ABOUT ME
Lee-Ann F. O'Brien
Executive Police Leader | Award-Winning Author | Resilience Coach | Speaker
Lee-Ann F. O'Brien is a proud enrolled band member of Fishing Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan, a woman who has walked through fire and chosen, every time, to rise.
A serving Deputy Chief of Police, published author, certified resilience coach, mother, and wife, Lee-Ann brings over two decades of lived experience in Indigenous policing to everything she does. Born and raised in the Ottawa Valley and Pikwakanagan, she began her policing career in 2005 and quickly distinguished herself as a trailblazer.
In 2015, she made history as the first woman in her police department ever to be promoted above the rank of constable. Since 2017, she has served in several executive leadership roles, including Inspector of Field Operations and Acting Chief of Police — and has held the rank of Deputy Chief of Police since 2018.
A lifelong learner, Lee-Ann is a proud graduate of the University of Toronto's Rotman Police Leadership Program and completed her Bachelor's degree at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2024, graduating on the Dean's List in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences. She believes that leadership and learning are never finished, they evolve alongside you.
As a certified Resilience Coach and founder of Head Fire Resilience Coaching, Lee-Ann draws on neuroscience, professional expertise, and her own healing journey to help individuals and leaders build the skills to navigate stress, recover from adversity, and create sustainable wellbeing both personally and professionally. She believes resilience is not something you're born with. It's something you build, one intentional choice at a time.
Lee-Ann is the author of three books. Her debut memoir, Breaking Trail: From Complex Trauma to Command, chronicles her journey of healing, resilience, and leadership as a mixed Indigenous woman navigating complex systems. Her second book, Raising Fire: Igniting Resilience and Becoming Whole, is a transformative guide for anyone ready to reclaim their strength, reconnect with their purpose, and rise — no matter what they've been through.
Lee-Ann is also the author of her first children’s book, The Adventures of Patches and Trigger—a heartfelt story inspired by her sister and their childhood adventures with their beloved ponies.
A sought-after speaker, Lee-Ann delivers powerful talks on resilience, trauma-informed leadership, women in policing, and youth empowerment. Her message is grounded, honest, and deeply human.
You were never meant to burn out. You were meant to rise.
Breaking Trail: From
Complex Trauma to
Command
Breaking Trail is a raw and powerful story of healing from trauma, survival, and leadership as an Indigenous woman in policing.
Part memoir, part reflection, it offers truth, hope, and solidarity for anyone carrying pain, reclaiming identity, or walking the path back to themselves.
If you’ve ever felt alone, this book is for you.
Want a signed copy of Breaking Trail? I’d love to send one your way! Please email me at: leeann.obrien@outlook.com to place your order today.
Paperback copy is $25.00 + shipping ($9 per copy anywhere in Canada).
Bulk orders are welcome. Please contact me for more details.
Click the link below to order your copy from Indigo.ca.
Coming Soon!
*New Release*
Coming this JUNE 2026!
RAISING FIRE: Igniting Resilience and Becoming Whole
Raising Fire is a practical guide to reclaiming your life, your strength, and your joy, one single choice at a time.
Through raw honesty, lived experience, and practical tools, Lee-Ann shows readers how to tend their “Head Fire”—their inner flame of resilience, presence, and purpose—while raising a family, serving in a senior policing role, navigating relationships, and healing from complex trauma. Full of stories, reflections, and exercises, this book will help you reset your nervous system, protect your peace, ignite your resilience, and build the life you were always meant to live.
Each chapter includes optional journal prompts, inviting readers to pause, reflect, and engage with their own journey at their own pace. This is not a manual for perfection—it is an invitation to honesty, courage, and becoming.
Raising Fire is for anyone who has ever felt broken and brave at the same time—and who knows that real strength is found not in being unbreakable, but in burning, breaking, and rising again.
Click the PDF below to download your FREE E-WORKBOOK Companion to Raising Fire.
E-WORKBOOK
BONUS MATERIAL
Speaking
Powerful, truth-telling speaking services that blend lived experience, professional insight and cultural awareness.
Author
Published author
Breaking Trail
(Baico Publishing, 2025)
consulting
Consulting services rooted in lived experience, cultural integrity and executive leadership in Indigenous Policing. Whether you're building policy, navigating conflict,or shifting culture, I will help you bring clarity, courage, and solutions.
To Book or Inquire
For personalized signed book orders, speaking engagements, resilience coaching or collaboration inquiries, please reach out to
Lee-Ann by email:
Scan this QR code or click the link to access my Linktree.