At the intersection of arts, community and youth work, Joanna is reimagining what it means to show up fully.

Born in Côte-des-Neiges and raised in Montréal-Nord, she’s worn many hats: clothing store owner, community care practitioner, organiser, creative. Now, as she steps away from her role as creative director at Never Was Average, she’s turning toward something new.

Listen: You’ve spoken about your upbringing in the north of Montreal, how did your early environment shape your sense of self and creativity?

Joanna: Being born and raised in Montreal really feels different from people who only came here in their late teens. If I talk about my experience, I do have a different sense of self and creativity. I was lucky, in a way, to grow up in a neighborhood where I could actually see myself this area was, and still is, pretty diverse, with a strong Haitian community.

I never felt like I didn’t belong, but I did feel like I was supposed to act or be a certain way. I don’t talk about it much, except with friends who grew up in a similar environment or with my sister. We lost a lot of friends to violence or the system. My mom did her best to keep us safe, and honestly, I never felt unsafe. But it was always interesting to hear what people outside the neighborhood were saying about us.

When you're around people who are just trying to survive or make something out of nothing, you do get creative, just to find a way out. I do think that the best creative are the ones from limited resources.

Listen: You took an unconventional path compared to those around you, was it difficult to explain what you wanted to do? Did you feel isolated in any way because of the path you chose?

Joanna: Yes, from a very young age since high school, I knew I wanted to work in fashion. I saw fashion as this utopian world, especially watching all the runway shows where designers were just having fun creating entire worlds through clothing.

I started working retail jobs in downtown Montreal, which meant I had to leave my neighborhood often. That exposed me to different people, new energy, and fresh perspectives. It was eye-opening, just meeting new people, making new friends. It shifted how I saw the world.

One moment that really made me realize I was on an unconventional path was when I was kind of talking to this guy (dating-ish). I’d known him forever, and one day he said something like, “You shouldn’t be working for such low pay. You could make way more money dancing …I could take care of you.” And while he wasn’t pushing me, it was wild to hear. I was like, if I ever choose to dance, it’ll be for me, not for anyone else!

I think about that moment often because I could have easily said yes, the money he offered was way more than I was making. But I had a clear vision for my life and the choices I wanted to make. (Aquarius girl speaking now, lol.) That was really the turning point where I told myself, I’m going to prove, to myself and to them, that I can make it on my own terms.

Listen: How do your roots continue to show up in the spaces you create and hold now?

Joanna: I think that over the past 15 years, I’ve been experimenting with intention which means I’ve never forgotten where I come from. My roots are my anchor; they guide where I want to go.

In the spaces I create now, I focus on allowing people to just be without labels. To breathe, learn, share, or challenge themselves. That, to me, is incredibly fulfilling. It’s hard to explain, but I’m always in awe of the rawness and connection that can happen when I hold space, especially when I can do it through creativity.

Listen: You have a seriously impressive resume spanning multiple different sectors from fashion to mental health, how are all these interconnected for you?

Joanna: I see all these different sectors as mediums, tools I can use to express ideas and create impact. What connects them all is my passion to do something meaningful. Through Never Was Average, I’ve been able to bring together my experiences, skills, and everything I’m still learning.

For example, I’ve always been drawn to the behind-the-scenes of fashion like how things are made, the creative process, the “why” behind it all. When it comes to mental health, that’s deeply personal. It ties into my own story, but also to people from my past who needed support and didn’t always get support or even ask for help.

At my core, I’m just super curious. I love learning, exploring, and breaking out of boxes. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll move into architecture! I’ve never felt the need to stick to just one path.

Listen: When you look back on your journey from hosting pop-up shops to now being the multifaceted creative that you are, what are you most proud of?

Joanna: Oh, that’s a really good question because honestly, I’m proud of every project where someone comes back and says, “Yo, you made me do this,” or “You made me think about that,” or “I finally understood something about my life or relationships.” Moments like that remind me why I do this work.

