Our Team

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Founder & Board Member

Callie is a survivor-expert and advocate specializing in sex trafficking, intimate partner violence (IPV), child sexual abuse, and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). As a crown ward and formerly homeless teen, she carries a depth of lived experience that informs her leadership, advocacy, and survivor-led approaches to systemic change.

She is the Founder and an active board member  of Phoenix Arise Foundation, where she oversees programs, crisis and peer support, training, policy advocacy, legislative engagement, and public education. Callie leads with a holistic vision—transforming her own survival into a platform for collective healing, justice, and empowerment.

Her professional development spans a wide range of specialized certifications and training, including Ethical Peer Support (Voice Found), Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST) (CMHA), Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) (Mental Health Commission of Canada), Peer Support Training (George Brown College & Community Healing Program), and Crisis Prevention & Intervention – Verbal De-escalation (City of Toronto Youth Development Unit). She has also completed advanced anti-human trafficking training, including The Human Trafficking of Indigenous Peoples: Indigenous Cultural Competencies and Understanding & Working with Sexually Exploited Youth, through Ontario’s Provincial Anti-Human Trafficking Coordination Office. These credentials strengthen her capacity to integrate trauma-informed, culturally competent, and evidence-based practices into both frontline and policy-level work.

Callie actively advocates at municipal, provincial, and federal levels to advance survivor-led legislation and systemic reform, with a focus on preventing trafficking, strengthening accountability in institutions, and expanding services for survivors. She also provides workshops, training, and consulting to service providers, emphasizing survivor-centered approaches that bridge advocacy, policy, and healing.

Deeply committed to building pathways of safety and justice, Callie works to dismantle systemic barriers while creating spaces where survivors are heard, believed, and empowered to lead.

Board Member 

Kayla is a survivor-expert and holistic practitioner specializing in intimate partner violence (IPV) recovery and trauma healing through alternative wellness practices. As a Reiki Level 1 practitioner, she is trained in hands-on energy healing to support relaxation, balance, and overall well-being.

Her practice focuses on channeling Reiki energy through gentle touch or hands placed just above the body, encouraging harmony in mind, body, and spirit. By creating spaces of safety and grounding, Kayla helps individuals reduce stress, connect with their natural healing capacity, and foster resilience.

At Phoenix Arise, Kayla serves as a Board Member, bringing both her lived experience and holistic wellness expertise to support survivor-led advocacy and healing initiatives. She is committed to bridging traditional and holistic approaches to care, ensuring survivors have access to diverse, trauma-informed paths of recovery.

Board Member

Andrea MacLeod brings over two and a half decades of distinguished public service and subject-matter expertise to her role in government relations and nonprofit leadership. 

A decorated veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Andrea served in diverse operational and forensic roles across Canada, rising to the rank of Corporal before retiring in 2022 as a forensic specialist.

Andrea’s career has been marked by a deep commitment to integrity, accountability, and public protection. 

She brings to the board a unique combination of frontline experience, policy literacy, and a strong commitment to advocacy for women impacted by violence, exploitation and human trafficking 

Therapist

Looking for supportive, trauma-informed therapy?

At Beyond Roots Counselling, I support adults navigating trauma, anxiety, stress, and life transitions using a nervous-system-informed, trauma-responsive approach. 

I believe healing happens from the roots up-by addressing early wounds, old patterns, and lived experiences, we create space for greater regulation, resilience, and authentic self-connection.

I am a Licensed Counselling Therapist (#3020) and EMDR

Trauma Therapist with over 10 years of experience in the mental health field. 

My background includes work in the public sector supporting individuals impacted by substance use and domestic violence, along with diverse clinical experience in private practice. I hold a Master of Science in Clinical Health Psychology and integrate EMDR, somatic approaches, CBT, and attachment-informed care.

My work is collaborative, compassionate, and client-centred.

Sessions are warm and grounded, and we move at your pace with a focus on safety, nervous system regulation, and lasting change.

I am currently accepting new clients and offering free consultations. I am excited to be part of this organization and to support individuals on their healing journeys.

Volunteer Research and Policy Analyst

Anna-Lisa Barrett is a graduate researcher in Criminal Justice and Public Policy at the University of Guelph, with a strong background in gender-based violence, justice systems, and human trafficking. She has conducted specialized research on human trafficking in hotels, motels, and rural areas, authoring a thematic review that has been shared with law enforcement and social service stakeholders.

At Phoenix Arise Foundation, Anna-Lisa serves as Volunteer Research and Policy Analyst, leading the research for our Hotel and Motel Accountability initiative. Her work will help develop evidence-based policy recommendations aimed at strengthening prevention, reporting, and accountability measures within the hospitality industry in Canada.

Her experience spans research assistantships with the Centre for the Study of Social and Legal Responses to Violence, policy work with the Muslim Resource Centre, and volunteer outreach with Hope 24/7 and Jack.org. Combining academic expertise with community engagement, Anna-Lisa is committed to advancing survivor-led advocacy and policy change.

Volunteer web developer and graphic designer

Brittany is a Web Developer and Cybersecurity Consultant with a specialized focus on the real estate and prop-tech industries. During her decade-long career as a top-selling Realtor, she distinguished herself by leveraging her foundational expertise in web design and development. Brittany now provides consulting services centered on cybersecurity awareness and offensive security to equip real estate agents with the knowledge and tools necessary to protect their businesses and client data effectively. 

Beyond her professional work, Brittany is deeply committed to volunteering her expertise to offer web development and cybersecurity education to organizations and individuals in the women’s health and online safety spaces. As a survivor-expert and advocate on the issue of online child sexual exploitation (OCSE), she is passionate about creating safer online spaces for teens, previously advocating with groups such as Design it for Us. She also volunteers at coding boot camps for kids and local youth and women’s shelters. 

Brittany has completed the Commit to Kids Online Training through the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. Brittany has also completed 40hrs of Trauma Repair Training — further informing her empathetic and well-rounded approach to consulting and advocacy.

In her leisure time, Brittany enjoys staying active with long walks and Pilates, and spending quality time cuddling with her dogs.