Some of My Story
Life, as I remember it begins when I was 8 years old. Finding out one night, that my mother had late-stage lung cancer; and that she only had months to live. As our family witnessed and prepared for loss over those months, and the morning she died, our world shifted very quickly. My father, understandably, was overwhelmed with grief and the challenge of parenting two young girls who had just experienced this tremendous loss. He retreated into himself, and his grieving process. These were some of the seeds planted in my young childhood, that put down deep roots of scarcity, fear, rejection, disconnect, bitterness and a deep ache of grief.
Growing up was a continuous process of exploration and seeking. I was deeply wounded inside and did not have the tools or knowledge to express these things in healthy ways. As a teen and young adult, I sought the mystical and pleasurable, through trying many experience-altering substances and then becoming guide and tripsitter to my friends as they joined in these explorations as well.
I was “high functioning” and successful outwardly, captain of teams and leading student organizations, but underneath was on and off substance exploration and some abuses, self-destructive behaviours, eating disorders and some exceptionally difficult and toxic romantic relationships. A few years after my university studies of health sciences, I tapped into the knowing hum of self-healing I believe we all possess.
During conscious explorations abroad, I stayed with intentional communities, organic farms and permaculture sites. In the communities, I had never experienced such reflections of authenticity, respect and acceptance, in the everyday culture of my day-to-day life. Through my work at the organic and regenerative farms, I slowed down, breathed deeper and revered every sign of growth and the cycle of life and death around me, all feeding eachother.
At a wonderful place called the Fungi Academy I learned about the mushroom life cycle, cultivation, etc. and more deeply about their use in sacred ceremonies. For the first time, I was guided by Indigenous medicine healers and knowledge keepers in sacred ceremony. Of which I have now how the privilege to take part in a few indigenous guided ceremonies, and am forever in reverence of the connection and deep wisdom of the lineages, traditions, and practices.
Since returning in 2019, I co-founded Healing While Healing community, where we co-empowered each other to engage with our truths and our shared experiences, especially as women, running workshops, circles and retreats. I also co-founded Gwella Mushrooms as Director of Product, helping create tools and education around the safe and effective use of both functional and psychedelic mushrooms. I have been a mentor/apprentice to an incredible medicine woman for a few years, supporting my learning of the ways of medicine both directly with plant medicine compounds, but also through the lens of clinical therapeutic meets traditional wisdom approaches to reconciling, truth-seeking and conscious self-discovery.
Most recently, I have been a mentor guide at Othership, a contrast therapy and multi-modality wellness facility in Toronto guiding thousands of participants and mentoring our growing team of guides. Alongside my growing personal practice of intentional plant medicine & psychedelic guidance and healing work, I hope to continue to learn, teach, grow, empower, and move myself, others and the collective towards a more joyful, connected, compassionate, and just world.
Foundations
Experience & Accreditation
Currently guided over 120 medicine ceremonies, via 1:1, small group and retreat settings, with rigorous intake, personalized planning and integrative methods to ensure client success and safety.
16 years total personal experience with plant medicines and psychedelics, including 6 years dedicated personal and professional ceremony facilitation and coaching study
4-year apprenticeship with Vibrant Life Counseling in western and traditional plant medicine healing and therapeutic frameworks with an emphasis on inner child and shadow work, emotional attunement, safe spaces, trauma-informed practice, harm reduction, healthy relationships and communication styles
Trip Sitting & Integration (Truffles Therapy) and Compassionate Inquiry (Gabor Mate) courses
2.5 years inc. 300+ hours of training in hot/cold therapy, breathwork, somatic therapeutics, emotional fitness, etc as Mentor Guide at Othership, Toronto. With 3500+ hours of experience facilitating.
Cofounder, Product Director and Customer Success lead for 2 years at successful startup Gwella Mushrooms, flagship legal product Mojo Microdose
3 years Cofounder & Facilitator ofHealing While Healing co-empowerment & support community
9 years leading & captaining athletic teams and organizations
9 months in intentional communities, organic & permaculture farming
Degree in Kinesiology, Health Sciences; focuses on chronic disease, holistic nutrition, psychology, physical therapeutics & genetics
A few other References to schools of education & practice I am inspired and informed by:
John Hopkins Psychedelic Research
North Star Ethics Pledge of safe and ethical Psychedelic practice
Synthesis Institute Practitioner Code of Ethics and Conduct
Psychedelic Support: education resources and research at the forefront of emerging science and practice of psychedelics
Ethical principles of traditional Indigenous medicine to guide western psychedelic research and practice. Celidwen, Y et al., 2023.
Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change by Sherri Mitchell
Non-Violent Communication - Helping people peacefully and effectively resolve conflicts in personal, organizational and political settings.
The Four Agreements: A practical guide to personal freedom. The Mastery of Love. & The Voice of Knowledge by Don Miguel Ruiz
Radical Candor by Kim Scott
“Shall we?” - could mean something like "Is it time to proceed with what we are here for?" Let’s Shall...
Is an invitation to engage. To take a step or dive in, together.
Feels curious and practical at the same time. There is bound to be action and motion throughout the journey of discovery.
Contains the idea of new agreements with ourselves and each other.
Focuses on the process of the journey.
The Mission: To (re)connect people to themselves, each other, and the environment, and in doing so bring about a more joyful, compassionate, just world.
The Vision: To inspire intentional, aligned individuals and communities through the empowered exploration of self, shared human experiences, and our relationship to all things.
Personal Values:
Operate from a place of awareness, clarity, integrity, humility and compassion
Aim to make hard things easier
Support vibrant communities
Engage in life with play, joy, and curiosity
Continue to learn from many different schools of thought and practice
Practice what I preach
Be an advocate for mental health, justice and peace throughout my sphere of influence and humanity
Encourage and empower liberation of the human spirit, childlike wonder, emotional unburdening and living in presence
Apply a holistic and systems thinking lens to all challenges and opportunities - mind, body, spirit, community, environment