Your Pathway to
Indigenous Employee Empowerment
Our Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program (IEEP) helps organizations & First Nations Communities cultivate workplaces where Indigenous employees not only thrive - but stay and grow. By focusing on internal capacity building, we equip leaders and teams with the tools, frameworks, and practices needed to foster confidence, self-worth, and resilience among Indigenous employees. This approach strengthens morale, engagement, and long-term retention, while positioning your organization as a leader in Indigenous success, equity, and allyship.
Our Indigenous Employee Empowerment services, led by Rachael Hunt, Indigenous Leadership Consultant and member of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation, offer transformative support for corporate spaces and First Nations communities through science-backed, trauma-informed practices rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing.
We believe that success is cultivated from the inside out.
Our Approach to Indigenous Empowerment
This program is designed to dismantle the common barriers faced by Indigenous employees in the workplace, including, but not limited to, imposter syndrome, unworthiness, self-doubt, tokenism, fear of failure or judgement, and lack mentality that operate at the subconscious and somatic level.
By addressing and acknowledging these deep-rooted challenges, we empower Indigenous individuals to not only overcome their internal resistance but to excel beyond their expectations.
How do we do this?
We facilitate transformative group experiences rooted in subconscious (mind) and somatic (body) reprogramming, empowering your employees to collectively process barriers that may be impacting their professional and personal lives. Through science-backed, trauma-informed practices, we create a supportive environment where employees can:
+ feel confident in their ability to perform & excel in their role
+ feel worthy of growing within the company
+ feel valued enough to contribute to their team meetings
+ feel safe to be expressed in their authentic self
+ feel a sense of belonging and purpose
+ feel happy & appreciated at work, increasing satisfaction & loyalty
+ enhance interpersonal relationships
+ improve conflict resolution & healthy communication
This work creates a ripple effect: stronger well-being and belonging for your employees, and stronger engagement, retention and leadership development for your organization.
We prioritize creating a safe, respectful and compassionate space to expand into personal power. We hold the space for each individual to feel seen, heard, validated, understood, and cared for.
We combine science-backed techniques with traditional Indigenous wisdom rooted in the Sacred Teachings, creating a holistic approach to transformation.
** Please note, this is not a replacement for but rather complementary to traditional therapy modalities, grief counselling, Elder support, and cultural practices. This is designed to enhance & advance any and all existing Truth & Reconciliation initiatives.
In 2024, Indigenous Peoples held just 0.5% of senior management roles at Canada's federal distributing corporations; this statistic is a call for change.
The Empowerment Series
A tailored 3-part experience that helps your organization attract, retain and elevate Indigenous talent. Highly interactive and shaped by your group's feedback, this series builds confidence, belonging and intent to stay.
Session length, format, frequency and content are fully customizable to meet your needs. Pre- and post-session evaluations are available to help you track impact.
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Part 1
Identity & Self-Confidence
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Overcome imposter syndrome by reconnecting to true self, honouring strengths, needs and unique lived experiences
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Build self-esteem and confidence to contribute authentically in professional settings
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Strengthen self-trust to navigate challenges and opportunities with resilience
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Empower teams to step into their full potential; feel safe to be seen and feel good enough
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Part 2
Somatic Healing + Nervous System Regulation
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Understand what's really going on in your system when you get overwhelmed, activated or triggered
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Understand the impact of stress and burnout and how to navigate it
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Learn to regulate your nervous system through somatic (body-based) healing
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Create your custom toolkit of science-backed, trauma-informed practices
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Part 3
Lateral Kindness + Communication
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Encourage lateral kindness to improve relationships and foster teamwork
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Strengthen communication skills that build trust and respect
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Learn tools for setting healthy boundaries; restore sovereignty
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Enhance conflict resolution through conscious dialogue
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Foster an environment where every voice is valued and heard
additional options
beyond the Empowerment Series, we also offer:
01 ON-GOING PARTNERSHIP
🪶 This monthly retainer brings together the Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program and Two-Eyed Leadership™ Training, so Indigenous employees are supported and their leaders grow the capacity to support them well. Each partnership is shaped around your priorities, and we take on a small number each year.
02 WORKSHOPS & RETREATS
🪶 Custom virtual or in-person sessions for your team, employee network or next retreat, on topics such as lateral kindness, confidence, burnout prevention and breaking generational cycles.
03 MENTORSHIP
🪶 Tailored 1:1 mentorship for Indigenous executives and leaders, supporting personal and professional growth. Available on its own or embedded within an Ongoing Partnership. We recommend a minimum of 2 months per person.
04 CONSULTING
🪶 We work alongside your team to fill gaps in your existing initiatives for employee empowerment and Indigenous success.
05 KEYNOTES
🪶 Rachael speaks from lived experience: the road home to her Anishinaabe roots, her personal journey of Rock Bottom to Rebirth, what it takes to break cycles against the odds. Her keynotes are honest, embodied and practical, and audiences leave with tools they can use on their own.
CLIENT FEEDBACK
On behalf of Dexterra Group, I want to express our sincere appreciation for the Employee Empowerment Series you led. Your sessions were incredibly insightful and resonated with so many of our team members! You have a unique ability of connecting with your audience and have left a lasting, positive impression on our teams when we all need it most.
- Senior Director, Dexterra Group
Chi Miigwetch Rachael for pouring so much heart, intention, and expertise into your workshops. We’re grateful for your partnership and for the lasting tools you’ve given our teams. THIS is how real change begins, and we’re honoured to have been part of it with you.
- Senior Director, Indigenous Relations, national services company
Thank you Rachael for sharing your experiences with us. In these times of so much change, finding ways to find peace within is invaluable. I left your session feeling whole. Thank you for spending time with us. We look forward to seeing you again at MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Partnership).
- Senior Director, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, MLSE
The Framework
rooted in neuroscience, nervous system science, and Indigenous ways of knowing
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Safety comes first. A regulated nervous system lets people think clearly, communicate well, and feel safe enough to contribute.
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We regulate in relationship. When leaders practice co-regulation through presence, listening, and validation, teams move from stress into trust.
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Most barriers live beneath awareness. Imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and fear of judgement are often learned survival patterns, sometimes carried through generations. Lasting change works at that level, not just through mindset.
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Bridging Two Worlds. Science-backed, trauma-informed tools, held within an Indigenous lens and worldview.
Meet Rachael
Meet Your Indigenous Leadership Consultant
Rachael Hunt is a member of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation and the Founder & CEO of Freedom School Co. Her Spirit Name is Waasay Binayshie, which translates from Anishinaabemowin as Shining Thunderbird. She is an Indigenous Leadership Consultant, specializing in helping organizations retain, empower, and elevate Indigenous talent. As the creator of the award-winning Freedom Method™️ and host of The Cycle Breakers Podcast, Rachael is leading conversations on Indigenous success, prosperity, and generational healing in both corporate and entrepreneurial spaces.
She works with companies to break systemic barriers, increase Indigenous representation in leadership, and foster workplace environments where Indigenous employees thrive. As a certified Master NLP Practitioner, Rachael specializes in subconscious reprogramming, Timeline Techniques, EFT, Hypnosis, Somatic Therapy, Holy Fire® Reiki, and Success Coaching.
Who We've Supported
Past & Present Clients
HOW TO GET STARTED
Every organization is different, so we start with a conversation. Request a proposal using the form below, and we’ll get on a call to talk through what you’re looking for. From there, we’ll tailor a proposal to your goals, timeline and capacity.