Thank you so much Dee for sharing your career story with us, and the story of your pivots. I absolutely love getting to have these inspiring career chats with my truly fabulous mystery guests.

Here’s what I learned - after growing up in North Bay, Ontario, Dee moved into a career in the culinary arts as a sous-chef – there were challenging hours, split shifts, not what they wanted to do for the rest of their life and a result decided to go to university.

But to get the credits needed to apply to university Dee had to go back to high school at the age of 24. Pivoted back onto the path of academics, what Dee always thought was the right path for them.

Like many young people (or quite frankly people of any age), Dee was unfocused, thinking of a lot of different options, but their experience in high school reminded them of how much they loved academics. Dee considered pursuing career in law, and after their mother passed away, decided to move to Algonquin territory (Ottawa, Ontario), driven to discover the why – colonialism, residential schools, the reserve system.

A healing journey guided Dee to Algonquin territory, made they made the decision to join the government and quickly succeeded in this goal.

Their storytelling abilities provided Dee the opportunity to get into the government and they have always focused on working through and for the lens of indigenous rights.

Dee thought they were going to end up in Toronto – from North Bay people usually went to the GTA – through experience in the federal public service Dee gained knowledge about the perspective of the crown but having lived life as an Indigenous person.

We had a discussion of colonialism, power and control, truth telling, people first, not process and policy.

Dee's pivot was to be less judgmental, more discerning. To start operating from their heart, not just from logic.

A pivot does not have be a concrete movement – for instance changing one’s job or moving to another country. Sometimes the biggest changes in our lives can come from making an attitudinal shift or pivot.

Grandmother Barbara – shared that you need to take the fear out of your heart – it was not meant to be there, and Dee shared some words to live by – "there’s always more" – and integrity is not something that should be bought or sold.

Dee has become part of my story, and I have become part of Dee’s story –

From my heart to yours

Chi migwetch. <3

And a big thank you also to you for hanging out with us on the playground today! Get ready for next week’s mystery guest – and another very cool career chat.

Please remember to connect with me on Instagram at puddlejumpcoaching001 and visit Pet Save Sudbury to learn more about that amazing rescue organization.

Until next week, please be good to yourself, to others, to animals and the environment. Here’s to living without fear and with integrity.

Thank you for being a part of my story…from my heart to yours.

I am really looking forward to jumping into the future together.

Links:

Dylan (Dee) Jenkins | LinkedIn

Indigenous Services Canada - Canada.ca

City of North Bay

Petsave (petsavesudbury.com)