My Story

(He/Him) I am a white, settler person originally from Mi’kma’ki- the ancestral and unceded traditional of Mi'kmaq peoples (so called Nova Scotia). I am writing this from the unceded traditional territory of Coast Salish Peoples, specifically Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations (Vancouver).

Hi, I'm Jake!

I’m a certified integrative coach, meditation and mindfulness instructor and facilitator of transformative and eco-connective processes.

In pursuit of a more beautiful world, I’ve held many roles. For the last 15 years, I’ve offered energy as an activist, changemaker, community organizer, educator, facilitator and wayfinder. I’ve been a leader, a follower, an alchemist and a collaborator.

If you'd like to see some of my contributions thus far. I've...

I’ve been a builder and leader of climate and social justice organizing teams, which campaigned and won municipal climate solutions and climate emergency motions aligning the climate planning and emission targets of several cities with the IPCC targets. I’ve supported indigenous-led movements opposing fossil fuel projects and defending indigenous rights and territory on each coast of Canada. I’ve organized election campaigns supporting and electing provincial and municipal climate leaders. I’ve organized a union campaign, working towards better rights and conditions in the workplace. I’ve been arrested several times opposing the construction of dangerous oil pipelines and the most destructive consumer-goods companies who are deforesting the planet. I’ve been a part of water-based non-violent direct action teams and land defense I’ve created and delivered programs which teach public school educators transformative, regenerative and holistic ways of teaching and learning. I’ve facilitated eco-somatic and nature-connective workshops, and taught climate justice and eco-social issues while moving teachers and their students to action. I’ve mentored students organizing for provincial climate education policy.

Today I continue work in public education. Schools touch into every community, are bioregional, and guide generations of students through their learning, growth and development. It is a perfect place to empower inner growth, teach life affirming values and foster a whole-being connection with life. The work I've done in education ultimately seeks to help the education system embody regenerative, transformative and future-fit education across all parts of the system. It’s about helping the education system grow its capacity to affirm life, and regenerate living systems, people, bodies, souls and planet. It’s been my playground for applying the principles and models of Regenerative Leadership, following my participation in a year-long journey through Regenerators Academy, facilitated by Laura Storm. It’s given me brilliant insight and experience working with organizations to embrace regenerative practice and has helped inform the way I serve my clients now on their journey to regenerative, conscious leadership.

I share this to bring you into my journey as a changemaker. I’ve gotten to taste many of the flavours of what it’s like to be in constant pursuit of systemic change toward reversing climate change, developing regenerative solutions, solving social justice issues and bringing about a more beautiful future.

I know what it’s like to win and I know what it is like to lose. I know what it’s like to hold the light, love and hope that’s needed, and to have no hope, no light and live in fear. I know what it’s like to chase goals over the horizon of change others can’t see yet and I know what it's like to not know where to go next, to feel powerless in changing what feels unchangeable and constantly navigate a huge vision, with no road map.

My journey through changemaking started from a place of fire- campaigning, rallying, protesting and doing. While fire was effective, for the most part, it’s also what burnt me out. I learned we also need space to take a breath of air; we need to nourish our soil and plant seeds of growth; embrace the water-like flow and cycles of our emotions and energy; and explore our intuition, spiritual advancement and capacities of consciousness.

And what I saw around me was even my greatest allies, who were passionate and effective in their work- struggled to live a balanced life full of joy and wellbeing along the way. I watched live in chronic stress, with mental health issues and sick bodies. I felt the loss of their gifts and leadership when they were gone. I saw they lacked a deep embodied and spiritual relationship with the natural world they fought so hard to protect. I saw they too were living out, consciously and not, the same core beliefs, values and cultures that have led to stressed systems, souls, bodies and planet.

By the way, my experience was no different from the other changemakers around me.

Over time I’ve:

Self-sacrificed my well-being because ‘If I don't save this place, who will?’ Drowned in guilt because ‘I’m not doing enough’ Depleted my energy and neglected by needs because ‘someone needs help and the world needs saving’’ Felt ashamed because ‘I’m complacent to the problem and I don’t know enough’ Lost my passion and gave up joy because ‘my passions are less effective’ Burnt out because “There’s always more to do, I have to keep going’ Been paralyzed in doubt, procrastination and fear because ‘we’re doomed, there’s too much to do and how can I make a difference anyway?’ Forgot to live out a connection to the natural world because ‘Thinking, doing and performance are more valuable’ Lost my confidence because ‘Who am I to do this?’ Lacked courage because ‘What if I fail?’ Avoided offering my gifts because ‘I don’t know enough’ Felt lonely and isolated because ‘they don’t see it like I do, they just don’t get it’ Felt discouraged and disempowered because ‘no matter how hard I work they just don’t give a shit’ Felt like a failure because ‘my best isn’t enough’ Watched policy I’ve won and leaders I’ve elected, do absolutely nothing they promised and got stuck in ‘what’s the point’ And oh so much more…

I've learned so much along the way, and continue to discover new and revisit old lessons.

