ABOUT / THE HUMANS BEHIND IT
We’re interested in what makes people make sense.
Will Oak Rising grew out of curiosity about people — what we learn, what we protect, what we carry, what changes, and what actually helps something shift in real life.
The science matters. So does context. So does humour. So does the fact that humans are considerably messier than most frameworks would suggest.
THE HUMAN YOU’LL MOSTLY WORK WITH
Hi, I’m Patrice.
I’m endlessly curious about why human beings do what they do. I can lose my phone while it’s in my hand and spend an unreasonable amount of time learning about the brain.
I’ve been fascinated for years by the same basic questions: Why do we keep doing things we know aren’t helping? Why can something make complete intellectual sense and still feel impossible in real life? Why do certain patterns stick around long after we understand where they came from?
That’s a big part of how I ended up doing this work.
I love neuroscience, nervous systems, patterns, parts, relationships, sensory differences, altered states and all the strange ways humans adapt to what they’ve lived through. But I’m probably even more interested in translating all of that into something useful.
Knowing the name of something is great. I want to know what it changes on Tuesday.
I’m less interested in forcing everyone into the same framework than I am in understanding the actual human in front of me. Expect honest conversation, practical tools and some well-timed humour.
OFF THE CLOCK / MORE OR LESS
Nature fixes more than you’d think.
Neuroscience rabbit holes are apparently a hobby now. I will absolutely use a gardening metaphor if given the opportunity. I believe play belongs in adult life. I like people who are a little weird.
THE HUMAN HELPING ALL OF THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENHi, I’m Ali.
If Patrice is halfway through saying, “Okay, but what if we…” there’s a decent chance I’m already figuring out how we’d actually make it happen.
I bring experience in event planning, people management, networking and product development. Give me a big idea and I’ll start finding the moving parts, making the lists and figuring out how to make it feel welcoming from the first hello.
Creating spaces where people feel included and looked after matters deeply to me. Behind the scenes, I’m usually thinking about the schedule, the setup, the people and the small details that change how an experience feels.
I’m helping build the practical, creative and developing community sides of Will Oak Rising. Outside of the business, I love travel, live music, sports, good food and anything that brings people together.
Patrice follows the questions. I make sure we have a calendar, a budget and snacks.
TWO BRAINS / ONE BUSINESS / MANY IDEAS
We don’t bring the same things to the table. And that’s useful.
Patrice currently carries the primary client-facing, teaching and integration work. Ali brings different strengths to the practical, creative, organizational and developing community sides of the business. Will Oak Rising benefits from two different humans building it.
THE WORK KEEPS CHANGING BECAUSE WE’RE PAYING ATTENTION
We don’t want to build a practice around one rigid way humans are supposed to work. Will Oak Rising can make room for science, lived experience, nervous systems, relationships, sensory differences, identity, altered states, community, humour, nature and whatever else genuinely helps us understand the actual person instead of reducing them to one thing.
Curiosity is probably the most consistent part.
EXPERIENCE MATTERS. SO DOES STAYING CURIOUS.
My work draws from professional experience supporting people with trauma recovery, integration, identity, patterns, relationships, boundaries, neurodivergence and altered-state experiences. The exact training and credential details still need to be verified before this page is published.
CURIOSITY OVER JUDGMENT.
Science with humanity. Different brains need different things. Everyone gets a seat at the table. Understanding doesn’t remove accountability. Insight should eventually change something in real life.
Okay. Enough about us.
What brings you here?
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About / Patrice
I’m interested in what makes people make sense.
I’m Patrice. Elsewise is my practice, shaped by curiosity about people, years of direct experience, and the belief that there’s more than one way to be human.
Hi, I’m Patrice.
“Why am I like this?” is usually followed by me explaining why that makes sense.
I’m curious about people. Why we do what we do, how we got here, and how we can be highly intelligent humans living in our own bodies and still feel like we don’t quite know ourselves.
A lot of our patterns started somewhere. I’m interested in understanding that somewhere, and whether what helped you then is still helping you now.
I’m not here to tell you who to become. I want to get to know you, help you make sense of things, and figure out what actually works for you. There’s room for questions, a different perspective, and a little humour along the way.
The experience behind the work
I’ve spent eight years working directly with people through trauma-informed coaching. We’ve talked about trauma, grief, identity, relationships, big life changes, and the things that don’t fit neatly into any one category.
For seven years, I’ve also supported people preparing for, moving through, and making sense of psychedelic experiences. That experience informs my preparation and integration work at Elsewise.
Alongside individual work, I’ve spent years facilitating healing and integration circles, including trauma and PTSD, women’s, LGBTQ+, grief and loss, and general healing and integration circles.
