How a 30-Year Ad Strategist Rebuilt His Career Around Indigenous Language Reclamation ft. Jef Combdon (MarkerTree)

This episode's is someone I've wanted to sit down with since the very early days of this podcast — and trust me, the wait was worth it.Jef Combdon is a 30-plus year marketing communications and media strategist who has built campaigns for some of Canada's most recognized names: Molson Coors, Kraft, Colgate, Maple Leaf Foods, and Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism, among others. He has operated at the highest levels of both holding companies and independent agencies, across Toronto and St. John's.And then he walked away from all of that to build something entirely his own.MarkerTree is Canada's first and only social enterprise in the marketing communications space — a company with two mandates built right into its DNA: deliver exceptional outcomes for clients, and use the profits to fund Mi'kmaw language reclamation. Jef is a proud Mi'kmaw and active member of the Ktaqmkukewaq Mi'kmaq community, and he co-founded the Ktaqmkuk Mi'kmaw Fluency Project — an online and immersion school working to bring fluency back to Newfoundland, where it had all but disappeared.What does that mean for you, listening right now? Whether you're an entrepreneur questioning whether your work is aligned with your values, a leader navigating what reconciliation actually looks like inside a business, or someone who has ever had to choose between getting ahead and being fully yourself — this conversation will stay with you.Learn more about MarkerTree: https://markertree.ca/Message us your thoughts!