Amazing Two Spirit Couple

Growing up in segregated communities and both being Two-Spirit, Anthony Johnson and Dr. James Makokis have been become two of Canada’s leading advocates for Indigenous and LGBTQ2S+ Peoples. Both having similar stories in growing up in segregated communities and facing all types of discrimination for their race, gender, and sexuality, they were forced to overcome challenging situations with peer groups, institutions and within themselves. The couple learned to master impartial situations and to use them as motivation for his success and how to use forgiveness, compassion and understanding overcoming those who stood in their way.

Demonstrated on the Amazing Race, the couple will share the strategies developed through their personal experiences in overcoming obstacles, breaking down stereotypes, staying true to their roots, creating safe spaces to becoming who they are today. Blending their personal journeys with their education, their story on the show and the advocacy of their people. Learn the mindsets and tools they developed for themselves in managing systematic racism, oppression, and discrimination. Understand the mindset of a 21st Century Warrior in the face of all obstacles and how to maintain a positive mindset and keep focused on your purpose.

The couple reveals how they were able to blend the right combination of traditional values, cultural practices, mental performance, leadership, transformation, spirituality, willpower, empathy, compassion, resilience, safe spaces, family & community support systems to share what it takes to succeed at anything we put our minds to. Find out the important roles and responsibilities we all have to shape and support others through a lifelong commitment to changing the outcomes for ourselves, others, and society. Internalize a new foundation of compassion and enlightenment for unity, togetherness and what the warriors required to become allies.

Dr. James Makokis and Anthony Johnson had incredible firsthand experiences in growing up as a Two-Spirit in a segregated and marginalized community. Their unique perspectives blend the knowledge they have gained through personal experiences, education, and their everyday work. Two-Spirit is a contemporary English term to reflect gender diversity that Indigenous nations have always had. Although the history of the term Two-Spirit is a celebratory term within Indigenous communities, the imposition of colonialism has caused individuals that identify as Two-Spirit within their community often to be discriminated against and excluded from peer groups.

With Canada being one of the most diverse countries in the world, it does not mean that all individuals are accepted. Most individuals that can be categorized as being different face personal challenges in achieving success. Early in their lives, Anthony and James struggled in making sense of their identities and felt pressure from their peers, communities and even some members of their families to conform to gender roles while struggling with racial inequality and discrimination in western society. The couple assists individuals to identify and acknowledge their unconscious bias and to be accountable to break down the stereotypes and stigma’s that are a result of their thinking, which ultimately impact their relationships.

They will share insights on the experiences of LGBTQ2S+, and First Nation individuals face in coping, confronting, and internalizing the forces of discrimination. Through these experiences, Anthony, and James both set out on a path for themselves to assist others in understanding who they are and what they stand for. From an inclusive lens, the couple raises awareness to help participants understand how our internal unconscious bias impacts our communication and our behaviours. They share how the slightest comment or action can negatively or positively influence an individual for the rest of their lives. In being more aware, we can lift each other up and maximize potential for individuals instead of limiting them or excluding them from opportunity. As they set out to change the outcomes for the people they represent, they bring strategic and applicable advice on what individuals and organizations can do to implement inclusive strategies and make diversity a strategy.

Taking a stance isn’t always an easy thing to do. There is also a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. Remaining true to one’s values and beliefs while keeping an open mind to learning and understanding systems, people and actions open doors and conversations which shift our experiences and the experiences of our peers. Winning the Amazing Race, their advocacy on the show, their everyday work, their commitment to being involved in their communities, and their advocacy to change the outcomes for individuals worldwide brings a new foundation for what a leader can do in their lives and their work to bring measurable impact for others.

