About Us
Arnica Foundation is named after Arnica, a flower commonly found in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Arnica is a flower with the ability to facilitate healing from the inside out, and for Arnica Foundation, represents the belief that girls with anxiety – based disorders can be healed – not just managed – with specialized treatment.
Arnica Foundation was created in 2021 to help address financial barriers to therapeutic treatment through sliding scale subsidies, and to increase the number of therapists who have the specialized skills required to work with these adolescent girls and young women.
Our Mission
Our Values
Our People
Dr. Karley Denoon, ND
Karley has primarily focused on her clinical practice for the last decade of her career, helping thousands of patients navigate complex health concerns. Very early in her career she realized that there was more to health and being human than the…
Stephanie Barnes
Hilary Tsoumpas
As a young woman, Hilary was guided by a mentor who inspired her to support other women and girls in their journeys toward personal empowerment. Her own personal work those many years ago has helped to grow her into a strong…
Sam Bryden
Sam is a certified teacher and educational academic who also works at the Calgary Public Library as a Library Experience Facilitator. Prior professional roles include teaching elementary…
Bruce Barker
Bruce Barker established Haywire Creative in 1990, and specializes in advertising and marketing, primarily in the agricultural sector. His involvement in the non-profit sector stretches back to his…
Michelle De Souza
Born and raised in Calgary, Michelle graduated from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. Following post-secondary, Michelle completed her Chartered…
Marti Bogue
Marti has been a Calgary resident for the last 20 years and has a strong connection to the vibrant, energetic nature of the city. She holds a Bachelor of Communications degree from Mount Royal…
Laurie Goodfellow
Laurie is Regional Vice President Prairies for RBC Private Banking. Private Banking serves high net worth individuals, families and family offices by providing comprehensive strategies and solutions…
Dr. Karley Denoon, ND
Karley has primarily focused on her clinical practice for the last decade of her career, helping thousands of patients navigate complex health concerns. Very early in her career she realized that there was more to health and being human than the sum of the parts that medicine had reduced the human experience to.
Karley is the founder and medical director of a clinic that is the home to 10 spectacular practitioners who serve the East Kootenays. She has an extensive clinical and consulting background and was recruited by Canada’s first biohacking facility, Aeon Future Health, to develop their medical screening programs and help open their doors. Karley is also the COO for the Center for Sacred Arts, an emerging collective of Wisdom Keepers whose aim is to use timeless wisdom to help remember what it means to be human through community, experiential learning and storytelling. Karley has a unique knack which allows her to bring her corporate, academic and scientific background to an organization through a unique lens led by her intuition and heart. She attributes this ability to the strong female support in her youth, and young adulthood. Karley has deep gratitude for the mentorship and guidance from grounded, heart centered women, during some of the most challenging times of a young woman’s life. Karley’s innate and inseparable connection within the natural world, plus the grounded strength she developed as a young woman has allowed Karley to have a profound presence in her offerings and career in medicine, which is why she is passionately involved with Arnica Foundation .
Karley lives on a farm with her family where they raise livestock, have a huge garden and can ski out her back gate 8 months of the year.
Stephanie Barnes
As a young woman, Stephanie recognized that her 14 year history of disordered eating was taking over all aspects of her life. Emotionally exhausted, physically depleted and mentally overwhelmed from trying to “manage” her disorder for so many years, she finally sought therapeutic treatment that specialized in changing brain patterns to develop new healthy behaviours.
Now a mom and successful professional, Stephanie credits her recovery and newfound confidence to therapeutic programs that focus on healing and helping girls grow into emotionally strong and powerful women. Her wish is for all young girls who are struggling with anxiety-based disorders to have barrier-free access to specialized mental health therapy, regardless of their financial situation.
Residing in Okotoks, Stephanie is active in local sports and recreation, both as a participant and parent, as well as through volunteering on various boards and committees. You can often find her at the curling rink, attending sporting events or simply enjoying the outdoors with her young son.
Hilary Tsoumpas
As a young woman, Hilary was guided by a mentor who inspired her to support other women and girls in their journeys toward personal empowerment. Her own personal work those many years ago has helped to grow her into a strong and confident woman capable of embodying her dreams. Throughout Hilary’s career as a competitive Muay Thai fighter and personal trainer, she sought to help her clients explore and challenge society’s appearance ideals, and to broaden their focus from changing the physical body toward developing a more positive and empowering relationship with the whole self.
