You Are the Medicine

At Braving the Healing, we want to share our knowledge through story telling. The Blanket Exercise walks the participants through 500 years of history in an experience of empathic learning. The Box and Circle teaches the difference between Indigenous and Western world views and how to hold both with the practice of "Two-Eye Seeing".

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Our Team

Viola Plett

Lead Facilitator/Elder/Knowledge Keeper

My people are from Treaty 2 Territory, Lake Manitoba. The name my mother gave me is Viola. My Spirit name is “Oshosh ko biik” — meaning “where the water meets the shoreline, where the animal spirits live.” I am from the Sturgeon Clan, carrying their wisdom wherever I go.

I am a survivor of the Sixties Scoop. That experience shaped me — teaching me not just about pain, but resilience. I was the eldest of four, only seven years old when my siblings and I were taken from our family. The trauma left its mark, but I continue to reach for reclamation: of my language, my culture, and my family.

I lead with my heart and all the wisdom life has given me. My healing journey has taken me many places. I am a Certified Indigenous Death and Birth Doula, a board member of the Attachment Parenting Network of Manitoba, and a Circle of Security facilitator. In the Hanover School Division, I bring cultural stories and teachings into elementary classrooms. I host Tea and Bannock Sharing Circles in several high schools. Recently, I became a licensed Redpath Facilitator, and with my team, we host Kookum Storytelling in YMCA daycares across Winnipeg. I’m grateful to serve on the KBE Indigenous Advisory Circle for Kairos Canada.

We will be launching a podcast to explore the impact of intergenerational trauma — the pain passed between parents and children, the struggle of attachment, and the hope that healing is always possible.

As a business owner, keynote speaker, and facilitator, I have collaborated with organizations across sectors to advance Truth and Reconciliation. I offer training, workshops, and strategic guidance through both an Indigenous lens and a Western viewpoint. My approach helps organizations foster cultural understanding, improve workplace inclusion, and build stronger relationships with Indigenous communities. 

I am committed to helping businesses and government agencies move from intention to meaningful action. Whether through partnership, policy development, or education, I believe that together we can create spaces where reconciliation lives in practice.

Through all the loss, hardship, and rebuilding, I have learned that the heart can heal and inspire. My story is proof that even after being uprooted, you can plant yourself again and bloom. My purpose now is to shine a light that guides both myself and others back home — back to our Indigenous roots.

If you are ready to walk this path of reconciliation, I invite you to connect. Together, we can carry the wisdom of our ancestors forward and build a future rooted in respect, equity, and hope.

Froskr (ᚠᚱᛟᛊᚲᚱ​) Pilgrim

Co-Facilitator/Logistics/Druid

As a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community I have experienced many forms of persecution having grown up in a small town in rural Manitoba. I come to the team with the compassion and understanding that my life experiences have brought me. I also bring to the team the experience of a lifetime of theatre involvement and administrative professionalism.

My birth name is Mat and my spirit name is Froskr Trjánna which in Old Norse means Frog of the Trees. I have been seeking to reclaim my ancestral culture, heritage, and spirituality. I am also a marriage officiant and wedding celebrant, having officiated the weddings of many couples in southern Manitoba. I am currently training to be a Forest Bathing Facilitator and will be offering this service soon from my own website at pilgrimspieces.ca.

I am also Papa to seven children (four of my own and three from my husband) and seek to foster an attitude of love, and understanding of all life in my children. As a fourth generation descendant of a Mennonite Settler and ancestral descendent of Norse Vikings, Truth and Reconciliation are very important to me as the first steps toward a more loving and understanding world. ​

Jocelyne Bourbonnais

Elder/Knowledge Sharer/Ceremonial Keeper

My name is Jocelyne and I am Anishinaabe Red River Metis from Crane River, Manitoba, on Treaty 2 Territory. My Spirit Name is Kishi Bai Binezi Ikwe (Circling Thunderbird Woman), and I am from the Deer Clan. I take my responsibilities as a Clan member to heart, and I believe strength comes from a sense of curiosity, lifelong learning, and understanding.

