblazing daughters; and her many warm and exuberant friends who have seen her through the best and worst of times.
Jeanne proves that a life lived with style and substance is always in fashion. Bold, colorful, and authentic, this is Jeanne Beker at her very best and brightest.
Finding Myself in Fashion
In this book Jeanne Beker talks about how more than 30 years ago, she set out to live a life that was extraordinary. She recalls some of the high and low points of the turbulent past decade. She dealt with the end of her marriage and rediscovered romance. Professionally, she suffered setbacks that became learning experiences leading to new career paths. She travelled the world; witnessed epic events and conducted intimate interviews as a fashion reporter; launched her own clothes labels; wrote newspaper columns; and hosted or appeared on innumerable television shows. Through it all, she stuck to her youthful resolution.
Strutting It
Who wouldn’t want to wear gorgeous clothes, travel the world, hang out with stars, have adoring fans—and get paid a fortune for it? But is that what the life of a model is like? Jeanne Beker offers a unique insider’s look at the reality behind the glitz. She demystifies the industry for those who are thinking about a career in modeling and for those who simply want the scoop on an intriguing world. Strutting It! is full of fascinating information, from getting discovered to finding a personal style, from the team of people behind every model to the education a good model should have.
Jeanne Beker
Iconic Fashion & Lifestyle Journalist
Jeanne Beker has been at the forefront of pop culture since the mid-70s. As one of Canada’s most recognized celebrities, Beker speaks on how she rose to the top of arts and culture media in Canada and around the world as a founding member of MuchMusic and the iconic host of Fashion Television. Beker also speaks about the passion and resiliency it takes to be a trailblazing, successful entrepreneur — and the balance necessary to survive and thrive. As the child of Holocaust survivors, Beker’s take on courage and tenacity runs deep, and her recent cancer journey has given her a new purpose and platform for sharing wisdom and inspiration. +
Beker’s show biz career started with acting at the age of 16. She then moved to New York to study her craft at 19, and then to Paris at 21 to study the art of mime. In 1975, she joined CBC Radio as an arts reporter in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and after three years, returned to Toronto to work at CHUM radio. By 1979, the media trailblazer was co-hosting Citytv’s ground-breaking music magazine series, The New Music, and in 1983, she helped launch MuchMusic. In 1985, Beker launched the legendary Fashion Television, which ran for 27 years and in 130 countries, establishing her as Canada’s face of fashion.
A seasoned newspaper and magazine columnist and features writer, Beker was editor-in-chief of FQ and SIR magazine from 2003 to 2008. She has also been a frequent guest on myriad lifestyle shows and at the creative helm of numerous fashion lines under her own eponymous label. Since 2015, Beker’s been the style editor at The Shopping Channel (TSC) where she hosts the popular series, Style Matters. She is also the co-producer of Kingdom of Dreams, a four-part documentary series examining fashion’s golden age, and the bestselling author of five books.
A breast cancer survivor, Beker’s journey has provided her with a rich, eye-opening experience. Her candour in discussing the peaks and valley of her journey has inspired people around the world. She’s now on a mission to help normalize the conversation surrounding cancer and help eradicate the fear associated with the disease. Her new memoir, Heart on My Sleeve: Stories from a Life Well Worn, was published by Simon & Schuster in the fall of 2024.
Active with several charitable organizations, Beker has received honourary doctorates from St. Mary’s University and OCAD University. She’s also the recipient of numerous awards, including a Special Achievement Award from the Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television and a Crystal Award from Toronto Women in Film and Television.
In 2014, Beker was named to the Order of Canada, and she was inducted into the American Marketing Association’s Hall of Legends in 2015. She also received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2016. --
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Entrepreneurial: Jeanne Beker: Forging Her Own Path +
From the outset of her career, Jeanne Beker was determined to “have it all.” She became a media trailblazer, known for keeping her listeners, viewers, and readers abreast of the shifting cultural landscape, reporting directly from the trenches.
In show business for 50 years now, Jeanne reflects on her distinctive multi-faceted, multi-media career as a fashion reporter, television personality, and creator of her own fashion lines. She accomplished all this while building her now internationally recognized brand — long before “personal branding” was a common buzz phrase — and raising her family.
Crediting her “nose to the grindstone” attitude and strong work ethic for her success, Jeanne Beker recounts the highs (and lows) of her life and career thus far, inspiring her audiences to dream big.
*Available as a keynote or fireside chat --
Growing Up in the Shadow of the Holocaust +
Children of survivors are left with legacies as powerfully daunting as they are inspiring. As young Polish Jews, Jeanne Beker’s parents survived the Holocaust by their own wits and the kindness of strangers. After unspeakable loss and profound pain, they managed to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, and, in 1948, venture to a new country, Canada. They didn’t know the language, and had little more than the shirts on their backs but with dogged determination, hard work, courage, and faith, they eventually re-built their lives.
Jeanne, who grew up listening to her parent’s stories, attributes her personal and professional success to her upbringing. It taught her about fearlessness, tenacity, dreaming, believing, hard work, and, above all, resiliency.
*Available as a keynote or fireside chat --
Host-Emcee-Personal Appearances
K&M Productions Speakers & Shows are authorized representatives for Jeanne Beker's speaking engagements & personal appearances.
To inquire about Jeanne Beker's date availability, speaking fees & booking Jeanne Beker, contact us.
Everything went perfectly. Jeanne is a true professional and she spoke from her heart. She was keen to do whatever we asked. The feedback from the audience was positive and people enjoyed hearing what Jeanne had to say as well as her message about knowing your body and getting a mammogram, or more. It was a pleasure working with K&M Productions on this event.
–CancerCare Manitoba Foundation - Guardian Angel Benefit (2023) (Booked by K&M Productions)
Everything went perfectly. Jeanne is a true professional and she spoke from her heart. She was keen to do whatever we asked. The feedback from the audience was positive and people enjoyed hearing what Jeanne had to say as well as her message about knowing your body and getting a mammogram, or more. It was a pleasure working with K&M Productions on this event.
–CancerCare Manitoba Foundation - Guardian Angel Benefit (2023) (Booked by K&M Productions)
Jeanne Beker was an amazing addition to our Women as Career Coaches program. Jeanne’s keynote was unique, entertaining and spoke to both the students and career coaches in attendance. She brought an excellent mix of wit, humor and a genuine sense of self in articulating how you must remain fearless in pursuing your dreams. She is an excellent example of what happens when dreams, determination, and passion come together.
–Halton Industry Education Council