Vibrant Systems is a journey I couldn’t have predicted, but have always been on.
It seems like yesterday I was reading Harry Potter and envisioning myself becoming a world-famous author. I learned to love reading and storytelling early on in life, and that passion carried me through many challenges.
Books introduced me to people, places, and beliefs beyond my small, rural hometown. Stories connected me to the lives and needs of others and ignited a burning compassion in me to act.
Just ask my dad how many evening conversations were had about the importance of reconciliation, climate action, and social justice.
When people ask me what led me to start my business, I struggle to articulate the twists and turns that led me here. It all roots back into my love of reading, people, and a strong desire to contribute to a vibrant future.
School Roots
An avid learner, I thrived when soaking up diverse information. Arts and sciences were two sides of the same coin to me. Throughout high school, I kept my options open by taking as many classes as I was allowed.
Anthropology & Psychology
This generalist attitude left me with all the options in the world once I reached graduation. Rather than narrow down my interests, I applied to the anthropology program offered by Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. Their interdisciplinary approach to the study of humanity meant I was taking courses about culture, linguistics, biology, and archeology. Even if certain disciplines didn’t appeal as much to me personally, I was learning foundational information.
Anthropology, an ever-evolving discipline, gave me greater insight into the colonialist context of Canada and the movements to pursue meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island.
I also chose to broaden my scope by incorporating a minor in psychology, which rounded out my understanding of the human mind and the impacts trauma and fear can have on that mind.
The two disciplines balanced each other. I embraced the intricacies and diversity of human existence. I celebrated the resilience and adaptability of communities and individuals. I was fascinated by how health and well-being were conceptualized in different cultures by different people. Slowly, my focus shifted away from writing fantasy novels and into applying the lessons I was learning to community wellness.
Humans are a social and collaborative species after all. Our health impacts how we participate in the community and is influenced by our belonging to the community. It was important to me to be able to use this knowledge to help improve the lives of others, especially through reconciliation. Although I was hesitant about repeating the mistakes of past academics and professionals. I feared I would enter the healing space of reconciliation in a paternal and condescending way – and because of that fear, I was scared to take on a professional role.
Master of Public Health
At the urging of my mentor, I applied and was accepted to the Global Health Specialization within the Master of Public Health program offered by the University of Alberta in Edmonton. This course-based program taught me how to apply statistical analyses, cost-benefit analyses, evaluation skills, and how to speak to community populations about their health. I learned how larger systems, our environments, and our economy directly impact health and well-being. Most importantly to me, I was given further insight into how I could move into reconciliation in the health space in a good way, how to listen to the stories and needs of others, and how to apply sensitivity and awareness to any populations I may work with.
Through my studies, a vision was forming, hard to place in the fog of time. I knew I was in the right place, learning the right things, but where was it leading me? That destination – that goal – seemed just out of reach. The knowledge I’d been building was inspiring, and yet it rarely felt like it was being applied meaningfully in communities.
Well-being and public health were much more complex than I could have dreamed. Much like anthropology, public health didn’t exactly narrow down my potential career choices.
Luckily, I was also on a coexisting professional journey that was informing the career choices I made at each step.
It Was Never “Just” A Job
I worked throughout my post-secondary career. Mostly in summer internships, I was fortunate to secure roles that always mirrored my academic interests.
Whether I worked within my hometown’s early childhood development non-profit, assisting the research department at the Calgary Counselling Center, or supporting my town’s resource network, I found myself repeatedly drawn back to health and community. Even my short stint as an office assistant for a local crop spraying company refined my interest in rural communities.
I found I easily tired of jobs that didn’t resonate with my passions. I craved a sense of community and meaning in my work.
One year into my public health degree, I secured a position with a small company called Resilient Rurals. Their lens was quantitatively smaller than many of my previous positions, with their focus on small and rural Albertan communities, but their impact was much larger. They sought to promote rural resilience in the face of climate stressors, such as extreme heat, wildfire, drought, and flood.
In this role, I learned how to approach divisive topics, how to share the scientific basis for certain decisions, and how important small communities were to my roots and values. I also saw, firsthand, how grassroots movements can make an immense difference in the communities they serve – even if they are tackling big issues.
On the other hand, something felt stuck.
