Kimber is an enrolled member of the Chiricahua Apache Mimbres Band Nation with Cayuga and European ancestors, and is the Founder, CEO & Principal Consultant of Juniper & Pine Consulting LLC.

Dr. Olson designs and delivers culturally grounded, healing-centered trainings for Tribal Nations, with emphasis on Indigenous regulation, trauma-responsive systems, and stewardship-based leadership. Her work bridges Indigenous knowledge systems, neuroscience, and community practice to strengthen family wellbeing, staff wellness, and social service ecosystems.

Olson is an Indigenous Partnerships and Health Systems expert, with over thirty years of experience partnering to advance the health and well-being of 250+ North American Indigenous and Alaska Native communities, providing training and technical assistance in the areas of early childhood education, Tribal vocational rehabilitation, behavioral health, and systems building. She wrote her doctoral dissertation, a PhD in Psychology, focusing on Grief Counseling and emphasizing Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Healing, to explore how contemporary healing methods have origins in and connections with Indigenous knowledge systems. Inviting the Sacred Wound into Circle: Re-Storying an Indigenous Mind-Body Medicine Framework for Healing is based on Kimber’s passion for service-driven work in Indigenous communities.

Kimber knows from deep personal experience that western science is a good start. Still, it is flawed in its inability to incorporate Spirit, to see beyond the known world, or to integrate cultural aspects of Native science and medicine into the healing process. “pinu’u echicasay…I am all my relations” is her foundational healing belief. yenáda'ilzih… that's how we are healed.

You can learn more about Kimber here, here, and here or read her journal articles Braiding Neuroscience, Decolonization, and Mental Wellness and Pathway to Hope: An Indigenous Approach to Healing Child Sexual Abuse or order the book she co-authored here: The Thursday Group.

For $20 you can support The Community Resilience Initiative (CRI) and get a taste of how Kimber presents by watching the 90-minute presentation,Sgę:nǫ: senohdǫnyǫh: Re-storying an Indigenous Mind-Body Medicine Framework for Community Healing.

Bitahnii is a ceremonialist Elder, Traditional Dine'h / Navajo Baha'i from the remote community of Pine Springs on the Navajo Nation in Arizona. Wayne belongs to his mother’s Bitahnii (Folded Arms Clan) and is born of his father’s Toh ahee dliinii (the Two Waters that Flow Together Clan). Wayne also belongs to his maternal grandparents’ Toh di'chiinii (Bitter Water Clan) and his paternal grandparents’ Tsi'najinii (Black Streak Running on the Tree Clan).

Bitahnii is a boarding school survivor who works to help others heal from their historical and intergenerational pain. He serves as a Pow Wow dancer, artist, author, keeper of herbal medicine knowledge, and sweat lodge practitioner. He is certified in the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association's AcuDetox five-point acupuncture training. Bitahnii works regularly at the intersection of addiction, intergenerational trauma, and holistic healing, including substantial work with Elders and men.

Bitahnii organized and collaborated with other groups to form the K’eh Native Action, providing basic needs and emergency services, clean drinking water, food, and firewood to Elders. He facilitates contemplative medicine, sacred movement, and wellbriety events. Bittahnii describes the work that he does as “Hozhogo Nintsahakees Doo Hozhoo Bei Nihistis bei iina nihi Azee! (Beautiful Thinking and Beautiful Body movements medicine!")”

You can learn more about Bitahnii here, here, and here.

With over 20 years of experience in the vocational rehabilitation world, Wayne Dagel's career is marked by his dedication and unique perspective as a first-generation descendant of the Romsa family of the Blackfeet Tribe. His journey began in 1996 as a client of vocational rehabilitation after a motor vehicle accident resulted in a spinal cord injury. This experience provides him with a deep, personal understanding of the field.

Mr. Dagel has held numerous leadership and counseling roles throughout his career. He served as a vocational rehabilitation (VR)counselor for the State of Montana for eight years and as an AIVRS project director for the Northern Cheyenne Chief Dull Knife College VR program. Currently, he is the director of the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Training and Technical Assistance Center (AIVRTTAC) project at Northern Arizona University. His extensive knowledge of State and AIVRS systems allows him to network with multiple state VR agencies, federal RSA staff, and AIVRS projects to provide resources to meet varied needs. He has also developed, managed, and implemented many disability and employment-focused programs.

As the owner of Perspectives Counseling & Consulting, Mr. Dagel provides individual, family, group, and equine-assisted therapy. He works with a diverse caseload of youth and adults, predominantly American Indian. He approaches his therapy from the lens of a Blackfeet man with a bi-racial background, utilizing his experiential knowledge of trauma, emotional abuse, and generational historical trauma.

Another key area of his work is providing specialized training for indigenous communities. His training focuses on identifying the levels and types of trauma found in American Indian populations. He discusses the impact trauma has on the brain and presents methodologies for treatment. The training also explores the connection between substance use and generational historical trauma, concluding with a discussion on how to use the Seven Sacred Teachings in the recovery process. Mr. Dagel supports clients in developing a sense of self, building positive self-value, and engaging in a healthy lifestyle to continue their journey of managing trauma and addiction characteristics.

Erin D. Dixon is an enrolled Tribal member of the Nabahé Diné Tribe, also known as the Navajo Nation. She is a Kinlichii'nii clan member, born to the Tachii'nii clan, and currently resides in Shiprock, NM, on the Northern Navajo Nation.

Erin lives her work and life through the lens of universal kinship for all beings seen and unseen.

