Episode 11

Guest Speaker

Master Corporal (Retired) Natalie Forcier

MCpl (Retired) Natalie Forcier served in the Canadian Armed Forces as a Medical Technician from 2002-2016. Coming from a small rural French community in Northern Saskatchewan, she had a great desire to step out of her comfort zone and help others.

However, upon retiring from the military she struggled with the transition from military to civilian life. On this episode of For Her Country, Natalie shares her journey of healing and starting fresh with the help of True Patriot Love and following her passion to support Canadian veterans.

About Natalie

MCpl (Ret) Natalie Forcier served in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) as a Medical Technician from 2002-2016. Having grown up in a small rural French community in Northern Saskatchewan, she spent a lot of her time growing up playing sports and spending time outdoors.

With the desire to step out of her comfort zone, Natalie joined the CAF after graduating high school and started, what was originally to be a unique adventure, into a career spanning over a decade. Posted to Winnipeg, MB and Trenton, ON, she had notable experiences serving in Afghanistan in 2008 and 2010, Libya in 2011 and a multitude of multinational taskings with coalition countries.

Upon retiring from the CAF, Natalie carried on to Georgian College Barrie Campus to further her medical skills in the massage therapy trade. Having an in-depth understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the human body in addition to her emergent/clinical knowledge, this allowed her to independently treat those in need. At the time living in Saskatchewan, Natalie started her own mobile massage business for clients spanning from her hometown of St. Isidore-de-Bellevue to Saskatoon.

Slowly building her business acumen and confidence, she was greatly aware that her passion and dedication to helping an underserved population, that being veterans, was lacking. Struggling with transitioning from military to civilian life led her to shift her efforts in following a passion she was all too familiar with. Serendipitously she was introduced to the True Patriot Love Foundation’s upcoming All-Women’s Expedition to Baffin Island.

Although unaware of the impact trekking through the Arctic would have on her, this germinated within her a resolve to pursue her dreams of creating an integrated clinic model to serve Veterans and First Responders. Due to the broadly located and limited veteran population in Sask, she decided to pursue this passion in the Edmonton area where she was able to connect and collaborate with other veteran-allied personnel.

Through her own challenges and struggles, Natalie has prioritized adding value to her life through service to others. This, in turn, furthers her resolve to provide advocacy to veterans and First Responders in their medical and social service requirements – evoking the underestimated value to those who’ve served their country.