About

Greetings,

To my knowledge, my family comes from the United Kingdom and, more distantly, other parts of Northwestern Europe.  Specifically, Scotland, England, Ireland, Norway, and Denmark.

My mom’s name is Sheila Elaine Ralph. She was born and raised in Fruitvale, British Columbia.  Her mom, Jane Sutherland Rugg, comes from Inverness, Scotland.  Her father, Ely James Ralph, grew up in Cornwall, England.  My grandparents met and married in the U.K. before WW2.

My late father’s name is Raymond Douglas Bridger.  His mom, Lila Victoria Service was born in Canada and grew up in Gleichen, Alberta, the daughter of two generations of blacksmiths.  Raymond’s father, Dennis John Bridger, comes from Essex, U.K.  My grandparents met in Canada during WW2 when Dennis was stationed in Alberta as an RAF Bomber Pilot.

I was born in Sparwood, B.C. on the border of Piikani and Ktunaxa territories, nestled in the mountains in a sleepy little coal mining town.  My parents named me Jason Paul Bridger.  Those were both new names in our family.  When I was 12 years old I decided to be known as Paul.  The children I taught to swim knew me as Tall Paul, a name that has stuck since adolescence.
In high school, I received a nickname that I later added a surname to as a pen name for my writing.  That name, Raoul Gomez, became significant in the courtship with my children’s mother. 

Decades later I received other names from Elders.  In 2010 I was given the name Sikomahkatayo by Camille Russell, a Kainai Elder.  He translated that name from Blackfoot into English as Black Panther, recognizing how I traveled into other indigenous territories to learn and bring back medicines to share.  In 2016, while attending Sundance in Manitoba, I was given the name Shoongi Gabo Misko Makwa (Tall Standing Red Bear) by Elder Gerry Scharien.  Initially, this name was to be kept a secret from other human beings and used only when addressing plants before collecting or preparing medicines for people.  4 years later, Gerry told me it was time to share it with others.  In 2020, perched above Calgary, at the Medicine Wheel on Nose Hill, Kanai Elder, Randy Bottle, gave me the name Pitaaiksiksinam.  Randy translated that into English as White Eagle.  I am still growing to understand why I received these names and how to integrate them into my being. I’m told that my understanding of these names will deepen over my lifetime.

Currently, as an uninvited guest, I find myself living in Calgary, Alberta.  In the spirit of respect, reciprocity, and truth, I honour and acknowledge Moh’kinsstis, and the traditional Treaty 7 Territory and oral practices of the Blackfoot Confederacy: (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the îethka Nakoda Nations (Chiniki, Bearspaw, Goodstoney), the Otipemisiwak Métis Government (Districts 5 and 6). Finally, I acknowledge all Nations – Indigenous and non – who live, work and play on this land, and who honour, care for, and celebrate this territory.  Around here, we are all Treaty People. I recognize it as our individual and collective responsibility to act as good stewards of this land and all the life it sustains. I acknowledge that it is a responsibility we have inherited from those who have taken care of it since time immemorial. This land feeds me and my family. We breathe the air given by the plants, we drink the water coming down from the mountains, and we harvest foods and medicines from the rural places. I recognize that I am a part of what maintains the health and abundance of this place. I endeavour to learn how from those whose ancestors have taken such good care of the land and waters here.

I am a grandson, son, brother, husband, father, and uncle.  Relationships with my family (birth, adopted, married, and chosen) continue to be the most fertile ground for my development of self-compassion and love.  I am always in evolving processes of discovery and wonder.  I embrace learning as a way of being.

Over my life, I’ve identified with a number of titles, roles, or ways of being, such as:  gemini, water rat, white self-existing mirror, survivor of childhood illness (spinal meningitis), privileged suburbanite, troublemaker, student, teammate (soccer), pianist, rebel, forest explorer, instigator, dungeon master, queen scout, painter, pet store clerk, jazz saxophonist, mix tape enthusiast, cyclist, bilingual (French), furniture salesman, thief, boyfriend, lifeguard, competitive swimmer, plant medicine acolyte, writer, poet, bibliophile, cook, outdoorsman, server, dancer, triathlete, letter carrier, a person living with a chronic degenerative disease, artist, outlaw, produce clerk, actor, wood splitter, fire keeper, outhouse scrubber, sweat hog, stargazer, lunar celebrant, door man, animist, plant medicine apprentice, traveler, gringo, ethnomusicologist, herbalist, wild crafter, organic gardener, youth worker, medical anthropologist, researcher, sundancer, short people’s clan member, scaabe, oskâpêwis, circle keeper, tobacco grower & cutter, men’s leader, pipe carrier, spiritual activist, team lead, mountain biker, x-country skier, healer, knowledge keeper, singer, drummer, bridger, ceremonialist, executive coach, entrepreneur, dialyzer, kidney transplant recipient, survivor. Each of these continues to inform the values I embody in my approach to working with people.

