I am of Stó:lō and mixed settler ancestry. I was raised in my home community, Soowahlie First Nation (near Chilliwack, BC) and have ties to Cowichan, Snuneymuxw, and Sumas First Nations. I currently live on the beautiful unceded, ancestral lands of Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Peoples. I am a wife and mother to two young children. My pronouns are she/her.

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I carry the ancestral name of Tilyen, and I strive to bring honour to this name and my ancestors by working to improve the well-being of Indigenous peoples across these lands called Canada. I have worked for sixteen years in the field of Indigenous health, in roles in health leadership, planning, policy, evaluation, education, and research. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Public Health degree, but I credit most of my learning to my lived experience as an Indigenous woman, daughter, sister, mother, auntie, and community member. I thank my ancestors, Elders, family, peers and community members as my teachers.

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After my oldest sister died of a drug overdose in 2022, I felt moral distress to continue working within a health system that fails to meet the needs of Indigenous people. With the hope to increase my impact on the system, while protecting my own health and well-being, I have reoriented myself to practice as a full-time external consultant. I support and collaborate with partners and organizations that are motivated to dismantle anti-Indigenous racism in health care and support both new and old (i.e., ancestral) ways of health and healing for Indigenous people.