These experiences led Hilary to develop a desire to pursue a career in counselling psychology with a specialization in the area of body image. Upon retiring from athletics, Hilary returned to school and is currently completing her MSc in Counselling Psychology at the University of Calgary. She is thrilled at the opportunity to contribute to the vision and work of Arnica Foundation.
Board Member
Sam Bryden
Sam is a certified teacher and educational academic who also works at the Calgary Public Library as a Library Experience Facilitator. Prior professional roles include teaching elementary students with the Calgary Board of Education and working with preschoolers at Christ Church Preschool. Sam earned her MEd from the University of British Columbia, specialized in place-based literacy and environmental education, as well as a BEd from UBC, and a BA from the University of Western Ontario. She is a past recipient of the PanCanadian Excellence in Teaching Award.
Community involvement is a key part of life for Sam. Previous volunteer roles include Chair of the Lady Ball Gala in Calgary for Ovarian Cancer Canada from 2015-2019, Head and Assistant Coach roles with South Calgary Ringette Association 2014-2022, and as a therapeutic care provider with the Pet Access League from 2013-2020.
A native Calgarian, she enjoys time with family, friends, and those in need, to help build better lives through laughter, kindness, and practical solutions. Sam is a firm believer in active engagement with young women to help provide the supports and strategies necessary to navigate the daily challenges of life with long-term confidence, independence, and success.
Board Member
Bruce Barker
University days, and through the years has sat on the Boards of more non-profits in professional and community organizations than he can remember. Bruce takes great pleasure in helping start-up charities in the areas of brand development, marketing and governance. As a Founding Member of Arnica Foundation, Bruce has been involved in all aspects of its development from charitable application through to policy development.
A Professional Agrologist with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan, Bruce’s Saskatchewan farm roots eventually led him to write from his straw bale house in the foothills of Alberta, supervised by his chocolate lab, Lily.
Board Member
Michelle De Souza
Born and raised in Calgary, Michelle graduated from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. Following post-secondary, Michelle completed her Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) designation. She has over 20 years of experience in Finance and corporate strategy that began in the oil and gas sector, and more recently supported technology and innovation ventures, as well as entrepreneurs. She joined RBC Dominion Securities in 2023 as an Investment Advisor to help families make smart wealth planning decisions. Michelle values all efforts in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Over the past 20 years, she has held several volunteer positions that support EDI initiatives and empower women. She chaired a group of women in the energy sector that included 13 major producers and midstream companies. Their mission was to influence corporate culture and business policies to be more supportive of women, that would ultimately result in a robust pipeline of female talent for senior leadership. During her time at the National Research Council, Michelle and team built a national collaboration group to support female-led Canadian start-ups to successfully raise capital. Currently, Michelle sits on a not-for-profit Board for Movement51, which is an organization that drives change in the areas of financial acumen, education, entrepreneurship, and investing through a gendered lens. Most importantly, Michelle is also a mom of two wonderful teenagers – they keep her on her toes and keep her busy! She also loves to play tennis, ride her bike and experience different countries and cultures when time permits!
Board Member
Marti Bogue
Marti has been a Calgary resident for the last 20 years and has a strong connection to the vibrant, energetic nature of the city. She holds a Bachelor of Communications degree from Mount Royal University as well as designations in design and marketing which are passionately employed in her residential real estate career.
In 2019, Marti founded Adaptable Living which provides home solutions to individuals and families with accessibility needs. In partnership with various industry professionals from architects and designers to contractors and builders, she helps families source, design, or build safe and comfortable living environments. She particularly enjoys helping seniors navigate the process of downsizing to age-in-place stress-free.
Board Member
Laurie Goodfellow
Laurie is Regional Vice President Prairies for RBC Private Banking. Private Banking serves high net worth individuals, families and family offices by providing comprehensive strategies and solutions for their wealth management needs. She is responsible for leading a highly enabled team to deliver trusted advice, tailored solutions and personalized service.
In a career spanning over 30 years at RBC, Laurie brings experience and understanding in leadership, financial services, sales strategy, project management, human resources and operations. Laurie is passionate about community, holding director roles on boards and chairing RBC’s Employee Giving Campaign. With the love of the outdoors, Laurie is known for planning adventures and cajoling her family into join her.