Throughout my life, I have embarked on a journey of self-discovery and reconnecting with my spirit. As a retired nurse and 60’s Scoop survivor, I believe in the importance of caring for others, building relationships, and the importance of reconnecting with one’s own personal heritage and community. My experience as a child of the 60’s Scoop has shaped my understanding of grief and loss and continues to guide my path toward healing; I was the youngest of seven children when we were apprehended. Trauma and grief have affected me deeply, but it has also shaped who I am today and helped me come to a place of acceptance and balance.

My experiences in childhood led to my initial decision to pursue a career in nursing, which I believe is grounded in the salience of caring and compassion. Throughout my life, I have always been passionate about the wellbeing of community, and the social needs of others. I have found healing through Ceremony, Cultural Reclamation, and by relearning my language. I consistently draw strength and motivation by reflecting on my past experiences and reasserting my sense of identity.

My healing journey has led me to become a helper, mentor, ceremonial keeper, and Sundancer.
In the past I served as a Board Member at the BC Association of Friendships Centres. Braving the Healing has provided the opportunity to be of service as an Elder facilitator. This has enabled me to witness others on their path of Truth and Reconciliation.

I am currently involved as an Elder at Centre de Sante Saint- Boniface in Indigenous Relations and Diversity and Inclusion work. I am a Kairos Canada Blanket Exercise Facilitator, a Cultural speaker, and an Elder/Kookum storyteller with the YMCA and YWCA. Most recently, I became a Licensed Red Path Addiction Treatment Program Facilitator.

I am certified in Giwiidabindimin (Responding to Grief and Trauma) and Giwiidosendamin (Responding to Addictions and Suicide) through the Crisis Trauma Response Institute. Both Certifications are grounded in an Indigenous and Two-Eyed Seeing lens.
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Braving the Healing continues to transform lives, inspiring hope and instilling confidence in the healing process. As a facilitator, I am committed to supporting organizations as they move toward taking a stance grounded in empowering individuals through their journey of discovery and self-discovery. Whether it be navigating the complexities of trauma, resilience, understanding, well-being, and capacity building, I believe in embracing vulnerability and fostering environments where everyone can thrive. My story validates that despite challenges; everyone has the capacity to grow and be the best version of themselves.

French VBE

For added convenience, we also offer our Virtual Blanket Exercises (VBE) in a French version. The Lead Facilitator of our French team has been trained by Kairos and has several years of experience bringing this specialized version to French Canadians all across the country. 

Media Publications

Education with humanity at its core: Morden's Indigenous-led blanket exercise​

“Tears are medicine” – our Blanket Exercise with Braving the Healing

​Braving the Healing walks people through history in Blanket Exercise 

Community Makers

What is a community maker?

A community maker is someone who invites others to connect. You can be a part of the  connection in multiple ways via networks, hosting, facilitating, organizing meet ups and more.
Key components of a community are the physical and spiritual care, and prosperity of the people.  
We are committed to creating this space with Braving the Healing.

You Are the Medicine

Our logo speaks to the Elder generation securing the future of the Children through education.

Bringing Community Together

Braving the Healing Community Mission.

We identify with the word Maa-wan-jii-di-daa; A saulteaux word for "she gets people together." We strive to understand and pay homage to our ancestors who are our guides and mentors.

We reach out and accept the role given to us to be the educators, the role models, and the mentors of the future.

The Tipi

The TIPI, a Lakota word meaning "dwelling" or "to dwell." This represents a meeting place and it is typically an extension of those who dwell's physical and spiritual life.

Interesting facts: The primary structure, the first three poles represent past, present and future, another 7 poles, placed in clockwise represent seven sacred sites. The cover is placed and the last two to three poles are added to regulate the opening flap at the top. The 12 poles all together represent the 12 months of the year and the formation of time and seasons.​