Lisa Raven
Executive Director & Indigenous Trainer
Hollow Water First Nation, MB
I am from Hollow Water First Nation and attended Marieval Indian Residential School (SK) for one year.
I first took the Returning to Spirit workshops in 2005 and found it to be a life-altering experience. It broke through in a way that years of therapy and counselling had not. I became a Returning to Spirit trainer in 2007 to make a difference with others, in the same way that the trainers had made a difference for me. I am deeply honoured and inspired by the courage and grace of people willing to move forward from what has been keeping them stuck in life.
I believe that we were put on this earth to operate from our greatness, regardless of race, creed or background, as humans we limit ourselves in so many ways. This process helps to clarify the WHY and the HOW.
Taking the time to attend this four-day process is a gift to yourself.
Bohdina Cook has lived in Seymourville, MB for most of her life and identifies as treaty from Hollow Water First Nation.
At 19, she took her first RTS workshop, which ignited a sense of purpose within her, leading her to participate in more workshops and eventually become a youth trainer—an experience she describes as both amazing and a privilege as the youngest trainer.
Over the past decade, Bohdina has grown into her role as a mother to two beautiful boys and explored various career paths, including courses toward an education degree, which she ultimately decided against. She has worked in diverse fields, from construction to wellness, but her focus is now on becoming her best self and making a career out of helping others. Bohdina believes that this opportunity with RTS will allow her to fulfill her passion for supporting others on their journeys.
Bohdina Cook
Indigenous Trainer
Hollow Water First Nation, MB
Constance Manitowabi
Indigenous Trainer
Ontario
Constance Manitowabi introduces herself with warmth, beginning in a traditional manner that reflects her deep connection to her heritage.
She is a proud mother of a blended family, including four children and three biological ones, and holds many roles in her community: Kokimis (grandma), auntie, sister, daughter, cousin, and friend.
Growing up in Wikwemikong and Mchigiing First Nations, she carries the weight of her parents' experiences in residential schools, which has shaped her understanding of intergenerational trauma and the healing process. As an Anishnaabemowin language learner, she embraces her roots, overcoming the shame of not knowing her language despite the fluency surrounding her. Constance's journey has been filled with challenges, particularly while raising her family off-reserve, but she has followed her heart toward ceremony and healing.
Today, she is grateful for her diverse accomplishments in fields like accounting, social work, and community development, and she is honored to work with Returning to Spirit as a facilitator, aiming to foster healing and wellness within her community.
Diedre Gregory
Indigenous Trainer
Brandon, MB
Deidre Gregory is a proud Anishinaabe Ikwe with roots in Ebb & Flow and Duck Bay, MB. As a mother, daughter, sister, Koko, and friend, she cherishes her family, which includes three adult children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Working as the Indigenous Student Transition Coordinator at Brandon University, she is dedicated to supporting Indigenous students.
After discovering Returning to Spirit (RTS) in June 2022, she organized a workshop for her students, which led to a powerful healing experience in May 2023. In June 2023, she participated in the 4-day Indigenous Roots of Reconciliation in Sechelt, BC, as a developing trainer.
Committed to facilitating more workshops for students and community members, Deidre aims to guide others on their healing journeys, inspired by her own transformative experience.
Ghislain Preteau
Indigenous Trainer
Hollow Water First Nation, MB
Ghislain Preteau has lived in Hollow Water First Nation for the past 23 years. As a Métis man deeply rooted in Catholic faith and Anishinaabe culture, he feels a strong connection to his heritage.
His journey with Returning to Spirit (RTS) began with the Roots workshop, and he has since participated in the seminar series and reconciliation workshops, now serving as a support and co-trainer.
Inspired by the healing that unfolds in these workshops, he values the positive impact on participants’ lives. With 20 years of RTS principles shaping his family dynamics, he emphasizes the importance of men engaging in healing processes. He believes that sharing their struggles is crucial for fostering strong, healthy communities.
Lyn-Marie Manitowabi
Indigenous Trainer
Sioux Lookout, ON
Lyn-Marie, originally from Manitoulin Island and a member of the Wikwemikong Unceded Reserve, carries the Anishinaabe name Bizaanedendam, meaning "she is serene."
