Founder & Principal
Hi, I’m Dominique!
I’m a voracious reader, unabashed chocoholic, ballet dancer, homebody who loves to travel, and mother to the world’s most inquisitive 7-year-old. I prefer tea over coffee, oceans over lakes, summer over winter, and, oh yeah…
I was born to change the world.
I am the daughter of Afro-Caribbean parents who immigrated to Canada in the 1970s. Like most immigrants, my parents wanted to give me a “better life”. This meant that I was raised and educated in very suburban neighbourhoods that were almost exclusively white.
So it’s no surprise that when I went to graduate school, my Master’s and Ph.D. work focused on critical perspectives in multicultural education. It was through this work that I began leaning into my identity as an equity advocate.
And I’ve carried this advocate orientation into my post-academic career, which now spans more than 15 years, and crosses multiple sectors.
When you add in the fact that I’m a Highly Sensitive, gifted, Type-A, Gen X, INFJ-A Gemini (with a Virgo moon and Scorpio rising!), I’ve basically had no choice but to try to make this world a better place.
And thus, Fictive Kin was born.
Highly Sensitive and other “too intense” people are often involved in some kind of social-justice oriented, purpose-driven, world-changing work.
But, because we’ve often been shamed for these traits, we often “mask”. We try to make ourselves seem smaller.
Less intense.
Not as bright.
More “normal”.
And as professional world-changers, we also worry about having to (further) compromise our intensity in order to achieve a greater impact.
But that is just. Not. True.
What is true is that our sensitivity, passion, intensity, and curiosity are actually incredibly powerful tools for making meaningful, social change.
Social Justice Warrior at Your Service!
In the summer of 2020, I watched the gross inequities being revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the vicious rise in anti-Black racism, and the reactionary, largely performative responses to these events with a broken - but unsurprised - heart.
After all, the reason this pattern keeps recurring is because our fundamental, societal narratives are at odds with the goals of equity and justice.
Since launching Fictive Kin, I’ve had many opportunities to reflect on why I am so dedicated to advocating for equity and justice.
Three things stand out for me:
1. I have a deep, innate understanding of people: who they are, why they do what they do, and why they are sometimes so very good at getting in their own way.
2. I have very high standards for myself and the work I do.
3. I am sensitive, empathic, and have a strong intuitive sense of how to navigate complex, contradictory, or otherwise difficult interpersonal issues.
This is what helped me realize that, for pretty much my entire life, I’ve been quietly turning my sensitivity into a social justice superpower.
And that’s what I want for you too.
If you are ready to do the transformational work necessary for making this happen, the click the button below to learn more.