Skylene Gladue Steps Into Reality TV With ‘The Traitors Canada’

Indigenous model, actress and motivational speaker enters a new chapter as a reality TV star

By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

(ANNews) – For Skylene Gladue, also known as Nipîy Iskwew, storytelling is more than sharing personal experiences. It is a way of creating connection, representation and hope for others who may see themselves reflected in her journey.

Gladue describes herself as a woman of many hats, working as an influencer, international model, actress, reality star, motivational speaker and movement builder. Now, she is adding another chapter to that journey as a cast member of The Traitors Canada, premiering September 21 on CTV and streaming on Crave.

“Being a part of The Traitors Canada feels like another one of those moments where I just got to look at my life and think, like, how the heck did I even get here?” Gladue said.

Her path to the show has included modelling, acting, motivational speaking, international travel and competing on The Amazing Race Canada. “Every experience has shown me that there’s always another chapter waiting for you,” she said.

Gladue says she has lived through difficult chapters while also experiencing opportunities she once never imagined possible. “I don’t feel like I’ve reached the best part of my life yet and the best part of my story,” she said.

For her, the next chapter is about embracing the unknown and continuing to challenge herself. “I just want to keep on challenging myself every single day,” she said. “What’s the best that can happen?”

The Power of Representation

Storytelling remains at the centre of Gladue’s work. She believes sharing Indigenous stories can help others feel seen and encourage them to tell their own stories.

“I believe that storytelling is a huge part of our Indigenous culture and who we are as Indigenous people,” she said. “It’s just so important to share our stories and where we come from because through that storytelling, we inspire hope, we let other people be seen.”

Gladue recalls watching Georgina Lightning’s documentary Grandmother’s Medicine and seeing Indigenous representation on screen in a way that resonated with her own experiences.

“For the very first time I felt seen as an Indigenous person, and not only seen but not alone in my trauma,” she said.

That experience influenced how she approaches her own public platform.

“When we tell our stories like this, we really give other people the permission to tell their own stories,” she said. “I believe that we all have a story that’s so important and needs to be told and needs to be heard.”

As an Indigenous woman working in entertainment and fashion, Gladue says representation means being able to show younger generations what is possible.

“It means everything,” she said. “You know, I get to be the representation.”

Growing up, she says, she did not see Indigenous women on screen pursuing some of the dreams she had for herself.

Today, she wants younger Indigenous people to see themselves represented in those spaces – “including film and fashion and all these things.”

Pushing Past Fear

Gladue’s experience on The Amazing Race Canada also taught her about confronting fear.

“Amazing Race Canada really instilled in me that we can overcome hard things and challenge ourselves and not be afraid of that fear,” she said.

Although others described her as fearless after the show, Gladue says she still experiences fear. “In reality, like, I’m pretty fearful,” she said. “But what I am is a master of pushing past that fear.”

That philosophy has continued into other areas of her life, including her international modelling career. She has walked fashion shows in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Toronto, including Toronto Fashion Week.

“I absolutely love doing these Indigenous fashion shows, but when we’re on that level, we’re also seen as an equal, and an equal playing field,” she said. “It’s not just, ‘We’re a Native designer’; we’re a designer. We’re not just a Native model; we’re a model.”

Her fashion career has also taken her to Japan, where she says approximately 200 Indigenous people recently gathered together. “We’re really knocking down doors and breaking down boundaries that were not always available to us,” she said.

Her message to Indigenous youth is simple: dream big. “It doesn’t matter how big these dreams are,” Gladue said. “Absolutely anything is possible.”

Together We Rise

As Gladue continues entering spaces where Indigenous representation has not always been visible, she says it is important that Indigenous people support one another along the way.

“We’re just taking up spaces right now as an Indigenous people, and sometimes you can feel alone in that because it hasn’t been done,” she said.

She hopes people will see another person’s accomplishments not as a reason to ask why them, but as an opportunity to recognize what may be possible for themselves. “Because this person did it, I can too,” she said.

Gladue describes that approach as part of creating greater kindness and support within the community.

Her own journey, meanwhile, continues to evolve. From the fashion runway and The Amazing Race Canada to international travel, acting and now The Traitors Canada, Gladue says she is still discovering what the next chapter might bring.

“I don’t feel like I’ve reached the best part of my life yet and the best part of my story,” she said.