Hello! I’m Jessie
I’m a coach, doula + author.
I support women through some of the most radical transformations life has to offer.
When I began practicing as a doula over fifteen years ago, I found myself becoming increasingly fascinated by matrescence, or the transition to motherhood, as a rite of passage. I witnessed women for whom motherhood catalyzed an accompanying landslide of other changes to their lives, and I started to get curious about how all women navigate the process of becoming.
Since then, I have dedicated my work to exploring how women navigate the Heroine’s Journeys of their lives, traversing the threshold between where they lose themselves, and how they find themselves once more.
The truth is that I’ve always been a boundarywalker; an edge-dweller; a translator-between-worlds. I come by it honestly: trace my matrilineal heritage and you will find both an internationally-respected earth scientist and a renowned witch. The work I do dances across and blurs the lines between science and magic, the personal and political, exploring life transition and rites of passage through the lens of ancestral wisdom, adult development psychology, ecopsychology and feminism.
Who I am and how I got here…
Heart-led Researcher
In my work with women navigating radical transformations and modern-day rites of passage, I have come to learn that women – and most humans with two feet and a heartbeat – “do” change uniquely and in ways that haven’t been deeply explored or well-recognized by adult development psychologists, neuroscientists, mythologists and self-help gurus alike.
Owing to the influence of the decade I spent as a qualitative researcher and my graduate degree in women’s wellness, I responded to this by creating the Four Elements of Radical Transformation, a model that is deeply attuned to the complexities of modern-day women’s lives and how they navigate change and transition. This, and my ongoing quest for understanding and integrity in my evidence-based practice, forms the root structure of my work.
Wild Woman
I have sought the solace of evergreens and ocean tides my entire life. From my years as a scuba instructor until my work now, as a wilderness quest guide and ecotherapy-trained coach, I have seen the potential for embodiment, healing, connection + clarity that connecting with the Earth offers the women I work with.
I also know that we become more ourselves when we reconnect with our wildish nature; when we remember that we are nature. I want to help you reclaim that part of you who knows how to rest when the moon is full, who has an unshakeable sense of inner knowing, who is creative + connected, whose body is sacred ground – not a battleground – who has her toes in the earth, and knows how magic gets made.
Teacher + Alchemist
There is nothing that energizes and enlivens me more than teaching what I’ve learned; what I’m still learning. I am most at home leading + facilitating curious, courageous humans on new adventures of the heart and mind.
And alchemy? That’s the poet in me, saying I am exquisitely skilled at the art of getting shit done. Because hand-in-hand with the soulful work of reconnecting with your truth and your values is the part where you decide What’s Next, and put one foot in front of the other toward transformation.
Writer
I am a writer. Maybe before anything else, I was a 10-year-old penning novels on the dodgeball court, fending off flying balls as I worked on character development.
Writing is my way of understanding the world and making sense of myself within it. It is an integral part of my self-care and healing practice. And, over the years, I have learned that writing is, as they say, my original medicine; the way in which I have been called to offer healing and support to others, too. I do this every day, in poetry and prose and in well-researched articles alike; in the reflections I post to my blog and on social media, in heartfelt notes to my clients, and in the books I write.
The stuff not everyone knows…
I am a Post-It Note poet
voracious reader | born + bred science junkie | magic seeker
wife of a gentle, patient man I met underwater
and a mother of two small humans.
I have been a swimming instructor, professional scuba diver, cook, health policy analyst, food writer + breastfeeding educator (in that order)
I broke a world record for long-distance ocean swimming, and I ride a purple motorcycle
I have more scarves than is sensible, and am a coffee-loving tea drinker.
I am an obsessive adventurer / handcrafter / car singer
and the caretaker of a small cottage + flower farm on the wild east coast of Canada.
The stuff that makes moms proud…
Masters of Arts, Health Promotion
Bachelor of Science, Double Major in Neuroscience + Theatre
Certified Coach, The Centre for Narrative Coaching + Design
Certified Coach, Centre for Applied Neuroscience
Certified Birth Doula, DONA International
Developmental Coach Training, Coaches Rising
Post-graduate Certificate in Ecopsychology, Pacifica Graduate Institute
Bloom Herbal Practitioner Program, Levels I + II
Narrative Healing Program, Kripalu Centre for Yoga + Health
200Hr YTT; Reiki Level II
Certified in Hike Leadership, Advanced Wilderness Remote First Aid + Level One Outdoor Therapy
Other trainings and teachers I have been grateful to learn from include:
Parker Palmer at the Centre for Courage + Renewal
Francis Weller’s The Alchemy of Initiation training
Sarah Kerr’s Ritual Skills for Living and Dying
Shauna Janz’s Sacred Grief program
Tiu de Haan’s Ritual Design Program
Carmen Spagnola’s Numinous Quest + many other programs
Freebirth Society’s Complete Guide to Freebirth Program