About Jessica

Jessica is Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw, a member and elected leader of the ‘Namgis First Nation with ties to the Kwagu’ł and Hax̱wa’mis Nations on her mother’s side and Ashkenazi-Jewish on her father’s side. She is a proud mother of two daughters, wife, Sundancer, Indigenous health researcher, educator, yoga teacher, and community wellness practitioner. She has spent over a decade working professionally in Indigenous peoples’ health and education, including roles in community-based research, education, health promotion, Indigenous public health, and trauma healing.

Dr. Jessica Barudin is an Assistant Professor of Indigenous Community Planning in the School of Community and Regional Planning at University of British Columbia. She has a Doctorate in Applied Human Sciences from Concordia University, Master of Applied Science in Physical Therapy from McGill University, and an Undergraduate Degree in Human Kinetics from the University of British Columbia. She believes in a values-driven, relationship-centered approach to community planning. Jessica is especially interested in supporting community-led processes with Indigenous communities that center on language revitalization strategies and holistic approaches to wellness. As a mother, Kwak’wala language learner, and community wellness practitioner, she is dedicated to upholding traditional teachings and values while learning Kwak’wala alongside her two daughters in their home community of Alert Bay.

With a diverse track record of building and leading innovative programs, her research interestslie at the intersection of planning and Indigenous health, trauma theory and embodied practices, and restoring traditional knowledge systems across generations and cultures, as well as with our more-than-human relatives. Jessica’s is dedicated to the empowerment of women, who have historically and contemporarily been the backbone of community planning, language, wellness, and governance. She aims to explore how empowering these roles can promote positive shifts in land stewardship, cultural transmission, and the futurities of their respective Nations.

Researcher

Jessica is an Indigenous scholar who completed her PhD at Concordia University in the Individualized Program. She is a recipient of SSHRC Doctoral Award and the Quebec Indigenous Mentorship Network Doctoral Scholarship. Her research co-created a culturally-rooted, trauma-informed yoga program led by Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw women and two-spirit people. The focus is empowerment through movement, ceremony, women’s teachings, and language revitalization. Learn more about her doctoral research and publications.

Wellness facilitator

Jessica offers a unique approach to wellness and embodied practices by weaving together her Indigenous and Western science knowledge of health and healing. Jessica started her yoga practice at the age of 15 in Vancouver, BC. She began her Yoga teacher training in 2013 while completing her Masters in Physical Therapy. Read more about Jessica’s yoga journey and training background here. She continues to deepen her understanding of this comprehensive philosophical system through daily sadhana and committment to a spiritual path while integrating Indigenous science, teachings, and ceremonies as well as other modalities to support her communities and clients.

Women’s health practitioner

Jessica is a member of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw Full-Spectrum Doula Collective and trained with Miranda Kelly and Danette Jubinville of the Ekw’í7tl Doula Collective in 2019 in Fort Rupert, BC. She is passionate about women-centered care and supports whole-family wellness, promoting traditional parenting practices, language learning, and supporting healthy mothers and babies throughout their ceremony of birth. Jessica provides advocacy and program support with the FNHA Maternal Child Family wellness team, in partnership with knowledge keepers, midwives, First Nations doulas, and Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw communities. Jessica is passionate about women’s health across the lifespan and integrates therapeutic breathwork, movement, ceremony, and education in her work with individuals.