Working with so many different people has taught me to keep listening, stay curious, and remember that what works for one person might do absolutely nothing for someone else.
Certification and specialized training
I’m a Certified Trauma Recovery Coach. Since becoming certified, I’ve also completed advanced specialized training in NPE and DNA Discovery Trauma Support.
I’ve completed the Ethical Psychedelic Care certificate course, along with other training in compassionate and trauma-informed care.
A little more about me
Outside work, I love music, being outdoors, spending time with my people, and finding somewhere new to explore. I’m a bit of a wanderer and definitely the dreamer. I can get pretty interested in what something could become.
My girlfriend, Ali, is the more grounded one. I’m usually somewhere in the possibilities, and she’s thinking about how we’d actually get there. We balance each other out pretty well.
Between us, we have three amazing adult kids, all in their twenties. We love our little family. Getting everyone together isn’t always simple, but we’ll take the time together whenever we can.
Working together
We don’t need to figure everything out in the first conversation. Tell me a little about what’s going on, ask your questions, and we can see whether working together feels like a good fit.
The human you'll mostly work with
Hi, I'm Patrice.
“Why am I like this?” is usually followed by me explaining why that makes sense.
I’m curious about people. How we adapt, what shapes us, and why we sometimes keep doing things that stopped helping a long time ago.
When someone asks, “Why am I like this?” I want to understand what they’ve experienced. What have they had to manage? What did they learn about themselves, other people, or what it takes to get through the day? A response often makes more sense when we know something about where it came from.
I don't come into conversations assuming I know what someone needs. I bring my experience, questions, and ideas, but I also want to understand how you see things. Sometimes that means looking at an old pattern differently. Sometimes it's finding something practical that makes life a little easier. And there's usually room for some humour along the way.
Outside work, I love music, time outdoors, and being with my family and kids. I’m a bit of a wanderer at heart, curious about new places and what I might find there.
I’m also the dreamer between Ali and me. I tend to get interested in what something could become. She helps me think through how we might actually get there.
The human helping all of this actually happen
Hi, I'm Ali.
If Patrice is halfway through saying, “Okay, but what if we…” there's a decent chance I'm already figuring out how we'd actually make it happen.
My focus at Elsewise is community. I’m interested in bringing people together, building relationships, and creating spaces where people feel comfortable being themselves.
I bring experience in event planning, people management, networking and product development. Give me a big idea and I’ll start finding the moving parts, making the lists and thinking about the people involved.
I care about how an experience feels from the first hello. The welcome, the setup, whether someone feels included, and the small details that make it easier to settle in.
I’m helping develop the relationships, partnerships and possibilities for future gatherings around Elsewise.
Patrice tends to see the possibilities. I'm usually thinking about how we can make them happen. It's a pretty good combination, especially when we're building something that's meant to bring people together.
Two brains / One business
We don't bring the same things to the table.
And that's useful.
Patrice leads the individual support and integration work and brings extensive group facilitation experience. Ali focuses on community relationships, partnerships and possibilities for future gatherings.
Experience + perspective
The experience behind the work
I’ve spent eight years working directly with people through trauma-informed coaching. That work has included trauma, grief, identity, relationships, major life changes, and the often complicated process of understanding ourselves.
For seven years, I've also worked with people preparing for, navigating, and integrating psychedelic experiences. It's an area of my work that has deepened my understanding of how differently people process experiences and make meaning from them.
Alongside individual work, I have extensive experience facilitating healing and integration circles focused on trauma and PTSD, grief and loss, women’s experiences, LGBTQ+ identity and belonging, and broader questions of healing, growth and integration.
Working with individuals and groups has shaped how I listen, ask questions and adapt. People bring different histories, needs and ways of making sense of things. Years of direct work have taught me to keep paying attention to those differences.
Certification and specialized training
I'm a Certified Trauma Recovery Coach. I've also completed the Ethical Psychedelic Care certificate course and advanced specialized training in NPE and DNA Discovery Trauma Support, completed after my trauma recovery coaching certification.
My background includes additional training in compassionate and trauma-informed care.
The land and its people.
Elsewise is based in the Harrison River Valley, on the traditional lands of Sts’ailes First Nation and Sq’éwlets First Nation.
We acknowledge these living Indigenous Nations and their ongoing relationships with their lands, waters, cultures and communities. Their languages, knowledge, leadership and community life continue here today.
We’re grateful to live and work here. Learning about the people and histories of this place is an ongoing responsibility. We invite you to visit the Nations’ own websites, linked above, and learn directly from them.
Okay. Enough about us.
What brings you here?