Half Poet & Storyteller / Half Grant Writer & Editor
We strive for a decolonial and straightforward approach to grant writing, editing, and entrepreneurship. My goal is to be a trustworthy collaborator & advocate for humans telling untold stories.
My vision: When we express untold stories our health improves and we increase the chances of future generations ending the cycle of intergenerational trauma.
Who Am I?
I am an uninvited guest on Turtle Island. I was born Treaty No.13 People with ancestors from Toronto and Newfoundland. My settler origins are from England, Ireland, and Scotland. As a survivor of childhood trauma and suicide loss, my healing journey began when I moved to Western Canada in 2012 after a difficult divorce.
Before my divorce, I was in the process of leaving the paralegal world. I had just finished my first semester of nursing as my marriage was falling apart. So, I made the difficult decision to return to the legal world. I have nine years of experience law clerking for senior personal injury litigation lawyers in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.
I found Grant Writing while living in Gleichen, a rural community in Southern Alberta. I was the Grant Writer at the local municipality. About a year before the pandemic brought our lives to a halt, I went on leave due to burn-out. I'm grateful for my time in Gleichen reconnecting, healing and learning. Gleichen is where I graduated from the online Writer's Studio at Simon Fraser University, where I began volunteering with Tribe Artist Society, and where I found Elaine Alec's Cultivating Safe Spaces framework.
After graduating from SFU, I studied Social Work at a community college in Calgary, where I found a weekend workshop that got me started on the entrepreneurial path. I started SJT Writing in the summer of 2021. I now live in Mohkinstsis, finishing a collection of poems and writing a memoir. Hire me as a speaker or facilitator!
Our Values & Approach
My approach is rooted in a combination of the decolonizing Cultivating Safe Spaces framework and my deep desire to understand self and promote self-determination.
Empowerment: Only you know what's best for you, your project, and your health. We assist with defining goals, but then the rest is up to you.
Understanding Self: Who am I? Who do I belong to? What is my purpose? What am I good at? What's my relationship to the land? SJT Writing is committed to the lifelong journey of understanding self.
Inclusion: As lifelong learners, we welcome the gift of correction. Everyone's perspective matters, and we listen with discipline.
Well-Being: Part of the process of any creative project and entrepreneurial journey is well-being. Caring for yourself, resting, and getting outside are part of the creative process.
Qualifications
- Successfully gained access to over $2.1 million in grant funds for Artists and arts organizations
- Raised over $400,000 in grant funds
- Grant Writing certifications from the University of Calgary and LearnGrantWriting.org
- Creative Writing certification from the Writer's Studio at Simon Fraser University
- Student Affiliate of Editors Canada
- Cultivating Safe Spaces certification
- Law Clerk Diploma
- PowHERhouse Amplify profile
Let's Collaborate!
As an innovative perspective, I am a visionary who thinks outside the box. I have a talent for seeing your vision and being a mirror for the beauty of your underappreciated gifts.
Start a free quote to begin your journey.
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Collaboration Calls and Goals
We have a story for why we selected the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SGD), Call for Justice, and Call to Action. Please reach out if your project relates to these calls and goals.
SGDs
3.5 Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol.
5.B Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women
5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation
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Our Truth & Reconciliation Focus
TRC Call to Action 66 - We call upon the federal government to establish multiyear funding for community-based youth organizations to deliver programs on reconciliation, and establish a national network to share information and best practices.
MMIWG Calls for Justice for All Governments: Health and Wellness
3.3. - We call upon all governments to fully support First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities to call on Elders, Grandmothers, and other Knowledge Keepers to establish community-based trauma-informed programs for survivors of trauma and violence.