The Cycle Breakers Podcast

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

MINI TIPI is a Canadian brand that brings authentic Indigenous designs to life through woven blankets and accessories that carry stories and traditions. Co-founded in 2016 by Trisha Pitura, a member of Nipissing First Nation, and Melanie Bernard, from Quebec City of settler descent, MINI TIPI is shaped by their professional and personal experiences. Finding the void of authentically designed Indigenous textiles back when starting their business has led them to create what we know MINI TIPI as today; an industry leading lifestyle brand that creates authentic designs and collaborates with Indigenous artists to share knowledge and create high-quality products locally. 
In this episode, we discuss:
the origin story of MINI TIPI & how it got started
from "native-inspired" to designing authentic Indigenous textiles
what matters most in seeking a business partner
the strengths each woman brings to the brand
BTS of the Dragon's Den journey (what you don't see on TV)
advice to prepare your business for investors
how they gifted Martha Stewart a blanket
LINKS
MINI TIPI Website
MINI TIPI Facebook
MINI TIPI Instagram
Rachael's Website
Rachael's Instagram
Rachael's LinkedIn
The Freedom Method™️ Certification (enrolling for Winter 2026 Cohort)
Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders 
Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program

Angelo McHorse, known as the Cognitive Native online, is a tribal member of Red Willow People of Taos Pueblo. He is a husband, father of 3, entrepreneur, and everyone's favourite uncle. He is the co-founder of Bison Star Naturals, alongside his wife, Jacquelene. 
In this episode, we discuss:
perceiving "riches" beyond money
staying growth-minded while walking in two worlds
Uncle advice for adopting a "glass half full" outlook
overcoming victimhood through ancestral wisdom
developing mental fortitude to thrive
LINKS
Angelo's Instagram
Angelo's TikTok
Bison Star Naturals Website (use code COGNITIVENATIVE at checkout)
Rachael's Website
Rachael's Instagram
Rachael's LinkedIn
The Freedom Method™️ Certification
Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders 
Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program

Capacity building is everywhere right now - in corporate spaces, community work, leadership conversations, and funding rooms. But most of the time, it stops at skills, strategy, and external preparation. In this solo episode, Rachael Hunt explores what's often missing from the conversation: internal capacity building - the ability for the nervous system to actually hold more responsibility, leadership, visibility, and expansion without tipping into survival. This is a grounded, trauma-informed conversation about leadership, sustainability, and what it really takes to grow without sacrificing yourself in the process.
In this episode, Rachael unpacks:
Why burnout has become normalized, even among high performers

The difference between external and internal capacity

How nervous system regulation expands your ability to hold more leadership, success, and visibility

Why over-functioning and over-achievement are often trauma responses, not personality traits

How somatic work and subconscious reprogramming create sustainable, embodied growth

 
LINKS
Rachael's Website
Rachael's Instagram
Rachael's LinkedIn
The Cycle Breakers YouTube
The Freedom Method™️ Certification (Winter 2026 Cohort starts January 28th)
Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders 
Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program

This is the first solo episode back for Season 2. Today's conversation is rooted in Two-Eyed Seeing - the ability to hold Indigenous worldview (the medicine) and modern science (neuroscience) at the same time, without one overriding the other. This episode explores how Indigenous women can remain rooted in culture and values while navigating modern systems, and how the Freedom Method™ bridges these two worlds in a liberating, empowering way.
In this episode, Rachael discusses:
the gift of not belonging in western systems
the origins of Two-Eyed Seeing 
how The Freedom Method™️ disrupts western norms in a good way
using neuroscience as a tool to undo what colonization did to the nervous system
intersecting modern tools with Indigenous wisdom is the movement
LINKS
Rachael's Website
Rachael's Instagram
Rachael's LinkedIn
The Cycle Breakers YouTube
The Freedom Method™️ Certification (Winter 2026 cohort start Jan 28th)
Private Mentorship for Indigenous Leaders 
Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program