Our services provide a holistic educational support system that welcomes minds of all kinds as we strive to nurture individual potential, inspire academic excellence, and empower each learner on their unique educational journey.
We do this by addressing the diverse needs of students, from individualized tutoring to post-secondary preparation and academic strategizing.
We provide comprehensive support tailored to meet the diverse educational needs of our clients. Whether you’re a student seeking academic assistance, a parent navigating the complexities of post-secondary transitions, or an educator looking for resources to enhance your teaching practice, we’re here to empower you with the tools and guidance you need to succeed.
The Association francophone des Kootenays Ouest (AFKO) promotes French language and culture through diverse public art projects and cultural programming that bring together Francophone, Francophile, and Anglophone communities across the Kootenays.
AFKO offers year-round cultural programming that highlights Francophone arts, culture, and heritage:
- Live Performances: Concerts, theatre, storytelling, and bilingual shows presented in collaboration with local venues and touring artists.
- Workshops and Residencies: Educational and bilingual art workshops (music, dance, theatre, visual arts, creative writing) offered in schools and community center, at 807, Baker St.
- Film Screenings and Festivals: French and bilingual film events, including partnerships with local film festivals and cultural organizations.
- Cultural Celebrations: Organization of flagship community events such as Francophonie Week, St-Jean-Baptiste Day, and Black History Month programs.
Community Gatherings: Bilingual cultural nights, family events, and public celebrations fostering intercultural connections.
I provide life and business coaching for self-employed women and entrepreneurs who struggle with fear, self-doubt, or visibility challenges in their business. I help women stop hiding and express their real voice, so the people who need their work can finally find them — with a grounded, aligned approach that blends inner clarity with practical steps forward.
Vanessa Deverell is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and Registered Craniosacral Therapist (RCST®) serving Nelson and the West Kootenay region. Her practice offers two complementary services: body-centered counselling and biodynamic craniosacral therapy. Vanessa integrates Somatic Experiencing®, mindfulness, and attachment theory into her work, helping adults navigate anxiety, trauma, relationship patterns, burnout, and highly sensitive nervous systems. Her approach honours both the intelligence of the mind and the wisdom held in the body.
Counselling sessions are available in-person in Nelson or online throughout BC, with direct billing available to most extended health plans. Craniosacral therapy—a gentle, hands-on treatment that supports nervous system regulation and deep rest—is offered in-person. Vanessa serves Nelson, Castlegar, Trail, Kaslo, and surrounding Kootenay communities. She holds an MA in Counselling Psychology and a BA in Philosophy with a focus on trauma and embodied memory. Free consultations are available to explore whether her approach might be a good fit.
Kara-Leah is a boundary-pushing yogi, unapologetically unravelling the threads of liberation with fierce authenticity. She’s a seasoned mentor, guiding others through the fire of transformation with a Tantric lens that devours everything in its path—no holding back. Whether leading immersive workshops or sharing potent wisdom in her weekly newsletter, she’s a true trailblazer in the spiritual space, unravelling the knots of trauma, patterns, and karma. With her no-nonsense approach to self-knowledge, Kara-Leah invites you to step into a deeper, rawer connection with life itself. Kara-Leah is the author of three books and the mother of a teenager.
Kara-Leah’s work is intuitive, drawing on decades of experience in working with the unconscious and somatic expressions of buried truths. She is skilled at facilitating deep transformation in small groups, and 1:1. She’s led 30+ retreats and trainings in the last decade, in New Zealand, Mexico, Bali and now Canada.
She has been a facilitator for BC’s Making Sense of Pain Program and is available for small-group mentoring and group work.
Relationships through Story!
Storytelling Nelson gathers monthly to inspire the oral tradition. Everyone is welcome and we excel at inclusive welcoming that supports everyone remembering themselves. Storytelling clarifies, where we are, from where we have been, and lights our inner paths to tomorrow.
We offer:
entertainment that builds communication and community.
workshops, presentations, and team building opportunities for any gathering, business, or organization.
Next offering:
Gail Nyoka Re-Balance with The Black Black EARTH
September 21
doors: 5:45PM, 717 VERNON STREET
by donation: $20 sliding scale at the door
After reading a few sentences here you might just wonder how one woman can carry so many gifts! Of course, her bones still know the ancestry of village…
Gail has published a collection of stories gifted to her from the Ewe people of Ghana during her visit to Ghana in 2018. True joy though is to tell these stories for you and your loved ones. Gail has been featured at the Toronto Storytelling School, Theatre Local, the Border Light Festival in Cleveland, and Festival at the Edge in England.
