Meet Our Team
Joyce Leppington | Founder & Facilitator
Joyce Leppington is a consultant, educator, and advocate of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sts’ailes, and Métis heritage. With over a decade of experience, her work is grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems, relational accountability, and advancing decolonization and anti-racism across institutions and communities.
Joyce’s early life in the foster care system shaped her awareness of how policies and structures impact Indigenous children, families, and futures. This lived experience informs how she moves through her work today centering relationship, responsibility, and practical action that leads to meaningful systems change.
Her professional journey spans consulting, facilitation, curriculum development, and advisory roles with organizations seeking to transform how they lead, learn, and serve. Joyce is known for creating environments where honesty is possible, where people can locate themselves within systems, and where growth is both personal and collective.
Joyce brings more than fifteen years of post-secondary education to her practice and is currently completing a Bachelor of Integrated Studies with a minor in Communications at the University of the Fraser Valley. Her multidisciplinary education, drawing from kinesiology, communications, and sociology, strengthens her ability to bridge human behaviour, systems thinking, and relational practice.
Simone Williams-Horne | Coast Salish Artist
Simone Williams-Horne (also known professionally as Simone Diamond) is a Coast Salish artist from Cowichan and Tsawout, carrying the cultural name Ti Ti Ta Maat. Born in Duncan, B.C. and now residing on Stó:lō territory, Simone has been creating art since she was 12 years old and began her professional journey at just 15. With a lineage rooted in Coast Salish artistry her father, Francis Horne Sr., and her brothers Terry Horne and Francis Horne Jr.; Simone grew up in the carving shed, watching large logs transform into story, teachings, and life.
Simone is a largely self-taught artist whose work is known for its feminine, balanced, and intentional style. Her practice includes graphic design, painting, pencil work, and carving. She carved her first mask at 13, selling it to Eagle Spirit Gallery on Granville Island, and by 16 she began collaborating with Native Northwest, where her designs were featured on children’s books, houseware, apparel, kitchenware, and gifts.
Today, Simone continues to evolve her craft through graphic design, canvas painting, and ongoing exploration of Coast Salish forms. At JLC, she walks alongside our network by offering cultural artwork and visual storytelling that strengthens our educational and community-based work. Her contributions ensure that our teachings are shared in ways that are visually resonant, culturally aligned, and deeply relational.
Kirsty MacMillan | Administrative Coordinator
Kirsty MacMillan brings over a decade of administrative and coordination experience across legal, sport, and health care environments. Her career has been shaped by precision, organization, and a strong belief that thoughtful systems create the conditions for people and teams to do their best work.
Her background includes supporting complex documentation processes, time-sensitive coordination, communications, and multi-stakeholder logistics. Through her work in community and team-based settings, Kirsty has developed a reputation for reliability, discretion, and follow-through.
Now practicing as a nurse, she continues to work in fast-paced environments that call for critical thinking, adaptability, and compassionate service. This combination of administrative strength and people-centered practice allows her to move seamlessly between behind-the-scenes organization and meaningful support to those she works alongside.
At Joyce Leppington Consulting, Kirsty contributes to strong internal operations, client coordination, and the day-to-day systems that ensure each engagement is carried out with care and efficiency.
Karina Jean | Holistic Wellness Consultant
Karina Jean is a professional hairstylist from Tzeachten First Nation with more than a decade of experience in the beauty industry. Since beginning her career in 2012, she has specialized in on-site hair services for community events, supporting care, confidence, and wellbeing through healthy hair practices and practical education.
Karina understands that hair carries energy and personal power. This perspective grounds her approach in respect, intention, and relationship, shaping the environments she creates as spaces where people feel valued, seen, and supported.
Her professional journey includes advanced education in cutting and colour, with training completed in Las Vegas, Santa Monica, New York, and Vancouver. Through her work, she teaches everyday maintenance, styling, and simple updos that promote long-term hair health and self-assurance, while also offering specialized services such as colour transformations, extensions, and chemical smoothing.
At JLC, Karina contributes to holistic and relational wellness initiatives, particularly within conferences, retreats, and community gatherings. Her work helps reframe care as collective rather than individual, reinforcing the understanding that wellbeing is nurtured through connection, dignity, and shared experience.
Aleata Vanstone | Youth Consultant
Aleata is from the Wet’suwet’en Nation, born and raised on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. She brings a passion for community connection, storytelling, youth empowerment, and relational learning to her role as Youth Consultant with Joyce Leppington Consulting.
With over 10 years of experience in tourism and hospitality, alongside an educational background in Business Development, Aleata brings a people-centred approach grounded in meaningful relationships, diverse perspectives, and shared experiences.
Her passion for teaching, learning, and uplifting others reflects her commitment to community, culture, and the wellbeing of future generations. As an emerging facilitator and public speaker, Aleata continues to develop her skills in creating spaces for dialogue, connection, and learning.
Through her work with JLC, Aleata brings a valuable youth perspective while continuing to grow her experience in facilitation, community engagement, and Indigenous-led learning initiatives.
Shayla Jacobs | Cultural Advisor & Consultant
Shayla Jacobs is a proud member of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Kwakiutl Nations, bringing a deep commitment to cultural integrity, community connection, and intergenerational teachings. As an elected Councillor for the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation, re-elected in 2025, her leadership is guided by cultural values, community responsibility, and the teachings of her grandparents.
Shayla brings extensive experience in Indigenous governance, health, and community engagement. Her professional background includes more than a decade of work within the Squamish Nation, alongside her contributions to the First Nations Health Authority across Corporate Services, Jordan’s Principle, and Health Emergency Management.
Shayla’s heart work centres on gender safety, cultural continuity, and community well-being. Her advocacy for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people (MMIW2S+), alongside her cultural practices and teachings, reflects her commitment to strengthening cultural identity, relationships, and safer communities.
Shayla supports facilitation, curriculum development, and community engagement, contributing cultural knowledge and perspectives to the work she does.