Essential tremor was a source of embarrassment and inconvenience to Marianne when she was younger. But as an adult, she began to experience a tremor in her core and suddenly the disability she had spent many years learning to hide and mask became obvious to everyone with whom she interacted.

She saw it as a source of shame and anxiety, but she experienced kindness and support from both friends and strangers who saw it.

“My tremor also opened a new pathway for connection with my clients, who felt more comfortable sharing their vulnerabilities with someone who could clearly understand what it meant to feel out of control, exposed and ‘unsteady,” she said.

She now sees ET as a “connective superpower.” It is largely the reason why she chose to study social work at the graduate level.

Marianne is a founding member of the Nesting Doula Collective. Through this work she is able to support indigenous families as they experience enormous, and often traumatic, interactions with the healthcare system. She also serves on the board of directors for the Oasis Society, a local indigenous organization that seeks to support the most vulnerable (and often homeless) members of the urban indigenous community.