“Team Ahkameyimok” are messengers from their ancestors and are feel called upon to show us how we can all make the world a better place. Their unique experiences have led them to an authentic creation of delivering messages from their ancestors for equality for First Nation and LGBTQ2S+ communities. Leaders have been forced to manage new challenges with their workforce and in their careers. In the face of pressure and uncertainty, staying true to one’s values and commitments, it is critical that leaders are able to move quickly, make the “right” decision, and be accountable to their teams. To meet the standards leaders, require in today’s fast paced workplace, the couple brings a mindset that leaders can develop for themselves and the people they work with. Anthony and James have had the privilege to be educated by elders and leaders across our nation. They have been able to successfully blend western and Indigenous beliefs and values to become who they are today.

The couple shares the lessons and teachings they have learned through their unique experienced to become the leaders they are today. They are on a mission to leave a legacy through their work while continuing to access more knowledge for a lifelong commitment for self development. As demonstrated on the Amazing Race Canada, the couple brings their ability to navigate challenges through a compassionate lens while staying authentic to themselves and their peers. Learn how to develop the mindset and skills required to adapt to new strategies and outcomes with ease. Develop a new foundation for our thinking and approach to others when they have shared their opinion or their perspective. Understand peers and what they are going through before trying to make sense of their situation. Bring new understandings for the simplicity of how to be authentic and the outcomes authenticity has in our lives.

In this presentation, the couple highlights the unfortunate history and TRUTH of the realities of colonialism in Canada and the impact on First Nation communities and peoples. Dr. James Makokis and Anthony Johnson take you on a quick journey to explain the structures and systems of how early settlers stripped First Nation communities and peoples of their Indigenous values, traditions, languages, and customs. They bring awareness to the historical impact of colonialism and how it has formed today’s reality for so many nations and Individuals on Turtle Island. The bring awareness to how individuals and systems have maintained inequality and the mistreatment for First Nation communities and Indigenous peoples.

The couple blends facts, stories, and teachings with personal experiences of themselves and their people. They share practical insights on the importance of RECONCILIATION and deliver strategic advice on how each community member and their leaders can implement procedures to support the 94 TRC Calls to Action. The United Nations stated clearly that we can no longer be a first world country with third world conditions for Indigenous communities. Dr. Makokis’ presentation focuses on a united front for all Canadians to take part in and stand up to eliminate the reality that we have left behind many people and communities outside of the Canadian System.

This presentation can focus on or include multiple TRC Calls to Action in each community. council, industry, or organization faces different challenges for RECONCILIATION. They outline the challenges Indigenous Peoples face and how to break down the colonial structures of the past to reclaim their roots and what individuals can do to support and assistance First Nation communities to be a part of the solution through the 94 Calls to Action.

The world is changing faster than ever before, and some may argue for the worse than the better. A worldwide pandemic, climate change, and the Black/Indigenous Lives Matter Movement have caused a shift in our approach to our work, relationships and how we think. The industrialization and corporatocracy of the world economy have caused mass inequality between rich and poor, exploitation and mistreatment of minorities populations and the destruction of our planet and its ecosystems.

So many of us are striving to make sense of the world we live in to make our lives, the people we love and the world better in every and any way. Many are unaware of the roots of Indigenous culture, values and spirituality through traditional practices that are intertwined and encompass so many solutions for these challenges. Dr. James Makokis shows how his roots in Cree Culture and traditions helped him become who he is today with a strong focus on improvement for himself, his relationships, the world and to advocate for oppressed communities. He shares how Indigenous culture has enabled him to focus on his relationship with himself, the creator, the earth, and all living things. Rooted back to hundreds of years of life before and during colonialism, he shows how the solutions to many of the world’s problems mirror Indigenous values and cultural practices.

Deeply rooted in his Ojibway and Cree heritage, Dr. James Makokis has been mentored by the different elders, ceremonial leaders, physicians, environmentalists, botanists, medicine persons, and teachers along his path. Anthony Johnson reconnected with his Dine heritage as a youth and became a student of his people in working directly with elders, ceremonial leaders, and community leaders which became the foundation of his identity and purpose. The couple share the teachings and understandings rooted in their tribal history including location and meaning of sacred sites, animal migration patterns, the land, the water, and the cosmos.