Writer, playwright and oral storyteller Gail Nyoka creates for growing adults and young folk too. She won the Chalmers Canadian Play Award: Theatre for Young Audiences with her stage play Mella Mella. The play has been produced by Black Theatre Workshop in Montreal, Young People’s Theatre in Toronto and
toured in Ontario with Carousel Players.
Other theatre productions:
King of the Animals, Talespinner Children’s Theatre, Cleveland;
In Plain Sight, Cleveland Playwrights Festival, staged reading;
The Oba Asks for a Mountain, Talespinner Children’s Theatre, Cleveland;
The Waters, Public readings at Cleveland Public Theatre.
Love and Ecstasy, audio play, ran on Playwrights Local Radio in Cleveland.
Her novel Mella and the N’Anga: An African Tale, set in long-ago Zimbabwe, was a finalist for awards in Canada and the US, including the Governor General’s Award, the TD Children’s
Literature Award, the Carl Brandon Parallax Award, and the Silver Birch and Red Cedar Children’s Choice Awards.
And now, Nelson, can we entice her to be at home here?
We have not even talked about her podcast: Crone Chronicles where she interviews Storytelling Royalty: Laura Sims……
At the heart of everything I do, I’m here to help you take your business and life to the next level.
Together, we’ll create a future that’s not just successful, but truly fulfilling.
I’m deeply committed to helping individuals and businesses unlock their full potential. With my innovative coaching approach, I guide clients in overcoming challenges, breaking through fears, and becoming the best versions of themselves.
Our services include:
- Registered Massage Therapy
- Registered Clinical Counselling
- Registered Therapeutic Counselling
- Life Coaching
- Acupuncture
- Yoga Therapy
- Jikiden Reiki
- Body Talk Therapy
Unwind and Let Us Care: We bring the fun, flexibility, expertise, and peace of mind to childcare and events – wherever and whenever you need it.
Kootenay Columbia College (KCC) is a well-established school with over 20 years of Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) accreditation and three campuses in Nelson and Burnaby, BC.
For over two decades, the college operated as the Academy of Classical Oriental Sciences (ACOS), specializing in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In 2017, we expanded to include a Registered Massage Therapy Program and a Holistic Nutrition Program. In 2024, KCC launched its Burnaby campus, further diversifying its career education offerings.
KCC is renowned for its rigorous academic standards and comprehensive programs, making it the only institution of its kind in the Kootenays. Our Traditional Chinese Medicine graduates practice worldwide, while our Registered Massage Therapy graduates thrive as entrepreneurs or in integrative health clinics and spas.
Students benefit from our multi-disciplinary approach, which combines professional development, research, and business practice. This innovative education model equips graduates with the skills to excel in today’s competitive job market.
In Nelson, KCC’s main campus is at 402 West Richards Street in Rosemont, with an additional downtown campus in the historic Nelson Trading Company building.
A local Registered Nurse, Nicola, providing home care and foot care services in Nelson, BC.
Foot Canada Training is a federally incorporated nursing foot care education company based in Nelson BC, that supports nationwide education opportunities by offering online Foot Care Nurse and Educator training, Foot Health courses for Support Workers (coming in 2022) and by providing Foot Care Nurse Educators, health agencies and post-secondary institutions access to our curriculum for clinical courses and advanced skills workshops. Our curriculum is peer-reviewed, current and meets the standards set by the Canadian Association of Foot Care Nurses’ National Competencies for Advanced Nursing Foot Care in Canada. Foot Canada Training is dedicated to promoting the advancement of standardized and accessible Foot Care Nurse education in accordance with best practice guidelines.
Diane Walters MA, has 35 years of experience in Waldorf, outdoor educational programs and alternative Educational platforms. She is an Educational Strategist, Curriculum Artist and Solution Evangelist serving as a Homeschooling Consultant, Keynote Speaker, and Professional Development Mentor for teachers. Her work is deeply informed by her life-long interest in education and in life, through the lens of Steiner’s educational philosophy, contemporary educators, theorists and futurists. She offers parent and faculty talks, webinars, and online participatory sessions to develop a greater understanding of what makes us human, how we learn, and how we teach, whatever the subject, the system, and the environment. 2009. Graduate thesis: The Unfinished lesson ..Leaving room for the Students. An action research project of teaching through student inquiry and constructive participation in the classroom.
