Hear Laura’s story and how she progressed to where she is now.
Born and raised in a small Saskatchewan town, I come from a proud lineage rooted in Kahkewistahaw First Nation. My story is shaped by the generational impacts of trauma, loss, and survival. Growing up, I struggled with feelings of isolation and disconnection, both from my caregivers and from myself, and I battled anxiety long before anyone knew how to recognize or name it. I was that quiet student, always striving for perfection, yet never feeling “good enough”. My childhood memory of sitting at my desk, chewing my nails until they bled, encapsulates the internal turmoil I carried every day—lost in a cycle of stress and anxiety, without the vocabulary or understanding to explain it.
Basketball was my escape. When I was on the court, everything else faded away—the pain, the pressure, the anxiety. For a brief moment, I felt like I could breathe, like I mattered. But despite my success and the praise that came with it, the gnawing feeling of not being enough lingered. It wasn’t long before I turned to substances to quiet the noise in my mind. The first time I tried alcohol, I felt free—free from the anxiety, free from the pain—but in truth, I was only numbing my deeper wounds. That numbness quickly spiraled into full-blown addiction.
I was caught in a vicious cycle: from one substance to the next, from one reckless decision to another, until I reached a rock bottom so deep I didn’t know how to climb out. I barely graduated high school, threw away opportunities in basketball, and didn’t care about being another statistic .Society had already written me off as another Indigenous youth doomed to follow the same destructive path.
But on October 19, 2011, everything changed. After a near-death experience, I made a decision that would shift the course of my life: I would never touch another substance again. That day marked my first day in recovery—and the start of my journey to heal not just myself, but the narrative of my life.
During the early days of sobriety, I was fortunate to have one person who truly believed in me—my Gramma Vi. Her love, support, and fiery determination helped push me forward when I had nothing left to give. She believed in me when I couldn’t believe in myself, and her encouragement remains a driving force in everything I do.
As I continued my journey, I moved to the city, enrolled in university (something many told me Indigenous people like me didn’t do), and began a degree in Indigenous Social Work. There, I found a community of women who shared similar stories, struggles, and dreams, and it was through this journey that I reconnected with my culture and began to heal.
In recovery, I met my husband, who was also navigating his own path of healing. Together, we broke the patterns that defined our pasts. We chose love and commitment—something neither of us had ever truly known—and built a family. Our daughter, now 9, is the reason I wake up every day with a sense of purpose.
In 2020, just before the world changed with the onset of COVID-19, I had a life-altering conversation with my mother, who had struggled with opioid addiction. She asked me, with a softness in her voice, if I was still working with kids. I said, “Yes, Mom,” and she responded, “You love those kids. Love them so they don’t end up like me.” That moment reshaped my understanding of love and purpose—love, despite all the pain, can break cycles, heal wounds, and create new possibilities. Tragically, my mom passed away a few months later, but her words continue to fuel my mission every day.
Today, I stand here as a woman who has broken cycles of trauma, addiction, and disconnection. I am a proud, sober, Indigenous woman, a wife, a mother, a sister, and an aunt. I am not defined by my past, but by my ability to transform it into something powerful. I am here to help others break their own cycles, to heal, and to live up to their greatest potential.
I’m Laura Tendler, and my story is a testament to the power of resilience, the strength of community, and the transformative power of love. I’m here to help you break free from your past and create the future you deserve.