Values

Wholeness, & Integrity
I believe in the wholeness of people and their capacity to gently integrate the alienated parts of themselves.  I recognize we sometimes need support in cultivating indivisibility within ourselves. I take an appreciative inquiry approach to determine what’s already working well and how to bring more resources to those efforts so that we can discover what’s missing, and weave that back into our awareness. What cultural and/or collective facets of your identity do you recognize already?

Care
I offer a compassionate, trauma-informed, non-directive, and confidential meeting space where I strive to bring my genuine sanctuary-like presence in service of the client’s needs.  Developing and transforming ourselves involves risk and necessitates courage to expand beyond our comfort zones and familiar patterns of being.  I often challenge clients to examine their own awareness of themselves.  Together, we will create a generative and courageous space to discover and appreciate who you are.  How do you know you’re ready for that?

Reciprocity
I cultivate reciprocal and mutually beneficial relationships with individuals, communities, and nations to generate collaborative interdependence.  The generosity of my mentors and Elders with so many traditional teachings have set an example by which I continue to aspire to model.  How do you recognize reciprocity in your life?

Belonging
I believe in the importance of developing individual belonging in the community through reliable connections and contributions.  We each have a part to play in the generation and maintenance of fellowship with others.  Let’s explore our gifts together.  How familiar are you with your gifts?

Playfulness
I approach this work through the wisdom of playfulness and in the spirit of lightheartedness.  This is serious business, so let’s not take ourselves too seriously.  What helps you lighten up?

Education

I have a Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching (CEC) from Royal Roads University and am a member of the International Coaching Federation holding the designation of Professional Certified Coach (PCC). The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity, and leadership. Coaching and mentoring are ultimately concerned with developing the potential of human beings and of raising awareness to enable people to take responsibility for their actions and ownership for their contribution. 

I am currently enrolled in the 3 year Somatic Experiencing® Trauma Resolution Training Program and have completed Intermediate 1. Somatic Experiencing® (SE™), developed by Peter A. Levine, PhD, author of the bestseller, “Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma,” is a potent psychobiological approach to resolving the symptoms of trauma and chronic stress. Instead of focusing on the re-telling of traumatic events or personal history, SE™ aims to identify what is interfering with people’s internal threat-recovery process and helps clients develop tools for restoring their innate capacity to rebound from overwhelming experiences. By facilitating the completion of self-protective responses and releasing survival energy that has become bound in the body, SE™addresses the root cause of trauma symptoms. I am able to offer SE sessions to individuals to the level of my education, having completed the first of three years of education.

I also have an Associate of Arts degree in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, eventually going on to conduct research in Medical Anthropology in a graduate degree program at the University of Calgary.    My research focused on the emergence of an indigenous entheogenic healing practice of the Piaroa, from Southern Venezuela, in communities in Western Canada.  Intercultural healing spaces and events, and the relationships responsible for creating and developing them, have long been my passion and continue to fuel my imagination.

Professional Experience

I’ve engaged deeply in a personal process of decolonizing my consciousness since 1999. Professionally, I was given the opportunity to apply that decolonizing approach for over 7 years of working as a Circle Keeper for an indigenous agency in Calgary.  There, I was responsible for collaborating, and coordinating with Elders & Traditional Knowledge Keepers in their ceremonial and counselling support of children, youth, and families.  I was also responsible for supporting staff with the development of their cultural competency and humility. Developing personalized cultural competency curricula for many staff members interested in understanding how to improve their work in an interdisciplinary team approach to supporting Indigenous families navigating the turbulent waters of investigation by Children’s Services in Calgary, Alberta. This meant developing incredible intercultural competencies, strengthening ethical integrity, continually developing the life-long learner attitude and mindset, and creatively embarking on the internal development of leadership values and skills spanning multiple cultures in both urban and rural settings. I needed to be just as present and understanding supporting families in the government board room as I did in the Sweat lodge or the All Night Big Smoke Ceremonies.

Volunteerism

Since 1999 I have been a Cultural Helper for Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers in various ceremonial contexts.  This role has taken me into many different cultural settings in South, Central, and North America.  This has included an apprenticeship with plant medicines from the Venezuelan Amazon, Fire Keeping for numerous Elders holding Sweat Lodges and Sundances, supporting male Sundancers with fulfilling their commitments to dance, and earning the rights to hold Pipe Ceremonies, Sweat Lodges, and Fasting Ceremonies.  I continue to be grateful to the many individuals who have so generously taught me over the years, and strive to maintain an ongoing reciprocal relationship with them, their families, and their communities.