I was given amazing opportunities to hone my skills, but the responsibilities I had never quite aligned with the vision I saw for myself. A dissonance lingered. Had I taken the wrong path after all? Sometimes I wished I had gone into a field or discipline lined with direction and ready-made answers.
I was immensely fortunate to be mentored by my boss, Jill Yanch, who saw in me the energy needed to thrive in the consulting space. She invited me to assist her on several projects, including some projects working with Indigenous Nations in Central Alberta. I learned to adjust my pace to the need for Protocol and Relationship-Building required when working with Indigenous communities.
In that, I also began to recognize that the pace I’d kept was not even natural to me. The dissonance I’d been feeling didn’t mean I was following the wrong path, but that I needed to move to a different beat. Consulting was an opportunity to weave my own story around the knowledge I’d been gathering, and to meet clients where they are at without the boxes I’d felt around me in previous roles.
While I’d honoured my academic and professional journeys, my personal journey felt like it was only getting started.
Personal Rhythm and Rooting In Confidence
While I had a lifelong love of writing and a passion for contributing to healing communities, I struggled to be seen as an authority on this journey. The transition from student to professional is not an easy one.
I struggled to balance taking care of my well-being with the work I was doing to achieve credentials. Burnout was closely followed by apathy. When those credentials were obtained, I felt like I was falling through thin air.
Who was I if I was not a student? Who would I be without the safety net of a job?
Stepping into creating my own business and using my authentic voice has been the climax of my life journey thus far. I have ranged from anxious to terrified as I’ve started to share my journey. Starting Vibrant Systems, just over a year ago in the spring of 2024, has introduced me to contracts, projects, and skills that bring to life with excitement, passion, and commitment.
Unlike previous roles I’ve held, consulting has given me the flexibility and freedom to expand into my authentic self. Rooting into my authenticity is my only path forward.
My authenticity required that I understand my values on a deeply intimate level. I had to push up against my limiting beliefs. I still find myself expanding beyond what I would have expected a week ago. I have weathered the uncertainties of waiting for contracts and dove into the unknown waters of marketing myself and my services.
This process has helped me recognize how important it is to me to be a lifelong student. Openness to learning is critical, even as I recognize the knowledge and the wisdom I’ve developed through my growth. I have found that concepts like systems thinking, regenerative permaculture, and storytelling are inherent in personal growth and development. All the years I’d spent inside classrooms and boardrooms also taught me how to show myself grace, push myself towards resilience, and trust the plans I was making. All the lessons I have learned from Cree and Blackfoot neighbours have shaped how I understand my physical health, mental wellness, and spirituality.
Integrating all aspects of myself makes my approach to consulting wholly unique to me, just as each one of us is wholly unique when all of our aspects are recognized and celebrated. Diverse experiences and influences have rooted my consulting in a purpose much larger than myself. As much as my journey has been one of self-discovery, it is also a pathway we can all walk on with a little guidance.
Growth, community, health, and environment, intense respect for others and the diversity of experience they bring forward, and my ultimate passion for creativity and the work I do are essential for the fabric of my being. It is also critical to the work I do each day.
I had to learn to show up for myself authentically so I can show up for you with grounded integrity. By rooting confidently in my own values, I stand apart as a guide to help you navigate the uncertainty of the systems we all live in.
And we can navigate them when we understand where we are navigating from.
A Vibrant New Chapter
My company, Vibrant Systems, is a culmination of academic, professional, and personal growth over the past decade. I would not be in this space if one of those paths faltered along the way, and I know now that this was the destination of my journey all along. My background plays a big role in how I lead myself and others through complex and uncertain challenges.
It is because of the chaos I have overcome, the openness of my learning, and the commitment to community well-being that I leapt into consulting. Grounded in all parts of myself, I know we have communities in our cities, towns, workplaces, and neighbourhoods. I also know how important thriving communities are to supporting our individual health.
We can all be leaders if we recognize that the path forward is the path we take together.
Our diversity, unique experiences and perspectives, and visions are all critical to shaping a future that supports the well-being of whole communities. While we naturally will differ in some priorities and choices, Vibrant Systems is built on the tools and knowledge we need to integrate those differences in a collaborative and community-focused way.
I am telling my story – sharing my journey – because I want to be a part of yours. It may not be straightforward. There will be walls we have to navigate around or push up against. The only constant in the world around us is uncertainty and change. But, like me, the place we are going will take your breath away.
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