She is the founder of Shining Stone Wellness, LLC, specializing in the integration of a spectrum of mind-body practices to aid in the holistic wellbeing of her client relatives through a lived experience of culture, connection and authenticity.

Erin holds multifaceted knowledge and certifications in perinatal education through the Ninde Doula Program and Mind-Body medicine skills facilitation through The Center for Mind Body Medicine.

Dr. C. Allison Baez, PhD, is an Indigenous educator and researcher. She is a member of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan (Mission Indian) from Yanaguana in South Texas (Land of the Spirit Waters) and is of European descent. Dr. Baez has shared her expertise with K-12, higher education, and behavioral health settings for over 25 years.

Dr. Baez’s research focuses on Native populations that implement best practices within their cultural lens. She believes it is her responsibility to learn from and serve Indigenous communities. Her cross-cultural work has allowed her to learn firsthand from Indigenous relatives who are the Māori of New Zealand and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders of Australia. With these experiences, her services strengthen and empower American Indian and Alaska Native individuals, families, and communities.

Today, Dr. Baez continues to serve Indigenous populations while sharing, collaborating, and educating on culturally responsive approaches and methodologies. Her publications as a researcher focus on the healing of Indigenous communities, implementing practice-based evidence rooted in traditional ways of knowing, being, and doing. She received her doctorate from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX.

Whanga atepika Yaari. Nengyughpama atiqegkaqanga ateghmineng. Ramkeka Aymaramka, amaalleqa Sanighmelnguq.

Yaari Walker’s real name is Yaari, a name passed to her by her great-grandmother Yaari. Her clan is Aymaramka and her subclan is Sanighmelnguq. She is originally from the village of Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. She is the wife of Marq Walker of High Point, North Carolina, and is a mother and a grandmother.

Yaari Walker is a traditional healer who comes from a long line of healers and is deeply committed to serving and educating people through culturally grounded healing. She believes that Indigenous cultures themselves are healing and that Indigenous languages carry teachings about resiliency, spirituality, personal growth, relationships, and connection with all surroundings, including Kiyaghneq, the Creator.

Her teachings are rooted in the understanding that everything is alive and carries spirit. Water, as a life-giving and conscious source, holds particular importance in her worldview. Because of this, Yaari emphasizes the responsibility humans carry in their words, recognizing that words have the power to heal or to harm.

Professionally, Yaari brings decades of experience in cultural education, youth development, advocacy, and community healing. She served for many years at the Alaska Native Heritage Center as a Cultural Programs Coordinator, Instructor, and Tribal Healer, where she taught traditional stories, dances, arts, subsistence practices, and facilitated cultural awareness workshops for communities, agencies, and organizations. Her background also includes work as a youth development specialist, domestic violence advocate, and community leader in rural Alaska. She is the author of Aatak Ayguumun Angwaaghnaqi:Keep Paddling Against the Wind, and sells made-in-Alaska organic lip balms and traditional salves and teaches about Alaska Native cultures at www.riiglluk.com.

Yaari Walker is dedicated to decolonizing systems that serve Indigenous people by restoring ancestral methods that support balance of mind, body, and spirit. She continues to serve as a cultural educator and healer, offering Indigenous knowledge and history as a path toward collective healing.

Description goes Derrick Gonzales Moreno is an Indigenous artist, illustrator, and graphic recorder based in Arizona. He is Tohono O’odham, Pascua Yaqui, and Piipaash, and brings a deeply relational, land-connected perspective to his creative work. Derrick is currently attending Tohono O’odham Community College, where he is working toward an Associate degree in Science and Life Science, intentionally weaving together art, science, and Indigenous ways of knowing.

Derrick’s work centers on translating complex conversations into visual stories that are accessible across ages, learning styles, and cultural contexts. Through illustration, infographics, and live graphic recording, he helps communities see their ideas, experiences, and collective wisdom reflected back to them in ways that are affirming, empowering, and memorable. His artwork consistently emphasizes the interconnection between people, land, plants, animals, and the natural world, highlighting the relationships that sustain life and resilience.

His graphic recording work has been recognized nationally, including being highlighted by First Nations Development Institute for visually capturing reflections during the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship gathering. Derrick is also connected with Indigenous Resilience Center initiatives and Native climate and resilience projects, where his visual storytelling supports education, healing, and systems change.

Derrick is driven by a desire to encourage growth, inspire collaboration, and foster understanding. His images are youthful, vibrant, and strength-based, reflecting his belief that every challenge carries an opportunity for learning and transformation. He approaches his work with gratitude, humility, and a commitment to collective futures grounded in respect and reciprocity. He is appreciative of every challenge, and opportunity. He wants to thank everyone and everything and wants everyone to tap into their skills to create new strengths and collaborations for a better future.

You can see Derrick’s work live on the news here

Why Graphic Note-Taking Matters in Indigenous Healing & Facilitated Spaces

Graphic notetaking, also known as graphic recording, is a powerful practice in Indigenous and healing-centered contexts because it honors multiple ways of knowing. Visual storytelling mirrors oral tradition, symbol-based teaching, and land-based learning that have long been central to Indigenous cultures. Rather than privileging only written or spoken language, graphic recording makes space for emotion, memory, metaphor, and relationship.

In facilitated trainings and healing spaces, graphic notetaking helps participants see their shared stories, insights, and strengths in real time. It supports nervous-system regulation by slowing conversations, increasing clarity, and creating a sense of collective coherence. For trauma-informed and healing-centered work, this visual witnessing reinforces safety, belonging, and meaning, transforming dialogue into something participants can carry forward, revisit, and build upon together.here