Fort St. James entrepreneur Aurora Leigh has been named a recipient of BC Business’s 2024 Woman of the Year Awards. Leigh, who is the founder and owner of Sacred Solutions, has won under the Rising Star category for her promotion of social equity through her work.
Expressing her gratitude for the recognition, Leigh said being recognised in this field is testimony to how much society values equity. “It is super promising.”
Leigh said the acknowledgment further reaffirms the importance of the work she is doing and gives her hope for a more inclusive future.
Leigh wears many hats in her day-to-day life, from being a wellness anthropologist to a podcast host, to running her own business.
She is credited with having developed a social equity board game called The Game Changer as an innovative approach to education.
The game garnered international acclaim for its role in advancing dialogue on equity and has been recognised by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, Oxford University, as well as the United Nations, she said.
Additionally, she also created a workbook in lateral kindness work in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada. (Lateral kindness, as described by the First Nations Health Authority, is an approach based on First Nations teachings and beliefs about respect, fairness, and the importance of social harmony, community, and healthy relationships.)
She said the essence of all her efforts and projects lies not in profit but in democratising access to knowledge.
“A lot of the stuff I do is not profit-related because it is to bring research to the ground level and often to those that need it most or don’t have resources.”
Through platforms such as podcasts, YouTube, and community television, Leigh ensures that valuable insights and resources reach individuals who may otherwise lack access.
Reflecting on her journey from a rural place on the outskirts of Fort St. James to being recognised on a wider platform, Leigh says she wants to use her story to inspire people so that they can also think outside the box and dream big.
As Leigh looks ahead to the future, she does so with optimism and determination. “I feel like I’m just getting started… It’s liberating, it’s revitalising, it’s uplifting…”
The 2024 Women of the Year Awards ceremony is scheduled for May 23 at the Terminal City Club in Vancouver.