Meet Angela Ashawasegai, a proud member of Henvey Inlet First Nation now residing in the National Capital Region. Angela is the founder of Indigenous Wellness Coaching, a business she has been nurturing for the past five years. As a certified trauma coach, facilitator, and speaker, Angela offers health and wellness training for workplaces, mental health support for Indigenous communities and organizations, and one-on-one coaching services delivered in person, virtually, or by phone.
But Angela’s work is more than a business — it’s the result of a lifelong journey of resilience and healing.
Angela is a Sixties Scoop survivor, and her childhood was marked by loss, racism, abuse, and trauma. By her youth, she had escaped her perpetrators, dropped out of high school, and faced homelessness. Yet even in the darkest times, Angela refused to give up. She drew her strength from education, culture, spirituality, and her dreams — lifelines that helped her overcome Complex PTSD and as pathways towards healing.
In 2014, Angela recognized she was on an epic healing journey. It wasn’t easy — at times it felt like one step forward and two steps back — but perseverance carried her through. Feeling called to help others with unresolved trauma, she pursued training and, in 2019, achieved her certification as a trauma coach. For Angela, this achievement was more than a credential — it was proof that recovery is possible and that hope can be shared with others.
Through Indigenous Wellness Coaching, Angela’s vision is to create hope and empowerment for Indigenous communities and organizations. Her services blend professional expertise with lived experience, offering a unique and powerful approach to trauma recovery.
Angela continues to dream big for the future of her business. In the short term, she is focused on refining her services, strengthening her brand, and building sustainable partnerships with communities and organizations. She also hopes to launch new offerings such as Responding to Grief & Trauma for Indigenous Communities, as well as Dreamwork. Angela draws on 35 years of lived experience and professional training with dreams from an Indigenous perspective.
Looking ahead, Angela’s five-year vision includes authoring a memoir, building a speaking career, developing training programs on overcoming Complex PTSD, and contributing to social change around mental health access.
The Wejibàbandan Indigenous Business Incubator Program is an important step in this journey. Angela sees it as a transformational experience — a safe space where she can grow her confidence as a business owner, strengthen her marketing strategies, and gain mentorship. She is particularly excited about opportunities for guidance from alumni, coaches, elders, and peers, as well as the chance to connect more deeply with community.
Angela’s commitment and hard work are already showing results. In June 2025, she celebrated a milestone when the Legacy of Hope Foundation contracted her to provide wellness workshops and mental health support services for three Indigenous communities in the Maritimes. This experience not only advanced her professional goals but also gave her the chance to connect with culture in new ways — including making her first ribbon skirt. For Angela, these moments represent healing, belonging, and forward momentum.
Angela is a proud member of the National Indigenous Women’s Entrepreneur Ecosystem and is determined to continue building Indigenous Wellness Coaching into a source of hope, strength, and inspiration. Her story is a reminder that while trauma can leave deep scars, it can also cultivate vision, action, and empowerment.
When asked what success means to her, Angela reflects on her journey: “My dream of success is within my grasp to contribute towards making our world a better place. Sometimes it’s hard for me to recognize that I am a pillar of strength and power that has gotten me this far in life. But I know I am ready. I am 100% determined to rise up.”
ADAAWE is a hub for Indigenous entrepreneurs in the National Capital Region to gather, learn, and thrive on unceded Algonquin Territory.
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