In this powerful cousin episode, Dr. Candace Manitopyes welcomes her cousin, Dr. Tara Hutchison, a young Cree physician from Moose Cree First Nation, for an intimate and wide-ranging conversation about medicine, culture, identity, and the realities facing Indigenous communities today.

Both women discuss the emotional labour of being Indigenous professionals in colonial systems: balancing advocacy with gentleness, resisting the pressure to be palatable, and unpacking the internal battles around perfectionism and imposter syndrome. They speak openly about therapy, burnout, and the crash that often follows major achievements, reminding listeners that success doesn’t erase vulnerability.

The episode ultimately offers a portrait of two Cree women who have navigated demanding systems while staying rooted in who they are and where they come from. It celebrates community, resilience, cousinhood, and the growing wave of Indigenous people transforming medicine, education, and futures in their homelands and beyond.

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Relentless Actions

1.  Write down what you carry in rooms that isn’t in your job description, then choose one thing to stop doing this month.

2.  Identify two people who understand your context without explanation and schedule a real check-in before burnout forces one.

Relentless Reflection 

1. Where did I learn that excellence is the price of belonging?

2. After I achieve something significant, do I let myself land or do I immediately chase the next proof of worth?

Relentless Resources

1. My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies

2. Your Body Is Not an Apology Workbook: Tools for Living Radical Self-Love

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Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat