Rebecca loves to find ways to combine her background in occupational therapy with her life as a visual and biomedical artist. She has instructed hundreds of students in schools and many adult classes, with the goal of always helping others find their inner artistic expression. Through this workshop, Rebecca seeks to share a creative way she worked through her own pregnancy loss with others who wish to do the same.

Paige is a biomedical visualization specialist at the HIVE, curating online educational materials for UBC’s medical and health professional programs. As an instructor in the UBC BMVC program, she empowers students to communicate complex health topics. Paige is a graphic medicine enthusiast who believes in using visuals to process and share stories for the benefit of the community. Her journey includes kinesiology, an Art Fundamentals certificate from Sheridan College, and creating patient education materials at McGill University Health Centre. She holds a Master’s in Biomedical Visualization and is the creator of AcesMadeVisible, educating healthcare professionals on childhood trauma’s physiological impact.

Kirsten is a biomedical visual communicator passionate about storytelling. Her experiences collaborating with health communities in the non-profit sector highlighted how important it is to build safer spaces to share stories. Inspired by her collaborators to engage with her own journey navigating pregnancy loss in community, Kirsten looks forward to supporting you to explore your important story through this workshop in a shared time and space.

Chelle (she/her/hers) is a seasoned facilitator with 20+ years of experience supporting individuals, families, and couples in peer support, community engagement, and private practice. Volunteering with PILSC for two years, she offers post-abortion peer mentoring and group facilitation, drawing from her own journey of healing after a traumatic abortion. As the director of a Calgary women’s shelter where she has worked for 16+ years, Chelle focuses on empowerment and resilience, emphasizing the transformative power of peer-to-peer relationships. A solo mother of three, she brings humility, honesty, and gratitude to her roles both personally and professionally.

Steven (he/him/his) is a 34 year old father of two who has spent the last ten years in theatre and film and now is on a journey to practice Counselling and Social Work. ⁠ He feels drawn to helping those at the Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Centre as he and his wife lost their daughter in early 2020 and the support provided to them was incredible. ⁠ ⁠ He hopes to support others in the same way and show people they are not alone in these woods. Steven looks forward to speaking to you all.

Janis Isaman is a Trauma Sensitive Movement Specialist focused on providing customized, personalized body-focused services to clients. She is a leader in approaching mental health and wellness from a body-first lens. Her trauma credentials include the Compassionate Inquiry® psychotherapy approach developed by Gabor Mate, Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), Somatic Experiencing® International developed by Peter Levine and Trauma Research Foundations Traumatic Stress Certificate Program with Bessel van der Kolk.

She also leads professional teacher training to help other movement professionals gain certifications and to help studios add new modalities to their programming. In her personal life, she is a mother and passionate community volunteer with the Calgary Stampede, 17th Avenue Business District, Heritage Park and Kids Up Front. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Alberta.