They share they principles they learned for Indigenous health, traditional medicines, ceremonies, natural law, and governance. Entrusted with this knowledge to pass on to future generations, the couple brings individuals to connect to their human and spiritual selves to their purpose. We have much to learn from incorporating a worldview through the Indigenous approach to living and being. Learn about how Indigenous knowledge and traditional practices enabled the couple to achieve the extraordinary success they have today and practical insights that can be incorporated into our everyday lives.

Through Anthony Johnson and Dr. James Makokis’ education, they were able to identify the important role education had on their lives. At each institution, there were different barriers that impeded their access, experience and how they were treated. Through this unique experience, they both were able to understand how to navigate the system to interact with teachers and their peers to be able to complete their mission. The couple brings a strategic approach on how one teacher or one student can shape the path and outcomes for a whole nation.

With some teachers and instructors discriminating against them and others who played a key role in shaping the success they had in their educational journey, the couple have been able to reanalyze their experiences to bring a firsthand perspective to give practical insights on the important roles that teachers have in supporting student populations in achieving their goals. The couple also shares the actions that teachers and school districts can take to reshape the outcomes for their students. This talk helps educators understand their roles and responsibility in their work and the important role that education has in shaping the outcomes for our future.
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There are many First Nation bands that still do not have schools in their communities. The K-12 completion rate for First Nation students is 49%. The sad fact that First Nation students are more likely to end up in jail than to graduate high school is in large part because of colonialism. Suicide rates among First Nations youth are up to seven times higher than among non-Indigenous youth. Close to 20 % of First Nations communities are under a drinking water advisory, a state that has remained remarkably consistent for the past 25 years. There are anywhere between 52 and 70 languages indigenous to what is now called Canada (depending on how you count them). Only three are expected to survive this century.

The Makokis and Johnson family members are strong advocates for educating the Indigenous population as well as educating new allies to learn about Indigenous teachings. They passionately believe that education will change the outcomes for Indigenous peoples will change the outcomes for their nations. Their families are routed in many post-secondary education institutions, programs, and articles that educate students across Turtle Island. They have accessed a wide variety of professors, ceremonial leaders, environmentalists, botanists, foresters, medicine persons, and teachers that have shaped their path to become who they are today. They have also had the privilege and continue to learn from the elders, community leaders and program leaders from different tribes and nations worldwide.

These teachings shaped their understanding of medicines, ceremonies, the location and meaning of sacred sites, animal migration patterns, the land, the water, and the cosmos. Entrusted with this knowledge to pass on to future generations, they continue to utilize these teachings with Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups, to help them understand the differences and shared beliefs between Indigenous and non-Indigenous teachings. Dr. James Makokis and Anthony Johnson help us understand how to better serve Indigenous communities to access strong education, as well as how to serve Indigenous students to maximize their learning. They share insights on the important roles community leaders and governments have to maintain sustainable access to education for Indigenous populations. This talk helps educators understand their roles and responsibilities in teaching Indigenous youth and providing hope and encouragement along the way.

This insightful presentation shares a unique perspective on how Indigenous and First Nation people can reclaim their culture and heritage, through strategic partnerships and campaigns that contribute to the success of his people. Systematic oppression and discrimination have led to Indigenous populations being marginalized and often forgotten on Turtle Island. The impacts of colonialism have caused generational and intersectional trauma, which has forced First Nation peoples to struggle with their identity and to find hope within their social and economic opportunities. As a result, Indigenous populations face higher risk and experience higher rates of mental health, suicide, violence, incarceration, and addictions.

The couple is passionate to assist each nation reclaim traditional values and the history of their tribe. Through a preventative and strategic approach, they work with each community to go over their history and to develop or restructure the delivery of their community programs and teachings. They identify key areas for improvement for each organization/community and will share how other First Nation communities have been successful in areas others may struggle with.

