My work began with a simple anthropological question: how do systems actually change?

During my doctoral studies in cultural anthropology at the University of Cape Town, I was living and working in South Africa during the transition from apartheid to democracy. Municipalities and communities were rebuilding essential systems—housing, water, education, and food access—while historically excluded communities were asserting their right to equitable services.

What I learned quickly was that systems change is rarely just about policies, plans, or technical solutions. It is deeply cultural. It lives in everyday practices, relationships, power dynamics, and in whose knowledge is recognized and valued.

Anthropology taught me to pay attention to those dynamics—to look closely at how people work together, how norms take hold, and how change unfolds in real life. That perspective has shaped my work ever since.

When I returned to Canada, I saw many of the same patterns while working alongside Indigenous organizations and governments. Across areas such as health, food systems, and economic development, communities were navigating systems shaped by colonial histories while advancing priorities related to sovereignty, self-determination, and wellness.

Over time, my work evolved toward a learning-oriented approach to evaluation, facilitation, and strategy. I help organizations step back, reflect on their work, and make sense of change as it unfolds—paying attention not only to results, but to relationships, assumptions, and how people learn together.

At its core, my work is about seeing systems as living cultures rather than technical machines. It’s about creating space for reflection, shared learning, and adaptation—so that people can notice patterns in their work, question them, and experiment with new ways forward.

In many ways, it is simply anthropology applied to real-world change.