Well+Good TALKS: Native Women in Wellness: Ancestral Voices in Today’s World

Chelsey Luger | Co-founder, WELL FOR CULTURE

Chelsey Luger is a journalist, podcast host, trainer for the Native Wellness Institute, and cofounder and content editor of WELL FOR CULTURE, an Indigenous wellness initiative. Born and raised in North Dakota, she is from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes. She holds degrees from Dartmouth College and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and is now based in Phoenix.

Jessica Barudin | Indigenous Health Scholar

Jessica is Kwakwaka'wakw from the 'Namgis First Nation in Alert Bay, BC. She is a proud mother of two daughters, wife, Sundancer, Indigenous health advocate, doctoral student, and yoga teacher. Jessica received a Master’s in Applied Science in Physical Therapy from McGill University and an Undergraduate Degree in Human Kinetics from the University of British Columbia. Currently, Jessica is a doctoral student at Concordia University. Her research project aims to co-create a culturally-responsive, trauma-informed yoga program led by Kwakwaka’wakw womxn and girls. The focus is empowerment through movement, ceremony, women’s teachings, and language revitalization. She is passionate about teaching yoga to Indigenous womxn and youth and supporting them to feel connected and empowered in their bodies. Additionally, Jessica is a member of the Kwakwaka'wakw Doula Collective and works with the First Nations Health Authority as the Traditional Wellness Specialist for the Vancouver Island region. Jessica lives with her family on Namgis territory in Alert Bay, British Columbia.

Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Daniel is a citizen of Kul Wicasa Oyate (Lower Brule Sioux Tribe) as well as a passionate and devoted advocate for Indian Country and all people. Nationally known for her advocacy and grassroots organization for anti-pipelines/climate-justice efforts, change the name/not your mascot, the epidemic and crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW), and native youth initiatives. Her experience in grants and project management, policy, blogging, and organizing has been leveraged by both not-for-profit and for-profit organizations in the areas of environmental sustainability, access to quality healthcare, MMIW, the Violence Against Women Act, and a variety of other worthy causes.

Mariah Gladstone (Blackfeet, Cherokee) is the founder of Indigikitchen, an online platform dedicated to revitalizing Indigenous foods. Focused on making ancestral knowledge accessible, Indigikitchen works on digitally connecting users with the tools they need to improve wellness.

Ashleigh Thompson (she/hers) is a member of the Red Lake Ojibwe Nation and a PhD Candidate in anthropology at the University of Arizona. She is passionate about all things Indigenous, especially food sovereignty, cultural revitalization, and education. Ashleigh believes being outside is paramount to healing and happiness, which she promotes through her writing and work as a sponsored athlete for Ultimate Direction and La Sportiva. She has given many presentations about Indigenous archaeology, recreating respectfully on Native lands, and creating outdoor spaces that are welcoming to everyone. Find Ashleigh trail running among ancient saguaros with her dog, Benson, or hanging off a rope on Mount Lemmon granite in Tucson, Arizona.