Sojourner has over 18 years of academic and real-life experience under her belt. Her accreditations include a B.A. Honours in Directed Interdisciplinary Studies and an M.A in Social Justice and Equity Studies. A few of her professional titles are Consultant, Organizational Change Maker, Trainer, Facilitator, and Artist. Her real-life experience comes from her upbringing in Ottawa and subsequently her travels to Scotland, Cyprus, Africa, Zaire, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates, among other destinations.

It's near impossible for Tomee to differentiate between what she has learned in her academic studies from what she has learned throughout the course of her own personal and international experiences. It’s safe to say her success is attributed to the diversity of both her lived and educational experience. This allows her to relate to people from various walks of life and, as a result, connect with her clients on a higher level.

An important factor in Sojourner’s line of work is establishing a communal line of communication in organizations. She has dealt with many businesses that have frustrated administrative employees with years of experience who do not receive the respect they deserve from their managers. She is able to curb that frustration by creating a space for communication between employees and managers as well as a strategy to move through the stresses when they arise in the future.

I wondered how she deals with frustrated individuals on such a regular basis without it becoming depressing. Surprisingly, she told me it’s almost the opposite. She thinks it’s a privilege when people come to her in a moment of crisis. She interprets it to mean she has done her job and opened a place of trust for them to feel comfortable to "catch a breath" with her. She tells me, “I have to honour boundaries and move with integrity. It is still my professional responsibility to provide resources and access to resources for them.”

Sojourner was raised to never believe the saying: “Three strikes and you’re out.” Proudly identifying as a black, lesbian, academic with a learning disability, she has never let stereotypes hold her back. She accredits a great portion of her success to her femtors and mentors. The earliest femtors in her life were the strong women in her household. She was encouraged and supported on her course to success. She stresses how blessed she is to have worked with so many amazing folks in her life. However, she was able to remember one person in particular that had a great impact on her life. She recalls how her Grade 2 teacher, Mrs. Scott was able to connect to her student’s passions at the tender ages of eight and nine.

Although Sojourner realizes the importance of finding a healthy balance between work and play, she enjoys her work so much that it spills over into the play portion of her life. In her free time, she enjoys partaking in cultural activities. She works with a lot of young actors and writers as well as the Anitafrika Dub Theatre. This theatre’s initiative focuses on the "intersection of radical creativity, activity and thought." She also holds an educational workshop geared towards new and current youth leaders aged 13 and up. The Intersectional Diversity and Youth Leadership workshop teaches these leaders "leadership development models with intersectional diversity and innovative strategies."

Sojourner offered some advice to individuals interested in getting into the field of motivational speaking: She recommends finding someone that you can job shadow. Map out a journey of your strengths and evaluate the experience you are bringing to the table. It is important to find your balance of practical and academic strengths. If you are bringing a lot of academic experience to the table, find a way to build on your practical experience and vice versa. This will hold you in good stead when it comes to relating to clients of various backgrounds.

Tomee’s future plans involve the introduction of podcasts and video clips from some of her motivational experiences with eventual plans of compiling a book based on her professional and personal journey to be launched in 2011.

Visit www.tomeesojourner.com for information on this incredible woman.