That’s when I asked myself, even if we have the technology (which we do) and implemented it to say, reverse climate change, would we have really transformed if we still feel internally ill, constrained, and spiritually unfulfilled? If we still hold the same degenerative beliefs, culture and way of being?

And furthermore, perhaps the reason we haven’t solved the crises of our planet isn’t because we don’t have the technology, resources, know-how or ability- it’s because we need a change of heart. We are still discovering a shift in our collective consciousness and our paradigms, needed to enliven a culture ready to live out and embody life-attuned values as individuals and as a collective. If you're here, you likely feel part of that shift happening, and hope it happens fast enough. I see that our external world mirrors our internal world; look at any system which is having a degenerative impact on people and the planet, and you will find a set of degenerative values in the culture which permits it.

If we seek a greater world around us, we must at the same time pursue a greater world within us.

For me, this inner journey is part of our collective spiritual experience happening at much greater scales than a lifetime. Joanna Macy names this inner shift as a key dimension of the "Great Turning;" our shift from a life-destroying society, to a life-affirming global family. Check out The Work that Reconnects and her many books.

This realization of our inner evolution, matched with my personal experiences with consciousness, growth and a spiritual path are what have led to my next chapter in changemaking- to work with people at the levels of their inner world, being and consciousness as the bring forth their greatest self, while building a greater world. I first took up working with the internal through public education and eco-connective facilitation. In the last few years, I've realized the gifts I have to offer through coaching people like me along their journey to a greater self, and a greater impact in the world.

I believe that we get to feel well, while we do well and access the highest versions of ourselves while bringing about a more beautiful future seeking to emerge... We get to feel fully alive, while regenerating aliveness around us.

It requires great courage to relinquish the methods and modes of the old amid increasing volatility and uncertainty... Yet now, as leaders, we are called to let go and open up to a new authentic way...

"It's about becoming more creative, more authentic, more purposeful, more compassionate, more in tune with life within us and all around us."

-Regenerative Leadership, Laura Storm, Giles Hutchins

Future-fit leaders will be leaders of our inner world, and embody the shift. And I want to help.

That’s why I support my clients as they navigate their unique journey of personal growth and conscious evolution. I help my clients see their life holistically as a living system, and to integrate changes that bring all aspects of their being into balance and alignment. It’s why I work with change-agents to grow their connective capacities and live with deeper meaning and spiritual and intuitive connection to their life and work.

Throughout my life, I’ve been fascinated by the depth and dimensions of our experience. Psychedelic plant medicines were an important catalyst of this and are a continued ally. I’ve put in the hard work of and reaped the benefits from deep self-work, uncovering my traumas, connecting with my woundings, and building freeing mindsets and beliefs about myself. I’ve been rocked by the depth and power of somatic psychotherapy, breathwork, energy work and embodied practice. I’ve felt the peace and ease that comes from meditation and biophilia. I’ve felt the transformative power of coaching and partners in my insight. I know the ability of nature-immersive practice to deepen conscious connection with the natural world and the flow and richness that comes with living a spiritual path attuned with life. I bring my passion and experience with my own growth to coaching.

My experience has shown me we are an ecosystem of mind, body, emotion, energy, intuition and spirit- all of which are interconnected and constantly speaking back to us, as allies of our wellbeing. If we grow our capacity to listen to their textures and colours, we gain powerful tools for personal and societal transformation and live a richer life. We are also part of wider living systems around us; ecology, climate and cosmos. As members of billions of years of evolution, we are made of stars and earth. It's no coincidence the patterns of nature are mirrored at all levels of our being. Regenerating our connection to the natural world and our relationship to the cosmos, while living and leading with attunement to the wisdom and intelligence of life is core to regenerating people and the planet.

I serve my clients to grow their capacity to listen into their system and integrate holistic changes that serve their transformation and growth. I help them grow their conscious capacities and harness them to live a better life while having a deeper impact in their work. I support them in their journey to embodying life-attuned regenerative leadership while overcoming challenges and creating greater impact along the way.

I am honoured to walk with you on your path of service, and to partner with you on your journey to living and leading a regenerative, coherent and meaningful life on our way to co-creating a coherent earth.

Certified Integrative Coach

Certified Meditation & Mindfulness Instructor

Regenerative Leadership Activator

Regenerative Education Specialist

Reiki Practitioner

CREDENTIALS:

Certified Integrative Coach, School of Positive Transformation (2021), Accredited by Association for Coaching

Certified Meditation & Mindfulness Instructor, School of Positive Transformation (2020)

Regenerative Leadership Activator

Regenerative Education Specialist

Reiki Practitioner (2017)

B.A. Combined Honours: Sociology, Environmental Sustainability, Minor Philosophy (2015)

Qualifications:

Regenerator's Academy Year-Long Journey through Regenerative Leadership (2022-23)