But if I had to choose one project, I’d say the CultureFam initiative we did in 2022. It was right after COVID, and we developed a free summer program for our communities to reconnect, focus on their well-being, and rebuild a sense of togetherness. I curated different activities fitness, yoga, meditation, sound healing all led by BIPOC facilitators from the wellness space.

What people don’t know is that during COVID, we were already planting the seeds for this. We held online conversations called Le Sisterhood and Le Brotherhood, and through those, we gathered so many insights and lived experiences. That’s what helped shape CultureFam into something that truly responded to what our communities needed. It was such a beautiful experience and honestly, so much fun.

Listen: Throughout history fashion has been used as a vessel for activism and liberation, do you see this in your own journey?

Joanna: You know, I’m such a low-key radical person that I do believe every action I take whether it’s through fashion or culture carries a form of liberation. Just the fact that, as a Black woman, I challenge systems and don’t wait for permission to create or shift things… that is liberation.

Both of my parents are from Haiti, the first Black republic to gain independence from colonizers. That history flows in my veins. I don’t call myself an activist, because the way I intervene or show up might look different. And I have deep respect for those whose entire way of being is activism.

But lately, I’m realizing maybe I am that radical activist, girl. I’m also critical and thoughtful in how I navigate. For me, liberation is a mindset. But not everyone has the luxury, time, or privilege to even think that way, you know? So I try to be mindful of how I use the mediums I have to spark something, even a shift in someone’s thinking. That, too, is a form of resistance.

Listen: You do so much for the community, how do you hold space for others without burning out yourself?

Joanna: I really love what I do but I can easily get lost in it, lol. That’s why finding balance has become so important to me. Now that I’m 37, I’m on a different timeline. I want to make sure my cup is full, too. I’ve started saying no more often and being more intentional about where my energy goes.

I try to use the mindfulness tools I’ve picked up over the years, but it’s still a process. Lately, I’ve been listening more to my body and my intuition and that really helps. I also make sure to take full rest days, where I literally do nothing. That’s been a game-changer

Listen: What role have the arts played in your personal healing?

Joanna: Art is such an important medium sometimes I don’t even need to say anything, and through art, I can still communicate what I’m feeling, whether it’s conscious or not. From the archives, to the creative process, to simply wandering through a museum every part of it plays a role. Art, in all its forms, is incredibly powerful. When I’m not feeling good, I’ll often go see an exhibition alone. That’s when I feel most present, most grounded. It brings me back to myself.

Listen: A large part of what you do is facilitating conversation and discussion, encouraging people to think deeper and outside of their usual lens. Why is this important to you?

Joanna: We live in a matrix, a programmed world full of so much information, both fake and real. Clickbait titles, podcasts, different points of view there’s just so much noise. That’s why it’s important for me to challenge my beliefs and thoughts by using my lived experiences.

That’s why discussions and conversations are so important. I’m also someone who just loves to ask questions.

Cultivating critical thinking, taking time to debrief, reflect on myself, and exchange ideas within the community is essential. The more diverse perspectives I encounter, the more I can think critically and break free from the matrix.

Listen: You’re stepping down from your role at NWA, a major move! What pushed you to make this decision? How will your experiences so far in art, fashion and community care shape the foundation of this new offering for young people?

Joanna: Well, I’ll always be part of NWA, that’s the foundation. But my role is evolving. I’m stepping into a new position as Executive Director & Head of Creative Direction at our nonprofit, Le Marathon Créatif.

In parallel to building and creating at NWA all these years, I was also working with youth something not many people knew about. It actually started with volunteer work in schools, and over time, I began collaborating with different organizations and nonprofits to develop programs for young people. I started to see those experiences as real-life case studies.

I genuinely love creating with the next generation, especially those from underserved neighborhoods, where imagination often feels limited, where society tends to overlook them, and where they might already feel judged by teachers or systems. Now feels like the right time to pour all my knowledge and energy into that work more intentionally.

That said, everything stays connected. I’m not stepping away from NWA completely, I’m building programming that will be powered by Never Was Average to support our youth initiatives. It’s all about interdependence between NWA and the nonprofit. We’re building our own from the ground up, using the same approach we took when we started NWA.