My career took me into film and television, where I ran my own craft services business. If you've never worked in film, it's hard to explain how many different problems can land on your desk in a single day. Budgets, logistics, people, deadlines, weather, equipment failures, changing plans, conflicting priorities. It taught me to stay calm, adapt quickly, and focus on solutions rather than blame.

Through that, I became involved in labour leadership with IATSE 891. I served as Department Chair, Co-Chair, bargaining committee member, mentor, organizer, and advocate. What I loved most wasn't the politics. It was helping people. Sometimes that meant negotiating solutions. Sometimes it meant helping someone navigate a work-related problem. Sometimes it meant connecting people who needed to be talking to each other but weren't.

Long before any of that, I was educated as a First Nations family support worker at Camosun College. Looking back, that probably shaped me more than I realized. It taught me that people are doing the best they can with the tools they have. It taught me that systems are often harder to navigate than they need to be. And it taught me that a little bit of support at the right moment can completely change the direction of someone's life.

As a mixed Indigenous woman, I've spent much of my life thinking about belonging. Growing up, I was often told not to mention my Indigenous background because I could "pass." That gave me a unique perspective. I learned that people don't all experience the same community in the same way. I learned that assumptions matter. I learned that representation matters. Most importantly, I learned that relationships matter.

In 2018, TJ and I made the decision to come home to Saanich to build our family.

Like many families, we were feeling the pressures of housing, work, childcare, and trying to build a life that felt sustainable. Coming home meant grandparents nearby. Familiar parks. Community connections. It meant raising Jimmy and Lisa in the place that helped shape us.

Today, most of my life looks pretty ordinary, and I mean that in the best possible way.

School drop-offs. Scout meetings. Recreation registrations. Helping with homework. Walking the neighbourhood. Talking with parents at the park. Volunteering. Community events. Trying to keep up with family schedules and grocery bills.

It's in those everyday moments that I hear what people are worried about:

• Housing.

• Affordability.

• Transportation.

• Mental health.

• Community connection.

• Whether our kids will be able to stay here.

• Whether we're growing in the right way.

• Whether people still feel heard.

The more I listened, the more I realized something.

People don't need politicians who have all the answers.

They need people who are willing to listen, bring others together, ask good questions, and keep working until something gets done.

That's the approach I've taken throughout my life.

It's the approach I will bring to the council, too.