Melissa is the founder of Walking Together Collective, a creative space rooted in community, culture, and shared healing.

She is a Métis, Cree, and Swedish woman living in the Fraser Valley, where she has spent years supporting others through mental health and community-based work. Her experience in recovery homes and Indigenous-led programs shaped her understanding of how deeply intergenerational trauma impacts individuals, families, and communities — and how essential connection and creativity are paramount in the healing process.

After stepping back from emotionally heavy frontline roles, Melissa returned to the practices that had always grounded her: beading, crafting, making things with her hands, and creating spaces where people feel safe, welcomed, and seen. What began as a personal reconnection to creativity grew into a vision for something larger — a place where people could gather, learn, and heal together through art.

Walking Together Collective reflects Melissa’s belief that creativity is a powerful form of community medicine. Her workshops are gentle, inclusive, and relationship-centered, offering people a chance to slow down, make something meaningful, and experience the kind of connection that supports healing across generations.

Through her handmade goods and workshops, Melissa continues to walk her own path of cultural reconnection while inviting others to walk alongside her. She brings warmth, humility, and a deep respect for community into everything she creates.