September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This year, Lean In Canada is sharing the stories of Indigenous women in our community, in their own words.
Tara Saunders is the Founder and CEO of Amu Consulting and a Mi’kmaw woman from Newfoundland and Labrador. For decades she has helped build organizations, businesses and communities from the ground up, including in executive leadership roles in Indigenous tourism at the provincial and national level. We asked her about her work, what meaningful support looks like, and where our community can begin.
We’re also grateful to Tara for her work as a consultant on our Women of Colour Report, a research project currently underway. We appreciate her support on that project, and we’re proud to share her story here.
Tell us about yourself and the work that has shaped you.
I’m Tara Saunders, Founder and CEO of Amu Consulting, and I’m from Qalipu First Nation.
Over the last few decades I have worked primarily in education, community economic development, and building organizations, businesses and communities with intent and a grassroots perspective. Community relationships and sustainability have always been at the heart of my work.
As a Mi’kmaw woman from Newfoundland and Labrador, my career has been shaped by a commitment to helping Indigenous people and communities share their stories, strengthen their opportunities, and have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect them.
What have you seen happen when communities lead the way?
I have had the profound opportunity to work with my own Indigenous community, as well as in executive leadership positions on both a provincial and national level within amazing organizations such as the Newfoundland and Labrador Indigenous Tourism Association and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada.
Throughout my work in community development and Indigenous tourism, I have seen how powerful it can be when communities lead the way in sharing their stories and shaping their future. Supporting that takes trust, care, and consistent work that often happens behind the scenes and over time.
What led you to start Amu Consulting?
Founding Amu Consulting has allowed me to bring those experiences and values together in a profoundly personal and intentional way. I support communities, organizations and businesses with planning, leadership and tourism development, while staying connected to the people and places that give that work meaning.
Building my own business has also meant learning to trust my experience and finding my voice as an Indigenous woman entrepreneur. I hope my work helps create more space for other Indigenous women to lead, share their knowledge, and define success on their own terms.
What barriers have you faced along the way, and what helped?
I have learned throughout my career that barriers, uncomfortable situations and inequality can be incredibly subtle and nuanced. These experiences can compound over time, eroding confidence, impeding success, and making women feel like they are not enough. In my own experience, women supporting women has had a profound impact on building confidence and feeling accepted in professional spaces.
I have been fortunate to become an Indigenous woman leader in my industry and gain recognition nationally and internationally, but that road was made easier by strong women leaders who came before me and walked beside me. I strive to offer that same support, and to be a mentor and sounding board for women in my teams, among my partners, and on their own courageous journeys into entrepreneurship.
What do you wish more people understood about Indigenous women’s experiences?
I will never say that I speak for all Indigenous women, because I can’t. We each carry different experiences, community realities and generational stories that shape our lives today. Meaningful support begins with acknowledging those differences and listening without assuming we already understand.
Our Indigenous communities are vibrant, culturally rich and welcoming. They also carry histories and ongoing realities that many non-Indigenous people may not fully understand. The impacts of land loss, residential schools, intergenerational trauma, and the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls only begin to speak to the barriers many Indigenous women face. Making space for that understanding, while recognizing each woman’s strengths, knowledge and aspirations, matters.
So what does meaningful support look like in practice?
For me, meaningful support is rooted in truth and reconciliation.
It starts with truth: with knowledge, listening, and a willingness to learn who these women are and what has shaped their experiences.
Reconciliation means putting that understanding into practice. Addressing inequity, opening doors to leadership, valuing their expertise, and building professional spaces where Indigenous women feel supported to bring their whole selves, lend their strength, and thrive.
What can our community do, starting today?
Again, it starts with truth. Let’s learn what that truth is.
There is a significant gap in data showing the specific barriers Indigenous women face in both Indigenous-led and non-Indigenous-led professional settings. That means we are unable to fully understand those barriers, and so we can’t create meaningful pathways to overcome them. This community can provide a way for those voices, and that data, to be shared.
I would also love to see more groups of Indigenous women helping and guiding Indigenous women. Reaching out to communities to share the Lean In model, encouraging Indigenous women leaders to get involved, and supporting Indigenous-led Circles through this network would be extremely beneficial. I say that as an Indigenous woman professional who has worked in corporate spaces for many years.