Her Voice is a weekly feature that highlights women who have shaped the community through their leadership, innovation, and heart. Genesis House Executive Director Ang Braun embodies those qualities through her work supporting women and families as they navigate the journey of breaking the cycle of domestic violence. For decades, she has worked tirelessly alongside the organization’s dedicated team to advocate for the voiceless. Most recently, in response to seeing a major need in the region, Genesis House has undertaken one of its largest projects yet under Braun — the construction of a transitional housing facility that will change lives by providing a safe space to rebuild after escaping abuse. Although Braun’s voice is one of the loudest and most impactful in the community today, it didn’t develop overnight. Along the way, there have been detours, moments of doubt, and the lingering questions surrounding a comment she heard about herself years ago: “She’s doing well for herself, considering.” For her, each of these moments — from the achievements to the setbacks to wondering, "Considering what?" — are an important part of her story. ‘Somewhere in high school, I started to find my voice’ Braun said it’s remarkable how experiences from the early years of life can linger. For her, the impact of words she encountered in grade school still haven't faded entirely. It began in Kindergarten, which she said was a challenging adjustment as she learned to spend her days away from her mother and navigate a classroom led by a teacher who, as she recalled, “wasn’t super fantastic.” Afterwards, her report cards consistently had the same comment: Ang needs to speak up in class. Ang needs to speak up in class. Year after year throughout grade school, it persisted. Eventually, the tides did begin to turn for Braun as she got older, where in high school, she encountered new people, new experiences, and new parts of herself, but she said it was gradual and sometimes rocky then, too. “Somewhere in high school, I started to find my voice,” she said. “Sometimes it was not an appropriate way of finding your voice, but I think that's part of the learning.” Despite the development, Braun said that, at the time, she wouldn’t have considered herself a leader in any respect. In class, she still kept her head down, and it was still hard to speak up. A non-linear path forward For Braun, confidence continued to grow through milestones. She remembers the excitement of being hired as an A&W car hop — a job she wanted, even though she didn't need it — and a growing appreciation for education despite post-secondary studies rarely being discussed in her childhood home. At the same time, Braun was also navigating her interests and learning what it took to pursue them. She wanted to be a fashion designer, but sewing didn’t come naturally. Related stories: Women belong… at the table, making decisions "Women Talking" screening hopes to put safety and openess first, over power Genesis House's 40-Year Journey She considered becoming a veterinarian, but the program was extremely competitive, and in high school, because she forwent math and science, she found she had limited options. Amid this trial and error searching for purpose and a path, one important step came for Braun when she enrolled in a business administration program after high school. “That was awesome. I had good teachers, and it was very good, but [I was] also limited in where [I was] going to go after, because I did not have any math or science,” she said. Perhaps I've always felt myself like a bit of an underdog. We were not a wealthy family. I had everything I needed and lots of love and great extended family, but we weren't wealthy. -Ang Braun on discovering her voice for the voiceless. Rather than accepting those limitations, Braun decided to return to high school as an adult to complete the courses she had once avoided. “What I disliked the most, I was now in it all day, every day, just so that I could get into the university level to open more options for myself," she said. 'It was just like a divine intervention’ After updating her education, Braun studied criminology at university, where she hit on what would ultimately define her passion. “I was definitely more victim-focused. That felt more comfortable for me, the underdog,” she said. The idea also resonated on a personal level. “Perhaps I've always felt myself like a bit of an underdog. We were not a wealthy family. I had everything I needed and lots of love and great extended family, but we weren't wealthy,” she said. “I guess that underdog feeling was just something where I knew that if I was going to do something, that probably was it. It was just like a divine intervention.” After university, Braun returned to the Pembina Valley uncertain about where her criminology degree would lead. Then, around 1985, an opportunity arose at the region's newly opened women's shelter. What began as a job opening became a calling, setting Braun on a path she remains on decades later, even if the path forward wasn't easy to see at the time. Discovering a voice for the sake of the vulnerable Braun said that almost immedicately, it felt “right” to work with Genesis House, and from the outset, she had an opportunity to build her skills as a leader when, not too long after she started, the province provided funding for a pilot project for the first time with a children’s program. It was one of only two in Manitoba. With support for children on the line, Braun found her voice for their sake. “The shelters had never had any funding to work directly with the kids. There were lots of kids in the shelter, but no funding for that. We were lucky to be one of the pilots,” she said. “I got to head up that program, and so I think that was also part of it — this idea that this is now my responsibility, whether this succeeds or fails for all the other shelters in the province.” While my report cards all those years were saying, ‘Needs to speak up in class,’ perhaps, but I also needed some experiences that would give me the courage to be able to speak up where I needed to. -Ang Braun on finding her voice. She added that her efforts were also enhanced by self-inflicted pressure, by knowing how important the project would be to others, and, beyond that, by the fact that her name was attached to it. “That's one of the values that I hold — my reputation, it's really important, and so I think just making sure that we could follow through [was my priority], and we did. “That funding has remained since that time.” Progress, but still not a linear process Even after finding her calling at Genesis House, Braun's path was not a straight line. Over the years, she left and later returned to the shelter — a transition she said was difficult, but one that ultimately helped her grow. “Leaving the shelter was extremely hard for me because I felt like my work wasn't finished there, but like everything, there was a purpose,” she said. “I met such great mentors in between. I had such a great boss when I worked at the Alzheimer's Society, and the trust and the level of responsibility were not something where I wanted to disappoint.” While working at the Alzheimer's Society, Braun said she benefited from strong mentors and a workplace culture that reinforced her confidence. She recalls hearing messages such as, “You can do this,” “We trust you,” and “We know you have good judgment” — encouragement that added another "brick" to finding her voice. Her time with the Alzheimer's Society also strengthened her understanding of non-profit leadership, from building community support to recruiting people who believe in a cause. When she left in 2005 to become the executive director of Genesis House, she felt a similar grief. “I [was] leaving not because it was bad, but because these other folks needed me more,” she said. 