Her journey with Returning to Spirit (RTS) began in 2012 when she sought workshops to support individuals navigating the challenges of modern Anishinaabe life. Through her experiences and learning from various sources, including elders and academics, Lyn-Marie developed a deep passion for compassionate understanding and self-exploration. Her work with student services and the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority has allowed her to witness the transformative power of RTS in fostering healing and peace.
With humility, Lyn-Marie has coordinated opportunities for many to engage with RTS, facilitating Foundational, Advancing, and Seminar series workshops. She is dedicated to nurturing the blossoming of healing and well-being for all participants in the RTS community.
Robyn Hall
Indigenous Trainer
Hollow Water First Nation, MB
Robyn Hall is an Anishinaabe woman from Hollow Water First Nation, Manitoba, known for her strong grassroots community connections. She is committed to promoting holistic health and wellness within First Nations communities, reflecting her deep passion for community empowerment.
As a parent and a Jordan's Principle Niigaan Abinoojii Case Manager, Robyn’s dedication to supporting children and families shines through in all her efforts. Her role as a trainer for Returning to Spirit allows her to facilitate reconciliation workshops, where she combines her knowledge of community issues with a generous and playful spirit. Robyn's engaging approach fosters a welcoming environment for dialogue and healing. Through her work, she continues to inspire and uplift her community, making a significant impact on those around her.
Rochelle Ledoux Molgat
Indigenous Trainer
Winnipeg, MB
Rochelle Ledoux Molgat grew up and currently lives in Winnipeg, MB. Her involvement in community support programs and Indigenous non-profits has been shaped by both her work and her personal healing journey.
Rochelle has participated in Returning to Spirit workshops multiple times, including the foundational workshop twice and progressing to the Advancing Reconciliation and Seminar Series workshops. These experiences have sparked her interest in becoming a trainer, as she recognizes the importance of effectively communicating the concept of reconciliation to others. She believes in the transformative power we all hold to shift ourselves, fostering greater freedom and openness, which she views as an invaluable tool. By becoming a trainer, Rochelle aims to continually practice and integrate the lessons she's learned through RTS, something she deeply values.
Ruth Kadlutsiak
Indigenous Trainer
Nunavut
Ruth Kadlutsiak is an Inuk woman from Igloolik, Nunavut, with five daughters, 18 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. For over 30 years, she has worked as a translator and aspires to translate workshop materials into Inuktitut and present them in her language one day.
Ruth first participated in the Empowerment workshop (now known as RTS) around 25 years ago in Iqaluit during her first year of sobriety, seeking to release the anger she carried from her experiences in residential school. This workshop became a crucial stepping stone in her healing journey, leading her to connect with Returning to Spirit and engage in various training workshops starting in 2003.
Over the years, she has organized and assisted in workshops, including one specifically for Residential School survivors in Chesterfield Inlet. Through this transformative process, Ruth has shed layers of anger and negativity, embracing a life filled with hope and positivity, and she is passionate about helping her people find the same freedom from their pasts.
Terry-Lynn Luggi
Indigenous Trainer
Prince George, BC
Terry-Lynn Luggi is a trainer based in Prince George, British Columbia, who discovered Returning to Spirit (RTS) in 2010 after receiving a fax about a workshop at her workplace. Initially apprehensive, she registered and found the experience transformative, particularly in understanding the concept of responsibility. Eager to deepen her involvement, she attended multiple RTS workshops and declared her intention to become a trainer, subsequently joining various teams to deliver the program.
Having attended Lejac Indian Residential School before its closure in 1976, she shared her story with the Truth & Reconciliation Commission in 2014. Terry-Lynn believes in the powerful potential of RTS to foster healing and connection between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, emphasizing that everyone has something valuable to contribute to this process. Her journey has allowed her to experience profound personal growth, forgiveness, and the ability to create peace in her community, which she views as part of a bright legacy that counteracts a dark past.
François Paradis
Knowledge Keeper & Non-Indigenous Trainer (French and English)
Winnipeg, MB
François Paradis is a Catholic priest and member of the Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate, ordained in July 1972, with a dedicated ministry to the Ojibway First Nations communities in Southern Manitoba. For 17 years, he served as a pastor in Sagkeeng and surrounding communities, followed by four years at Kateri Tekakwitha Aboriginal Parish in Winnipeg.
