The Dusty Gravel Road That Brought Me Here
If you had met me as a kid growing up in Central Alberta, you would’ve found me covered in mud with worms in my pockets, caterpillars in mason jars, somewhere between a horse trailer and a barn, convinced I was either going to become a veterinarian or a jockey.
Honestly, both still sound appealing. I even started drinking coffee when I was 8 to try to stunt my growth so I could be a jockey at the Kentucky Derby (spoiler alert-it didn’t work, I’m 5’8”).
I grew up surrounded by horses, rodeo culture, hard-working people, and the kind of rural upbringing that teaches you a few very important things:
You show up when people need help. In a small community, you don't wait to be asked. When a neighbor is in a bind, you get your boots on and go.
Dig in and get it done, and don’t complain unless a bone is sticking out (like right out).
Find the good in every day, practice gratitude, and remember that life can change in a heartbeat.
My childhood was rooted in family, community, and agriculture, where weekends revolved around chuckwagon races, 4H horse shows, early morning barn cleanings, and learning responsibility long before it was trendy to call it “character building”. None of this was in a romantic “Heartland” kind of way, it was where I learned the value of hard work and sometimes it sucked!
There’s something about growing up around horses that shapes you. They teach you patience, intuition, resilience, and humility. Mostly humility. Horses have a remarkable ability to remind you you’re not nearly as in control as you think you are.
And honestly? Healthcare is surprisingly similar.
Some of my earliest dreams involved becoming a veterinarian because I loved animals so much. I was the kid rescuing worms from puddles, bottle-feeding calves in the kitchen, and generally believing all creatures deserved care and compassion.
Somewhere along the way, though, life started redirecting me toward people (well, actually the week before 1st year University when I impulsively switched to Nursing from Pre-Vet Science).
Like many people who go into healthcare, I experienced childhood moments where I saw vulnerability up close. I witnessed how profoundly illness, trauma, grief, and uncertainty can affect individuals and families. I saw the difference compassion makes when people are at their lowest. And I realized healthcare isn’t only about treating disease, it’s about helping people feel seen, safe, and supported during some of the hardest moments of their lives.
Carrying those childhood memories with me, I found myself naturally drawn toward Cardiovascular medicine and Neurology. Witnessing those events as a young girl left me feeling entirely helpless; pursuing these fields became my way of turning that vulnerability into a source of strength and understanding.
So eventually, I packed up my small-town Alberta life and moved to Calgary for university, following in the footsteps of my older, wiser sister, who had already paved the way and made the idea feel possible.
Moving to Calgary felt huge at the time. I could not wait to leave rural living behind for the Big City Life!
University expanded my world. It challenged me academically, personally, and professionally. It introduced me to people from different backgrounds and perspectives, and it deepened my understanding of how much healthcare access, advocacy, and education truly matter.
What started as a dream to help animals evolved into a calling to help people, which has evolved into a growing passion to help women who are too often expected to “just cope” quietly.
Over the last two decades as a Registered Nurse, I’ve worked in surgical care, vascular access, women’s health, outpatient clinics, private clinics, and now as a Nurse Practitioner preparing for the next chapter of this journey.
And through all of it, I still carry pieces of where I came from with me every day.
The work ethic from my family.
The resilience from rural life.
The compassion learned in barns, arenas, hospitals, and clinics.
The understanding that community matters.
The belief that people deserve dignity and care no matter where they come from.
Women in Momentum was built from those roots.
Because MOMENTUM doesn’t appear overnight.
It’s built over years, through heartbreak, growth, hard work, courage, failure, healing, and stubborn determination (Hello- I am a Sagittarius).
Sometimes it starts in a small town.
Sometimes it starts beside a horse trailer.
Sometimes it starts with a young girl who thought she’d become a vet.
And sometimes life quietly leads you exactly where you were meant to go.
Thank you for following along- J