5 ways to notice colonial thinking in your own preparedness practice

Let me tell you a story about how this showd up for me.

I recently had the chance to chat with several professionals in the climate space - including being on a panel with some genuine climate titans: Lyndsy Poaps, Andrea Reimer, and Janelle Lepointe.

I was feeling out of my depth. These women work across so-called Canada and the world on climate policy, human rights, and government. And there I was, talking about care, community, and creativity - and letting a colonial value system tell me that what I had to offer wasn't as important.

Never mind that I had been invited in. Never mind that they clearly valued what I brought. Imposter syndrome is a lie designed to keep us in the margins - and it worked, because even when I was invited to the centre, I found ways to marginalize myself. That's how pervasive the colonial mindset is. Even in those of us who know better.

Here's the thing: relationships aren't less important than policy. Research shows again and again that both have to work together for real change to happen. Nature has been demonstrating this forever - reciprocity is what sustains life. I know this. And I still had to call my friends and mentors and work through it.

This isn't separate from emergency preparedness

The reason some communities are more vulnerable in a crisis isn't just about resources - it's about who gets believed, who gets helped first, and whose knowledge gets treated as valid. That's colonial thinking operating in real time. And the antidote starts with each of us doing our own work. Including me, apparently, on a Tuesday afternoon after a panel.

Which brings me to you

I've read the books, done the training, and I still need support integrating what I've learned. Maybe you're in a similar place - you've done the reading, you understand the frameworks, but putting it into practice is a different thing.

For the last five years I've been supporting people one-on-one in that exact work. If you want to leave a legacy you're proud of - one where you've genuinely chipped away at the colonial thinking you inherited - Equity Leadership Coaching might be the right next step.

Because Inclusive Community Preparedness starts with us — with understanding the colonial mindset that gets in the way of building the relationships and land-informed practice that community resilience actually requires.

5 ways to notice colonial thinking in your own preparedness practice

1. Check whose knowledge you trust. If your first instinct is to google it rather than ask your neighbours, elders, or community — that's worth noticing.

2. Notice if you're preparing alone. Individualism is a colonial value. Resilience is relational. Who are you building this with?

3. Look at whose needs your plan centres. A kit built only around your own household may be leaving out the people you'd actually turn to in a crisis.

4. Notice the shame. If you feel behind, underprepared, or like you're doing it wrong — ask where that standard came from and who it serves.

5. Ask what you already have. Colonial thinking tells us we need to buy our way to safety. Indigenous and community-based knowledge says we already hold more than we think.

Ways to Work With Me

🌿 Inclusive Community Preparedness Workshops are available for organizations and community groups. Learn more →

🌿 Equity Leadership Coaching For leaders navigating climate and social change and want to leave a legacy they're proud of. Learn more →

🌿 Sites of Transformation - Participatory Art workshops and activations supporting groups to find a model of change that fits them. Learn more →