Trainers

NWI TRAINERS

Jordan Cocker (Kiowa, Tongan)
Jordan is from the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma on the Kiowa Comanche Apache Reservation and the Kingdom of Tonga. She has a master of Museum and Heritage Practice from Victoria University of Wellington. As well as a Bachelor of Design from Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand. Jordan is an artist, culture bearer and advocate for Native Women. Over the years, Cocker’s artwork and research has navigated the intersections between Native people and social, political, and historic climates through a female lens. Jordan’s artwork has been exhibited at local, national and international institutions including the Auckland Art Museum, New Zealand Architecture Week, The Jacobson House, and the Prague Quadrennial. She is a Project coordinator of the Indigenous 20 Something project and works to create healing pathways for Indigenous people in her generation through ancestral knowledge collaboration. "We are the latest version of our ancestors. Our generation deserves to have the tools to lead healthy dignified lives." -Jordan Cocker

Josh Cocker (Kiowa, Tongan)
Josh is from the Kiowa, or Ka'igwu people in Oklahoma, and the kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific. He is a certified outdoor instructor and facilitator, with an associate’s degree from Whitireia Polytechnic in Wellington, New Zealand. He has traveled extensively in the South Pacific for work and service including: Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Australia. Most recently he has worked in the Tonto National Forest in Arizona as a trail walker, coordinator, and trainer for an outdoor behavioral healthcare foundation. From the age of 14, Josh was given a position in a military society of his tribe, and trained as a youth leader to preserve and share traditional knowledge with his generation. He seeks to honor and share that knowledge with everyone. “My hope is that I can help reintroduce people from all walks of life to our First Mother in all her wisdom and beauty. I hope to inspire healing, harmony, and connection through the use and passing of traditional skills in the outdoors.”

Anthony “Thosh” Collins (Onk-Akemiel-Authum / Wazazi)
Thosh is a photographer and wellness trainer from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona. He works extensively as a freelance photographer in the Native community and throughout the United States and Canada. Thosh started doing photography at the age of 15 at The New School for the Arts High School of Scottsdale, Arizona, and later attended the San Francisco Art Institute on a full-ride scholarship. Thosh uses photography as a tool to document contemporary Native peoples and their many talents and the realities of Native people as they strive to help preserve their identities in today’s world.

Robert Johnston (Muskogee Creek/Choctaw)
“When you hold back, you stand behind the mountain. When you step up, you stand on top of it!”
Robert is a founding member of the Native Wellness Institute and a popular Native American speaker and coach who has served Indian Country for over 15 years. He uses humor, storytelling, and music in his highly interactive presentations. As a leadership trainer for youth, Robert has served many organizations including White Bison, United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY), National Congress of American Indian (NCAI), and the Native Wellness Institute. He is a certified hypnotist and has studied Sports Motivation. Robert’s hypnosis shows have delighted Native communities all over the United States and Canada.

Jillene Joseph (Gros Ventre)
Jillene is an enrolled member of the Gros Ventre or Aaniiih people from Fort Belknap, Montana. She lives in Oregon with her life partner and children. She is the Executive Director of the Native Wellness Institute and helped to found the national non-profit organization in 2000. She has a Bachelors of Science degree in Community Health Education and has served Indian Country for 30 years providing training and technical assistance in a variety of areas. Jillene has traveled to hundreds of Native communities and interacted with and learned from thousands of people. Whether she is providing youth leadership training, assisting women heal from childhood trauma or helping to bring wellness to the workplace, Jillene shares her passion for being positive, productive and proactive. She enjoys beading, reading, pow wowing and spending time with family and friends.