'She’s doing really well for herself, considering’ As momentum gathered in the role of executive director of Genesis House — a position for which she had been interviewed once before and did not receive until years later — Braun faced a new learning curve. She said it took two years of 16-hour days, followed by another decade of experience, before she finally felt she had truly “moved into her office.” My knees are shaking. They're still shaking. That never really stops, but [being] the voice for folks who are marginalized when we know that they can't say it for themselves — that's a huge responsibility, and I need to be able to get it right most of the time. -Ang Braun on finding a voice for marginalized. Yet despite years of hard work and helping build an organization that supports some of the community's most vulnerable residents, one comment lived in the background for Braun. A colleague of hers said to her friend: “She’s doing really well for herself, considering.” Since then, Braun has wondered what he meant. “Considering what?” she still asks. “Did they see a disability that I have that I didn't know about? Was it because [if] I work really hard, I can get a C plus, maybe a B, but I am an average no matter how hard I work?” Not all our skills can be measured on paper While the comment can still create moments of doubt, it also fuels Braun's determination. She said she it inspires her to show people what she can do. “Not all our skills can be measured on paper. There are skills that we are now trying to train people for that are not measurable on a report card. While my report cards all those years were saying, ‘Needs to speak up in class,’ perhaps, but I also needed some experiences that would give me the courage to be able to speak up where I needed to,” she said. Braun added that, today, speaking up still comes with nerves, but the difference is that she now sees it as part of a responsibility much larger than herself. “My knees are shaking. They're still shaking. That never really stops, but [being] the voice for folks who are marginalized when we know that they can't say it for themselves — that's a huge responsibility, and I need to be able to get it right most of the time. I won't get it right all the time, but most of the time, because they need that. They deserve it,” she said. ‘At some point, somebody's got to take a risk and step out there’ As Braun continues to forge her path, she said there is always more to learn, and although it can be daunting, being willing to step in at all is important to her. In her view, at the end of the day, there's work to be done. “Again, remembering that I'm like average, C plus, and then sprinkle the menopause in there,” she said. “But if not my agency, if I'm expecting other people to move forward, why not us? Why not me? Who else? ... If somebody falls down on the street or it looks like there's an emergency, most of us don't feel like, ‘Oh, that's going to be me to race in there to help,’ but at some point, somebody's got to take a risk and step out there.” ‘It is about trying, ... being creative, and imagining’ Of her journey so far, Braun said that while she has never considered herself a risk-taker, moving forward requires her to be one. Related stories: Thank you, Pembina Valley: Genesis House Radiothon surpasses goal The message of Genesis House’s new vibrant bench Welcome to Clearwater Place: Lost Carman family gives name to Genesis House's project As her story indicates, however, it isn’t a linear process, and it’s rarely smooth. “Sometimes you're going to screw up, but ... then you come back, and you lick your wounds, and you get some feedback from your team, and you'll learn some stuff,” she said. “Then you try again, and you move forward in a different way, a better way — maybe a better way, maybe still the wrong way. It is about trying, ... being creative, and imagining the most outrageous ideas and then paring them down to a thing that maybe isn't quite as outrageous.” Finding your voice As for advice to other women working on finding their voice, she said it can take many forms. She believes it doesn’t have to be loud, and it doesn’t have to look exactly as her life does, but what is important is trying each day despite adversity. “That is your voice. That is your heart,” she said. “The fact that you continue to have hope and to keep pushing forward is super important. "The other part is even finding one or two places where you can find someone with a common ground and a common mind to start sharing that and exercising that voice — letting people know what you really think and what you really feel.” Braun added that creating and being involved in supportive groups of women can not only help one find their voice but also improve one's quality of life overall. “Yes, we love our families, and we have all of that, but we need to have a space where it's women, where we can share and laugh and joke and just be," she said. "When I think about what would be the ingredients to success for me and in my world, that would be one of the big ones — that I get to work with an excellent team.” A difference of opinion doesn’t have to erase support For Braun, a supportive environment doesn’t require agreement on every point. What matters is working toward shared goals and strengthening decision-making through different perspectives. She said that belief is particularly important when women are part of leadership. “Every voice counts, and I think the more times we can get women's influence around decision-making tables, that is the most important because those tables are where policies are made, and where decisions are made about how we're going to live our lives and what level of supports we're going to have. “The shoes that I walk in are going to be different than my husband's shoes. His experience of life is different than mine, and that could be said for all the different cultures as well, so we also need other diversity because we need to understand the challenges faced by all of those folks.” For Braun, supporting women in these roles despite differences of opinion is key. “We might not have everything in common, but you are my voice at that table, and so I need to find ways to support you,” she said. ‘It's just a reality that we are all connected’ In the end, Braun's determination through the decades has helped strengthen the community, and she sees the return regularly. “It's all connected. While I have a mom in personal care and a brother who has needed different supports in the community, some of the faces that I'm seeing on those teams are faces that I recognize from my workplace,” she said. “It all comes around, and that's humbling — it's just a reality that we are all connected.” To nominate a woman in the Pembina Valley to share her story, see the Her Voice page. With files from Robyn Wiebe