The Cycle Breakers Podcast

In her first attempt to attain public office in 2009, Kahsennénhawe Sky-Deer was elected to the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke. She served for fifteen consecutive years, culminating with her election as Grand Chief in 2021. She is CEO and President of Sky-Deer Consulting; Vice President at Dable Advisory and Consulting Services and Vice President at Panorama Real Estate Services. She is also the Co-Chair of the Northeast Grid Planning Forum, sits on the President's Advisory at Concordia University, and is a water protector of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River on the Biinaagami Circle. Kahsennenhawe is a proud member of (and advocate for) the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
In this episode, we discuss: 
what leaving community at 20 taught her about resilience
the courage to be authentic & come out as Two-Spirited 
making history as the first 2SLGBTQ+ woman elected as Grand Chief
becoming a great leader in community
trusting the path forward when doors are closing
an outlook on creating wealth for our peoples
 
LINKS
Kahs's LinkedIn
Rachael's Website
Rachael's Instagram
Rachael's LinkedIn
The Freedom Method™️ Certification (Winter 2026 cohort enrolling)
Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders 
Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program

In this episode, I sit down with Bob Joseph, President & CEO of Indigenous Corporate Training Inc., who has been educating organizations on Indigenous relations since 1994. He is the author of 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act and 21 Things You Need to Know about Indigenous Self-Government, and brings both lived experience and generational leadership to this work. An initiated member of the Hamatsa Society, Bob holds a chief's seat in the Gayaxala (Thunderbird) clan of the Gwawa'enuxw Nation, part of the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples. His chief name, K'axwsumala'galis - "whale who emerges and presents itself to the world" - reflects the depth and visibility of the leadership he carries.
Together, we explore what it means to move beyond dependency on the Indian Act and toward self-governance and why this moment in history calls for a different level of responsibility, education, and action.
In this episode we explore,
Reclaiming the potlatch ceremony
Understanding free, prior & informed consent
An approach to training that creates behavioural change 
Breaking the cycle of dependency on the Indian Act
The evolution of Indigenous Relations since the 90's
Moving toward self-government

LINKS
Bob's Website
Bob's Instagram
Bob's Books
Bob's LinkedIn 
Rachael's Website
Rachael's Instagram
Rachael's LinkedIn
The Cycle Breakers YouTube
Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program

In this conversation, Rachael is joined by Robin Wall Kimmerer - writer, scientist, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation - to explore what Indigenous teachings offer us in a time shaped by overconsumption, disconnection, and ecological crisis.
Drawing from her work in Braiding Sweetgrass & The Serviceberry, Robin reflects on reciprocity as a way of life, the consequences of living in a market economy, and what happens when consumption replaces connection. Together, they examine how the Anishinaabe tale of Windigo is not relic of the past, but mirrors the systems shaping our present reality.
This episode is an invitation to rethink abundance, materiality, and belonging, and to consider what it truly means to live in right relationship with the natural world, and with one another.

In this episode, we explore:
Recognizing the material gifts of the natural world

The difference between a market economy and a gift economy

How the tale of Windigo reflects modern systems of excess and extraction

What The Honourable Harvest teaches us about reciprocity & right relationship

What we need to understand about the Seventh Fire Prophecy


LINKS
Robin's Website
Plant Baby, Plant Website
Robin's Instagram
Plant Baby, Plant Instagram
Rachael's Website
Rachael's Instagram
Rachael's LinkedIn
The Cycle Breakers YouTube
The Freedom Method™️ Certification
Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders 
Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 
Podcast Studio: Jilani Place

Manifestation is everywhere, and a lot of it misses the point.
If you've done the visualizing, affirming, and "doing the work" but still feel stuck, this isn't a failure of mindset or discipline. It goes deep into the nervous system and subconscious mind.
In this episode, I break down manifestation through a trauma-informed, neuroscience-based lens, to address how complex and generational trauma can impact our ability to manifest the way we're taught in new age realms. We'll look at why survival patterns override our conscious efforts, and what actually creates the conditions for successful desire attainment & goal achievement.

In this episode, we explore:
How trauma reorganizes the system around survival instead of expansion

Why affirmations and visualization fail when the body doesn't feel safe

How generational and complex trauma shape what feels possible to receive

What actually creates the conditions for sustainable manifestation

 
Rachael's Website
Rachael's Instagram
Rachael's LinkedIn
The Cycle Breakers YouTube
The Freedom Method™️ Certification (Spring 2026 cohort starts in May)
Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders 
Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 
Podcast Studio: Jilani Place

In this episode of The Cycle Breakers Podcast, I'm joined by Jordin Tootoo - former NHL player, mental health advocate, and the first Inuk athlete to play in the league.
Jordin spent 13 seasons in the NHL, playing with the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, and Chicago Blackhawks, where he became known for his toughness, grit, and relentless presence on the ice. But beyond the game, his journey is one of resilience, healing, and redefining what strength truly means.
Growing up in Rankin Inlet, Jordin learned early lessons from the land - lessons that shaped his identity, discipline, and ability to endure long before professional hockey entered the picture.  He also shares why vulnerability is essential for Indigenous men, and how healing and sobriety didn't just change his life - they fundamentally changed how he showed up on the ice and beyond it.
This is an honest conversation about masculinity, healing, and breaking cycles - on and off the rink.
In this episode, we explore:
Lessons from the land growing up in Rankin Inlet

How failure can become a powerful motivator for growth

Why mental health doesn't disappear with success or status

The importance of positive encouragement in Indigenous communities

Why Indigenous men need space to embrace vulnerability

How healing and sobriety transformed Jordin's playing style and life


LINKS
Jordin's Instagram
Jordin's Website
Jordin's Book - All the Way: My Life on Ice
Jordin's Books - Mind Over Matter
Rachael's Website
Rachael's Instagram
Rachael's LinkedIn
The Cycle Breakers YouTube
The Freedom Method™️ Certification
Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders 
Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program 
Podcast Studio: Jilani Place