Driving While Indigenous began with the desire to be inspired.

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Founder Jill Featherstone loved the idea of attending motivational events—being in a room filled with energy, powerful speakers, big ideas, and people who made you want to dream bigger. But when she started looking for those experiences, she realized there simply weren’t many happening close to home. These big motivational events seemed to be happening elsewhere, Florida, California, Europe. Somewhere that required a flight, a hotel and a lot of money just to get into the room.

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And then came the thought that changed everything:

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          Why are we travelling across North America looking for inspiration when we have our own 

          Indigenous powerhouses right here?

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We have the storytellers. We have the entrepreneurs. We have the artists, leaders, comedians, musicians, professionals, dreamers and changemakers. We can create our own stage.

 

And that is how Driving While Indigenous was born.

 

Jill and her team of volunteers created a space for Indigenous people to come together, laugh, connect, dream bigger and leave feeling motivated about what is possible. But it was also created with our community service providers in mind—the people who spend their days pouring into others, supporting families, helping our youth, strengthening communities and carrying so much responsibility. 

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Driving While Indigenous is a day for them, too. A day to step away from taking care of everyone else and pour something back into themselves. 

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          We cannot tell our youth to chase their dreams if we are not chasing ours.

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Our Mission

Our mission is to create powerful spaces where Indigenous people can see themselves represented, hear stories that inspire them, celebrate Indigenous excellence, and leave believing more deeply in what is possible for their own lives.

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We are proud to announce that Driving While Indigenous Inc. is now a non-profit organization. This next chapter will allow us to expand our reach, inspire more people, support more communities, and create an impact that extends far beyond a single day or event.

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The event may have been where it started, but our vision has grown far beyond the stage.

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Tickets on sale: September 8th, 2026