Jesse Thistle

Using three dramatic instances of courage—one that has an odd connection with Jagmeet Singh’s family—throughout his life, Jesse will show how courage can be found in such odd places and during terrible events only to rise out of it to have a more complete understanding that courage, ultimately, needs vulnerability and that your world will expand in proportion to your courage.

The opposite of addiction is not sobriety but the human connection. Jesse will show how through re-establishing social, physical, emotional, and spiritual connections with positive role models, peers, institutions, and family and friends, one can truly get better from social dislocation, cultural separation, bad choices, and achieve monumental things. Jesse knows the power of connection first-hand and how it can take someone from an active addict-criminal to a world-renown author and professor, and happily placed husband and father.

Years and years of historic trauma and the mental health challenges that have sprung from it plague Jesse’s maternal and paternal families. Jesse will walk the listeners through his family history and will draw out examples of his and his family’s resiliency in the face of Canadian colonization. He will also chart out a pathway to wellness using his own lived experiences in the nation’s health and social service institutions and show that valuing our resiliency takes us from a victimhood narrative to an empowered forward-looking survivor narrative critical to positive goal setting for the future.

Many times, Jesse, if you’ve read the international bestseller From the Ashes, almost died while cycling through the justice and homeless institutions in our country. Most would think shelter, freedom, or food were the most pressing issues for survival then, but Jesse will show how it was actually kindness—both from people he knew and total strangers—that ultimately saved his life numerous times. A lesson he wants to bring audience members, especially as Covid has made many of our fuses shorter.

One of the most important lifelines to helping someone struggling with addictions and social dislocation is to allow them the space and knowledge that they hold the power of ultimate change. They hold the power of choice. Of course, as Jesse will show, you also need people to help you change, but, truthfully, it is secondary to someone making the decision to change—you need this first and foremost. Jesse will show in multiple ways how we all are the masters of our future.

Jesse shares his family’s story in the Metis Nation – Bison hunting, the Northwest Resistance, and then the fallout of the Road Allowance Era, the remnants of which he saw as a child in Saskatchewan. Jesse eloquently describes both the macro issues impacting Metis, as well as the micro-social aspects of how policy directly impacted and marginalized Michif for over 100 years.

Jesse’s talk about the riverine and marine systems details Canada's long duree staples history, as termed by Harold Innes, and gives audiences an understanding of why Canadian cities are where they are; who originally founded them and why; and why our major infrastructure and roads go east to west—it goes from the fishers in NFLD in the early modern period, to French and First Nations fur traders in the northwest prior to 1821, to HBC Metis bison hunters and half-breeds boatmen and York Boats of the 1820s through 1870s. Together, this talk of Canada's riverine and marine highlights Indigenous contributions to the foundation of this country's modern landscape.

With honesty, eloquence and vivid storytelling, Jesse uses his personal journey to help audiences understand certain realities that people with mental illness face daily. He explores the perpetuating challenges, the systemic issues and the societal pressures that need to be addressed to improve things. He blends high level insight on society and mental health along with tactical insights on how organizations and individuals can make a difference to create safe and supportive spaces for those who struggle. Few people can connect with audiences so deeply on such an important topic to help bridge gaps and create shared understanding.

In the simplest terms, Indigenous homelessness is not limited to the lack of a physical “home,” but rather it encompasses a greater spiritual meaning - loss of culture. In this educational presentation, Jesse Thistle shares the composite lens of Indigenous worldviews to teach audiences about the 12 Dimensions of Indigenous Homelessness and their roots. Sharing examples and experiences learned from his own struggles, Jesse reminds us that Indigenous Homelessness is a cross-generational problem brought about by colonialism, and severe damages that colonialism brought to the Indigenous peoples of Canada.

With the burden of intergenerational trauma, addiction and loss of hope, Jesse Thistle rose from the ashes to become a professor, bestselling author and Indigenous advocate. In this deeply moving talk, Jesse takes you on a journey of his transformation from homelessness to becoming one of Canada’s greatest minds and authors. His unfiltered story will teach you about Indigenous peoples’ injustice in Canada and ignite a fire of motivation in your team. Jesse’s story reminds us that patience and perseverance can always lead you to your purpose.

Before discovering his path, Canada’s jail, homelessness, and substance rehabilitation systems directed Jesse Thistle’s life. There is so much your audience can learn from Jesse’s story and his experience navigating Canada's urban emergency social services. Through the Machine allows your audience to listen to the realities of homelessness, addiction and the road to recovery, and get a better understanding of how these systems are almost impossible to escape if not for intervention.

Jesse Thistle's journey from a disconnected, struggling student to a celebrated professor at York University is a powerful reminder of what happens when educators see beyond behavior and into potential. In this keynote, Jesse shares his lived experience of trauma, resilience, and rediscovery — revealing how those who believed in him helped reshape his life. One moment of connection can change a life's trajectory. Blending raw honesty with hope, he challenges educators to build classrooms rooted in belonging, courage, and cultural understanding, where every student — especially the unseen — has a chance to lead.

As a child and teenager, Jesse Thistle felt invisible — lost in the system, disconnected from his roots, and certain he didn't belong. Today, he's a bestselling author, historian, and professor who credits courageous educators and moments of compassion for helping him find his way. In this talk, Jesse explores what courageous teaching truly looks like: seeing beyond the surface, leading with empathy, and daring to believe in students before they believe in themselves. His story invites educators to reimagine their influence — not just as teachers, but as catalysts for transformation.

Education isn't only about curriculum — it's about connection. Drawing from his lived experience of homelessness, addiction, and recovery, York University professor and author Jesse Thistle shares what it means to teach the whole person, not just the student. This deeply moving talk invites educators to see mental health, belonging, and identity as essential parts of learning. Through courage and compassion, Jesse shows how schools can become spaces of healing — where understanding replaces judgment, and every student feels they matter.