This presentation provides solutions and strategies on how to break the cycles of oppression through self-governance, family support, community programming, social advocacy, compassionate care, and raising awareness within each community to instill change from within. It also shares insights on how to rebuild trust with non-Indigenous groups to heal from the past and see explore opportunity to create strategic partnerships which directly impact the outcomes and determinants for Indigenous populations.

Anthony and James share their stories of their experience in growing up in a segregated community and being discriminated against for being Indigenous and Two-Spirit. In sharing their stories, the couple touches on topics such as the importance of education, mental strength, bullying, resilience mindset, safe spaces and the critical responsibility youth have to shift the outcomes of the future of our nation.

They explore concepts of compassion, acceptance, self esteem, mental health, suicide prevention, finding purpose and hope that are required to be able to manage oneself as well as to interact with peers that may be labelled as “different”. They also provide insights for the celebration of individuality and the impact we can bring and share in our relationships. This presentation takes youth on each of their journeys, to show youth how to choose themselves first and to be able to love one another no matter what the situation. They help youth identify the warrior inside themselves and to combat negative thoughts and experiences to drive impact for their future, their families, and their community.

The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is a direct result of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, who issued a report in 2015 outlining their findings after thousands of interviews with survivors of Canada’s Indian Residential School System. A section of the report outlines 94 Calls to Action that serve as a starting point for organizations, individuals and communities to use as a guideline for action as we move forward to address the historic and ongoing injustices of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit. The ultimate aim of these recommendations is to create meaningful Allyship as Indigenous Peoples seek to restore their governance systems, legal orders, and customs. It’s a mouthful, we know. It can all be so confusing. What can you do to help?

As one of Canada’s few Indigenous family physicians and as a Harvard educated community health consultant, Dr James Makokis and Anthony Johnson have first hand experience navigating the various hurdles Indigenous Nations, groups, and individuals are forced to overcome on a daily basis. Their perspective is formed not only through professional efforts, but also through their participation in traditional ceremonies and activism across Turtle Island.

It’s this background they brought with them to national television when the won The Amazing Race Canada, using the platform of their success to engage in public dialogue with hundreds of organizations and corporations across Turtle Island about treaty, Allyship, and the realities of life as Indigenous People. Through these public speaking interactions, they’ve heard a myriad of struggles and successes from community based groups, individuals, First Nations Communities, government entities from the local to federal level, corporations of all sizes ranging from the legal and financial services, construction, healthcare, technology, automotive and beyond.

In this presentation, they share the wisdom they have learned from these stories and provide a pathway to Reconcili-ACTION. With strong connections to First Nation Communities, continuous work with Government & Corporations across all sectors and with their ongoing community-based work, the couple is able to share a unique perspective to start bridging some of the gaps between those that want to help and those who have been waiting for things to change. They share the personal responsibility anyone can take to make a difference and become a part of the solution through togetherness, unity and ACTION.

Anthony and James are committed to providing information uniquely tailored to the audience they’re speaking to and can customize talks with the following points:

* The historical context from which the Truth and Reconciliation Commission emerged.
* The Treaty based relationship between First Nations and the Crown.
* How the TRC is a starting point to improve Indigenous relations in Canada.
* How the “ TRC 94 Calls to Action” can be a catalyst for the development of more sophisticated policies related to equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism, using health care as an example.
* Case studies related to individuals, organizations and companies who successfully made strides in implementing the Calls to Action in this own unique way.
* The severe threats Indigenous Peoples face as we continue to fight for our languages, traditions, and societies
* How colonialism, the Indian Act, and the Doctrine of Discovery continue to negatively impact Indigenous Peoples
* Best practices for engaging with First Nations and moving beyond performative allyship toward building meaningful relationships and impact from a grassroots perspective.
* Roles and responsibilities we all have to adhere to specific “Calls of Action”
* How individuals can support the “Calls to Action” in unique ways, using Anthony and James’ appearance on The Amazing Race Canada as an example