Description
A story of trauma, healing, and the courage to lead with truth.
Breaking Trail is a courageous memoir about rising through childhood complex trauma to lead with strength and purpose. Lee-Ann O’Brien shares her journey as an Indigenous woman and senior police leader, navigating deep challenges and walking the long road to healing. This is a story of resilience, truth-telling, and reclaiming voice. Part reckoning, part roadmap — Breaking Trail is a call to lead with heart and stand in your truth, no matter the terrain.
If you’ve ever felt silenced, unseen, or underestimated, Breaking Trail was written for you.
Lee-Ann F. O’Brien, Is a proud enrolled band member of the Fishing Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan. She is an author, mother, wife, and Deputy Chief of Police with over two decades of experience in Indigenous policing.
Born and raised in the Ottawa Valley and Pikwakanagan, she began her policing career in 2005 after relocating to Cornwall, Ontario to pursue this path.
In 2015, she broke new ground as the first woman in our police department’s history to be promoted to Patrol Sergeant.
Since 2017, she has served in several executive leadership roles, including Inspector of Field Operations and Acting Chief of Police. She has held the position of Deputy Chief since 2018.
As a lifelong learner, she has continually advanced her education and leadership development. She is a proud graduate of the University of Toronto’s Rotman Police Leadership Program (2019) and recently she completed her bachelor’s degree (Dean’s List, Faculty of Human and Social Sciences) at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2024. She is now currently pursuing postgraduate studies in Human Resource Management at Fanshawe College.
Beyond policing, Lee-Ann is actively involved with charitable organizations, advisory boards, and committees—and most recently, she has stepped into the role of a published author.
