Lineage and Accountability

Understanding how I situate myself in this work matters.

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I am a treaty person inhabiting Treaty Six Territory, the traditional territories of many First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. My deepest gratitude and respect is extended to the original stewards of these lands, and it is part of my mission through my work to help settlers who have forgotten their place in the web of life to situate themselves appropriately so they can be in right relation with the world.

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I come from settler stock with Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian roots. On two branches of my family, I am only second generation to this country—both my Swedish and Norwegian grandparents were born overseas. My family cultivated a multi-generational commitment to justice, creating a lineage of activists, advocates, and educators. Though I may be something of a departure as an artist, I carry forward this same desire to move the dial toward justice, expressing it through my own creative and healing work. I was raised in an environment where questioning systems and fighting for justice was simply how we lived—it wasn't unusual to spend time as a family going to a protest march.

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As a white woman doing justice-oriented healing work, I believe transparency about my lineage, land relationships, and the Indigenous teachers who've shaped my understanding is essential. I have been profoundly shaped by my mother-in-law, Kathleen Steinhauer, who fought tirelessly for Indigenous women's rights, and by my husband and daughter, who have helped create with me a beautifully aware and conscious family. Through them, teachings about justice, accountability, and what it means to be in good relationship continue to guide my work.

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I acknowledge that I benefit from these lands and from systems built on colonization, and I hold responsibility to act with awareness, reciprocity, and care. In my work, I am committed to recognizing the ways colonial systems have shaped me, and to building practices that centre relationship and respect.

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The insights I share have been shaped by the generosity and guidance of my family and teachers, and I do not claim them as my own. I commit to honoring this wisdom with integrity, humility, and care.