02/27/2026
NEW P.D. Content coming soon:
Lateral Harm within Indigenous Communities & Organizations
I was kindly cautioned the other day to 'be careful the energy you conjure'... which I also understand as 'what I call in'. This is because I have felt very compelled recently to dig a little deeper into helping people better understand Lateral Harm within Indigenous communities and organizations. The one who cautioned me is the one who taught and cultivated this passion in me, and perhaps she forgot to consider that I am a BEAR. 🐻
I suppose I can get a tad audacious in my public talks/teachings, but I prefer to think of it is 'calling out', rather than calling in. My intention is raising awareness, empowerment, and protection - not to shame. I have such a hard time seeing brilliant, kind-hearted Indigenous professionals tolerate, turn a blind eye, condone, and suffer impacts from our own KIN who, because of colonial trauma, survive off the power (a confidence facade) they acquire by making others smaller.
There would be no lateral harm among Anishinaabek if every one of us had true confidence, strong identity (not as western-standard success stories, but as Anishinaabe), and truly kind hearts. To achieve this, one needs to get out of their head (ego), function with LOVE from their heart, and be FULL of SPIRIT.
Some of our relatives who suffered traumatic childhoods developed defence mechanisms for survival as a result of an horrific experiences that shattered their sense of belonging, feeling loved, acceptance, self-worth, etc. This can happen as a result of neglect, rejection, abandonment, abuses, etc.
Rather than calling out the harmful behaviours of some of our most hurt relatives, I am calling out to everyone to learn, understand, and support the Indigenous adults amongst us who might be striving for power, wealth, success, admiration, acclaim, control, and more... at the expense of anyone they view as a threat.
By the way, you are a threat if you embody the true Anishinaabe way of life, live through kindness, with honesty, reciprocity, and spirit strength. You are a threat because when those who are subconsciously lost, striving for a version of greatness fuelled by greed, ego, riches, success, power, dominance... that is not an Anishinaabe way of being in the world, and that giant void within them freaks out. Their survival and present identity depends on their version of worth, and they grip tightly to every last tread of security they can find - but they exist in the world as though they are at the end of their rope.
The antidote for this spiritual trauma wound involves all of the Old Ways and teachings on how to be Anishinaabe. Kindness (love, compassion, care), Honesty (authenticity, picking up inherent responsibilities, honouring your unique gifts, genuine, trustworthy, being your true self), Sharing (sacred trust, reciprocity, generosity, gifting, gratitude, balance), and Spirit Strength (bravery, courage, sacrifice).
How can we help our relatives to not feel threatened by our beautiful, ethical, moral, kind way of being in the world?
It is vulnerability (or ego/identity fragility) that is the spirit wound as a result of unsafe, untrusting relations from their past - so they grew spiritual armour so-to-speak and they probably don't even know it.
My understanding of those who are laterally harmful to our own people (aka adult meanies & bullies): the risk of being hurt is far too great to let their walls down. Those walls developed in childhood to cope and survive. I get it. But when those spirit wounds are bandaged with western ego protection such as false confidence, arrogance, narcissism, and superiority complex - they should not working amongst us, selectively spreading their trauma baggage on others. We know who they are - they don't disguise very well (another reason the kind-hearted ones are a threat).
So, I will try my best to conjure up my own spirit strength as I put together new content, graphic slides, activities, and curiosities for those First Nations who are brave enough to face this hard truth. We can heal together, and we can do better... but only with SAFETY, which happens only with trust, which happens only with vulnerability and honesty.
Sending healing and wellness wishes and prayers to everyone 🙌🫶
