Working with my father at First Peoples Group is one of the greatest honours of my life. It’s also one of the most misunderstood.
In mainstream spaces, when people learn we work together, the word “nepotism” sometimes hovers in the background of the conversation. It’s a term shaped by Western understandings of merit and power, where family relationships are often viewed as unfair advantages. But in Indigenous ways of knowing, working with family—especially across generations—is not about privilege. It’s about reciprocity.
We are not here for the sake of legacy or titles. We are here to learn from each other.
At First Peoples Group, my father and I co-facilitate cultural competency workshops, advise boards of directors, and support regulatory bodies working to ensure their practices are culturally appropriate. In these spaces, our relationship becomes a living example of how knowledge can move in more than one direction. I’ve learned from his decades of experience, his ability to hold space with care, and his deep understanding of how to walk gently while still moving boldly. But he also learns from me—my perspectives as a younger generation navigating current systems, my experiences growing up in both Indigenous and Western worlds, and the ways I challenge conventional thinking with new questions and approaches.
That’s the beauty of reciprocity—it’s not a one-way transfer of knowledge. It’s an exchange, grounded in respect and a shared commitment to growth.
There are moments when I lead, and moments when I follow. There are teachings that come from his stories, and others that arise through our shared experience. We are constantly learning from one another, and in doing so, we are modeling a way of working that reflects our cultures: rooted in relationship, humility, and mutual responsibility.
This isn’t always easy. Working with a parent means being held accountable in unique ways. It also means navigating the balance between personal and professional, tradition and innovation, leadership and listening. But that tension is where some of the most meaningful growth happens.
In Indigenous communities, it is natural to learn from our parents, aunties, uncles, Elders, and youth. These relationships are how knowledge is passed down—not through hierarchy, but through connection. What some might view as a “conflict of interest,” we understand as a sacred responsibility to walk together, to share what we know, and to support each other in bringing that knowledge forward for the benefit of others.
This is not nepotism. It’s kinship in action. It’s a reciprocal relationship grounded in shared purpose, where both of us are growing, contributing, and evolving. And in a world that often demands we separate the personal from the professional, I feel grateful every day to be working in a way that brings both together—with heart, with culture, and with reciprocity.