Our Studio
eARTh Community Clay Studios is a home studio with a breathtaking view. It is not just a pottery studio, it is an inspired playground for adults, kids, and anyone who likes to play with mud.
Hands-on help and personalized instruction are at the core of this experience. The friendly atmosphere supplies warm feedback and creative motivation to help you discover your inner potential.
Owner and teacher Diane Walters has worked with clay for thirty-five years and the learning industry for thirty. Sharing her experience and learning from others is at the core of this small business.
eARTh Community Clay Studios is situated in a beautiful studio with a view in Uphill Nelson, BC, Canada, located at 1116 Latimer St, Nelson, BC. We are open Sept – April and closed for late spring and summer.
If you’ve ever dreamed of having your own light-filled art studio, eARTh Community Clay Studios is for you. Though we specialize in beginner wheel and hand-building classes, if you are a practiced potter, you’ll appreciate our wheel and hand-building work areas, Shimpo wheels and slab roller, our selection of stains and glazes, and our regular firing schedule during our open studio sessions. Everything you need is right here. Experienced Potters and Sculptors make up our team of ceramic professionals who are ready to share their talents.
Nelson vision experts that provide the Kootenays with a vast selection of designer frames, glasses and sunglasses. Need your glasses in a hurry? L’Optique offers one-hour for most prescriptions. Your new glasses manufactured while you wait. We can also repair and service your existing eyeglasses. Our professional staff has extensive knowledge and we pride ourselves in great customer service for the right price.
Looking for sunglasses? L’Optique carries brands like Rayban, Tom Ford, Prada, Gucci, Moscot, Maui Jim, Oakley, Dior and much, much more.
The Forest Path offers deep nature connection programs mostly for kids age 3-13 but also for teens, adults, and educators. Since 2017, we do day camps around Nelson BC, all outside and based on the forest school pedagogy and Coyote mentoring.
Wild Smile Events is an event planning and management company that aids spirited clients in curating events that are memorable and connective for all in attendance. We specialize in non-traditional, outdoor and adventure type weddings, elopements and social events. We also have extensive knowledge in fundraising, corporate and community event planning, as well.
Our service offerings include, Full and Partial Event Planning, Event Design, Event Coordination/Management, Hourly Consultations and Rentals.
Meet with Audiologists & Hearing Instrument Specialists at our hearing clinic in Nelson. We offer free hearing evaluations, the most advanced hearing aids, maintenance & aftercare.
First Aid Training in the Kootenays
It’s never too early to start thinking about planning for your retirement. It is the moment that many people crave during their working lives; others dread it: retirement, or unretirement or rewire. Regardless of the industry or profession, retirement comes to all of us. Let me help you and your employees who are entering into their retirement journey. Apart from the usual retirement office party or dinner, it is important to start preparing by: creating a plan & vision about what you or they want in their retirement, Help them to set goals, think about what they want to do when they retire. Writing this plan down now can help with downsizing, financial planning and creating a plan for the next 30 years. I can also help you to transition into a passion career or self employment once you retire.
Come relax in a cave made of 12,000 pounds of Himalayan Salt!
Downtown Nelson, the cave is a space to relax and breathe. Tiny particles of salt are ground into the air and breathed deep, with many benefits for the respiratory system, sleep, mood, relaxation, inflammation and detox. Treatments offered in the cave include Registered Massage Therapy, Couples Massage, Sound Healing Treatments with tibetan bowls, gong, didjeridoo, reflexology. Or join for a special event in the cave! Shamanic sound journeys with crystal bowls, meditation, drum journeys, yoga, and live music.
Salt Therapy (halotherapy) has health benefits for conditions like asthma, allergies, sinusitis, cold/cough, bronchitis, COPD, Emphysema, cystic fibrosis, eczema, psoraisis, sleep, stress, anxiety, depression, muscle recovery and sports performance.
Our goal is to promote your health, vitality and well-being by supporting your body’s innate healing ability. We help you build the foundation of good health by promoting optimal nutrition, mind-body awareness, and holistic treatment to guide and support your ability to heal.
Offers counselling including mental health, trauma, relationships, emotional difficulties, stress management, and spiritual healing.
All services are provided by master’s level clinical social worker registered with a professional licencing/registration body.
Sessions are personalized to support the uniqueness of the self or the relationship dynamics. Clients’ concerns may involve anxiety, chronic pain, substance use, trauma/abuse, stress from school or work, and a sense of the lack of purpose and meaning in their lives.
All clients welcome (e.g. cultures, LGBT+, polyamory).
