Nicole Hartley Bradford

Nicole has a crazy dream of a re-wilded world, where re-naturalized humans live in communities – so intimate and intelligently designed, that we call them villages – on a planet we have ‘salved’ with loving awareness. She’s devoted to setting an imperfect living example, here, in Calgary: speaking, writing and facilitating to inspire and empower others to do what they can, wherever they may be. Nicole openly shares the many tools she and her friends have found, created and tested in pop-up and long-term experimental villages in and around Calgary. She trusts that her dream will be realized. She also realizes it might not — but in any case, she hopes that her four children and that the children of the future might be proud of her efforts.

“Growing up in the southeast corner of BC, Calgary was the "wrong" city to aim for; my friends and I wanted to be in Vangroovy! But after a couple of decades, I ended up here and was enthusiastically surprised to feel so good about it: the maverick spirit here, the innovative energy - even though I am often denied access by virtue of my low income status - is nonetheless inspiring. The cutting edge in Calgary is one I have deep faith in, as I serve to help bring about the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible, as Charles Eisenstein says.’