Shalene Joseph (Gros Ventre, Athabascan)
Shalene is Gros-Ventre or A’aniih people of Fort Belknap, Montana and Koyukon Athabascan people from Tanana, Alaska, graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Native American and Indigenous Studies from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and a master’s degree in American Indian Studies from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) where her master’s thesis was on Historical Wisdom. Growing up, Shalene was mentored and molded into a youth leader through the Native Wellness Institute and continues to work for NWI as a Project Coordinator. She recently helped to launch the movement, the Indigenous 20 Something Project (I20SP) where her generation is organizing to heal their generation from the lasting impacts of historical and intergenerational trauma. She has traveled to many tribal and urban communities where she has experienced local culture and learned from each person. Shalene co-directed her first short film, Tekona, about mental health in Indian Country and is in the process of finishing a second short film on the same subject. Shalene strives to see Indigenous people rise and become the resilient people they were created to be.

LoVina Louie (Coeur d'Alene, Colville, Nez Perce)
LoVina is schitsu'umsh (Coeur d’ Alene) Tribe, nselxcin (Okanogan/Colville), Nimipu (Nez Perce) she is a descendant of Chief Morris Antelope of the schitsu'umsh and Chief Manuel Louie of the Inkaneep Band in Oliver BC Canada. She is a graduate of the University of Idaho where she received her Bachelors in Organizational Sciences with an emphasis in Community and Tribal Wellness. She was recently featured on Lifetime Movie Network 50 Women in 50 States and a speaker at the TEDx Coeur d’Alene event. LoVina is a board member for the Native Wellness Institute, a national trainer and facilitator in youth leadership development, strategic planning, family constellations and community healing and wellness planning. She also has certifications from the Healthy Native Communities Fellowship. She has worked with youth and adults in wellness and healing for over twenty years throughout North America. LoVina is the visionary behind the newly developed and revolutionary exercise series “Powwow Sweat” and co-directed the American Indian Film Festival and Red Nation Film Festival award winning music video “We Shall Remain.” As a former Miss Indian World she travelled to hundreds of tribal communities and this experience expanded her world view and desire to help all Indigenous people. LoVina is a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, friend and an amazing human being. Her passion and zest for life is infectious.

Chelsey Luger (Anishinaabe / Lakota)
Chelsey is a journalist and health/fitness advocate, originally from North Dakota but now residing in Arizona. She is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and Hunkpapa Lakota from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Chelsey graduated from Dartmouth College in 2010 with a double major in History and Native American Studies. In 2015 she earned her Master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She is a certified barre fitness instructor and former personal trainer with a background in ballet, weight training, athletics and yoga. In both her writing and wellness work, Chelsey promotes and encourages positive, solutions-based ideas for wellness in Native communities.

Lori New Breast (Amskapipikuni/member of the Blackfeet Nation)
Lori has a diverse professional background working with tribal, indigenous, federal, national, state, international entities, public and private foundations and non-profits to support intergenerational healing services to plan and develop initiatives within the matrix of cross-cultural values and diverse governances on cultural sanctity, spiritual expression and critical physical safety, while addressing the legacy and contemporary expressions of oppression, lateral oppression and trauma through healing and strengthening lifeways practices. Lori’s work is dedicated to the advancement of human rights, the principles of self-determination and cultural expression in the development of viable practices to support indigenous peoples’ wellbeing.