His journey in reconciliation has deeply influenced his pastoral work, particularly through interreligious dialogue that incorporates First Nations spirituality and ceremonies. In January 2007, he became a certified trainer for Returning to Spirit (RTS), where he focuses on promoting reconciliation and understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
François is committed to developing partnerships based on equality, recognizing the importance of shared experiences and respect. His ongoing development as a trainer continues to enhance his ability to facilitate meaningful conversations and healing within communities.
Brenda Arakaza
Indigenous Trainer
Winnipeg, MB
Brenda Arakaza, originally from Burundi, has lived, studied, and worked across three continents, enriching her perspective on community transformation. Her leadership as a Trainer in development at Returning to Spirit (RTS) is characterized by a joyful courage that brings people together for common goals.
With a background in microbiology and biochemistry, along with years of experience in pastoral ministry and youth movements, Brenda offers a unique insight into the reconciliation process. She began her journey with RTS in 2014, participating in workshops that deepened her understanding of Indigenous and non-Indigenous relationships. Since then, she has formed connections that have profoundly impacted her view of community engagement. Brenda is committed to fostering reconciliation, believing that aligning the Spirit of individuals with their communities can empower social actors to effect meaningful change.
Emily Arsenault
Non-Indigenous Trainer
shishalh Nation, BC
Emily Arsenault was born and raised in chat’lich (Sechelt, BC), on the territory of the shishalh peoples, where she began her journey of reconciliation as a child, learning from local knowledge keepers. Her work in decolonization and reconciliation is deeply rooted in gratitude for the teachings of the shishalh Nation.
Emily holds an Honours Bachelor of Science with High Distinction in Neuroscience and Mental Health, with a focus on trauma and healing through innovative pharmacological research. Recently, she has shifted towards a two-eyed seeing approach, blending Western and Indigenous knowledge to support Indigenous communities in their healing processes. As the Youth Wellness Coordinator for the shishalh Nation, she works with Indigenous youth across Canada.
After discovering Returning to Spirit (RTS) in January 2023, Emily found the workshops transformative, believing they provided significant healing that complemented her ongoing therapy, and she is eager to bring this work to her community.
Kriz Cruzado
Non-Indigenous Trainer
Winnipeg, MB
Kriz Cruzado was born and raised in Southern Philippines, a country of stunning natural beauty that grapples with social strife and political instability. Acknowledging her position within the lower social order, she experienced profound challenges that affected her spirit. In response to this adversity, she dedicated herself to serving grassroots communities as a community development worker and peacebuilder, leading efforts in Peace and Reconciliation.
Her understanding of reconciliation deepened when she participated in Returning to Spirit (RTS) workshops, which she describes as life-changing and transformative, helping her to mend the broken pieces of her past. Inspired by her own healing journey, Kriz became a trainer to guide others in experiencing similar transformations. She believes that everyone deserves to live fully in the present, and she is committed to helping those who feel stuck in their past find their way forward.
Monica Katchang
Non-Indigenous Trainer
Winnipeg, MB
Sr. Monica Katchang reflects on her journey as a young girl in Nigeria and now as a Religious Sister with the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus. Having arrived in Canada in 2016, she has engaged in various pastoral, social, and educational roles.
Her first Returning to Spirit (RTS) Foundational workshop in 2018 was a turning point, inspiring her as a Catholic missionary working in First Nation communities in northern Manitoba, where she has witnessed the lasting impacts of the Indian Residential School system. This experience has deepened her understanding of the RTS principle that "Reconciliation Begins with Me."
By stepping into the role of a trainer, she aims to share this message with others. She hopes to gain further knowledge, skills, and competence to serve as an instrument of reconciliation and healing for those she encounters.
Rachel Yordy
Non-Indigenous Trainer
Ontario
Rachel is a settler from the Haldimand Tract, a territory once inhabited by the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Neutral peoples. Raised in a loving Mennonite family, she has found spiritual fulfillment within the Quaker community and currently serves on the Canadian Friends Service Committee's Indigenous Rights team.
For over a decade, Rachel has worked alongside First Nations communities in British Columbia, focusing on education and community development. Her journey with Returning to Spirit has deepened her understanding of transformative learning for settlers, and she has actively shared RTS within the First Nations she serves, including Yekooche First Nation and shishalh Nation.
Recently, she relocated to the territory of the Robinson Huron Treaty, specifically to Nipissing First Nation's lands, where she now works for Nipissing University's Office of Indigenous Initiatives. After seven years of involvement with RTS, Rachel is eager to take the next steps toward becoming a trainer.