Knowledge, Empowerment & Wellbeing
The importance of knowledge exchange
I was born in 1988.
I have two loving parents and two amazing step parents.
I have two caring brothers, a dog an incredible partner and a beautiful daughter who bring me the most joy in the world.
I was gifted with every opportunity in life, but I was also born with a suppressed gene that keeps me from regulating serotonin normally in my body.
Serotonin is a key chemical that helps us regulate our mood, and mental health.
Because of this, I am more susceptible to depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. Three things I struggled with deeply throughout my life.
This suppressed gene also makes me a poor responder to things like antidepressants & talk therapy, the two primary methods for treating mental health in North America.
I experienced my first suicidal thought when I was 10, and for 20 years I suffered in silence as I tried to work within our western healthcare system to find an answer.
It failed me over and over again.
But after many years of struggle, seeking to find answers to seemingly impossible questions, I finally figured out why.
In 2017 I took a genetic test. At the time trying to figure out why I felt so sick inside.
I was building a ‘successful’ ad agency then and I was running myself ragged.
Sleepless nights trying to chase the next big client to keep the lights on.
Smoking a pack a day because I had a chemical dependence that kept me chasing serotonin in any form possible.
I had developed a tumour in my throat the size of a baseball and I had developed an autoimmune disorder that absolutely crushed my energy production.
I had built a life that, on the outside was successful, but inside wasn’t worth it anymore.
This genetic test helped me learn about my genetic suppression. It gave me an answer that I had been chasing my whole life.
I didn’t find it in a doctors office, I had to custom order the test through a functional medicine practitioner.
I didn’t take a special pill that gave me all the answers and fixed every symptom.
I received knowledge.
Knowledge that helped me uncover the root cause of a challenge I faced since I was 10.
Through this knowledge I felt empowered.
I took it upon myself to seek out, spend the money and source the information that would help me understand my own unique human design.
And I became obsessed.
I studied functional medicine to understand the root cause of my autoimmune disorder and the tumour in my throat.
I studied psychology to understand the root cause of my depression and anxiety
I studied spirituality and philosophy to try my best to understand the human experience.
And I went to Central America to work with plant medicine to overcome my suicidal ideation.
This is where I received more knowledge.
I came back from that experience a changed person.
I could no longer participate in the ad agency I was building. I no longer wanted to live the unhealthy lifestyle habits I had accumulated.
I had understood at a deeper level what was causing me to be physically and mentally sick and it was time to take that knowledge and do something with it.
I quite smoking.
I quite drinking.
I overcame the autoimmune disorder the doctor said I would have for life.
I reprioritized the gym.
I transformed my relationships and social interactions.
I got deeper with my family.
And my work completely changed.
I left my agency and began advocating for plant medicine as tools for our mental health.
I helped to build one of the first non-profit retreat centres focused on transformational plant medicine experiences.
I helped to build a National non-profit that has successfully advocated for legal plant medicine access in Canada, The United States and The United Kingdom.
I helped to build the first Canadian non-profit trade association for the field of psychedelics and plant medicine.
And I opened a first of its kind experiential learning centre in Kingston, Ontario, in partnership with St. Lawrence College that builds the highest level of plant medicine facilitator harm reduction training to support the safe and equitable access to plant medicines as they continue to become part of the cultural mainstream.
I speak a lot about the transformative power of plant medicine, the power of storytelling in our healing and wellness, and share my ideas for new ways of building functional wellbeing through self-exploration, lifestyle design and personal knowledge management.
But most importantly, I found the most amazing woman to share my life with and we have brought an incredible young girl into the world to share in this journey.
Today, while I still experience the same challenges as I did in 2017, I have a a unique tool kit available to me now that I go to in order to create the change I want to see in myself and in the world.
With this experience I hope to inspire others on a similar journey, because knowledge exchange is the number one tool that I’ve seen to really truly make a difference.
I believe in sovereign wellbeing for all and the only way to truly accomplish that is to share our experiences, our tools and our ideas for what it means to live a well life.
Here’s what I know to be true: dedicating your life to understanding your unique experience, pursuing self mastery and moving towards wholeness is a game worth playing.
Personal knowledge management, habit change, self exploration and altered states of consciousness are a means to an end. And for those with an open mind and eager to learn new things, I’m here to share this journey with you.
One Minute Weekend is the resource that I wish I had 7 years ago, ready to give it all up, before I spent untold hours (and thousands of dollars) discovering this personal knowledge system for myself.
I don’t pretend to know it all, I never will. But I’m really excited to share everything I’ve learned and continue to learn from you as well.
Because for me, that is what it’s all about: knowledge exchange.
Feel free to join the One Minute Weekend Knowledge Exchange. That’s where I share high-impact resources and tools to empower a new era of personal growth.
