CO-FOUNDER and VISIONARY

Katie was born and raised in the Qu’Appelle Valley in southern Saskatchewan. As a child, Katie was encouraged to ‘go outside until it’s dark!’, she would swim in the cold Katepwa Lake and wander the hills of the valley. With the rich smell of sweetgrass and sage the prairies are her first and forever love. Katie followed her family west, to explore the vastness of the mountains and the adventure that awaited her. She has since called Golden her home on and off for 20 years.

Katie Hodder is a scholar-practitioner primarily focused on child and family development. Katie is especially interested in action oriented leadership approaches within the Early Childhood Development sector, cultivated by co-creative relationships and value-based collectives.

Katie has presented at national and international conferences, and written early years curriculum for jurisdictions around the world primarily in areas such as: Risky play and Preschool Physical Literacy. Katie is a Faculty Instructor in the Early Learning and Childcare Department with Red Deer Polytechnic. Katie is also on a National Advisory Board for Active for Life with members from across Canada. She advises on strategic innovations for child care across Canada in areas of professional development, leadership, child development, and curriculum development. Katie is the Executive Director of a non-profit organization, she oversees a suite of Counselling services for children, youth, and families.

Katie has a Child & Youth Care Counselling Degree from Mount Royal University, and a Masters of Leadership from Royal Roads University.

CO-FOUNDER and VISIONARY

Melanie was born in Brandon, Manitoba and spent her early years playing outdoors in ALL types of weather. “Just bundle up!” was the phrase during the cold winter months used by her mother before all the children were sent outside until the next meal time. Playing and learning outside was one of the best parts of growing up and she is full of gratitude to be a part of the amazing Budding Minds team!

Melanie moved to the mountains to pursue her love of snowboarding after completing her degree in Communications from the University of Calgary. After living in such places as Banff, Jasper and Whistler, she finally put down roots in Golden, BC. She and her family now live on their dream property outside of town with the Columbia River and 70 acres of forest as their playground. Raising two boys in this place has been such a blessing and she can be heard saying “Just bundle up!” daily in the winter months before sending her own children out to play.

Melanie has worked in the non-profit sector in Golden for the last 10 years (Golden Women’s Resource Centre, Golden Food Bank and the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy) and it has allowed her to work closely with community partners and develop relationships in the community that eventually brought her to this incredibly special team of hard working women at Budding Minds. Let the children play and explore in this beautiful place we call home!

CO-FOUNDER and ADVENTURE LEAD

Sarah grew up in rural Ontario, where her curiosity for nature developed into her love of the outdoors. As a child, days were spent getting muddy, climbing trees and exploring the forests, rivers and lakes in her backyard and beyond. Over the years, that curiosity and love for nature continued to grow. The positive impact of prioritizing time outdoors can be seen a mile away, not only in Sarah’s life, but in the lives of those who spend time with her.

For Sarah, being outside with kids has become as familiar as breathing. As a ski coach, Sarah is continually in awe of the confidence and wonder that the mountains bring to the kids that play in them. As an experiential outdoor educator, she has spent many days on remote wilderness canoe trips, supporting and guiding students in ways that they didn’t think were possible. As a nanny, she allows kids to explore, take chances and be curious. Sarah thrives on the magical moments that are deeply rooted in her belief that nature creates opportunity for personal growth, community development and an overall greater sense of self.

Sarah’s curiosity for nature, love of the outdoors, and passion for making the world her classroom continues to grow daily. Sarah is proud and deeply humbled to be part of the team that has created Budding Minds Nature-Based Discovery Program. For Sarah, being outside in nature with young people has proven its benefits time and time again. Living in such a beautiful part of the world, she believes it is imperative for kids to be able to explore our backyard in a safe, fun and exciting way.

To better support our community, Sarah is currently training to become a certified Forest School Practitioner from the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada. She also holds Diploma’s from Algonquin College in Law and Security and Police Foundations as well as being certified as a Wilderness First Responder.

CO-FOUNDER and ADVENTURE LEAD

Brittany is an outdoor enthusiast and adventurer currently enrolled with the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada to become a Forest School Practitioner. She is also a fully certified Early Childhood Educator and has a degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of Victoria.

Prior to moving to beautiful Golden five years ago, she worked in the environmental non-profit sector creating nature-based excursions and experiences for people of all ages. Since landing in the Columbia Valley, she pursued early years education and has worked at several local childcare centres, including supervising the ski hill’s Kicking Horse Kids Club. She is passionate about her role as an educator and feels so grateful to work with children everyday – witnessing self-discoveries, guiding living inquiries, supporting learning and development, and offering a safe space for children to have fun, play and embrace their uniqueness.

She believes children are meant to be in nature, taking risks, getting dirty, and exploring the micro and macro worlds around them. Any day she can do that too is a great day!

ADVENTURE LEAD

Leigh's passion for the outdoors began on a farm outside of Calgary. Her parents fostered a deep appreciation for nature by taking them to the Rocky's almost every weekend to ski, bike or hike.

Leigh began working with children 20 years ago as a ski instructor. Working at various outdoor summer camps, she discovered how curious and thoughtful kids are when they are outside playing.

Leigh turned this passion for the outdoors into a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science at the University of Calgary. After university she continued to pursue a career with children at an experiential learning program in Calgary, where students moved their classrooms into a community space. She made a career change when she moved to North Vancouver and worked for an outdoor gear company training adults on Customer Service.

Four years ago, Leigh and her spouse moved to Golden to live among the trees and mountains. She is excited to once again be working with children and loves being part of the Budding Minds team.

ADVENTURE LEAD

Natalie grew up immersed in the beautiful wilderness that Ontario had to offer. She could always be found exploring anything and everything outdoors, forever seeking explanation for why everything is the way it is. This eventually led to the pursuit of a Bachelor of Science degree from Guelph University, where she could nurture her love of Biology and Ecology.

After graduation Natalie found herself wanting to explore the world, all the while never having been to the West Coast. A few years later she came to her senses and found herself in the incredible town of Golden, where she has since developed a strong relationship with the local community.

Natalie has always been an avid athlete and outdoor enthusiast. She has enjoyed many years of different farm work, lifeguarding, Ministry and Parks Canada - she couldn't possibly hold claim to being a Golden local without a few seasons at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.

Working with Budding Minds over the past year has allowed Natalie to share her passion for the natural world with brilliant young minds who ask all those wonderful questions she once did. Natalie is excited to pursue working with children in the outdoors in her future.