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About the Team
We are a small team of three brilliant minds. When Elizabeth decided to create Alt Brilliance, she knew she would need to call in some very special humans to bring this vision to life. Shelby and Kendra are such a blessing to this program and to the children they impact. Truly, our program would not be what it is without their contribution. Each member our of team brings something unique to the table, and together we have created something incredible that we know will have great impact on the children and families that wish to join us on this journey. Read on to get a full bio from each of us.
Elizabeth Meekes
Elizabeth is a mother, creator, healer and warrior. Professionally speaking she is a Holistic Practitioner and coach with over 9 years of experience with clients in the coaching and wellness industry. She is also a three time best selling co-author.
Elizabeth became an unschooling mom in Spring of 2020, although this way of living and learning had been on her heart for many years before. When her boys were babies she spent countless hours researching the history of education and alternative education options, and loved the unschooling approach. She had hesitated to take the leap because she lacked the trust in herself, and she doubted she had what it would take to move through life and education this way. As with many things, sometimes she just requires a little push over the ledge.. So with that, thank you to all that transpired in Spring 2020 for being that push.
Since then, Elizabeth and her family have not looked back. In October 2022 she launched the first ever session of Alt Brilliance on her family farm to offer a space for families like hers that want something different for their children’s lives and education. She is passionate about creating a space where children are empowered and feel heard and have the freedom to explore, a space that fosters creativity, curiosity and confidence. This is what she built Alt Brilliance for, and it will only continue to grow from here.
In her downtime you’ll find Elizabeth adventuring with her family, hiking, getting her feet in the dirt, breathing in deep with the trees, or hanging out by the water. And don’t get us wrong, she also loves a chance to cozy up and watch a good show. She moves through life with her husband, Steve, and their two insanely cool, free spirited boys, Rowan and Arion.
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Shelby Parkes
Shelby’s journey into discovering her passion for childhood development and learning about the environment began at Fanshawe College where she graduated with her diploma in Early Childhood Education in 2016. Shelby has always had a natural passion for educating and connecting with youth and was eager to learn more to allow children to reach their fullest potential and be an integral part of each child’s development process.
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Shelby soon realized that she wanted to expand her knowledge on nature and the environment, something she was also passionate about. Shelby had always taken an interest in caring for the environment and waste reduction, using any chance she got to educate others about the importance of interacting with nature and being respectful of your surroundings.
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Shelby went on to complete her degree in Environment and Sustainable Development at the University of Guelph in 2020. During her university career, Shelby learned about environmental conservation, sustainability, and the importance of connecting with the world around us.
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Shelby finished her university career and began working as an educator at an outdoor preschool in Guelph. During this time, Shelby grew an interest in learning about the flora & fauna in our ecosystem and educating children about the grandness of our environment. Shelby enjoyed creating a safe, inclusive and engaging environment that allowed each child to express themselves creatively through play-based, child-directed learning.
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Shelby began teacher’s college in September of 2022 where she hopes to continue to combine her two passions and implement her professional knowledge while also continuing to learn and grow as a high-quality educator.
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Shelby was born and raised in Stratford where she lives with her Partner, Kyle, and her rescue dog, Dory. Shelby enjoys reading in her spare time, and connecting with nature by traveling and gaining new experiences when she can. Shelby also has been vegetarian for over 7 years and took competitive dance classes from the age of 2 to 22.
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Shelby is thrilled to be a part of the team at Alt-Brilliance and feels very fortunate to be able to connect with children in a diverse network of outdoor settings. Shelby admires Alt-Brilliance’s mantra to allow children to naturally learn using their own interests and connections. Empowering children to learn through collaboration as an educator and guiding their learning through curiosity and child-led play is something she truly feels passionate about.
Kendra Peterson
Kendra graduated from Brock University with her Inclusive and Therapeutic Recreation and Leisure degree in 2011. After a few years she really wanted to expand her knowledge and skills, so she returned to school at Fanshawe College in 2014 where she completed her Autism and Behavioral Science Certificate.
She worked as an EA with the school board for five years, but during that time she felt like she wasn’t able to support children in the way she truly desired. She wanted to be part of more of an immersive, life skills approach to education.
Kendra is super excited to be on the Alt Brilliance team because it has allowed her to support children in a way that aligns with the style of approach she was missing in the school board. She loves our child-led, nature based and play based approach to learning as she has witnessed first hand how it allows the children to feel empowered and embrace their creativity and unique brilliance in an encouraging environment. She loves how our team all brings something a little different to our programming creating a super fun, educational, supportive and creative space.
Kendra has always had a passion for helping others with a focus on overall well being at the root of it. She is bringing this passion into her work with the children here at Alt Brilliance. She truly wants to make a difference in the lives that she touches. Kendra is here to create such an impact that the children look back one day and think, because of her I believed in myself.
In her downtime you’ll find Kendra diving into all things personal development, on a nature walk with her adorable bernadoodle, Colbie, in the kitchen cooking up something delicious with her husband, Travis, or perhaps cozied up with a good book, the husband and the bernadoodle.
Kendra also has her own decluttering business! She helps people reclaim their space as she believes an organized living space is the first step to an organized mental space. You can check her out on instagram @decluttered.living
Oh yeah, and she’s jumped out of an airplane!!! … with a parachute of course ;)