Deanna is a professional writer, strategist and communicator currently working in the environmental industry. As the matriarch of a blended family with six girls, a dog, two cats, and 40-ish chickens, ducks and geese, Deanna is no stranger to Big Feelings. She regularly observes emotional dynamics in groups, instances of suspected emotional contagion, and the (often very loud) manifestation of feelings in response to change. As the owner-operator of a 2-acre hobby farm in a small rural community on the Saanich Peninsula (Tseycum traditional territory), Deanna has developed a specific interest in the unique pressures, nuances and complexities involved in successful land use planning on the rural-urban fringe.

Deanna is completing her MA in Environment & Management at Royal Roads University, where her research is focused on the role of personal and group emotions in shaping response to urban planning & landscape change decisions. In her spare time Deanna enjoys growing flowers, experimenting with regenerative agriculture concepts, doing landscape projects and mucking around outside with her kids & animals