Theda New Breast, M.P.H. (Makoyohsokovi - Blackfoot name) (Montana Blackfeet)
Theda was born and raised on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, with a Relocation experience in the SF Bay area during the Civil rights Movement, entering UC Berkeley at 17 years old and receiving her B.S.W & M.P.H. in Health Promotion and Prevention. Theda is a founding board member and master trainer/facilitator for the Native Wellness Institute (NWI) 1988-present. She is also a board member of the Sovereign Bodies Institute (SBI), launched in 2019, builds on Indigenous traditions of data gathering and knowledge transfer to create, disseminate, and put into healing on gender, sexual violence against Indigenous people and MMIWG (Missing Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls). Theda has been a leading authority on Indigenous Cultural Resilience Internationally in Canada, Lower 48, Alaska, Australia, and New Zealand on Proactive healing from Historical Trauma, Post Traumatic Growth, Mental Health Healing and Sobriety/Recovery/Adult Children of Alcoholic (ACOA). She is co-founder and Co-writer of the GONA (Gathering of Native Americans) curriculum, one of the Ten Effective Practices and Models in Communities of Color. Theda is a Khan-nat-tso-miitah (Crazy Dog) Society member and Kaamipoisaamiiksi (owner of a Standup Headdress) Blackfoot Women’s Society. She Sundanced with the late Buster Yellow Kidney’s bundle for 10 years. In 2013, The Red Nations Film Festival Honored Theda with a Humanitarian Award for her lifetime of healing work with Tribes and with a Red Nations statuette for her documentary short called, “Why The Women in My Family Don’t Drink Whiskey” (Free on YouTube). The Blackfeet Tribal Council has recognized her Leadership skills and appointed her unanimously to The Board of Trustees for the Blackfeet Community College for years 2014-2017. She is currently certifying Healthy Relationship Trainers for NWI, which is a curriculum identified as “Best Practice” from ANA (Administration for Native Americans).

Kasey Nicholson (Aaniih and Blackfeet)
Kasey hails from Billings, Montana. He serves as a trainer for the Native Wellness Institute and is also a motivational speaker and a rising star comedian in Indian Country. He has a bachelor's of science degree in health and human development and a master's degree in mental health and rehabilitation. He is very dedicated and passionate about sharing, teaching and creating positive change in tribal communities. Kasey is also a grass dancer, pow wow MC, husband, father and lives by the teachings of his ancestors.

Marcus Red Thunder (Cree)
Marcus was raised on northern Cheyenne reservation in Montana and is a trainer and consultant with the Native Wellness Institute. He has over 20 years of experience in Native wellness with special emphasis on men’s, women’s, and youth leadership, experiential education and training with culture coordinators in therapeutic group home settings, cultural competency training, and healthy relationships training. Marcus is active in cultural, ceremonial and social activities and is a powwow announcer. He is the father of three sons and lives in Billings Montana.

Renee Roman Nose, M.A.I.S (Cheyenne/Arapaho)
Renée Roman Nose, MAIS, is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. She is an activist, artist, actor, poet, painter, photographer, and cultural anthropologist. Her book, Sweet Grass Talking (2017), was published by Uttered Chaos Press and nominated for the Oregon Book of the Year Award for 2017. Her paintings and photography were featured at the Kallet Theater in Oneida, NY. She is a mother, grandmother, and wife. She is currently working on both her second book, Have War Paint, Will Travel, and on her third book, as yet untitled, a collaborative book of poetry with Suzan Harjo.

Gene Tagaban (Tlingit, Cherokee, Filipino)
www.storytellingraven.com
Gene Tagaban, "One Crazy Raven" is a storyteller, speaker, mentor, and counselor of the spirit. Gene is Cherokee, Tlingit and Filipino. Raised in Juneau, AK. He is Raven, Freshwater Sockeye clan from Hoonah, AK. Wolf clan from his Cherokee heritage and his last name Tagaban comes from his Filipino heritage. Over the last 30 years Gene has worked nationally and internationally creating a world in which we want to belong. Gene's passion is mentoring, speaking, performing, facilitation, and healing. Gene is a board member and trainer with the Native Wellness Institute. A trainer for ANDVSA, facilitating COMPASS: Choose Respect, a male engagement, and mentorship program to end Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Hurt, and Harm. He has been featured at storytelling festivals nationally and internationally. He is a specialty instructor and honorary uncle with the Wilderness Awareness School. Gene performs with Khu'eex, a Native Funk band based out of Seattle. Gene is always open to share stories, spirit, and inspiration with people of all ages. In the words of one participant, "Gene Tagaban was by turn funny and inspiring. He has the ability to make the audience feel safe while holding our hearts in his hands."