Words Jesse Holth
Photo Karla Zaldaña, Casa de Lala Productions
Madelaine McCallum is a dancer, motivational speaker and workshop leader who shares her journey to inspire others.
We spoke about learning to love yourself, the importance of gratitude, and how movement is medicine.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
Tansi, Hello. My given name is Madelaine McCallum, I am Cree/Métis. My traditional name is Sukaskieskwew (Strong Earth Woman) and I am originally from Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan. I currently reside on the Katzie and Kwantlen Lands and water ways.
I am a dreamer and a helper – I love to share the message “As I Am is Enough” with anyone who is ready to go on the journey. I also have danced most of my life and I love the joy of dance! I never feel like I work a day in my life as my “work” is love!
As someone who has learned to move from survival mode to thriving, what was the journey like?
The journey was in steps – I had to recognize first that I was in survival mode, as it was “normal” to me. Once I had that first step of realizing I was in survival mode, then the rest had to be a conscious choice. It felt so good to start to heal and to step out of the survival that I started to chase it. Over the years of healing through many modalities such as counselling, ceremony, mental wellness workshops, workouts and more, it has truly been a tough but beautiful journey. I am still coming into thriving and it feels exciting!
You call yourself a dreamer – what inspires you?
My inspiration comes from all the beautiful people I get to share in healing with. When I get the privilege of witnessing them letting go of things they have held on to for many years, it is such a beautiful gift. To witness them standing or sitting up taller is an answered prayer! Nothing beats that. It gives me so much validation that I am on the right journey, that I am living my purpose. That journeying into my own healing has given me this beautiful opportunity to heal with community.
If a person comes from a blueprint of pain and suffering – living with fear, anxiety, and trauma – how can they get to a place of acceptance and love?
I believe that everyone has their own journey, and their path to thriving. I’m not even an expert on my own healing – I am a learner just like everyone else. I just know what worked for me. I had to try many modalities and practise them so they became habit, and each time I had a negative thought I would put a validating thought beside it. I learned that it takes so many days to form a new habit and if I could have a habit of negative thought and suffering, then I can create a new habit of positive talk and thriving! This was my journey and maybe it can work for some of you as well!
You mentioned the concept of seven generations of healing. What steps can individuals and communities take to heal themselves through dance, culture, speaking and sharing?
Yes, one of the things I have been taught is that the decisions we make now impact seven generations into the future. When I heard this teaching, it sparked a decision in me to start my healing journey. I don’t have any kids of my own but I have a lot of nieces and nephews. I know that my choices also impact them, therefore I decided I would start the journey within and do all the things that will help me to become the best version of myself. I noticed that my decision to heal has also impacted others my age and Elders. It is also about present time.
In regards to the dancing, culture, speaking and sharing, those are the modalities that have helped me. I know for others there are other avenues such as writing, yoga, sports and so on.
It is up to us to venture into those spaces that bring us the most joy!
One of the lessons you teach is that it’s possible to have a broken heart and feel joy at the same time. Can you explain?
Yes, I was in the belief that I had to either be extremely joyful or I had to be extremely sad – it wasn’t until I realized that I grew up with a broken heart and I still had beautiful joyful moments. I now understand that we can still feel joy with a broken heart. And we deserve joy even if we are coming from a very painful setting.
You said we are all deserving of the greatest love – our own. What does it mean to love yourself?
This came from me always searching for love outside of myself and never finding it. I always felt empty and alone until one day, when I stopped looking for it outside of myself. I realized that I have been missing the most important love: mine! In all the negative talk and all the negative patterns, I could never truly see love from anyone else because I couldn’t find it within me. Now that I have found it and have been practising it, I truly know that the greatest love is my own – and it matters the most because I am the voice I hear every single day!
Movement is medicine. Can you tell us what this philosophy means?
Movement is healing and can heal you in so many ways. I know there is a scientific way of explaining how movement can heal the body, mind and spirit. The only way I can explain is when I’m dancing or working out, I feel the sadness lift off of me; I feel the pain physically leaving my body. I become lighter and my spirit feels stronger. Movement truly is medicine!
You offer workshops in Powwow and Jigging. What is the difference between these dance styles?
Powwow is a First Nations Gathering, where dancers come and share healing through dance. Jigging is a Métis dance style that is a mix of First Nation dance styles and French step dancing (this is what was taught to me).
You’ve spoken about the importance of gratitude, and how it takes physical form in the body. Can you elaborate?
Gratitude is one of the teachings and practices that have been taught to me. Gratitude helps me to find the beauty in every moment in life, to find the teaching and to shift my perspective from negative to positive. In practising gratitude, it has shifted my life in so many forms. Physically, it has helped me to feel joy and get out of physical depression. It was the lift I needed for me to start truly living!
