Zoey Pickel (she/her/they/them) is Romanian Jewish in ancestry and was born next to Alberta’s beautiful Rocky Mountains. She spent her youth camping, hiking and climbing in both sun and snow. Every spring her family would pull her out of school for a month, drive down to western USA and explore the epic national parks of the desert… so you could say she got the travel bug at a young age! Work with youth also became an early passion through babysitting and tutoring since she was 11.

A strong wanderlusting wind soon blew Zoey in all directions across the globe. She pulled fresh vegetables out of the ground on organic farms, carved powder at ski resorts, wandered barefoot around India and did educational work as a volunteer in Nepal. “WOAH, I need to keep teaching and learning forever!” she thought, so Zoey relocated to W̱SÁNEĆ territory to get her Bachelor of Elementary Education.

Since finishing her degree in 2020 she has experimented with many pedagogical modalities, from international schools to starting a tutoring business and getting loads of dirt time at Thriving Roots since 2021. When Zoey doesn’t have her teaching/ mentoring hat on you can find her dancing up an absolute storm, identifying clouds, practicing her ukulele skills, or just laying in a lush bed of moss. She is known for her enthusiasm, embodied connection to kids & ability to see learning opportunities in just about everything!