Hello, my name is Julia!

My career began in Toronto’s charitable sector in 2011 at a youth arts education organization in St. James Town, where I discovered how much I value creativity, community, and bringing people together. Over the years, I’ve led programs, produced events, built cross-sector partnerships, and turned ideas into action. Those experiences shaped how I work, with curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and a belief that relationships are at the heart of meaningful change.

At 33, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 HER2-positive Inflammatory Breast Cancer, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. What began as a life-changing diagnosis challenged me to learn how to live alongside uncertainty and find my voice. Navigating healthcare, work, advocacy, and everyday life gave my professional experience a new perspective and showed me the importance of listening to lived experience and creating opportunities for people to be heard. It also sparked a deeper interest in connecting patient voices with healthcare, research, workplaces, and the organizations shaping these spaces.

Today, I’m building work at the intersection of storytelling, advocacy, and creative programming. I’m drawn to projects that make difficult conversations easier, challenge assumptions, and leave people with something to think about, talk about, or act on. My work brings together lived experience with years of professional experience in program development, partnerships, community engagement, and creating meaningful connections.

Outside of work, I’m an avid traveller, volunteer, food lover, and lifelong believer in saying yes to a good adventure. I find inspiration in new places, cultures, nature, and wandering across the city. Cancer is an important part of my story, but it isn’t the whole story. I’m committed to continuing to build a life and body of work that reflects that.

If you’re looking to start a conversation, program, event, or project that brings people together in a meaningful way, I’d love to connect.